NOTE: As we started in 2019, Themed Death Pool Lists will be posted and tracked in a separate thread. If you are looking for the 2023 Celebrity Death Pool thread, click here
phungi (aka: the Death Shroom) checking in as your 2023 Death Pool chaperone.
In case anyone is new to this game, the rules are outlined below. There are a few new rules so read carefully.
The Rules:
You pick 13 celebrities (plus 3 alternates) that you predict will die in the year 2023. If any of your celebrities dies, you score 100 points minus their age at death. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year…wins. It’s rather simple.
Please check the spelling if your celebrity’s names, as editing takes hours. Also, please do not put spaces or periods between abbreviated letters.
For example: “George HW Bush” instead of George H. W. Bush"
Players may submit lists to both the “regular” and “themed” pools. However, those posting a Themed list should explain the theme.
All picks must be made by December 31st, 2022, at 11:59PM, CENTRAL TIME. Late entries (i.e., ANY time after midnight of Jan 1st) will be turned away.
Valid picks CANNOT be:
a. already dead
b. fictional
c. under age 18
d. a registered member of the SDMB
e. hostages held by terrorist organizations
f. famous solely as a result of their illness or the events surrounding their death (see #15 below)
If you have any questions about who is or is not a celebrity, feel free to post to the thread or PM me. This is why we include 3 alternates, so if a pick is designated to be invalid, your first alternate will be elevated to your list.
If we are uncertain about the celebrity’s age at death, we will go by the higher age (lower score).
Prisoners held on death row count only if they die by means other than official execution.
If you kill anyone on your list to try to get ahead or cheat, then you’re automatically disqualified.
Editing your choices: You can change the people on your list as many times as you wish before the deadline above, just make sure that your FINAL list is known, otherwise I’m going to take the first 13 of yours I see listed.
Alternates are important, in the case of a pick being invalid, or a pick dying prior to January 1st.
If a player changes their username at some point, post this news on the thread, or PM me, so I know who you are.
Tracking celebrity deaths is the job of each individual player. Wiki maintains a page of deaths each month, and is an excellent reference .
I create and share a Scorekeeper in the form of an Excel Spreadsheet. I am happy to share this with any and all participants. I generally post to Google Sheet, and update it after every death.
Determination of who is a celebrity will remain a subjective matter, but generally defined as “the person has some known presence in the form of a Wikipedia Page and/or notoriety in the news or such” and their fame or celebrity cannot be based solely on their having a terminal illness". Sole possession of a Wikipedia page will not constitute “celebrity”. If questioned, the person who posted that individual may be required provide such evidence.
Questions may be raised about the appropriateness of a pick at any point after a list is posted, even after 1/1/23. Alternates picks play an important role, as “questionable” picks may be disqualified post-posting.
There is no exchange of money, that would be in poor taste. Rather, each year, we share the following awards
The “Opening Kickoff” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the first listed celebrity to die in 2023.
The “Quantity Not Quality” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value.
The “Grim Reaper” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who had the most unique picks that died.
The “Robbing the Cradle” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the youngest celebrity to die in 2023, but see rule 3d.
The “Final Hours” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the last listed celebrity to die in 2023.
You need to submit a clean list, with no explanations, dates of birth, titles, etc. If you want to add commentary, include this below your clean list.
For example:
Theme: Brady Bunch
Clean list:
Robert Reed
Florence Henderson
Ann B. Davis
Barry Williams
Maureen McCormick
Christopher Knight
Eve Plumb
Mike Lookinland
Susan Olsen
Allan Melvin
Jack Collins
Robbie Rist
Desi Arnaz Jr
Annotated list:
Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Florence Henderson as Carol Brady
Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson
Barry Williams as Greg Brady
Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady
Christopher Knight as Peter Brady
Eve Plumb as Jan Brady
Mike Lookinland as Bobby Brady
Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady
Allan Melvin as Sam Franklin
Jack Collins as Mr. Phillips
Robbie Rist as Cousin Oliver
Desi Arnaz, Jr. as himself
Scoring: When a celebrity dies, you get their age at death subtracted from 100. All celebrities who are 100 or over count, but you get “0” Points for their death, contributing to the “Quantity not Quality” award
If anyone has any questions, post to the thread, or PM me.
Anthony Hopkins
Avram Hershko
Sarah Miles
Alex Ferguson .
Andy Summers
Ben Kingsley
Diane von Furstenberg
Pius Ncube
Tim Matheson
Burton Cummings
Rene Robert
Viktor Mikhailovich Afanasieyv
Val Kilmer
I’m moving away from the theme I’ve used for the past few years (Lou Gehrig theme: people with ALS).
This year’s theme, I call “The Whole 90 YARDS.” It’s people who will turn 90 in 2023, whose name (either first or last) start with Y, A, R, D or S.
Yoko Ono- musician, activist, famous spouse
Asha Bhosle- Indian musician
Robert Blake- actor, famous widower
Renee Taylor- actor
Robert Fuller- actor
Roman Polanski- director, sicko
David McCallum- actor, “Ducky”
Diane Feinstein- Senator
Michael Dukakis- governor, helmet wearer
Debra Paget- actor
Shani Wallis- actor, singer
Tom Skerritt- actor
Scotty Bowman- kick-ass hockey coach
Clean list:
Yoko Ono
Asha Bhosle
Robert Blake
Renee Taylor
Robert Fuller
Roman Polanski
David McCallum
Dianne Feinstein
Michael Dukakis
Debra Paget
Shani Wallis
Tom Skerritt
Scotty Bowman
Alternates (born in '90):
Ryan Higa
Sarah Hyland
Soulja Boy
1 Harry Gant 1940 former Nascar race car driver
2 Bobby Allison 1937 former Nascar race car driver
3 Cale Yarborough 1939 former Nascar race car driver
4 Ned Jarret 1932 former Nascar race car driver
5 Mario Andretti 1940 former F1 & Indy race car driver
6 Michael Schumacher 1969 former F1 race car driver
7 Fred Lorenzen 1934 former Nascar race car driver
8 Donnie Allison 1939 former Nascar race car driver
9 Richard Petty 1937 former Nascar race car driver
10 Rick Hendrick 1949 former Nascar race car driver & current team owner
11 Emerson Fittipaldi 1946 former Indy race car driver
12 Jackie Stewart 1939 former F1 race car driver
13 A. J. Foyt 1935 former Indy race car driver
Alt:
1 Darryl Waltrip 1947 former Nascar race car driver
2 Rick Mears 1951 former Indy race car driver
3 Ricky Rudd 1956 former Nascar race car driver
Clean list:
Harry Gant
Bobby Allison
Cale Yarborough
Ned Jarret
Mario Andretti
Michael Schumacher
Fred Lorenzen
Donnie Allison
Richard Petty
Rick Hendrick
Emerson Fittipaldi
Jackie Stewart
A J Foyt
Mike Dikta
Michael Schumacher
Brittney Griner
Pele
Steve McMichael
Bobby Knight
Tony LaRussa
Rod Carew
William “Refrigerator” Perry
Alex Zanardi
Bob Uecker
Willie O’Ree
Steve Gleason
I am abandoning my themed list of former Cardinals World Series players, as they appear to be mostly immortal. But I will continue in a sporting vein.
Theme: Former NFL Head Coaches
Marv Levy
Bud Grant
Sam Rutigliano
Raymond Berry
John Robinson
Dick Vermeil
Bobby Ross
Tom Flores
Barry Switzer
Leeman Bennett
Mike Ditka
George Seifert
Wayne Fontes
Alternates:
Joe Gibbs
Bill Parcells
Jerry Glanville
Jonathan Goldsmith
Calvin Jung
David Leisure
Pons Maar
John Moschitta Jr.
Wendy Kaufman
Mark Jackson
Carlos Alazraqui
Sean Whalen
Anya Major
Charles Stone III
Demetri Goritsas
Ben Curtis
Paul Marcarelli
Isaiah Mustafa
Louise Caire Clark
Admittedly not a lot of well-known names listed but I think I’m keeping within the spirit of the themed celebrity death pool here. And to be clear, I’m not actually rooting for anyone on my list to pass on… this is a really meant to be a show of appreciation, albeit in an odd sort of way. I could find only years of birth for two of my entries so in the unlikely event they actually come into play I am on-board with potentially having to accept the lower possible point value. Thanks so much for doing this again, phungi!
Jonathan Goldsmith, b. September 26, 1938. Dos Equis: “Stay thirsty, my friends.”
Calvin Jung, b. February 17, 1945. Calgon: “Ancient Chinese secret.”
David Leisure, b. November 16, 1950. Isuzu: “You have my word on it.”
Pons Maar, b. August 4, 1951. Domino’s Pizza: “Heh heh ha ha!”
John Moschitta Jr., b. August 6, 1954. Federal Express: “Pittsburgh’s perfect, Peter; may I call you Pete?”
Wendy Kaufman, b. September 6, 1958. Snapple: “Made from the best stuff on Earth.”
Mark Jackson, b. August 30, 1959. Energizer: “Get Energizer! It’ll surprise you! Oi!”
Carlos Alazraqui, b. July 20, 1962. Taco Bell: “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!”
Sean Whalen, b. May 19, 1964. California Milk Processor Board: “Aawwon Buww!”
Ben Curtis, b. November 2, 1980. Dell: “Dude, you’re getting a Dell!”
Alt1. Paul Marcarelli, b. May 24, 1970. Verizon: “Can you hear me now?”
Alt2. Isaiah Mustafa, b. February 11, 1974. Old Spice: “I’m on a horse.”
Alt3. Louise Caire Clark, b. July 22, 1949. HIAA: “Having choices we don’t like is no choice at all.”
Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936)
Ann-Margret (born 28 April 1941)
Carroll Baker (born 28 May 1931)
Brigette Bardot (born 28 September 1934)
Claudia Cardinale (born 15 April 1938)
Julie Christie (born 14 April 1940)
Tippi Hedren (born 19 January 1930)
Gina Lollobrigida (born 4 July 1927)
Sophia Loren (born 20 September 1934)
Kim Novak (born 13 February 1933)
Elke Sommer (born 5 November 1940)
Mamie Van Doren (born 6 February 1931)
Raquel Welch (born 5 September 1940)
Alternates:
Shirley Eaton (born 12 January 1937)
Julie Newmar (born 16 August 1933)
Tuesday Weld (born 27 August 1943)
Clean List:
Ursula Andress
Ann-Margret
Carroll Baker
Brigette Bardot
Claudia Cardinale
Julie Christie
Tippi Hedren
Gina Lollobrigida
Sophia Loren
Kim Novak
Elke Sommer
Mamie Van Doren
Raquel Welch
My theme is “Born in 1963”, which will give me a little taste of my own mortality. Of course, they’ll all be worth either 40 or 41 points.
Kristian Alfonso
Richard Appel
Jennifer Beals
Rocky Carroll
Phoebe Cates
Debra Christofferson
James Denton
Stefan Fatsis
Rupert Graves
John Benjamin Hickey
Marc Jacobs
Greg Kinnear
Andrea McArdle
Alternates:
Lauren Holly
Alex Kingston
Conan O’Brien
Given the relatively low number of players in the Themed Pool, as well as the low number correct picks each year, anyone object to allowing more than one themed list per player?
If we’re putting it to a vote, I’m a no. I feel the effort of focusing down to a specified number of people is a major portion of the game. Take that out and some people will just flood the game with dozens of picks.
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
Richard Lester
Yoko Ono
Julian Lennon
Pete Best
Sean Lennon
Olivia Harrison
Dhani Harrison
Jane Asher
Patti Boyd Harrison
Zak Starkey
Jimmy Nicol
Alan Alda
Loretta Swit
Mike Farrell
Jamie Farr
Gary Burghoff
Jeff Maxwell
G.W. Bailey
Donald Sutherland
Elliot Gould
Robert Duvall
Fred Williamson
Tom Skerritt
Mike Altman
*I added Mike Altman, who wrote the lyrics to “Suicide is Painless” due to the fact that, alas, we are running out of living MASH actors who have been in enough of it to count.
Vladimir PUTIN, president of Russia
Pope FRANCIS, Catholic pope and head of state of the Vatican
King CHARLES III of the UK
Joe BIDEN, president of the US
XI Jinping, president of China
King PHILIP VI of Spain
King CARL XVI GUSTAF of Sweden
Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark
King HARALD V of Norway
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD of Saudi Arabia
Alternates:
Paul BIYA, president of Cameroon
Mahmoud ABBAS, president of the state of Palestine
Ali KHAMENEI, supreme leader of Iran
CLEAN LISTS FOLLOW
Main List:
Vladimir PUTIN
Pope FRANCIS
King CHARLES III
Joe BIDEN
XI Jinping
King PHILIP VI
King CARL XVI GUSTAF
Queen MARGRETHE II
King HARALD V
King Salman Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD
The recent deaths of Sesame Street actors Emilio Delgado (Luis) and Bob McGrath (Bob) have inspired my new themed list:
The Old Folks Home on Sesame Street
Ruth Buzzi (“Ruthie”)
Loretta Long (“Susan”)
Alan Arkin (“Larry”)
Lily Tomlin (“Edith Ann” and “Ernestine”)
Jaime Sanchez (“Miguel”)
Buffy Sainte-Marie (“Buffy”)
Jada Rowland (“Jennie”)
Roscoe Orman (“Gordon”)
Linda Bove (“Linda”)
Andrea Martin (“Wanda Falbo the Word Fairy”)
Sonia Manzano (“Maria”)
Bill Irwin (“Mr. Noodle”)
Lillias White (“Lillian”)
Clean List
Ruth Buzzi
Loretta Long
Alan Arkin
Lily Tomlin
Jaime Sanchez
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Jada Rowland
Roscoe Orman
Linda Bove
Andrea Martin
Sonia Manzano
Bill Irwin
Lillias White