Bob Barker
Fidel Castro
Walter Cronkite
Tom Cruise
Richard Dawson
Hugh Downs
Fred Durst
James Hetfield
Keith Richards
Axl Rose
Abe Vigoda
Barbara Walters
Scott Weiland
And now, my comments.
[ol]
[li]Bob Barker (born December 12, 1923)- The Price is Right legendary icon. St. Pete one day will call, “Bob Barker, come on up!”[/li][li]Fidel Castro (born August 13, 1926)- Cuban dictator. He’s gotta go sooner or later.[/li][li]Walter Cronkite (born November 4, 1916)- long-retired CBS news anchor. I had to check Wikipedia just to see if he was still alive.[/li][li]Tom Cruise (born July 3, 1962)- Actor, hardcore Scientologist. His involvement in Scientology is going to do him in somehow. He’s gotten loonier over the years.[/li][li]Richard Dawson (born November 20, 1932)- Original Family Feud host. How many people think he’s going to kick off this year? Survey says…[/li][li]Hugh Downs (born February 14, 1921)- ABC News corespondent. I had to check Wiki for this one, too.[/li][li]Fred Durst (born August 20, 1970)- a.k.a. Limp Bizkit. He lives such a reckless lifestyle, something’s bound to get him sooner or later.[/li][li]James Hetfield (born 3 August 1963, Downey, California)- Metallica vocalist. Rock stars are always on the Grim Reaper’s radar, it seems.[/li][li]Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943)- Rolling Stones fossil. Yeah, I know, he’s destined to live forever, but still…[/li][li]Axl Rose (born February 6, 1962)- Guns n’ Roses frontman. Like a lot of rock stars, he lives his life in the fast lane a little too much.[/li][li]Abe Vigoda (born February 24, 1921)- Actor. Hard to believe he’s still with us. Wiki again.[/li][li]Barbara Walters (born September 25, 1929)- She’s getting up in years, too. I need to have at least one woman on my list anyway.[/li][li]Scott Weiland (born October 27, 1967)- Lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots. Live on the edge for too long and you’ll eventually fall off.[/li][/ol]
As you can see, my list for 2008 is rock-star heavy as they tend to have a shorter longevity due to their extravagant lifestyles. Maybe this strategy will work.
here’s the “clean” version of my list, sorry for not doing this earlier :smack:
Fidel Castro
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Pete Doherty
Amy Winehouse
Betty Ford
Farrah Fawcett
Oral Roberts
Billy Graham
Bob Barker
Lawrence Pfohl
Stephen Glover
Ariel Sharon
Charles Manson
Laraine Newman
Garrett Morris
Keith Richards
Joe Piscopo
Louie Anderson
Roman Polanski
Lindsey Lohan
Sidney Lumet (had to check wikipedia to make sure he was still alive)
John Waters (ditto)
John Nash (double ditto)
Stephen Hawking
Paula Abdul
Bob McGrath (Bob from Sesame Street)
plain list:
Laraine Newman
Garrett Morris
Keith Richards
Joe Piscopo
Louie Anderson
Roman Polanski
Lindsey Lohan
Sidney Lumet
John Waters
John Nash
Stephen Hawking
Paula Abdul
Bob McGrath
First timer in the Death Pool here. I never win anything, so the names on the following list are more or less guaranteed to survive 2008, but here goes:
Eric Sykes
Norman Wisdom
Humphrey Lyttelton
Pete Doherty
Nicholas “Fatty” Soames
Dawn French
Amy Winehouse
Jeremy Clarkson
Marion Jones
Patrick Moore
Baroness Thatcher
David Blaine
Norman Painting
Alternate: Clarissa Dickson Wright
Some explanations, as it’s a bit Brit-oriented:
Eric Sykes – Comedy actor/writer/icon (old age)
Norman Wisdom – Comedy actor/National hero in Albania, apparently (old age)
Humphrey Lyttelton – Jazz musician/game show host/national treasure (old age)
Pete Doherty – Musician/celeb boyfriend/druggie (his luck’s got to run out some time soon)
Nicholas “Fatty” Soames – MP (autoerotic asphyxiation, found in PVC basque, fishnets, the full works)
Dawn French – Comedienne (can’t be healthy to be that size)
Amy Winehouse – Singer/walking tabloid circus (suicide – v. sad if this comes to pass)
Jeremy Clarkson – TV presenter/loudmouth (failed macho attempt to outdo Richard Hammond)
Marion Jones – disgraced sprinter (steroid use catches up with her)
Patrick Moore – TV astronomer/xylophonist (old age)
Baroness Thatcher – Former UK PM/mad granny in the Conservative Party’s attic/haunting presence (massive stroke)
David Blaine – illusionist/attention seeker (botched stunt while attempting to get back into the limelight)
Norman Painting – Leading actor in BBC Radio 4’s The Archers (written out of show due to failing health, followed by RL heart attack)
Clarissa Dickson Wright – TV chef (heart attack)
Roy Scheider
Neil Armstrong
Mel Brooks
Lindsay Lohan
Raúl Castro
James Watson
Harper Lee
Elizabeth Edwards
Katie Holmes
Robert Clary
Betty White
Nichelle Nichols
Andy Griffith
Alternates: Nancy Reagan, Marget Thatcher, Peter O’Toole
Willard Scott (he has to go sometime, right)
Britney Spears (the meltdown is continuing. Possibly killed by her sister out of jealousy)
Hank Aaron
Barbara Bush (former first lady)
Fidel Castro
Alan Greenspan
Roger Ebert
James Earl Jones
OJ Simpson
Larry King
John Astin (Gomez Adams)
Chuck Berry
Suzanne Pleshette
Alternates
Bob Barker
Dick Clark
Sally Struthers
(I think all three of these, but especially the first two, are going to live forever. Therefore, just alternates).
Plain list
Willard Scott
Britney Spears
Hank Aaron
Barbara Bush
Fidel Castro
Alan Greenspan
Roger Ebert
James Earl Jones
OJ Simpson
Larry King
John Astin
Chuck Berry
Suzanne Pleshette
Alternates
Bob Barker Dick Clark Sally Struthers
And I may regret this, but I’ve found the Who’s Alive and Who’s Dead site to be helpful this year. It’s not fancy, but I liked it.
William F. Buckley Jr.
Fidel Castro
Elizabeth Edwards
Betty Ford
Ingemar Johansson
Jack Kevorkian
John Jay O’Connor III
Sandra Day O’Connor
Ariel Sharon
George Steinbrenner
John Paul Stevens
Elizabeth Taylor
Mike Tyson
Alternates:
Omar Abdel-Rahman
Margaret Thatcher
Tony Snow
Billy Graham
Kirk Douglas
Charlton Heston
Margaret Thatcher
Elizabeth Taylor
Ronnie Biggs
Harold Pinter
Dick Cheny
Fidel Castro
Shirley Temple
Bob Barker
Ariel Sharon
Billy Graham
Alternate:
Mohammed Ali
This is last years list with new nominees to replace last year’s winners. I am pleased to be able to submit this early as I will be busy over the new year.
We’ve been pretty much saying that if someone’s death is reported by two major news reporting agencies (CNN, New York Times, one of the reputable foreign press outlets, etc.) then they’re a celebrity. Should we finally make this the rule for defining celebrity?
And thanks, a35362 for your stewardship of The Pool over the last few years. Every now and then I remember your post about when John Paul II dies, and giggle.
I’m responding partly to bump this thread - where is everyone? I never thought this thread would go off the first page.
If we want to discuss celebrity rules, there are two other situations that have been mentioned:
[ul]
[li]people who are merely related to celebrities, not celebrities in their own right[/li][li]people who are only famous because of their illness[/li][/ul]
Britney Spears
Kevin Federline
J. K. Rowling
Prince Harry
Camilla Parker Bowles
Mel Brooks
Andrew Sullivan
Michael Kinsley
Mary Kate Olsen
Robert Plant
Ringo Starr
Sen. Robert Byrd
Stevie Nicks
Fidel Castro
Jerry Lewis
Bo Diddley
Oral Roberts
Vanna White
Hulk Hogan
Sean Connery
Pamela Anderson
Phil Spector
Eunice Kennedy
Kirk Douglas
Gary Busey
Billy Graham
Might as well post the same list as last year. I wonder if I can get some monetary rewards from these people, seeing as I’m the reason the grim reaper leaves them alone.
Tom Petty
Andy Griffith
Carol Channing
Rob Reiner
Pat Buchanan
Ron Santo
Rip Torn
Phyllis Diller
Farrah Fawcett
Bob Barker
Jerry Stiller
Bob Newhart
Kenan Thompson
Fidel Castro
Ariel Sharon
Esther Williams
Betty Ford
Annette Funicello
Estelle Getty
Billy Graham
Muhammad Ali
Joe Paterno
Blake Fielder-Civil
Amy Winehouse
Britney Spears
Lindsay Lohan
Alternates:
Larry Hagman
Kevin Federline
Courtney Love