By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s been a rugged year and no loss has been more keenly felt than the premature and surprise death of actor Chadwick Boseman. Multiple entertainment awards programs have paid homage to him, and Sunday night it was MTV’s turn. Two of his fellow actors who also portrayed Marvel superheroes recognized their fallen comrade. Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle posthumously presented Boseman the “Hero for the Ages” honor at MTV’s Move & TV Awards; Greatest of All Time ceremony. Boseman died at 43 in August from colon cancer. Because he didn’t disclose his illness,…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — There aren’t many things that happen in today’s music world that surprise folks, but Bob Dylan’s selling his catalog clearly qualifies as one. In a blockbuster deal Monday, Universal Music Publishing Group announce it had purchased Dylan’s entire catalog of songs, from 1962 to the present, directly from him. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition includes both publishing rights and Dylan’s “writer’s share,” which together would conservatively be worth at least $100 million. Dylan’s publishing is currently administered in the U.S. by the Bob Dylan Music Company and elsewhere…
By Ron Wynn If it seems like the 2019-20 NBA season just ended, that’s because it really did less than two months ago. When the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, it occurred on October 11. That was 377 (12 days longer than a calendar year) days since the opening preseason game, and concluded what was easily the longest season in NBA history. While that certainly wasn’t the plan, considering the impact of COVID-19 on both the nation and world as a whole, perhaps the most impressive thing is that the league…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The ranks of those accusing the Grammy awards of multiple flaws and problems continue to grow. The latest is the vocalist Halsey who used Instagram to blast the Recording Academy over its exclusion of several artists, herself included. Halsey joined Drake, Elton John, Kid Cudi, Charlie Puth and others. Her comments were later carried in numerous entertainment publications and on the Variety website. The Weeknd got things started last week when he ripped the Academy for not including him in any of multiple categories despite the huge commercial success of his latest recording. He…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Though he’s now passed, memories of the impact and importance of actor Chadwick Boseman remain strong. Now Disney has ensured he’ll be remembered for many days and months to come. They announced Monday that the company had redesigned the Marvel Logo’s introduction to Black Panther on Disney Plus. This was done in honor of what would have been Boseman’s 44th birthday Sunday. Boseman will next be seen posthumously in an upcoming August Wilson adaptation Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom on Netflix. He died on August 28 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Boseman never…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — A very hard year for the Vanderbilt Commodores’ football team got even tougher this week with the Sunday announcement that head coach Derek Mason had been fired. With an 0-8 record and facing the distinct possibility of having the first winless season in the 117-year history of the program, the move was expected after the season. But few anticipated it would come just as the team heads to Athens this week for a game against the ninth-ranked Bulldogs. After seven years, the string ran out for Mason, someone universally respected around the nation as…
Both the NCAA and the NFL have insisted on playing football this season despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic, and neither has opted to try putting its teams in bubble environments. They have continued with teams traveling and playing in various stadiums nationwide, though in most cases there are no fans. But still these teams are going into states where the virus has surged and infection rates keep rising. In the case of the colleges, some have students on campus and others don’t. Sometimes it has been players who get infected, and in other cases coaching staff or support personnel. All…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Fresh off two strong road victories, the Tennessee Titans have another pivotal game Sunday at home against the resurgent Cleveland Browns. The Browns have the identical record as the Titans (8-3), and come off a narrow victory over AFC South cellar dweller Jacksonville. They are also very much in the playoff hunt, though the Pittsburgh Steelers remain well out in front in the AFC North. Still, this year’s Browns are doing what the team was expected to do two years ago, but flopped badly. The Titans will be coming into this game with their…
NASHVILLE, TN — Defense was the cornerstone of the philosophy that enabled Nashville SC to reach the MLS playoffs in their inaugural season, despite not landing a berth in the Welcome Back tournament due to COVID-19 player infections. That excellence was acknowledged last week when the leader of their defense, and by extension the entire team, was honored for his accomplishments by the league. Center back Walker Zimmerman was named the 2020 MLS Defender of the Year. Zimmerman helped Nashville SC become the sixth expansion club in MLS history to clinch a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in…
By Ron Wynn It seems no matter how hard they try, the National Football League can’t quite get things right when it comes to issues of diversity, whether it’s head coaches or upper management. They’ve spent the past 10 months trying to figure out ways to improve their numbers, which remain awful for a league with a 75 percent Black playing membership. This season began with four teams having minority head coaches (three Black, one Latino), and just two with minority general managers. As the year has evolved, two more Blacks have inherited jobs via the interim route when white…