11th Annual Celebrity Death Pool -- 2015 Edition

[notcasesensitive]

It is that time of year again! Here are the rules...

(Basically the 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. Just to summarize stuff mentioned in the threads last year, we are looking for celebrities here. I appreciate that all of us have different interests so some people will know more about certain types of celebrities than others, but there is a baseline "Is this person really a celebrity?" test that I'll have to do for the really obscure ones.

*All picks should be submitted to me by December 31, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

*Death Pool will begin on January 1, 2015 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Pool will close December 31, 2015 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 2013 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.

*Mmmm Burger addition to the 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 2014. 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 - learnedmano
2013 - barely_legal
2014 - GGG has the tiebreaker right now among four entrants with three picks each...

*Have fun and good luck!

[notcasesensitive]

Just a friendly reminder to get your picks in if you haven't already... You have until 11:59 pm EST tonight.

[notcasesensitive]

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

learnedmano (Angel of Death 2012)
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Valerie Harper
3. Harper Lee
4. George Karl
5. Hugh Hefner
6. George H.W. Bush
7. Pope (Emeritus) Benedict
8. Abe Vigoda
9. Fidel Castro
10. Sam Simon

Hank Chinaski
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. David Crosby
4. Abe Vigoda
5. Jimmy Carter
6. George HW Bush
7. Bob Barker
8. 50 Cent
9. Fidel Castro
10. Billy Graham

Jack Manfred
1. Rev. Billy Graham
2. Olivia de Havilland
3. Liza Minelli
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. George HW Bush
6. Fidel Castro
7. Nancy Reagan
8. B.B. King
9. James Lipton
10. Chuck Berry

taxwonk
1. George HW Bush
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
4. John Glenn
5. Billy Graham
6. Gary Busey
7. Ozzy Osbourne
8. Valerie Harper
9. Fidel Castro
10. Vera Lynn

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
1. Robert Mugabe
2. Prince Phillip
3. Fidel Castro
4. Jerry Lewis
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Billy Graham
7. Lee Kuan Yew
8. Nancy Reagan
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Kirk Douglas

Atticus Grinch
1. Valerie Harper
2. King Abdullah ibn Abdilazīz of Saudi Arabia
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Billy Graham
5. Mary Tyler Moore
6. Tracy Morgan
7. Robert Mugabe
8. Fidel Castro
9. Terry Pratchett
10. Sam Simon

Miss Maine
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Fidel Castro
3. George HW Bush
4. Billy Graham
5. Nancy Reagan
6. Prince Phillip
7. Mohammed Ali
8. Valerie Harper
9. Zsa Zsa Gabor
10. Olivia de Havilland

Not Bob
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Billy Graham
3. Henry Kissinger
4. Prince Phillip
5. Queen Elizabeth II
6. Robert Mugabe
7. Muhammad Ali
8. Amanda Bynes
9. Kirk Douglas
10. Fidel Castro

Sparklehorse
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Mel Gibson
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Paula Deen
5. Robert Mugabe
6. Bobby Brown
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nancy Reagan
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Fidel Castro

barely_legal (Angel of Death 2005, 2009 and 2013)
1. George H. W. Bush
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. Fidel Castro
4. Sam Simon
5. Daisy Berkowitz
6. Clive James
7. Rose Marie
8. Kirk Douglas
9. Valerie Harper
10. Nancy Reagan

Fugee (Angel of Death 2004 and 2011)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Valerie Harper
3. Muhammed Ali
4. Fidel Castro
5. Amanda Bynes
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Michael Schumacher
8. Stuart Scott (ESPN)
9. Olivia de Havilland
10. Kirk Douglas

notcasesensitive
1. Glenn Campbell
2. Fidel Castro
3. Kirk Douglas
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Billy Graham
6. Valerie Harper
7. Stephen Hawking
8. Joan Lunden
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Sam Simon

No picks this year from b_n_b, flinty, Adder, Less or last year's winner GGG. But tmdiva is back! Good luck to all 13 entrants. Maybe Burger and I (co-Angels of Mercy with flinty and Adder last year) will manage at least one hit this year.

[LessinSF]

Ah. I am on vacation and forgot.

LessinHelsinki, Finland.

[Hank Chinaski]

and we are off!!!!! http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.2063258

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

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

learnedmano (Angel of Death 2012)
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Valerie Harper
3. Harper Lee
4. George Karl
5. Hugh Hefner
6. George H.W. Bush
7. Pope (Emeritus) Benedict
8. Abe Vigoda
9. Fidel Castro
10. Sam Simon

Hank Chinaski
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. David Crosby
4. Abe Vigoda
5. Jimmy Carter
6. George HW Bush
7. Bob Barker
8. 50 Cent
9. Fidel Castro
10. Billy Graham

Jack Manfred
1. Rev. Billy Graham
2. Olivia de Havilland
3. Liza Minelli
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. George HW Bush
6. Fidel Castro
7. Nancy Reagan
8. B.B. King
9. James Lipton
10. Chuck Berry

taxwonk
1. George HW Bush
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. Lawrence Ferlinghetti
4. John Glenn
5. Billy Graham
6. Gary Busey
7. Ozzy Osbourne
8. Valerie Harper
9. Fidel Castro
10. Vera Lynn

Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
1. Robert Mugabe
2. Prince Phillip
3. Fidel Castro
4. Jerry Lewis
5. Zsa Zsa Gabor
6. Billy Graham
7. Lee Kuan Yew
8. Nancy Reagan
9. George H.W. Bush
10. Kirk Douglas

Atticus Grinch
1. Valerie Harper
2. King Abdullah ibn Abdilazīz of Saudi Arabia
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Billy Graham
5. Mary Tyler Moore
6. Tracy Morgan
7. Robert Mugabe
8. Fidel Castro
9. Terry Pratchett
10. Sam Simon

Miss Maine
1. Kirk Douglas
2. Fidel Castro
3. George HW Bush
4. Billy Graham
5. Nancy Reagan
6. Prince Phillip
7. Mohammed Ali
8. Valerie Harper
9. Zsa Zsa Gabor
10. Olivia de Havilland

Not Bob
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Billy Graham
3. Henry Kissinger
4. Prince Phillip
5. Queen Elizabeth II
6. Robert Mugabe
7. Muhammad Ali
8. Amanda Bynes
9. Kirk Douglas
10. Fidel Castro

Sparklehorse
1. George H.W. Bush
2. Mel Gibson
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Paula Deen
5. Robert Mugabe
6. Bobby Brown
7. Dick Cheney
8. Nancy Reagan
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Fidel Castro

barely_legal (Angel of Death 2005, 2009 and 2013)
1. George H. W. Bush
2. Zsa Zsa Gabor
3. Fidel Castro
4. Sam Simon
5. Daisy Berkowitz
6. Clive James
7. Rose Marie
8. Kirk Douglas
9. Valerie Harper
10. Nancy Reagan

Fugee (Angel of Death 2004 and 2011)
1. Zsa Zsa Gabor
2. Valerie Harper
3. Muhammed Ali
4. Fidel Castro
5. Amanda Bynes
6. Stephen Hawking
7. Michael Schumacher
8. Stuart Scott (ESPN)
9. Olivia de Havilland
10. Kirk Douglas

notcasesensitive
1. Glenn Campbell
2. Fidel Castro
3. Kirk Douglas
4. Zsa Zsa Gabor
5. Billy Graham
6. Valerie Harper
7. Stephen Hawking
8. Joan Lunden
9. Nancy Reagan
10. Sam Simon

No picks this year from b_n_b, flinty, Adder, Less or last year's winner GGG. But tmdiva is back! Good luck to all 13 entrants. Maybe Burger and I (co-Angels of Mercy with flinty and Adder last year) will manage at least one hit this year.

Ooops. I'll pm you now.

[LessinSF]

Originally Posted by LessinSF

Ah. I am on vacation and forgot.

LessinHelsinki, Finland.

Like Wonk, i would have added Ozzy b/c he is doomed without Sharon, and Elizabeth Warren b/c she is a zealot's catnip.

LessinHelsinki

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by LessinSF

Like Wonk, i would have added Ozzy b/c he is doomed without Sharon, and Elizabeth Warren b/c she is a zealot's catnip.

LessinHelsinki

The Osbournes broke up?

[learnedmano]

RIP Elly May.

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2015/01/02...76a8a6fd8baa54

[notcasesensitive]

b_n_b sent me a late list and while she won't be in the running for the official Angel of Death title, I'll post her list here, so she can play along unofficially...

1. Abe Vigoda
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Monty Hall
5. Olivia de Haviland
6. Sam Simon
7. Bob Barker
8. Billy Graham
9. Mohammed Ali
10. Judge Joseph Wapner

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

b_n_b sent me a late list and while she won't be in the running for the official Angel of Death title, I'll post her list here, so she can play along unofficially...

1. Abe Vigoda
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Zsa Zsa Gabor
4. Monty Hall
5. Olivia de Haviland
6. Sam Simon
7. Bob Barker
8. Billy Graham
9. Mohammed Ali
10. Judge Joseph Wapner

Watch. This will be the year Abe Vigoda finally dies.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by bold_n_brazen

Watch. This will be the year Abe Vigoda finally dies.

I invented picking him. And Kirk Douglas.

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

I invented picking him. And Kirk Douglas.

Nope. Spookyfish was the originator of the Abe Vigoda pick.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by bold_n_brazen

Nope. Spookyfish was the originator of the Abe Vigoda pick.

Yeah, but it wasn't personal. Just business.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Well, that didn't take long . . .

Boo.

Yah.