By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — In a year where little has been normal or gone as expected in the sports world, the 2020 US Open will be the first in history played without fans in attendance. The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to ensuring the stands will be empty, has also wrecked havoc with the field, as many of the top men and women aren’t participating. Yet there’s still enormous interest in the tournament for one main reason. Serena Williams continues pursuing the elusive 24th Grand Slam title, which would tie her with Margaret Court for the most in history.…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — While jazz fans have long been aware of Terence Blanchard’s brilliance as a trumpeter since his days with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the early 80s, far more people are aware of his excellence as a composer for various film and television projects. He’s scored many of Spike Lee’s films, earning an Oscar nomination and Grammy award for “BlacKkKlansman.” Most recently he’s provided the score for Lee’s Netflix film “Da 5 Bloods” and also for Regina King’s upcoming film “One Night in Miami,” which will be screened at this year’s Venice International…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — There was immense grief and sadness nationwide on Friday, but there was substantially more in Black neighborhoods and homes as the world received the stunning news that the marvelous actor Chadwick Boseman had died at 43 of colon cancer. The shock became even more pronounced when more information revealed he’d been suffering from it for four years, and had been working some of his finest acting roles around chemotherapy sessions. Boseman kept his condition such a secret even many considered his closest associates had no idea he was even ill, let alone suffering from…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The ongoing effort of NASCAR to increase diversity and inclusion regarding Blacks and other people of color has resulted in an unprecedented move with both local and national implications. Dover Motorsports COO Mike Tatoian announced last Saturday that Erik Moses had been named new president of Nashville Superspeedway. Moses becomes not only the first Black person in charge at the Nashville Superspeedway, but the first to be president of any NASCAR track. The Superspeedway has been closed since 2011, but is slated to reopen June 20, 2021. The main reason for Moses’ hiring, aside…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee State Tigers have turned to the Southeastern Conference in their bid to improve the fortunes of their women’s basketball team. Last Wednesday they announced the hiring of 17-year veteran coach Tywaune “Ty” Evans as the new head coach of the Lady Tigers. Both Athletic Director Dr. Mikki Allen and TSU President Glenda Glover were enthusiastic about the hiring of Evans. “Ty Evans will bring an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, and a winning mentality to the Tennessee State University women’s basketball program,” AD Allen said during a virtual press conference. “Coach Evans comes…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Only two episodes into its 10-week run, HBO’s LoveCraft Country” is enjoying enormous impact nationwide. Not only is it maintaining the publicity attention and audience fervor of the “Perry Mason” reboot that preceded it, but also has maintained the high quality and shock value of other prestigious HBO shows. They also proved with Sunday night’s episode “Whitey’s On The Moon” that they can stun and surprise viewers as the show concluded with the tragic and shocking death of a major character. “Whitey’s on the Moon,” directed by Daniel Sackheim and written by Misha Green,…
By Ron Wynn This weekend marks the culmination of several celebrations highlighting the Charlie Parker Centennial. Parker, widely viewed as the greatest alto saxophonist in jazz history and one of the world’s most influential musicians, was born August 29, 1920. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly reduced both the scope and the number of events that were previously designated as part of the celebration. But several things have already happened throughout the month, with a few more coming. There was the release on Aug. 7 of a new vinyl album highlighting Parker’s original releases for the Clef Record label on…
After years of bad publicity and attention regarding the low participation of American-born Blacks in their sport, MLB is starting to make progress. This season, which was delayed for months due to the impact of COVID-19, has seen a slight increase in Black players, though the numbers are nowhere near what they were in the ‘60s or even the early ‘70s. But the 80 players on MLB rosters constitute 7.8 percent of the league, not an impressive total, but still an improvement. There are some who think that folks who continue to dismiss any desire by MLB for more Black…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — An inability to protect fourth quarter leads proved the ultimate downfall for the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday, as they lost 126-122 to the Portland Trailblazers in the play-in game for the eighth spot in the NBA playoffs. The Grizzlies led by eight with less than 10 minutes remaining, but could not hold on as Portland rallied led by the heroics of CJ McCollum, Damien Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic. McCollum was particularly devastating with five late points, scoring 29 in all. Lillard led Portland with 31, while Nurkic had 22 points and 21 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Aunjanue Ellis is one of Hollywood’s busiest and most versatile actress, very much in demand for either drama or comedy, films or television. She’s currently starring in HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.” But last week her role as Dr. Mattie Moss Clark in Lifetime’s “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel” didn’t earn her a Best Actress Emmy nomination in a Limited Series or Television Movie category, even though many in the industry thought she was a lock to get one. While Ellis hardly needs any validation or recognition at this stage of her career, she…