Randy Travis is at a Texas hospital in critical condition.
Photo courtesy of 117 Entertainment Group
UPDATE: Randy Travis' publicist issued a release on July 10 with a video from Travis' physician, Dr. William Gray, director of cardiovascular services at Baylor Medical Center at McKinney.
According to Gray, Travis was admitted through an emergency department to Baylor Medical Center at McKinney on Sunday, July 7. He had been in excellent health until three weeks prior, when he developed a viral upper respiratory illness.
He was admitted at Baylor McKinney with a presumptive cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure.
He was subsequently sent to the Heart Hospital Baylor in Plano for a higher level of specialized care with Dr. Michael Mack. Since his transfer, his condition has stabilized and he has shown signs of improvement.
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Country music icon Randy Travis, who is in critical condition in a Plano hospital, did not undergo heart surgery, despite reports to the contrary, according to a statement from his publicist. Travis was admitted to an undisclosed Texas hospital on July 7 due to complications from viral cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that weakens and enlarges the cardiac muscles.
"Travis was admitted into a Texas hospital on Sunday and underwent placement of an IMPELLA peripheral left ventricular assist device for stabilization prior to transferring hospitals," the statement said. "The Grammy winner remains in critical condition."
Cards and well wishes can be sent to Travis at this address: 266 Blanks Rd. Tioga, Texas 76271
When making movies about the long history of sins visited upon Black people in the United States, a good instinct by filmmakers is to keep the story small. In telling a personal tale, as is done in Nickel Boys, the larger systemic issue can be exposed without getting lost in the enormity of the wrongs done to everyone who’s similar to the central characters.
What makes this film unique, though, is that writer/director RaMell Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes adapted Colson Whitehead’s novel in a way that is as personal as you can get: By giving it a first-person perspective. For the first half of the film, the audience sees the world of Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharp as a child, Ethan Herisse as a teenager) through his eyes, with the character only appearing in reflections or photos.
Through this technique, the impact of the turbulent 1960s hits even harder, as - among other things - Elwood sees the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. and becomes a high-achieving student against the odds in Tallahassee, Florida while living with his grandmother, Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). On his way to attend a college that would help him achieve his dreams, he is waylaid in a traffic stop and taken to a reform school against his will.
As he tries to adjust to what amounts to an imprisonment, he makes friends with Turner (Brandon Wilson). From that point on, Ross shifts the perspective back-and-forth between the two boys, as well flash-forwards to an adult Elwood, as each deals with the innumerable injustices that they experience at the school. Their friendship is the thinnest of ropes that keeps them tethered to any hope that they will be able to leave one day.
While the first-person perspective could be viewed as a gimmick, in the case of this film it underscores the bewildering circumstances in which Elwood finds himself. Instead of being privy to information that Elwood or Turner might not know, we can only see what they see, a viewpoint that serves to increase the harrowing nature of their plights. Ross shifts the camera slightly to behind Elwood’s head in future scenes, a subtle move that helps the audience understand where in time they are, and give more information on the man that he has become.
While showing overt racism in films remains a powerful reminder of the evil that can exist in the world, many movies fall into a trap of making the racists one-dimensionally vile. Ross and Barnes make sure to flesh out characters like teacher Spencer (Hamish Linklater) and other adults, making their mistreatment of the Black kids at the school even more horrific.
Although the unusual camera placement prevents them from receiving the full star treatment, both Herisse and Wilson are able to demonstrate their talents well. The fleeting glimpses of their faces helps to understand the strength of the work they do off-screen. Ellis-Taylor puts in another award-worthy performance, projecting heart and desperation in equal measure as Hattie fights to get Elwood back.
While not strictly a historical film (the book is a fictional story that takes inspiration from real events), Nickel Boys holds enough truths in it to be completely gripping. The first-person perspective draws the viewer in, and then the story clobbers them with events that make the central characters indelible.
