2012 was a busy time for news with the upcoming presidential election. However, not to be outdone, these 10 Kens managed to make some headlines of their own. You might be wondering to yourself why 2012 and not 2013? Perhaps that is an opportunity for another post yet to come?
- Ken Shamrock – After a career spanning over 18 years in mixed martial arts, legendary fighter Ken Shamrock made the news in 2012 for a bout that wasn’t his best moment. While trying to break up a fight in a Modesto, CA mall, Shamrock grounded a bystander who had jumped on his back. The watching crowd was quick to alert Ken to the fact that his assailant was a woman, at which point the decorated fighter backed off.
- Ken Taylor – While the movie Argo, starring Ben Affleck, was making waves at the box-office, Ken Taylor was setting the record straight on his role in the epic rescue of six U.S. diplomats in 1980 in Tehran. Taylor, in typical international hero fashion, downplayed the fact that the Canadian Embassies part in the rescue was overlooked in the movie. Instead, he stated that keeping the memory of the rescue alive is what was important, and not the individual players involved.
- Ken Livingstone – As the year 2012 drew to a close, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone revealed that he had turned down a CBE from Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain. Livingstone said of the decision, “I don’t believe politicians should get honors.” However, Mr. Livingstone spoke of his pride in having been part of the committee that obtained the Olympic bid, which secured London as the host of the international games in 2012.
- Ken Lerer – Huffington post founder Ken Lerer made headlines in 2012 with the announcement that he planned to take on global news media. The launch of a new network, NowThisNews, that plays host to video news reports online that are designed to share via cell phone, was the first stage of attack. A number of top profile acquisitions, including Eason Jordan, CNN’s former chief news executive, is sure to give Ken’s plan a decent chance of success.
- Ken Mampel – If you believe that climate change is real and happening in our time, you would do well never to mention it in front of Ken Mampel. This self-professed every day Floridian holds claim to most edits on the Hurricane Sandy Wikipedia page, most notably for removing all references to climate change. Ken is a proud denier of all things related to climate change, but he maintains that he is a Wikipedia contributor and not an editor, as some have claimed.
- Justin Jedlica – Dubbed “the human Ken doll,” Justin Jedlica has had over 90 cosmetic surgeries to improve his looks. Jedlica’s surgeries include silicone implants in his buttocks, belly, biceps and triceps, with an overall price tag of over $100,000 for all his surgeries combined. Justin has stated he will continue to have surgeries in an effort to achieve the perfect look.
- Ken Schram – The nation was shocked on December 7th, 2012, when long time KOMO 4 host Ken Schram was suddenly dropped by the network. The radio network cited a need for cutbacks as the reason for Schram’s firing. Regardless, Ken Schram has cemented his place as one of Seattle’s most loved radio hosts, after a career that spanned over 35 years.
- Ken Williams – In October of 2012, Ken Williams made sporting news when he was promoted to the position of executive vice president of the White Sox. The move had been rumored in sporting circles for over a year before the reshuffle finally took place in October. This was welcome news for Rick Hahn, who took over Williams’ role as senior vice president/general manager for the Chicago club.
- Bill Roache – There was lots of controversy in 2012 for British soap actor Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow on the long running series Coronation Street. The actor was blasted in the press and by victim rights groups for a statement he made on New Zealand television. Roache made the statement in response to a sex abuse scandal in the U.K., and was quoted as saying, “If you accept that you are pure love, and if you know that you are pure love and therefore live that pure love, these things won’t happen to you.” Roache has since faced rape charges stemming from an unrelated incident alleged to have taken place in the 1960s.
- Ken and John – Controversial KFI AM radio host, Ken Chester Kobylt of “Ken and John” fame, took things a little too far in February 2012, when he referred to the late Whitney Houston as a “crack ho.” The tragic star had died only three days earlier of a suspected drug overdose, leaving millions of fans across the world mourning her passing.
