Michael Clarke Duncan's Tuesday News and Views

On3 imageby:Drew Franklin09/03/12

DrewFranklinKSR

"Your name is John Coffey?" "Yes sir, boss. Like the drink. Only not spelled the same." Just like that, Michael Clarke Duncan won the hearts of everyone in his breakout role in The Green Mile. The gentle giant, John Coffey, was intimidating in stature but as kind and compassionate as one could ever be. The role won Michael Clarke Duncan a Best Supporting Actor nomination and put him on the map as one of Hollywood's biggest and most likable personalities. He would go on to star in over 50 other projectsincluding box office hits Daredevil and Planet of the Apes. But before Michael Clarke Duncan was filling up the big screen, he used his 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame in several other ways. He dug ditches for People's Gas Company; he bounced at Chicago nightclubs; he stripped under the name Black Caesar; and he eventually moved out to Los Angeles, where he provided protection for the stars while looking for work as an actor. Some of his former clients include Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, and Notorious B.I.G.  The latter would be the one to to change his life. Duncan was assigned to protect Notorious B.I.G. the night he was murdered. It was the last time he worked as a security-man-for-hire. Like the star he was assigned to protect, Michael Clarke Duncan's life ended too soon, when he passed away Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Duncan had been in the hospital since suffering a heart attack on July 13. A statement said "he suffered a myocardial infarction and never fully recovered." He was 54 years old. RIP John Coffey.   Now let's get you some News and Views so you can be on your way...    There isn't a lot left to say about Kentucky's abysmal performance in the Governor's Cup on Sunday. I'm afraid we've already beaten the "defense was awful" horse to death. At this point, all we can do is hope for a better showing on Saturday against Kent State. It seems most of Big Blue Nation has already given up on the 2012 football season, as the "Fire Joker" message board comments and tweets are at an all-time high. Some are more vocal than others, but I wish we would all try to still be supportive of this team, not for Joker, but for the players. Joker's situation will work itself out and I think we all know how it's going to end. The players, however, still deserve some love and encouragement. If the negativity gets out of hand, we could see some of Kentucky's young talent transfer elsewhere. There is a lot of young talent on UK's roster to be excited about, too. Let's not run them off because something beyond their control. Towles, Whitlow, Mobley, Taylor, Sweat, Collins -- we don't know how those guys will react if the fan base completely disappears. I'd hate to lose any of them.  Kentucky opened up as a 7-point favorite over Kent State. Free money?  Future Kentucky basketball star, I mean, class of 2015 star, Karl Towns tweeted Monday evening that he has officially received an offer from Coach Cal to play at Kentucky. The entire world saw it coming.  Dez Wells is expected to announce his decision within the next 36 hours and The Washington Post believes he'll choose Maryland after "a source" said Wells was very excited while visiting the Terps. The source said he heard from Wells “every two hours” when he was at Maryland, but never heard from him during his visit to Oregon. The source also pointed out that Wells tweeted a lot while visiting Maryland, but he didn't tweet during any of his other visits. If Wells does pick the Terps, it's very unlikely that it'll affect the Harrison twins' decision, but ya never know. Every little bit helps.  UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said on Monday that the reports of an investigation into the recruitment of UCLA's top three players were misleading and inaccurate. According to Guerrero, only two players are currently ineligible -- not three, as originally reported. A source told ESPNLosAngeles that the two players still caught in the NCAA's grip are Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad. Tony Parker has been cleared.  Billy Gillispie is still in a Lubbock hospital, where he has been since early Friday when he called 911 to report a possible heart attack or stroke. Gillispie told the dispatcher it "was the worst he had ever felt." He will remain in the hospital to receive treatment for high blood pressure.  Some of you will say it's not a good time to make fun of Louisville. I, on the other hand, think it's always good time to make fun of Louisville. It'll take more than a football loss to keep from laughing at Card Nation. Is this the world's worst tattoo? Or is it the world's biggest steeplechase fan?  Tickets are still available for the Sept. 15, UK basketball Alumni Charity Game at Rupp Arena. All seats are reserved and priced at $100 (premium lower level), $40 (lower level) and $20 (upper level). Tickets can be purchased only at the Rupp Arena box office, online at Ticketmaster.com, at any Ticketmaster Outlet or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. There is a four-ticket limit per person. Online orders and phone orders will have additional fees attached. All proceeds from the game will go to charity. Julius Randle will be in attendance.  Mark your calendars for this Friday, September 7th for The Cardinal Hill Kentucky Bash. Join fans of UK Football for a spirited evening benefitting Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital. There will be bourbon tasting, a sophisticated southern menu, live music by The Johnson Brothers, the Jim Beam Quarterback Challenge, and an exclusive live auction. Visit the event’s website for more information. Matt Jones returns to the airwaves Tuesday morning to discuss Sunday's loss to the birds. Go Cats.

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2024-03-28