By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — After her blockbuster interview with him and his wife Megan Markle, Oprah Winfrey is teaming with Prince Harry on a new project. “The Me You Can’t See,” a mental health documentary series, premieres May 21 on Apple TV Plus. Co-creators and executive producers Winfrey and Harry will guide discussions about mental health and emotional well-being while opening up about their own mental health journeys and struggles. The series will spotlight a range of people from across the globe dealing with mental health issues. There will also be some high-profile guests. They include Lady Gaga,…
Author: Ron Wynn
Unless you had been following his story all year, it’s highly unlikely that you knew who Kendrick Carmouche was. He certainly wasn’t a big name jockey and the horse he was riding in the Kentucky Derby Saturday Bourbonic was a 30-1 longshot. But Carmouche made history in the 147th Derby last weekend, even though his horse only finished 13th. That’s because he became the first Black jockey to race in the Derby since Kevin Krigger rode Goldencents in 2013. Earlier in the week Carmouche, a Louisiana native, talked about the importance of his racing there, saying he hoped to an…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Despite last Friday’s announcement of multiple changes to the Grammy Awards, most notably eliminating the “secret” nomination-review committees, top R&B star The Weeknd announced this week that he will continue to withhold his music from consideration for any Grammy awards. However he did call the moves “an important start,” in a statement that was carried in multiple entertainment publications and on various websites. The end of the committees, as well as other changes to the process, are widely viewed as some of the biggest changes in how the Recording Academy selects Grammys in decades.…
There are some good things happening this off-season in the college basketball coaching ranks for both Black men and women. It seems now that schools are beginning to look not only at Black assistants working at major colleges but also those who’ve done well at HBCUs. Even thought there’s still nothing close to even in terms of the percentage of Black players vs. coaches, the numbers are improving, and some fresh faces are taking advantage of that. For example, Toyelle Wilson, who was head coach at Prairie View A&M, was hired by Southern Methodist. Semeka Randall Lay, who was a…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Vanderbilt Commodores are maintaining their high national ranking despite playing some of the toughest teams in college baseball. They took their second straight series against a Top 10 team last weekend, rallying from four runs down in the third game to defeat number four ranked Mississippi State 7-4. That 2-1 series victory follows the one two weekends ago on the road against then number five ranked Tennessee. Things don’t get any easier for Vanderbilt, as they hit the road against the 14th ranked Florida Gators for a weekend series April 30-May 2. Then…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For over 118 years, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee has sought to improve opportunities for advancement and success among children and teens ages two to 18. But in today’s technology dominated environment, there are some who feel there is little or even no role for these groups. With so much emphasis on individual entertainment, they argue group activities being held at specific times in brick and mortar buildings don’t have much appeal. Anyone voicing that sentiment hasn’t met the current CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, Eric…
Now that things have settled a bit at both Tennessee State and Jackson State Universities, a revisit to their high-profile hirings of Eddie George and Deion Sanders as head coaches seems in order. TSU has spent the last week enjoying headline coverage in newspapers, on websites and TV in a manner it hasn’t seen in years, not even when it made the FCS playoffs in 2013. The initial George hiring, plus news that former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher would be serving in some advisory capacity and former Browns head coach Hue Jackson would be hired as offensive co-ordinator kept…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s impossible to make definitive statements about any team after only one game, but one thing can accurately be said about Nashville SC following the opening night 2-2 draw with Cincinnati. Their offense is off to a better start than in their inaugural season. They didn’t score two goals in a game last year until their 10th match. This time they had to do it to salvage a draw after falling behind 2-0 rather quickly. In the process of showing improved offensive efficiency, Nashville SC also set a franchise record with 13 shots on…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Director Ryan Coogler is taking a different approach in regards to filming in Georgia. While several others in the cinematic community are calling for all film and TV productions to be taken out of the state in response to the controversial SB202 bill that many see as emblematic of voter suppression policies, Coogler said his film “Black Panther 2” will remain in the state. Coogler wrote a guest column Friday that was released on multiple websites, among them Deadline and Shadow and Act. The column presented his reasons for this action. “While I wished…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee State Tigers made it official Monday that head coach Rod Reed’s final game was Sunday’s 46-23 loss to Southeast Missouri State at Hale Stadium. The announcement came from Dr. Mikki Allen, TSU’s Director of Athletics. Reed had spent 11 seasons as the Tigers’ head football coach. “After thoroughly evaluating the state of the TSU Football program, we’ve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership,” Dr. Allen said. “We would like to thank Rod for his service, dedication and commitment to his alma mater over the past 11 years.…