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Gentle giant star Michael Clarke Duncan dead at 54 RALPH NELSON/AP PHOTO/WARNER BROS.
This undated image provided by Warner Bros. shows Tom Hanks, left, Michael Clarke Duncan, center, and David Morse in “The Green Mile.” was “terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike. He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of ‘The Green Mile.’ He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned.” “I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan,” comedian and talk-show host Steve Harvey said on Twitter. “What an incredible soldier in God’s Plan.” Other sad and shocked reactions came from a diverse field that included Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, actresses Alexa Vega, Niecy Nash and Olivia Munn, and former boxing champion Lennox Lewis. In the spring of 2012, Duncan had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier. “I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat,” he said. “I’m a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat.” Duncan had a handful of minor roles before “The Green Mile” brought him accolades and fame. The 1999
film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played Jo h n Coffey, a c o n - DUNCAN victed murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers. Duncan’s performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for “The Green Mile” after the two appeared together in “Armageddon.” Duncan would work with Willis again in “Breakfast of Champions,” ‘’The Whole Nine Yards” and “Sin City.” His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films
(“Daredevil”) to comedy (“Talladega Nights,” ‘’School for Scoundrels”). He could have made a career out of his voice work alone, with appearances in several animated and family movies, including, “Kung Fu Panda,” Stripes” and ‘’Racing “Brother Bear.” Among Duncan’s television credits were “The Apprentice,” ‘’Two and a Half Men,” ‘’The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and a new series, “The Finder.” Born in Chicago in 1957, Duncan was raised by a single mother whose resistance to his playing football led to his deciding he wanted to become an actor. But when his mother became ill, he dropped out of college, Alcorn State University, and worked as a ditch digger and bouncer to support her. By his mid-20s, he was in Los Angeles, where he looked for acting parts and became a bodyguard for Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and other stars. The murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., for whom Duncan had been hired to protect before switching assignments, led him to quit his job and pursue acting full-time.
■ Contract Bridge — By Steve Becker
The theory of anticipation divided 2-2 or 3-1, the contract cannot fail. The only real threat is a 4-0 division. If West has all four trumps, though, there is no problem. Whenever South plays the ace, East shows out, and declarer then leads a low heart toward the jack to limit himself to one trump loser. But if East has all four trumps and South cashes the ace of hearts first, he will be in serious trouble. East’s Q-10-9 over dummy’s J-7-6 would then be worth two tricks, dooming the slam. In order to cater to both potential 4-0 breaks, South tries to find a safety play that will guard against either defender holding all four trumps. Accordingly, he wins the opening club lead in dummy and returns the five of hearts. If East produces the nine, ten or queen, South wins with the ace and cannot lose more than one trump trick with proper play.
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DEAR HELPLESS: Because your father’s overtures make you uncomfortable, and he “punishes” you if you don’t accept them — it IS a “big deal.” Before this goes any further, you should call Childhelp and describe what’s happening. The tollfree number is 800-422-4453. The person who answers the phone can refer you to help in your state. Please don’t wait. Your safety and that of your sister could depend on it.
while if West shows out, DEAR ABBY: I am roSouth again cannot lose more than one trump mantically attracted to a girl, “Jade.” We have trick. known each other ever Sylvia since we were in diapers. Tomorrow: She’s bubbly, vivacious adopts a new strategy. and beautiful. We flirted with puppy love about 10 Solve it years ago, but it never went beyond writing love letters and ended quickly. It was so disappointingly brief that I have never regarded it as a true relationship. I consider her Complete the my first love. grid so every row, Jade goes through column and 3 x 3 boyfriends like a chainbox contains smoker goes through cigaevery digit from rettes. It seems as if every 1 to 9 inclusively. time I ask her, “So, how is your current boyfriend?” MONDAY’S SOLUTION that she has a new one.
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Sudoku Puzzle
ABIGAIL VAN BUREN
Advice Her mother is the same way, truth be told, and never found a good father figure for Jade. The men her mother dated were abusive. Consequently, Jade isn’t the best judge of men, either. My parents have suggested that she may view me as a friend because I’m the only decent guy in her life, and she’s afraid we wouldn’t be friends if our romantic relationship ended. I want to tell her that I’d like to date her the next time her current relationship ends. At the same time, I want her to know I’d rather have her as a friend than nothing at all. Thanks to the wonder of social media, I will know when her next relationship ends. Should I wait till then? If not, how long? — FIRST LOVE IN THE SOUTH DEAR FIRST LOVE: You seem to have a lot of insight about Jade. Because she was raised by a mother who was involved in one abusive relationship after another, she may feel that unless there is pain and drama, that what she’s experiencing is boring and not really “love.” Until she realizes that the criteria she’s using in choosing men are flawed, and is willing to get help to straighten out her thinking, her pattern will continue to repeat itself. As you hover over your keyboard waiting for news of her next romantic failure, I suggest that rather than “pounce,” you keep her as a friend until she’s ready for a mature relationship. If you don’t, you will only suffer more disappointment. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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If East instead follows to the five with the deuce, South plays the three from his hand as a safety measure. If West wins the trick, that closes the door to further trump losers,
DEAR ABBY: My mom’s boyfriend wants to spend time with my 16year-old sister and take her places all the time. He wants to cuddle with both of us whenever we sit on the couch and gets really upset when we don’t want to. He’s my biological father, but I have known him only for a year because he left my mom when she was pregnant with me. Now he wants to play “dad” when I already have had a dad all my life. (Mom was married for 11 years to another man.) I’m 14. He yells and swears all the time and takes things away from us if we don’t do what he wants. He isn’t physically abusive yet, but the cuddling freaks me out and I don’t think it’s right. I told my school counselor. She said to get over it, that it wasn’t a big deal. Abby, what can I do? I think he is grooming my sister for sex since he told us he likes young girls and was used to them before Mom. Mom has problems with depression and reality and won’t listen to us. Help us, please. Where can I go? — HELPLESS IN THE MIDWEST
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A conscientious declarer tries to protect against any and all distributions of the adverse cards. Take this case where West leads a club and declarer sees at once that he has no losers in spades, diamonds or clubs. He can stand one trump loser and still make the slam, but he can’t afford to lose two trump tricks. So South starts thinking in terms of what divisions of the opposing trumps might put the contract in jeopardy. Obviously, if the trumps are
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Father’s idea of cuddling is too close for comfort
CHRISTY LEMIRE AP Movie Critic LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Clarke Duncan was one big, irresistible jumble of contradictions. His presence was formidable, even intimidating: The former bodyguard had a muscular, 6-foot-4 frame, but it was topped by the brightest of megawatt smiles. His gravelly baritone was well-suited to everything from animated films to action spectacles, but no matter the role, a warmth and a sweetness was always evident underneath. The prolific character actor, whose dozens of movies included an Oscarnominated performance as a death row inmate in “The Green Mile” and box office hits including “Armageddon,” “‘Planet of the Apes” and “Kung Fu Panda,” died Monday at age 54. And although he only turned to acting in his 30s, it’s clear from the outpouring of prayers and remembrances he received across the Hollywood and sports worlds that his gentle-giant persona made him much-loved during that relatively brief time. Duncan died at CedarsSinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily. Duncan “suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered,” the statement said. “Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.” Tom Hanks, star of 1999’s “The Green Mile” — the film that earned a then-littleknown Duncan a supporting-actor nomination at the Academy Awards — said he
Wednesday, September 5, 2012