Showing posts with label Michael. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael. Show all posts

Michael Clarke Duncan Dies at 54

Michael Clarke Duncan, star of the Bones spin-off The Finder, died on Monday following complications from a heart attack. He was 54 years old.

Duncan was an unmistakable presence, standing six feet, five inches tall and weighing more than 300 pounds. After a landing series of film roles that took advantage of his massive size, Duncan exploded into stardom with his turn as John Coffey in Frank Darabont's The Green Mile. It was that Oscar-nominated performance that would change our perception of Duncan as a burly bouncer and behemoth bodyguard to gentle giant with a booming laugh and joyous smile.

After several roles on the big screen, Duncan, like many other movie stars, moved to television with last season's new Fox drama The Finder. Duncan played Leo Knox, the sidekick to the series' protagonist. The show was canceled after one season.

In July, Duncan had to be revived by his fiancée Omarosa Manigault after suffering a heart attack. Duncan died yesterday in a Los Angeles hospital while being treated for difficulties stemming from that previous heart attack.

Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom

View the original article here

News Briefs: Kelly Ripa's New Live! Co-host Is... Michael Strahan?

NEW FACES IN OLD PLACES NEWS

... Kelly Ripa will be joined by the anti-Regis soon. According to a report, ABC's long-running Live! is bringing in former NFL player Michael Strahan to sit in the seat once occupied by Regis Philbin, but I'm guessing Strahan's feet will touch the floor, unlike Regis's ever did. Strahan, who is part of Fox's NFL pre-game show and starred briefly in the Fox sitcom Brothers, was one of several guest hosts who tried their hand at co-hosting the early-morning variety show. [Broadcasting & Cable]

... American Idol is looking for another big name to add to its judges' table, and the latest celebrity to be thrown in the mix is Kanye West. Talks are preliminary, but West is reportedly interested and asking for at least $18 million for the season to match new judge Mariah Carey. How are both of their heads going to fit inside the same auditorium? [TMZ]


BUSINESS TIME

... Bravo has canceled Work of Art, the pretentious reality show that brought in weirdos from across the country to finger-paint and take pictures of their boobs while a trio of no-talent snobs crapped on their "art." Man, it was a really good show. [GalleryistNY]

... BBC America will premiere Season 7 of Doctor Who on September 1! [BBC America via press release]

... NBC will premiere Season 38 of Saturday Night Live on September 15! [SNL's Twitter]

... Playwright and F-word aficionado David Mamet is working on a remake of the 1957 Western Have Gun—Will Travel for CBS. The original followed a gunman named Paladin, but there's no word on what the new version would focus on. [Deadline Hollywood]

... ABC is coddling a project from CSI creator Anthony Zuiker and Gossip Girl producer Sara Goodman called Taboo. The soapy drama follows a stay-at-home mother who goes undercover as a profiler for the FBI, but ends up getting her horn on for the guy she's investigating. Homeland did it better. [Deadline Hollywood]


CASTING NEWS

... The Walking Dead is adding a new character for Season 3 who wasn't in the comics. Rubicon's Dallas Roberts will play Milton, a smart guy who lives with The Governor (David Morrissey) and is keen on experimenting on zombies. He's not a big guy, but he's made himself useful with his brains. Mmm... brains. Nom x 3. [EW]

... The Hard Times of RJ Berger's Jayson Blair has been promoted to series regular in Ryan Murphy's upcoming NBC comedy The New Normal. [Deadline Hollywood]

... USA's pilot Paging Dr. Freed, about a pair of brothers who are gynecologists, has founds its gynecologist brothers. Kyle Howard (My Boys) and Joel David Moore (Avatar) will play the leads, who inherit their dad's medical practice after he's caught playing Doctor with his secretary and suffers a heart attack. [Deadline Hollywood]

... The CW's Arrow has cast Jessica De Gouw for multiple episodes. She'll play The Huntress, a character who comic fans will recognize from the comics. And she'll maybe get into Oliver Queen's pants. [EW]

... Workaholics' Jillian Bell will recur on CBS's upcoming Partners, a comedy about two buddies—one gay and one straight—who's lives change when the straight one gets engaged. Bell will play the cousin of Ali (Sophia Bush), the fiancĂ©. [TV Line]

Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom

View the original article here