By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Seldom does a show have such potential that it gets a season two renewal before season one begins. But that’s the case for a new show coming soon to Prime Video. It’s a program spotlighting the brilliant Washington detective Alex Cross, a creation of the prolific author James Patterson. The first Cross novel was written in 1993, and there have been 32 primary and 36 total works featuring the character. Prime Video announced during the winter that there would be a new Alex Cross show debuting either in the spring or summer. Now they’ve…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Vanderbilt Commodores are in an unfamiliar position. With three games remaining in the regular season, they are unsure of their position regarding the NCAA Tournament. They have made it the last 17 consecutive seasons, but this year their record in conference play is 12-15 after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Tennessee. The Commodores still lost the series, but at least they ended their losing streaks at nine to Tennessee and within the SEC overall. They remain in fifth among Eastern Division teams, and their weekend opponent Kentucky leads the East at 20-7, and are…
Tennessee State University continues making splashes in the athletic world. Last week they announced the hiring of a genuine basketball legend as the next head coach of the women’s team. Athletic Director Dr. Mikki Allen announced the appointment of seven-time WNBA All-Star and former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Candice Dupree as the 13th head coach in program history. “I am thrilled about the opportunity to lead and coach the future of women’s basketball at Tennessee State University,” Dupree said in a statement.. “I am eager to continue building our program in alignment with the incredible culture and values embodied…
NASHVILLE, TN — Some of jazz’s top artists will be in town this week as Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music hosts the sixth International Jazz Composers Symposium. It begins Thursday and continues through the weekend. It’s presented by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC). The 2024 Symposium features noted master artists Anat Cohen, Oded Lev-Ari, John Clayton, Danilo Pérez, John Beasley, and Mike Holober. Ryan Middagh’s professional jazz ensemble will serve as the house band for guest artist performances, and other Blair jazz faculty will be involved with various aspects of the conference. “Hosting ISJAC is a…
Baseball was once a hot sport in Black neighborhoods nationwide. Top African American baseball players were revered the way NFL and NBA players are today. But it hasn’t been that way since the late 20th century, and increasingly young Black athletes looking for college opportunities have opted for football and basketball, rather than baseball. But the sport is still being played at several HBCUs, and recently Tennessee State announced it would be bringing baseball back after an absence of over three decades. Athletic director Dr. Mikki Allen and outgoing President Glenda Glover made the announcement, setting a target date for…
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…
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…