By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators now look to the 2024-2025 season following their tough 1-0 home loss to the Vancouver Canucks last Friday in Game 6 of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series. Given that no one at the start of the year predicted that the Predators would return to the playoffs, for the most part they had a positive and surprising season. But if they want to take the next step, the Predators will have to do some serious thinking about a few issues in the offseason. The first and possibly foremost concerns goalie…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Fresh off winning its 95th Emmy award, “Saturday Night Live” announced last week that Maya Rudolph will be the host Saturday night. The musical guest will be Vampire Weekend. Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal will host the 49th season finale May 18 with musical guest Sabrina Carpenter. Dua Lipa was last week’s both guest host and musical guest. Rudolph is a five-time Emmy winner who hosts for the third time. Gyllenhaal is also making his third appearance as host. Rudolph was an “SNL” cast member from 2000-2007. Since leaving she’s not only been in multiple…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Actress/writer, executive producer and creator of the acclaimed series “Abbott Elementary” Quinta Brunson will receive the Peabody Trailblazer Award at this year’s ceremonies next month. The announcement was made this week that Brunson would be the second winner of this honor. Issa Rae was the inaugural recipient. She will join legendary producer, writer, director, comedian and actor Mel Brooks on the podium. Brooks is receiving the Peabody Career Achievement Award. “Mel Brooks is not only one of the most beloved comedians of all time, but he literally set the standard for television comedy from…
In a year when the coverage of women’s basketball has been at a peak, the attention given an announcement Sunday was another indicator of the ongoing awareness and interest in the sport that’s considerably grown over the past year. Candace Parker, not only a collegiate star but perennial all-pro and multiple WNBA champion, formally retired. Interestingly, the announcement got major coverage on not just sports shows but on both broadcast and public television newscasts. Parker certainly didn’t get that kind of coverage in 2008, when she was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft. Unlike this year, when Caitlin…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — After being away for 16 years, the Nashville Kats and Arena League Football is back. The Kats played the first of their home games against Minnesota Saturday night, and they continue opening week Thursday night on the road against Albany. In this third incarnation of the Kats, they’re one of four teams in the East Conference along with Minnesota, Albany and Philadelphia. Their head coach is Dean Cokinos, and their top offensive weapon is dual threat QB Ramone Atkins, previously a veteran of the Indoor Football League. Last season for Tucson in the Indoor…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — There aren’t many travel films like “Lost Soulz,” which will be screened at the Belcourt Monday night. It spotlights the exploits of an aspiring rapper who joins a group of Gen X musicians after he makes a triumphant appearance at their house party. Rapper Sol is a New Yorker with a colorful but also troubled past. He joins Malachi Mabson, Alex Brackney and others to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. “Lost Soulz” is is Katherine Propper’s directorial debut, and the film has been being critically acclaimed, as well as its powerful soundtrack. But not…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN —Rod McGaha has excelled in Music City on two fronts. He’s both an outstanding trumpeter and a top photographer. This weekend he’ll take on another role, that of music historian as he’ll be featured in a Jazz On The Move presentation “The Life And Music of Clark Terry.” McGaha was once a student of Terry, whose stature as both a player and mentor/educator was extensive throughout his career. Terry was a brilliant soloist, but also one of the greatest section players in jazz history. He was among the rare players to be a featured member…
Two Nashville HBCUs are offering an alternative direction for sports, and by extension providing a pathway for others to follow. Tennessee State University and Fisk University are making inroads in sports where HBCU teams haven’t previously competed. By doing so they’re not only showing there’s opportunities in those areas for individual athletes, but demonstrating they can attract top coaching talents and generate national publicity and attention in the process. Tennessee State last week announced the hiring of Duante Abercrombie as the first head coach of their new hockey team, the first head coach of any hockey program at an HBCU. …
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Anyone who’s worked in Nashville media for any stretch of time is familiar with Lance Cowan. He’s been a longtime public relations representative for numerous musicians. After working for such organizations as Network Ink and later Antones/dos Records, he branched out on his own where his first client was the legendary blues musician Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Since that time he’s worked for many others, among them Sam Bush, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. But Cowan’s now moved into a different arena. As a guitarist since the age of 12, he’s enjoyed…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — These are busy times for veteran actor Ernie Hudson. Not only is he currently appearing in the latest season of “Quantum Leap” on NBC and the current “Ghostbusters” film, but he’s now signed on to star in the new horror film “Oswald Down the Rabbit Hole.” Hudson will play Oswald Jebediah Coleman, a brilliant animator who is cast away to a bone-chilling magical prison. A release describes the plot: “After over 100 years of being trapped there, Oswald’s come-to-life cartoon rabbit is menacing, gruesome and out for blood.” The film follows the main character,…