by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 10, 2019 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb alum Garrison Mathews successfully found the three-point line during his first NBA Summer League game as a member of the Washington Wizards. His team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 90-72, but it was a successful outing for the former Lipscomb star who led the Bisons to the NIT championship game last winter. He also contributed to his team in their July 11 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, and he now has a total of 18 NBA points. His first game on July 9, though, set the stage for his career; and he had a hot start in the losing effort against the Clippers in the game played in the Thomas & Mack Center at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and broadcast on ESPN3. The former Bison scored the first three of the game for the Wizards and hit three out of his four shots from the field, for a total of seven points in 19 minutes played. Mathews went into this game with something to prove in his bid to make it in the NBA, and he did just that. He continued his campaign for a professional career July 11, when he scored 11 points for the Wizards in their 76-74 squeaker past the Atlanta Hawks. Here is a tweet from the Washington Wizards page of Mathews. (Mathews is wearing number 24). .@gmathews_24 starting ?. #WizSummer | #DCFamily pic.twitter.com/iStHbhjH16 — Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 10, 2019 Photo courtesy of the...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jul 6, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” written by Ernie Nolan, is this season’s Nashville Children’s Theatre “Snuggery” show and is being performed at Lipscomb University in the black box theater. This is not the first year Lipscomb has hosted the NCT, but it is the first time the university have hosted the Snuggery, as well as the first time NCT has done a Snuggery show. The performance is geared toward kids 5-and-under, but is most certainly enjoyable for the parents as well. The show is comprised of two characters: Glimmer and Sparkle. The two are star-catchers and spend the entirety of the show searching for “Little Star.” The cast starts the show by inviting the young audience members as well as the adults to become star-catchers with them by giving them star-catcher kits and taking them through an interactive training that includes: dancing, singing, searching for stars and learning to be star-catchers. An interactive theater is a new concept and a fun way to get away from a screen for 45 minutes, said Eric D. Pasto-Crosby (who portrays Glimmer). “I personally love how different it can be,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoy that (children’s reactions0 part, having to loop that in as we go through. You could easily go on autopilot, but they don’t allow you to.” The dynamic between the two-person cast creates a new energy in the theater, according to Pasto-Crosby: “We go through all the ranges. We get sad, happy and it’s a full art, they experience with you…. It’s the same energy each time, but different dynamic” The actors are wonderful at including the whole audience in the...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jun 11, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, Galleries, News Slider
Lipscomb alums Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini were the hosts for CMA Fest’s biggest stage: Nissan Stadium, where country music’s biggest stars performed to four nights to fans from all over the world. Their hosting chores will be showcased again when the highlights of the performances on CMA’s biggest stage will be broadcast by ABC later this summer. While Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley and Brantley Gilbert loaded on the star power, it was rapper Lil Nas X who captured the stage and perhaps the festival itself when he and Billy Ray Cyrus teamed up for their “Old Town Road,” the surprise hit that has topped the charts for more than two months. Lending his able hands to the duo was Keith Urban. Other special guests included rock legend Joan Jett, HARDY, Midland and many others. This was “CMA Fest’s 48th year of connecting fans with Country Music artists” according to the website. The festival fell on a temperamental weekend for weather, and caused delays in both the daytime and nightly shows. Despite the rain coming down multiple evenings. CMA Fest 2019 sold out four straight nightly shows and met capacity crowds throughout the weekend. “Attendees were more engaged than ever before with users of The Official CMA Fest App up 15 percent year-over-year, spending an average of 15 minutes per session during the four days of the festival and scheduling nearly 700,000 events,” according to the CMA. This year’s three-hour primetime television special will air at 7 p.m. August 4 on ABC, Channel 2 in Nashville. In addition to Rhett and Ballerini, that broadcast will include Bobby Bones, host...
by Mckenzi Harris | Jun 6, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
CMA Fest is one of the biggest events in Nashville and visitors are arriving from all over to attend. While tickets to the main nighttime concert can be expensive, there are many free stages around town. During CMA Fest, fans can hear hundreds of artist, enjoy the downtown Nashville scene and attend six stages of free concerts. Organizers of the festival have said there will be more than 300 artists performing on the free stages this weekend. Some are up-and-coming artists, but there are many big name artist as well. A few of the big names include: Billy Currington, Gavin Degraw, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Chase Rice and Ashley McBryde. Free stages are as follow… The Chevy Riverfront Stage is the largest daytime stage at the festival and is located in Riverfront Park. Nashville Acoustic Center is a small stage located in the glass tower of Nashville visitor center just inside Bridgestone Arena. The Chevy Breakout Stage showcases the so-called next big country acts and is located in Walk of Fame Park. Budweiser Forever Country Stage is inside Forever Country Park behind Ascend Amphitheater. Maui Jim Broadway Stage is on the corner of fifth and Broadway and contains a lineup of an emerging artists. Along with the many free stages, there is also a cheap night show going on at Ascend Amphitheater at the same time as the big headliner concerts at Nissan Stadium. The Firestone Country Roads Stage at Ascend is a $10 admission for lawn seats and $25 for reserved seating. The Xfinity Fan Fair X is another cheap event to attend, costing $10 each day or...
by Mckenzi Harris | May 28, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb alumnus Thomas Rhett has released the title track to his new album, and it features fellow Lipscomb alum Kelsea Ballerini. None of the album was expected to be released until May 31, but Rhett dropped “Center Point Road” last week. Center Point Road — located 30 minutes from campus in Hendersonville — is a road familiar to many Lipscomb students, particularly those who live in or commute from that part of Middle Tennessee. The song has a strong piano in the background and even starts and ends with the sound of an old projector rolling. The album is sure to have diversity as the vibe of the song is much different from the other tracks Rhett has released from the album. This new title track brings back high school nostalgia saying, “Hold on forever (Hold on forever) / Yeah, hold onto it (Hold onto it) / Yeah, hold on forever (Hold on forever) / And never let go of it / Everyone says when you’re younger / It’s gonna go fast / It suddenly hits you like thunder / And you’re gonna wanna go back/ Wanna go back/ Wanna go back / Wanna go back.” Center Point Road, Rhett’s fourth album, is the first on which he has co-written all the songs on the entire album. He also co-produced the album with Dann Huff, Jesse Frasure and Julian Bunetta. Rhett and Ballerini were both communication majors at Lipscomb, Rhett from 2008 to 2011 and Ballerini from 2011 to 2013. Ballerini wrote a blog in Dr. Jimmy McCollum’s 21st Century Media course, and Professor Tim Ghianni, a long-time professional journalist,...
