Kenney Myers

Author | Actor | Producer | Kickboxer | Entrepreneur

Article

12 Famous Reality TV Stars Named Ken

by

kennywormaldThere are hundreds of reality television series on the air, both in syndication and currently in production. Some might even argue that game shows are reality TV since there are no actors, but instead real people doing real-life activities, which bumps the number of reality programs up even higher. These 12 reality show participants have all starred in very different shows, but they do have one thing in common: the name “Ken.”

  1. Kenny Wormald – A famous dancer, Kenny Wormald also appeared on MTV’s Jennifer Lopez-helmed reality showDancelife. Though the show itself was short-lived, Wormald was a highlight.
  2. Ken Todd – He and his wife, Lisa Vanderpump, starred in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but his claim to fame is not just that he appeared on television. Instead, he is known for being a restaurateur. Todd and his wife own a total of 26 restaurants in London and Los Angeles.
  3. Kenneth Barrington – Barrington participated in Love in the Wild, a reality dating show with an adventurous twist and one couple left standing in the end. Ken won along with Yanina Beccaria. They found each other through the show and are still together.
  4. Ken Coleman – Contestant on The Biggest Loser during its third season, Coleman now owns a fitness center he named after himself. Since being on the show, he admitted that he gained about 10 pounds or so back, but he continues to count his calories. He is also a motivational speaker and travels with a message promoting healthy habits.
  5. Kenny Mayne – A Dancing with the Stars contestant, Mayne participated in 2006. He was the first contestant to be eliminated because of his cha-cha dance. Before and after this show, he has been known for his work with ESPN as a sports anchor.
  6. Ken Jennings – Jennings is probably the best known Jeopardy contestant in the history of the game show. He won a total of 74 games over a six-month period, earning more than $2 million in the process. Since that stint, he has also appeared on other game shows such as Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? and 1 vs. 100.
  7. Ken Duphiney – Duphiney participated in The Amazing Race reality show, in which 12 teams, each made up of two people, race around the world while performing tasks they are given. Duphiney was on the show with his brother Gerard for its third season.
  8. Kenny Santucci –Santucci has been on a total of seven Real World, Road Rules: Challenge episodes. A spin-off amalgamation of two top MTV reality shows, Real World, Road Rules: Challenge has aired for 23 seasons.
  9. Kendall Beard – While Kendall is a woman, she is still a “Ken” in her own right. This American Idol contestant released an album in 2007, though she did not make it to semifinals of season eight as one of the final 12 contestants.
  10. Ken Hoang – Hoang is a professional gamer who participated in Survivor. Because he was not overly muscular and did not seem like a threat, the other contestants were shocked to learn that he had climbed Mt. Fuji at the young age of 20. He made it into the final days of the competition, but did not go home victorious.
  11. Kenley Collins – Another female Ken for the list, Collins was on the designer reality show Project Runway. She was part of the fifth season and has her own clothing line. After appearing on the show, she was invited back for the Project Runway: All Stars edition. She came back to the show claiming she had changed as a person and as a designer since her first appearance.
  12. Kenny Florian – The Ultimate Fighter is a cut-throat challenge for a spot with the mixed martial arts collective UFC, with the winner landing a valuable contract with the world-famous fighting organization. Florian participated in the lightweight class, lost to fellow competitor Jose Aldo in 2011 and has not fought since.

Whether it’s game shows, competitive sports, dancing or singing competitions, reality television shows in some form or another have been around since the dawn of the TV itself. As long as people are tuning in, reality television will continue to make major programming waves and, chances are, go on to feature more “Kens” in some role or another.

10 Famous Dancers Named Ken

by

kenardDancers don’t typically court fame in the same way as other celebrities. However, without dancers, you wouldn’t have musicals, street dance or choreographed extravaganzas like Michael Jackson’s landmark masterpiece Thriller. Through interpretive movements that take a huge amount of coordination, balance and control, dancers are able to express what actors can’t. These are 10 of the most famous dancers named Ken.

  • Ken Ard – After working with greats like Nina Simone as a child, Ken Ard eventually went on to perform choreography for some of the most prominent jazz artists of the 21st century. Predominantly a ballet dancer, Ken drifted towards jazz during the 90s, which culminated in the release of his first jazz album, “Ballads, Blues & Cocktails.”
  • Ken Berry – He is better known as a sitcom actor, most notably for his roles in F Troop and The Andy Griffith Show. However, Ken Berry was also an accomplished dancer and singer. On Broadway, he made appearances in The Billy Barnes Revue and in George M!. Berry was also a frequent guest on Abbott and Costello, as both a singer and dancer.
  • Ken Cosgrove – Played by Aaron Staton in the popular series Mad Men, character Ken Cosgrove tried his hand at tap dancing in one episode – replete with tweed suit and cane. Nobody quite knows what the impromptu dance added to the scene, but it went viral on the Internet, as these things often do. There were a number of parodies created of the scene, including one that uses Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” as the musical backdrop. The Internet is often a cruel puppet-master, but in this case the uncalled for publicity only served to push the show to even greater heights.
  • Kenneth Walker – This former dancer with the Ballet Pacifica launched the Kenneth Walker Dance Project in 2004. The non-profit project aims to bring dance to communities that never get to experience any form of the expressive arts. To date, the project has successfully introduced shows to a number of festivals across the country, and it grows in strength with each passing year. It is Kenneth Walker’s hope that the project will introduce dance to a generation who would have otherwise never have had the chance.
  • Ken Fury – B-Boy Kenny – as he’s known on the streets of Pueblo, Colorado – taught himself to break dance at the age of 11. He later pursued his dream with Full Circle Productions in New York, before landing dancing roles in commercials for Toshiba and Starburst. Fury remains a big name on the street dance scene, hugely famous in this relatively small circle of performers.
  • Kenny Everett – This madcap British comedian had a penchant for dance that was just as crazy as the rest of his routine. Everett’s dance style was, for lack of a better term, unconventional for the time. However, by today’s standards his moves would be hailed as the latest craze. Unfortunately, Kenny lost his battle with AIDS in 1995, a terrible loss to both his family and the British public.
  • Kenneth MacMillan – From 1970 to 1977, MacMillan served as the artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London. His work in choreography is where his true talents were, although he was an accomplished dancer in his own right, too. Some of his notable works included Valses nobles et sentimentales in 1966, and Anastasia in 1967 and again in 1971. MacMillan sadly passed away from a heart attack in 1992, at the age of 62.
  • Kenneth Branagh – Although he is commonly known for his Shakespearean roles, Kenneth Branagh has danced in West End musicals, on screen during the British Television series “Thompsons,” and in many other productions. It is no surprise, then, that Branagh has been tipped to take over the job as head of the National Theatre.
  • Kenny Ortega – Another great choreographer, Kenny Ortega worked with Madonna on “Material Girl” and in Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” live performances, winning awards for both. However, his greatest work was on the choreography for the iconic dance movie Dirty Dancing, which starred the late Patrick Swayze. Dirty Dancing is still heralded as being one of the best dance-centric movies to this day.
  • Kenny Loggins – Better known as the voice behind “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins inspired a generation to dance. The movie, starring Kevin Bacon, was one of many pivotal movies focused on the medium of dance in the 80s. Bacon’s seminal performance made Footloose an iconic movie, however, it was Loggins’ voice and catchy guitar riff that sold the title song.

6 Traits You Have to Possess if You Want to Start a Business that Can Succeed

by

succeedMost successful entrepreneurs that I know have some traits in common that seem to enable them to endure and eventually win with small businesses.  On the other hand, I have met far more people that have tried to start a small business only to fail.  In some cases their ideas were amazing, they just couldn’t make them happen.  Here are six traits you need to possess or acquire if you want to successfully start a new business:

  • You have to be an insanely hard worker.  Somehow entrepreneurs got a bad rap for being too lazy to work for someone else but my experience is the exact opposite.  The best entrepreneurs I know work FAR more than 9-to-5 in fact, they really never stop working because of the passion and drive they have for their ideas.
  • You have to be passionate about your mission and ideas.  If you want your business to succeed you have to believe it will to your core and be able to demonstrate those beliefs to everyone you meet (literally).  You have to be a master evangelist because nobody should love your idea more than you.
  • You have to be able to deal with struggles.  Look, a start-up is going to be difficult.  You have to be able to keep focused even though you know you are scraping by and always looking for that next round of funding or deciding whether or not to keep depleting your own savings to fund the business.  If you are looking for job and financial security then you probably shouldn’t start a business.
  • You have to believe that you are going to win.  If you can’t put your “gameface” on  basically on demand then you probably are going to fail.  You have to look like a winner because you believe you are going to win and that its just around the corner (because it very well could be your next meeting or that next stranger you give your passionate elevator pitch to that is your big break).
  • You have to be a fighter.  You can choose to live to fight another day or fight to live another day but either way you are going to have to fight.  If you don’t have that killer/warrior instinct in you and the willingness to go into battle (call it cold calling or knocking on doors or …) then you are going to struggle and you probably are going to lose.
  • You actually have to be able to produce your product or service and not just talk about it.  Some people are just idea guys/gals and that’s all great but if you can’t actually bring the idea to market or know someone that can then you obviously are going to fail.  You have to be functional enough to be able to make sure the work gets done and that usually means being willing and able to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty.

There isn’t really a secret to success in starting a business other than hard work, smart work, and determination.  It also helps a lot to have a business idea that actually can make money, but that is far from enough.  If you don’t have the stomach to be an entrepreneur along with these traits listed above then you really shouldn’t begin because your odds for success are very low.

The 10 Fastest Knockouts in UFC History

by

ludwigWhile mixed martial arts is, by definition, comprised of many different techniques and tactics for winning a fight, some of the more exciting finishes are the result of a knockout. These wins are even more explosive when they happen early in the fight. With this in mind, here are the ten fastest knockouts in UFC history.

  1. Todd Duffee – Seven seconds into the very first round at UFC 102, Todd Duffee knocked Tim Hague out after refusing to touch gloves with his opponent.
  2. Chang Sung Jung –Also clocking in at seven seconds into the first round is Chang Sung Jung, who knocked out his opponent Mark Hominick with a devastating straight right at UFC 140.
  3. Ryan Jimmo –In a three-way tie with Duffee and Jung. the at the time undefeated Ryan Jimmo put much-hyped opponent Anthony Perosh to sleep with a massive right punch at UFC 149.
  4. Don Frye –Way back at UFC 8, Don Frye made his debut and UFC history by dispatching opponent Thomas Ramirez in a mere eight seconds. For more than a dozen years, this legendary knockout was the fastest in the promotion’s history.
  5. James Irvin –Tying the previous record set by Don Frye, James Irvin made quick work of opponent Houston Alexander at UFC Fight Night 13. In just eight seconds, Irvin was declared the winner by knock out.
  6. Gray Maynard –The only victory by stoppage of Gray Maynard’s career was also his first UFC win, when he delivered a left hook that left opponent Joe Veres unconscious at UFC Fight Night 11 just nine seconds into the first round.
  7. Mark Weir –In his UFC debut at UFC 38, Mark Weir took out opponent Eugene Jackson with a jab ten seconds after the fight began. Despite his impressive opener, Weir’s first fight was also his last. After the loss, opponent Eugene Jackson left the UFC altogether.
  8. B.J. Penn – At the time a relatively inexperienced fighter, B.J. Penn made quick work of his more seasoned opponent, Caol Uno, at UFC 34. Eleven seconds into the fight, Penn knocked out Uno with an uppercut. Later, he would go on to win the belt and establish himself as one of the most accomplished fighters in his weight class.
  9. Duane Ludwig – In addition to being one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history, Duane Ludwig’s triumph over opponent Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 3 is also one of the most contentious. Officially, the fight ended at eleven seconds. Unfortunately, the Nevada State Athletic Commission timekeeper was slow to stop the clock. Evidence points to a six-second knockout, which would have been the fastest to date in the UFC. Still, the Commission stood by its initial ruling and Ludwig is not officially recognized for setting such an impressive record.
  10. Rob Emerson – Despite securing a knockout victory at UFC 87 against Manny Gamburyan in twelve seconds, Rob Emerson lost three of his next four fights and was subsequently cut from the organization’s roster. Still, he holds a spot on the top ten list of all-time fastest knockouts for the promotion.

As the UFC continues to grow in popularity, some of these legendary knockouts will be replaced by even more spectacular finishes. Still, each and every one of these fighters has earned a spot in UFC history.

30 Famous Authors Named Ken

by

follettWelcome to the first of many in my series of famous people with Ken as their first name (or a derivative like Kenneth, Kenny, or even Kenney).  We start off our adventure with some amazing authors.  Let me know if you think I left an excellent Ken of of the list (as I Ken and will approve them in the comments):

  1. Ken Follett – With more than 100 million copies of his thrillers and historical novels sold around the world, Ken Follett is a New York Times bestselling author from Wales.
  2. Ken Jennings – As a record-holder for the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history and the all-time leading money winner on American game shows, Ken Jennings is also an author.
  3. Kenneth Benton – Kenneth Benton’s successful career as a spy and crime thriller genre novelist was inspired by his stint as an English MI6 officer and diplomat.
  4. Kenneth C. Davis – A historian whose Don’t Know Much About… series is quite successful, Kenneth C. Davis also lectures at museums and frequently appears on NPR’s All Things Considered.
  5. Ken Kesey – As a counter-cultural icon, Ken Kesey was regarded as a link between the Beat Generation and the hippies. While he wrote several books, his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was his most popular work.
  6. Kenneth Fearing – Dubbed “the chief poet of the American Depression” by literary critic Macha Rosenthal, Kenneth Fearing was a poet, novelist and the founding editor of the Partisan Review.
  7. Kenneth Grahame – Author of the beloved children’s classic The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame was born in Scotland in 1859.
  8. Ken Hill – While Ken Hill was a theatre director, he also penned acclaimed works for the English stage.
  9. Kenneth Allott – A poet and renowned academic, Kenneth Allott was not only a writer, but accepted as an authority on his fellow poet Matthew Arnold.
  10. Ken Grimwood –While he sometimes wrote under the nom de plume Alan Cochran, Alabama-born Ken Grimwood also wrote several fantasy fiction novels under his own name.
  11. Ken Robinson – Knighted for his services to education, Sir Ken Robinson is an author and international advisor on education in the arts.
  12. Ken Bruen – Fans of noir crime and hard-boiled fiction know Ken Bruen as an Irish contributor to the genre. Bruen is also the recipient of the Shamus Award for outstanding achievement in private eye fiction by the Private Eye Writers of America.
  13. Ken Wilber – Ken Wilber has written about the mysticism, ecology, philosophy and developmental psychology that make up what he has dubbed Integral Theory, which he teaches at the Integral Institute he founded.
  14. Kenneth Koch – From the 1950s until his death in 2002, Kenneth Koch was an active professor, playwright and accomplished poet of the New York School of poetry.
  15. Kenneth Rexroth – Once named the “Father of the Beats” by Time, Kenneth Rexroth was a critical essayist, translator and poet that is considered a major player in the San Francisco Renaissance.
  16. Ken Dryden – A former NHL goaltender, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, a one time Liberal Member of Parliament and an officer of the Order of Canada, Ken Dryden is also a celebrated novelist.
  17. Ken Kalfus – With three books chosen as New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Ken Kalfus is a successful author and journalist.
  18. Ken Akamatsu – A superstar author and artist dedicated to the wildly popular Japanese manga art form, Ken Akamatsu is the brain behind runaway hits like Love Hina and Negima!: Magister Negi Magi.
  19. Ken Liu – A science-fiction writer whose works have appeared in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld and Analog, Ken Liu is also the only author to have a title sweep the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards.
  20. Kenneth Rose – Kenneth D. Rose is the author of non-fiction tomes like Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II, One Nation Underground: The Fallout Shelter in American Culture and American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition.
  21. Kenneth Clark – One of the most well-known art historians of his generation, Kenneth Clark was a London native who penned a series of books noted for their simultaneous mass appeal and contributions to legitimate scholarship.
  22. Kenneth Burke – Kenneth Burke was an editor, critic, literary theorist and philosopher, as well as a successful authority on rhetoric and aesthetics.
  23. Ken McElroy – An investment guru with a specialization in the area of real estate, Ken McElroy is a self-help motivational author with several high-profile books to his credit.
  24. Ken Segall – The brains behind the Think different Apple ad campaign, Ken Segall is also the author of Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success.
  25. Ken Bain – A renowned academic and professor, Ken Bain is also the author of two popular tomes for college instructors and students alike.
  26. Ken Wheaton – The author of The Subway Chronicles: Scenes from Life in New York and The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival, Ken Wheaton is a native of Louisiana now residing in Brooklyn.
  27. Ken Schwaber – The president of Advanced Development Methods, Ken Schwaber is also the author of several non-fiction works aimed ad software developers and project managers.
  28. Ken Alder – An associate professor of history at Northwestern University, Ken Alder is also the winner of the 1998 Dexter Prize for the best book on the history of technology for his tome Engineering the Revolution.
  29. Ken Dornstein – In addition to publishing a memoir entitled The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky: A True Story, Ken Dornstein is also the recipient of two Yaddo artist residencies and the Series Editor for PBS’s Frontline.
  30. Ken Harmon – A specialist in all things paranormal, Kenneth W. Harmon is also the author of Ghost Under Foot: the Spirit of Mary Bell.

15 Websites to Help You With Rhyming Words

by

rhymeRhyming words are fun, but some words will leave you tongue-tied trying to find a suitable partner. Anyone who has ever dabbled in poetry will tell you that meter is a refined art that requires the poet to have a comprehensive understanding of how the rhythmic structure of words, sentences and verses ebb and flow. A rookie mistake when dealing with rhyming words is assuming that every word has to be an exact match. A close match is often sufficient to convince the ear that it rhymes without breaking the rhythm of the verse of rhyme. These 15 websites are designed specifically to help you find rhyming words, synonyms and other forms of creative word play.

  1. Rhyme Zone – It’s very frustrating to discover that a word does not have an exact rhyme. However, with Rhyme Zone, you may just find the next best thing. The website’s search engine will look for an exact match, but if it doesn’t find one it will return a list of similar sounding words. You can define your search in a number of ways, including near rhymes, similar sounding words or related words. For more relevant listings, you can also organize the search results by both number of syllables and letters.
  2. Rhymer – As well as providing a powerful rhyming search engine, Rhymer is full of great tips and instructions on constructing rhymes. The website returns results based on rhyming syllables. This is particularly useful if you are a poet, as it allows you to construct verses that flow naturally without stretching to make the words match the meter.
  3. Rhyme Brain – This is a multi-lingual rhyming site that includes French, German, English and Spanish, among other languages. The interface couldn’t be simpler to use; you type the word you wish to rhyme into the search bar and the results are posted in tables on the same page. Rhyme Brain also has an extensive blog on rhyming words and alliteration that you can spend hours browsing through.
  4. Enchanted Learning – Finding rhymes the easy way is one thing; learning to use them on your own is quite another. Enchanted Learning provides endless hours of fun with rhyming games and activities. There is a $20 per year subscription charge, which gives you full access to all the downloadable content from the site. However, there is also a large amount of content that is free of charge and doesn’t require a subscription.
  5. Reggie Loves to Rhyme – This site from Scholastic is a fully interactive site for children, with games and activities that use colors, pictures and sounds to help build rhyming knowledge and skills. Scholastic is an international company that delivers educational material to children in over 150 countries.
  6. WikiRhymer – In keeping with other Wiki-sites, this rhyming search engine is community based. The interface has a number of search parameters to choose from, and there is also a discussion forum where you can ask questions if you’re having trouble with a particular word. This provides a very beneficial platform for poets and song-writers to share ideas.
  7. PBS Kids Rhyming Games – PBS have brought together all their much-loved characters to create a fully interactive site full of rhyming games. Sesame Street, Bingo and others are on hand to make rhyming fun for kids and adults alike.
  8. Word Central – Merriam-Webster are the developers of Word Central, so you shouldn’t be at all surprised to find that the site has a huge database of rhyming words. What’s more, at Word Central you can create your own dictionary along with word definitions. So if you can’t find a word that rhymes the way you’d like, you can just invent one instead!
  9. Find Rhymes – This site adds a new element to rhyme searching by adding phonemes into the mix. Phonemes are the distinct sounds in a specified language that distinguish one word from another.
  10. Rhymes & Chimes – As well as providing rhyming words, Rhymes and Chimes has search parameters for translations, phrases, quotes and related products. Results are also broken down by number of syllables in ascending order from one up to five.
  11. Reading Rockets – This educational site will take you all the way from the basics to the comprehensive elements of rhyming and word play. There’s also a selection of printable material available on Reading Rockets, as well as games and activities you can use on the site.
  12. Your Dictionary – Create your own worksheets and browse through lists of rhyming activities in Your Dictionary’s huge archives. The site is extremely well organized, making it easy to navigate and find what you need with minimal hassle.
  13. Rhyme Bot – This clever bot returns a wealth of information from a single search. By default, Rhyme Bot is tailored towards kids; however, you can also switch to advanced search for more complicated results.
  14. Kids Front – The questions and answers structure of Kids Front is a progressive way of learning rhyming structures.  Although the site is obviously aimed at teaching kids, the exercises are suitable for adults, too.
  15. What rhymes with? – There is nothing complicated or flashy about this site; you simply type a word into the search engine and it finds you rhyming words. However, the results are returned in an easy to read format and each word links to its own related words.