Pierce Brosnan's Wednesday News & Views

Bond. James Bond. Depending on your age, a different voice spoke those words in your head. For the wiser readers among us, it's the original Bond, Sean Connery. For others, it's Roger Moore, whose tenure at Bond is currently the longest at twelve years. The Bond buffs among us many remember Timothy Dalton's brief time as 007 in the late '80s. My generation? Pierce Brosnan, baby. Brosnan became Bond in 1995, in the series' first film in six years, "GoldenEye." My father is a huge James Bond fan. So much so that his marriage to my mom almost ended right after it began. My dad took my mother to see a Bond movie shortly after they got married and on the way home, decided to test out some of 007's fancy driving tricks, doing doughnuts and 360's in the parking lot before my mom made him stop. Since, she has refused to see a Bond movie with him, so instead, my dad made us his Bond movie pals, taking us to see every single one in the theater, thankfully without the crazy driving antics. Brosnan was a natural Bond: smooth, charming, and witty, and despite the terribleness of some of the actresses across from him (looking at you, Denise Richards), capable of carrying a film. Sure, Daniel Craig brings a certain ruggedness to the role, but for me, James Bond will always be Brosnan, suavely sipping on a "shaken, not stirred" martini with a smirk (hear that, Heineken?). After Brosnan turned in the keys to his BMW and Aston Martin, he's tried to shake the trademark role with parts in "The Matador," "The Ghost Writer," and even "Mamma Mia!" He's also had memorable parts in "Mrs. Doubtfire," "The Thomas Crown Affair," and "Mars Attacks" (okay, that last one maybe not so memorable, but fun fact: to this day, that movie scares me to death); but, he'll always be Bond to me. On your 59th birthday, this one's for you, Pierce. News and Views, please. -- Tuesday got off to a sad start, with the news of former Cat Michael Porter's arrest on sexual abuse and sodomy charges. For those who haven't heard (where have you been?), Porter will face six charges of sodomy in the third degree and two charges of sexual abuse in the first degree for alleged sexual acts with a female minor, whom he met at a church function back in 2009. Porter entered a plea of not guilty on Tuesday afternoon, and was released after paying a $22,000 bond. He will wear an ankle monitor, unable to leave the state until his preliminary hearing on June 4th. The news is troubling, and if the allegations are true, disgusting, disturbing, and every other word in the book. It's best not to dwell on it until the hearing in June, but my thoughts go out to all of the families involved. -- Hooray, change of subject! Tuesday afternoon, we finally learned the intentions of Amile Jefferson, who picked Duke over North Carolina State and Kentucky. The news was not shocking; most suspected Jefferson was favoring Duke and NC State over the Cats all along, but in these high times, it still feels a bit odd to see a top recruit pick against the Cats. Jefferson said that academics were a big part of his decision, and that "Duke is a once in a lifetime opportunity and something you don't pass up on." You're right, Amile. We all dream of losing to Lehigh in the first round. See you in November. -- With Amile going elsewhere, all eyes are on Montrezl Harrell, Kentucky's next option at power forward. Harrell still does not have a release from Virginia Tech, according to Hargrave coach AW Hamilton. However, it seems to be a matter of time, as Virginia Tech's new coach James Johnson said over the weekend that he would grant him one, at which time he'll decide between UK, Louisville, N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Xavier, Cincinnati and Alabama. Complete the puzzle, Montrezl. (At times like this, I wish that "l" wasn't silent.) -- Speaking of funny names, Rick Pitino added Michael "Dark Slime" Baffour to his roster today as a walk-on to replace Elisha Justice. Yep, Dark Slime. -- If you didn't see it earlier, congrats to Brandon Knight, who finished eighth in the Rookie of the Year voting. -- I see you, Eric Bledsoe. At halftime, Bledsoe has nine points in eleven minutes as the Clippers trail the Spurs, 57-49. And hey, Mike Fratello: Bledsoe did start in college, thank you very much. UPDATE: Bledsoe absolutely killed it last night, finishing with 23 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. -- It was a tough night for the Kentucky baseball team, who lost to Murray State 7-3. It marks the first time the Racers have beaten the Cats since 1997. The Cats head to Starkville to finish up the regular season against Mississippi State this weekend before next week's SEC Tournament. That'll do for now. In the morning, we go on “Montrezl watch," so wear comfortable shoes and bring a snack.