Another new feature for you all!

Our latest artist spotlight features Dallas rock group, Tom Devil and The Wizard, which is led by lead guitarist and vocalist Matt Nestor. I caught up with Matt to discuss the group's inspirations and plans the group has for the second half of 2016!

Matt said his love for music came after he got a head injury in a bike accident at ten years old. He was unable to play contact sports for a year and, during that year, his dad showed him how to play the guitar and introduced him to bands and artists like Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. That had him instantly hooked, especially after going to his first concert when at 11 years old at the Bronco Bowl to see Grand Funk Railroad.

Matt revealed that the idea of forming a group came after he moved back home to Dallas, TX and met up for a jam session with an old high school friend, Jake. After a couple members left the group, the "power trio" was formed with Matt on vocals and guitar, Joey Pirro on bass, and Jake Malan on drums. "The name came about through a friend and myself in college when we spoke of starting a delta blues band," Matt stated. "We created a fictional legend behind this band with the characters of Tom Devil and the Wizard." The group is inspired by acts such as Phish, Neil Young, and Clutch and is essentially a straight up rock group with elements of funk, blues and jazz.

After recently playing the Balcony T.V. event in Austin, and all over the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, as well as recently releasing their debut, self-titled EP last year, Tom Devil and the Wizard are currently preparing to release their second EP as well as go on tour all over the East Coast. A few songs that Matt encouraged listeners to check out include "Don't Make Me Cry" and "Smelly Train" (one of my favorites), as well as "Blindsided", "Tonto", and "One Lane Highway" from the upcoming EP!

Be sure to support the group's album on iTunes! Also, follow them on their social media handles below! 

Social Media:
Website:www.tomdevilandthewizard.com 
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/tomdevilandthewizard
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tomdevilandthewizard 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomDevil_Wizard
Instagram: tomdevilandthewizard

9:48:00 PM

During a recent concert in her hometown of of The Bay Area, singer Kehlani took the time to speak about her recent suicide attempt back in March. 

Read more below! 

Being very forthcoming to the audience, she pleaded to them, “Please don’t try it. Don’t do it." The singer also mentioned that  she is working on doing some work with a suicide prevention organization very soon. 

As a fan of her music, I'm glad to hear her speak openly about these type of issues because her words could help save someone else's life. While we wait for more music from Ms. Kehlani, check out her new track "24/7" where she also opens up candidly about her issues.

Image via Vogue

6:07:00 AM

Hip hop artist SIR has been busy in the studio lately coming up with some heat, creating four new thought-provoking tracks: "Pyramids", "Deep Thinking" feat. Mr. Hill, "The Letter" and "Thank God! (The SIRimony)"
SIR had this to say about the last track, "Thank God!": "I grew up in the Hip-Hop era of lyricism. When cats used to start cyphers at any given moment and use the lunch tables as beat machines. I always wanted to keep my blade sharp, because I never knew when I would need to “snap” lol….I Thank GOD, for my art… I had to “snap” on this one to make sure my blade was still sharp." 

With this high caliber music, we here at The Spotlight are really looking forward to his next project. Check out the tracks below! 


Pyramids

Deep Thinking





The Letter





Thank God! (The SIRimony)

6:16:00 AM

Chicago neo-soul artist and personal friend of mine, K. James, has just released his video for his track, "Koolin.'" The laid back song is off his upcoming debut mixtape, Cuffin' Season.

Check out the video below!

You can check out more of the artist's music on SoundCloud and ReverbNation. You can also follow him on Twitter and Instagram! 

3:00:00 PM

After a few hits and misses with his singles since 2013, Mario will finally be releasing  his new album "Paradise Cove" soon. The singer has released his latest single, "I Need More" for listeners!

Check out the track below and let us know how you feel about it!

Mario and I 

Stay tuned to The Spotlight for more Mario news and music!

5:42:00 AM

The former Murder Inc. crooner, Lloyd returns with a new tune, "Tru!"
On the track, the singer speaks on everything that's been going on in his life since we last heard from him. As a fan of his, I'm really excited to hear more new music!

Check out the track below and stay tuned to The Spotlight for more!

11:00:00 AM

To celebrate his birthday today, Chris Brown unveils his new single "Grass Ain't Greener" off of his upcoming album, Heartbreak On A Full Moon!

Check out the track below! 

Wishing Chris a happy birthday and can't wait to hear more of what he has in the works. Stay tuned into The Spotlight for more Breezy news and music!

7:29:00 PM

After being out of the spotlight the last couple of months because of an Instagram post made by PettyNext...err I mean PartyNextDoor and a suicide attempt that followed, Kehlani has
blessed us with her new song "24/7!" The Tsunami Mob Queen delivers a heartfelt and honest track about her own situation, letting listeners know, "It's OK to not be OK, to dive in your pain."

Check out the song below! 

6:35:00 AM

This week on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jimmy Kimmel and the folks at Marvel teased us with our first look at Benedict Cumberbatch in his new lead role in upcoming film Doctor Strange, a mystical superhero from the Marvel catalog!

Doctor Strange's original plot is about Stephen Vincent Strange, a neurosurgeon who becomes charged with being the Earth's newest protector against all things mystical.

Variety mentioned that "Tilda Swinton will play Strange’s mentor, the Ancient One, with Chiwetel Ejiofor appearing as Baron Mordo, who studies magic under the Ancient One in the comic-books before becoming Doctor Strange’s nemesis."

Check out the first look below!

11:01:00 AM

Creed star Tessa Thompson will be joining the Marvel world in the new Thor 3: Ragnarok movie!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, no information on Tessa's role in the film has been released, but it's possible that she could be the female lead since Natalie Portman, who played Dr. Jane Foster in the previous two Thor installments, will not be not returning.

Of course, Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor, and the film will also feature Mark Ruffalo, as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, and Cate Blanchett in an unknown role.

Will you be going to see Thor 3?

Image via The Hollywood Reporter

7:12:00 AM

Oscar winner Sean Penn has officially joined the cast of the upcoming Sony Pictures Angry Birds movie!



According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor will play "a large red bird named Terrence, who only communicates in grunts and growls." Other celebrities including Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Blake Shelton and Charli XCX are all signed up to lend their voices to the movie that's dropping May 20th.

Any news or details about the movie get me excited and I will definitely be in attendance as a someone who may or may not own and play multiple Angry Birds games on his phone...4 to be exact!

Image via The Hollywood Reporter

4:32:00 AM

First Lady Michelle Obama got bars?!?

As a part of both her Let Girls Learn initiative and the White House's #62MillionGirls Campaign, the First Lady has dropped a new track called "This Is For My Girls!" The song features top musical acts Missy Elliott, Zendaya, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Monáe, Lea Michele, Chloe & Halle and Jada Grace to help promote the two programs.


According to Baller Alert, all of the artists involved have also waived all royalties and fees to participate in the song, with all proceeds going towards the Peace Corps' Let Girls Learn Fund. 

The Diane Warren-written track is available now on iTunes! Check out the track and let us know how you like it!

Image via VIBE

5:55:00 AM

A new interesting series to watch!

According to Deadline, Tristan Wilds and Aisha Hinds have landed roles on Fox's new Television Series 'Shots Fired'. The show will also feature actors Sanaa Lathan and Stephan James.


Tristan will be playing the lead role of Officer Belk, a local sheriff who has to deal with the aftermath of his character shooting a white teenager. Aisha will play the role of a young activist who exposes the town for the hypocrisy that arises from the incident.

Tristan recently mentioned on the Rap Radar Podcast that shooting will start in just a few weeks on this dramatic series! We here at The Spotlight are really looking forward to this show and will keep you informed of any more details!

Photo Taken From VOICE

5:07:00 AM

The final trailer is here! Coming out on May 6th, 2016, Marvel has released the final trailer for Captain America 3: Civil War aka Avengers 2.5!

This one features the most quiet kept hero that's making his debut...Spider-Man! I've already watched this trailer about 10 times and will be purchasing my ticket ASAP!

Check out the trailer below and stay tuned to The Spotlight for more info!

Image via Marvel

1:13:00 PM

Move over Genius! (just kidding!) Looks like someone has gotten hold of the lyrics of the late West Coast legendary rapper Tupac Shakur! 

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, three notebooks owned by Pac, containing handwritten lyrics, music video ideas and other notes will be auctioned for fans!
The auction house set to sell the items is Moment In Time, the same auction house that sold his hand-written letter from his time in pprison. The lyrics to songs like "16 on Death Row," "It Ain't Easy," and "Keep Ya Head Up" are all within these notebooks. 

There currently isn't a set price for the notebooks yet, because Moment In Time has said they might sell the pages separately. As a fan, I would personally rather see the whole notebook be sold together and not be ripped up. Stay tuned to The Spotlight for any info!

Image via Tim Mosenfelder/ImageDirect

5:08:00 AM

Looks like the young Disney actress/singer Zendaya has landed a major role!

According to The Stashed, she will be playing the role of a character named Michelle in the new Spider-Man reboot film.


The film, which will be Zendaya's first feature film, that's set to drop July 7th, 2017. Tom Holland has already been casted to play the main role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and will make his debut in the new Captain America: Civil War film.

As a fan of super-hero films but still tired of all the Spider-Man reboots, I'm more eager to see the film now! Stay tuned to The Spotlight as more details become available about the reboot!

3:42:00 PM

Looks like we may be getting a new crossover movie between two funny films!

According to The Source, we'll be seeing a team-up of sorts between both Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill's Jump Street characters Jenko and Schmidt, along with Agents J and K.
However, mainstays Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones won't be returning as the two main characters from the Men In Black franchise. Sony Films is planning to cast younger actors for the roles in order to reboot the franchise.

The directors of the first two Jump Street films, Peter Lord and Chris Miller will be returning as producers this time around. They will not be available to direct because they are already committed to directing the upcoming Han Solo film. Filming for the crossover is expected to begin in June.

As a fan of both franchises, I'm very skeptical of how this will turn out, but will wait until there is more info on the film and see it for myself!

Image via The Source

6:30:00 AM

The official trailer for the new Ghostbusters reboot has officially dropped...slime filled and all!

The film has an all-female leading cast this time around, including Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.


The reboot also includes tributes to the original movie with the New York Public Library and Slimer, the green ghost. Though they aren't in the trailer, it's been confirmed that three of the original members, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd and Ernie Hudson make an appearance in the movie.

Ghostbusters drops July 15th and I know I'm very excited to see this new spin on the classic original! Check out the trailer below!

1:10:00 PM

I wanted to see the movie a second time before I did this review but things came up and I wasn't able to. However, just from the fact I wanted to see it again let me say that if you haven't seen Deadpool yet....GO SEE IT NOW! And if you still need some reason to see it, check out my review below!



First, a little backstory on Deadpool and how the movie came to be. Ryan Reynolds plays Wade Wilson, who serves as superhero Deadpool, known as "The Merc With A Mouth" for his crass and foul mouth. Before he got his powers, Wade was a former Special Ops agent turned mercenary. He soon was diagnosed with cancer and underwent an experimental procedure that granted him accelerated healing powers similar to those of fellow X-Men character Wolverine. However, it also enhanced the cancer in his body which leaves his body looking very grotesque.

This movie came to be after Deadpool made a horrible debut in Fox's X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie in which Ryan played the character as well. After such dismal reviews and plans to already make a solo Deadpool movie in the works, Ryan worked relentlessly with Fox to basically "forget" about that version of Deadpool, and re-create his story to the greatness that's in theaters now.

What made this movie great was the perfect combination of comedy, foul language, and violence, as well Deadpool continuing to claim that he is not a hero, even though he's doing heroic things like saving people. He just does it in his own way with guns, knives and other weapons. Ryan's "love to hate" attitude in my opinion fits the character perfect as Wade goes through the movie in search of revenge for ruining his life and model worthy face. Deadpool's ability to break the fourth wall and talk to the audience is also a highlight that is rarely done in movies but has been done in the Deadpool comics for years and was transitioned to the big screen perfectly.

Promoted as a story of revenge and love, this movie is told through a series of flashbacks, action scenes and foul humor. If you've seen all the commercials and trailers, don't worry. All of those scenes were surprisingly (and to my liking), mostly at the beginning of the movie, with the rest of the film still being filled with tons of other funny scenes. I highly suggest everyone goes to see this movie and stays after for the post credits seen because there may be clues to a possible sequel!
I'm personally looking forward to the movie being released on DVD and Blu-Ray, so I can watch it over and over.

RATING: ★★★★ (four out of five stars)

Stay tuned into The Spotlight for more of our TV, music and movie reviews!


I give this movie 4/5 stars

1:20:00 PM

Looks like the King of the South, T.I. has a new label home with Roc Nation, at least for the distribution of his next album, The Dime Trap!

According to Billboard,  yesterday, February 22, right before his Tidal show in Atlanta, T.I. announced that he has not only signed a distribution deal for his next album but is now a co-owner of Tidal as well!

Tip joins a top list of A-list co-owners of Tidal that also includes Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Usher and Lil' Wayne. T.I. also released his new single "Money Talk" as well exclusively through the growing streaming service.

As a fan of T.I., I'm excited about this business move for him and look forward to the new music. Stay tuned to The Spotlight for more info about his album as it becomes available. For now, check out T.I's new single "Money Talk" below!

12:45:00 PM