2013 Celebrity Death Pool -- 9th Annual!

[notcasesensitive]

As we head into our ninth big year of Lawtalkers death pools, once again I post the rules for all who wish to enter:

(Same rules as last year. And the year before. And the year before that, etc.)

*Each player submits 10 celebrity picks to me via PM (do not post them here).

*I will be the final arbitor as to whether someone qualifies as a celebrity. If you have a local celebrity that you wish to pick, or someone who I might not be familiar with, please include an explanation of why the person should qualify as famous for me. The TM anti-Earl Woods rule is in effect this year - no one qualifies as being a celebrity just because they popped out a famous kid. Also death row inmates (unless they were famous prior to committing their special crime -- the OJ/Saddam Hussein exception), Michael Jackson's accuser, etc. do not qualify.

*All picks should be submitted to me by December 31, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

*Death Pool will begin on January 1, 2013 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Pool will close December 31, 2013 at midnight EST.

*I will post a listing of all picks here once they have been tabulated. If you wish to pick anyone of questionable celebrity status, get your list to me early to make sure I accept all picks.

*Ties in final number of deaths picked will battle it out in the Hank Chinaski tiebreaker, which will measure the difference between the ages of the celebrities picked and 100. Celebrities over 100 will not garner tied players any points in the tiebreaker. The younger the dead celebrity, the more points! So go for it and pick Prince Harry if you care to. Or an Olsen twin. Or Amy Winehouse! Wait, not Amy Winehouse.

*In the event of any need for rules clarification, I will post those here. In the event of any dispute as to how the rules should work, I will have the final say. Though I may solicit opinions of pool entrants.

*If you pick someone and they die before the pool period starts, you may resubmit a new entry, but no geezer who drops before the beginning time of the pool will count as a hit for you (though if on your 2012 pool list, they will count in that pool).

*I can't promise that I will catch every single celebrity death during the year, so I urge each of you to watch for stories confirming the death of your selected celebrities. If I miss a published death, just shoot me an e-mail with a link and I'll post the hit on this board. *New Mmmm Burger addition to the 2012 pool rules -- I'll update the posting with the picks throughout the year to show in red picks that have, uh, cashed it in. Make sure you post celebrity deaths here and I'll do my best to get them marked in a timely manner so everyone can follow along to see who is in the lead.*

*Winner gets no monetary reward. What do you think this is - a greedy associates board? But you do get to boast about it for all of calendar year 2013. Boasting is always fun!

*Person (or people) with the fewest hits during the year will grab the Angel of Mercy title.

*In case you care, here is the rundown of winners of prior Celebrity Death Pools:

2004 - Fugee
2005 - barely_legal
2006 - Mr. Man
2007 - tmdiva
2008 - tmdiva
2009 - barely_legal
2010 - Diane Keaton
2011 - Fugee
2012 - it looks like learnedmano will just edge out barely_legal with 5 picks and less than a week to go...

*Have fun and good luck!

your faithful deathpooltrix,
ncs

[notcasesensitive]

Also please note: Your deathpooltrix will be on vacation in Mexico from 12/29 through 1/1. I'll post the entries when I get back but if you have a questionable pick you might want to run it by me before 12/29.

[Fugee]

1st celebrity death of the year and I bet no one had Patti Page.

[notcasesensitive]

Hank Chinaski
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Zsa Zsa
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Abe Vigoda
5. James Garner
6. George HW Bush
7. Mickey Rooney
8. Peter O'Toole
9. Fidel Castro
10. Billy Graham

tmdiva (Angel of Death 2007 and 2008)
1. Margaret Thatcher
2. Billy Graham
3. Ariel Sharon
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Nancy Reagan
6. Chuck Berry
7. Prince Philip
8. George HW Bush
9. Bryant Gumbel
10. Kirk Douglas

learnedmano (Angel of Death 2012)
1. Hugo Chavez
2. Dick van Dyke
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Fidel Castro
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. George H.W. Bush
7. Glenn Campbell
8. Billy Graham
9. Little Richard
10. Penny Marshall

bold_n_brazen
1. Abe Vigoda
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Monty Hall
5. Joan Fontaine
6. Nelson Mandela
7. Bob Barker
8. Billy Graham
9. Mohammed Ali
10. Judge Joseph Wapner

LessinSF
1. Fidel Castro
2. Billy Graham
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Mullah Omar
6. Ariel Sharon
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Margaret Thatcher

taxwonk
1. Fidel Castro
2. Clint Eastwood
3. Hugh Hefner
4. Louis Jourdan
5. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
6. Prince Philip
7. Billy Graham
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Judge Wapner
10. Jack Walsh

Flinty_McFlint
1. Lindsay Lohan
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Fidel Castro
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Pat Robertson
6. Billy Graham
7. Mindy McCready
8. Chad Ochocino/Chad Johnson
9. Michael Douglas
10. Terrell Owens

Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
1. Billy Graham
2. Mikhail Kalishnikov
3. Queen Elizabeth
4. Pete Seeger
5. George H.W. Bush
6. Olivia de Haviland
7. Fidel Castro
8. Ariel Sharon
9. Robert Mugabe
10. Hosni Mubarak

Sparklehorse
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Ariel Sharon
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Margaret Thatcher
5. Hugo Chavez
6. Bobby Brown
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nancy Reagan
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Fidel Castro

barely_legal (Angel of Death 2005 and 2009)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Penny Marshall
4. Annette Funicello
5. Fidel Castro
6. Ronnie Biggs
7. George Bush Sr
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Bonnie Franklin
10. Ian Brady

Atticus Grinch
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Harper Lee
3. Nancy Reagan
4. Margaret Thatcher
5. Ariel Sharon
6. Fidel Castro
7. Billy Graham
8. Hugo Chavez
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Muhammad Ali

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
1. Margaret Thatcher
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Fidel Castro
4. Jerry Lewis
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Billy Graham
7. Nelson Mandela
8. Nancy Reagan
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Kirk Douglas

Fugee (Angel of Death 2004 and 2011)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Hosni Mubarek
3. Hugo Chavez
4. Muhammed Ali
5. Fidel Castro
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Margaret Thatcher
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Roger Ebert
10. Brooke Mueller

Jack Manfred
1. Rev. Billy Graham
2. Olivia DeHavilland
3. Liza Minelli
4. Mickey Rooney
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Eli Wallach
7. Pete Seeger
8. Hugo Chavez
9. Fidel Castro
10. Hillary Clinton

notcasesensitive
1. Fidel Castro
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Kirk Douglas
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Billy Graham
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Lindsey Lohan
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Ethan Zohn

15 entries. No entries from Angels of Death for 2006 (Mr. Man) and 2010 (Diane Keaton). I think that the Ian Brady pick by barely_legal is questionable (he doesn't have his own Wikipedia entry, for heaven's sake) but we've been permissive in the past so I'll let it slide. I may have to think about tightening up what constitutes a celebrity in the rules for next year if there are any good suggestions out there…

Good luck and let the dying begin!

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

Hank Chinaski
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Zsa Zsa
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Abe Vigoda
5. James Garner
6. George HW Bush
7. Mickey Rooney
8. Peter O'Toole
9. Fidel Castro
10. Billy Graham

tmdiva (Angel of Death 2007 and 2008)
1. Margaret Thatcher
2. Billy Graham
3. Ariel Sharon
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Nancy Reagan
6. Chuck Berry
7. Prince Philip
8. George HW Bush
9. Bryant Gumbel
10. Kirk Douglas

learnedmano (Angel of Death 2012)
1. Hugo Chavez
2. Dick van Dyke
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Fidel Castro
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. George H.W. Bush
7. Glenn Campbell
8. Billy Graham
9. Little Richard
10. Penny Marshall

bold_n_brazen
1. Abe Vigoda
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Monty Hall
5. Joan Fontaine
6. Nelson Mandela
7. Bob Barker
8. Billy Graham
9. Mohammed Ali
10. Judge Joseph Wapner

LessinSF
1. Fidel Castro
2. Billy Graham
3. Muhammad Ali
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Mullah Omar
6. Ariel Sharon
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Margaret Thatcher

taxwonk
1. Fidel Castro
2. Clint Eastwood
3. Hugh Hefner
4. Louis Jourdan
5. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
6. Prince Philip
7. Billy Graham
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Judge Wapner
10. Jack Walsh

Flinty_McFlint
1. Lindsay Lohan
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Fidel Castro
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Pat Robertson
6. Billy Graham
7. Mindy McCready
8. Chad Ochocino/Chad Johnson
9. Michael Douglas
10. Terrell Owens

Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
1. Billy Graham
2. Mikhail Kalishnikov
3. Queen Elizabeth
4. Pete Seeger
5. George H.W. Bush
6. Olivia de Haviland
7. Fidel Castro
8. Ariel Sharon
9. Robert Mugabe
10. Hosni Mubarak

Sparklehorse
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Ariel Sharon
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Margaret Thatcher
5. Hugo Chavez
6. Bobby Brown
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nancy Reagan
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Fidel Castro

barely_legal (Angel of Death 2005 and 2009)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Penny Marshall
4. Annette Funicello
5. Fidel Castro
6. Ronnie Biggs
7. George Bush Sr
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Bonnie Franklin
10. Ian Brady

Atticus Grinch
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Harper Lee
3. Nancy Reagan
4. Margaret Thatcher
5. Ariel Sharon
6. Fidel Castro
7. Billy Graham
8. Hugo Chavez
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Muhammad Ali

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
1. Margaret Thatcher
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Fidel Castro
4. Jerry Lewis
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Billy Graham
7. Nelson Mandela
8. Nancy Reagan
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Kirk Douglas

Fugee (Angel of Death 2004 and 2011)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Hosni Mubarek
3. Hugo Chavez
4. Muhammed Ali
5. Fidel Castro
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Margaret Thatcher
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Roger Ebert
10. Brooke Mueller

Jack Manfred
1. Rev. Billy Graham
2. Olivia DeHavilland
3. Liza Minelli
4. Mickey Rooney
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Eli Wallach
7. Pete Seeger
8. Hugo Chavez
9. Fidel Castro
10. Hillary Clinton

notcasesensitive
1. Fidel Castro
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Kirk Douglas
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Billy Graham
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Lindsey Lohan
8. Nelson Mandela
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Ethan Zohn

15 entries. No entries from Angels of Death for 2006 (Mr. Man) and 2010 (Diane Keaton). I think that the Ian Brady pick by barely_legal is questionable (he doesn't have his own Wikipedia entry, for heaven's sake) but we've been permissive in the past so I'll let it slide. I may have to think about tightening up what constitutes a celebrity in the rules for next year if there are any good suggestions out there…

Good luck and let the dying begin!

Paig's sister sets the celeb bar as a obit in the NYT. If the picker makes a pick and em doesn't rate, that's the picker's problem.

[LessinSF]

I think that the Ian Brady pick by barely_legal is questionable (he doesn't have his own Wikipedia entry, for heaven's sake) but we've been permissive in the past so I'll let it slide. I may have to think about tightening up what constitutes a celebrity in the rules for next year if there are any good suggestions out there…

Good luck and let the dying begin!

He does have a Murderpedia entry - http://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/brady-ian.htm - a pedia I was unaware of.

[barely_legal]

Originally Posted by LessinSF

He does have a Murderpedia entry - http://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/brady-ian.htm - a pedia I was unaware of.

He has an entry on a Wikipedia page, and he's a famous serial killer, for gods sake. I don't think it's even remotely a "close call" on whether he's a celebrity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_brady

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by barely_legal

He has an entry on a Wikipedia page, and he's a famous serial killer, for gods sake. I don't think it's even remotely a "close call" on whether he's a celebrity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_brady

I won't argue eligibility because we've had some other obscure choices, but has how many people have given much thought in recent years to murders that occurred 40+ years ago and convictions that happened 25+ years ago?

[barely_legal]

Originally Posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

I won't argue eligibility because we've had some other obscure choices, but has how many people have given much thought in recent years to murders that occurred 40+ years ago and convictions that happened 25+ years ago?

If "given much thought in recent years" is the new criteria for celebrity than we have a lot of questionable entries. How much thought have you given to Mindy McCready or Judge Wapner recently?

[notcasesensitive]

Originally Posted by barely_legal

He has an entry on a Wikipedia page, and he's a famous serial killer, for gods sake. I don't think it's even remotely a "close call" on whether he's a celebrity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_brady

Who in the US has heard of this guy before? Not me, that is for sure. I don't think the test is whether a person has been thought about recently, but ever known of might be a reasonable test. I've always had a problem with putting criminals who are famous only for their crimes on the list (I think you probably all remember my death row inmate hullabaloo a few years back), but even more so if they aren't really even famous in our country. If you asked 100 people who Ian Brady is, how many would know? Is he a "celebrity"? Hmm.

The big death pool that I participate in has this rule:

ANDY WARHOL RULE: People famous for fifteen minutes are not celebrities. This rule eliminates such picks as death-row inmates mounting final legal challenges, congresspersons whose idiosyncratic opinions briefly thrust them into the spotlight, children who fall down wells, people famous only because of their illnesses (formerly known as the “Barney Clark rule”—see? Who’s he?), and whoever is the world’s current oldest living person.

They also have a committee that votes in the case of a close call on whether someone is a celebrity. I don't think they would allow this guy, but maybe. Anyway to me it is a close call. (Also that wiki page is for the murders. He is in it but it isn't titled "Ian Brady". That is my point.)

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

Who in the US has heard of this guy before? Not me, that is for sure. I don't think the test is whether a person has been thought about recently, but ever known of might be a reasonable test. I've always had a problem with putting criminals who are famous only for their crimes on the list (I think you probably all remember my death row inmate hullabaloo a few years back), but even more so if they aren't really even famous in our country. If you asked 100 people who Ian Brady is, how many would know? Is he a "celebrity"? Hmm.

The big death pool that I participate in has this rule:

ANDY WARHOL RULE: People famous for fifteen minutes are not celebrities. This rule eliminates such picks as death-row inmates mounting final legal challenges, congresspersons whose idiosyncratic opinions briefly thrust them into the spotlight, children who fall down wells, people famous only because of their illnesses (formerly known as the “Barney Clark rule”—see? Who’s he?), and whoever is the world’s current oldest living person.

They also have a committee that votes in the case of a close call on whether someone is a celebrity. I don't think they would allow this guy, but maybe. Anyway to me it is a close call. (Also that wiki page is for the murders. He is in it but it isn't titled "Ian Brady". That is my point.)

I'm the only one with Mikail Kalishnakov! I feel like I have a shot this year. I really do.

[notcasesensitive]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

I'm the only one with Mikail Kalishnakov! I feel like I have a shot this year. I really do.

You are right. He's a questionable pick too. I didn't notice him on your list before or I would have called him out too.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

You are right. He's a questionable pick too. I didn't notice him on your list before or I would have called him out too.

You are not a real 'mercan if you don't have pin-ups of gun designers on your wall. The man is a legend among legends.

And, he's timely - without his design, I'm not sure we'd have had the third world assault weapon arms race of the 70s and 80s that first put enough assulat weapons on the street to popularize mass murder. Until then, Russian guns were heavy and awkward.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

You are not a real 'mercan if you don't have pin-ups of gun designers on your wall. The man is a legend among legends.

And, he's timely - without his design, I'm not sure we'd have had the third world assault weapon arms race of the 70s and 80s that first put enough assulat weapons on the street to popularize mass murder. Until then, Russian guns were heavy and awkward.

You'd be more of a 'murcan if you had American gun designer pinups, rather than commies.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)

You'd be more of a 'murcan if you had American gun designer pinups, rather than commies.

Ain't the 80s. 'Mercans love the Kalash almost as much as they love an old Nazi handgun.