# The Celebrity Death Pool 2005 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574 "2004-12-01T21:22:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/781 "2005-06-22T13:23:26Z")
Nobody picked him either. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/782 "2005-06-23T05:26:40Z")
I just went through a wierd “I thought they were dead” thing. John Waters was just on Craig Ferguson’s show. I thought Waters was dead because I had heard a while ago that he had died. According to [Dead or Alive Info](http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/wnames-nf/Waters+John) he is alive, and the page is up-to-date. I can’t figure out why I thought he was dead. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/783 "2005-06-24T20:23:44Z")
_60 Minutes_ commentator [Shana Alexander](http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/24/obit.alexander.ap/index.html) is dead at age 79. She’s the one Dan Aykroyd always called an “ignorant slut” back in the day on SNL (Jane Curtin played Shana). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/784 "2005-06-24T20:41:03Z")
Porn star Chloe Jones has died at 29. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/785 "2005-06-24T21:11:21Z")
**Spiff** That “Point / Counterpoint” 60 Minutes segment was skewered beautifully in “Airplane” (1980) I believe they called it “Count / Pointercount”. Still it is sad that Shana has left us. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/786 "2005-06-24T21:17:59Z")
Since she was only 29, I looked for a news story about Chloe Jones’ death. It seems her being assaulted was the cause. [http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20050621-093800-8977r.htm](http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20050621-093800-8977r.htm) ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/787 "2005-06-24T21:18:52Z")
Nobody picked either Shana or Chloe. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/788 "2005-06-25T00:14:04Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Spiff** > That “Point / Counterpoint” 60 Minutes segment was skewered beautifully in “Airplane” (1980) > I believe they called it “Count / Pointercount”. I don’t remember any such scene in that movie. Sure you’re not thinking of the sequel? Or some other ZAZ film? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/789 "2005-06-26T11:48:36Z")
Ventiloquist and voice over master Paul Winchell [dead](http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-na-winchell26jun26,0,245145.story?coll=la-home-headlines) at 82. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/790 "2005-06-26T11:52:42Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Ventiloquist and voice over master Paul Winchell [dead](http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-na-winchell26jun26,0,245145.story?coll=la-home-headlines) at 82. “Nestles makes the very best chaaaaaawwwwwwwwwclate!” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/791 "2005-06-26T16:17:22Z")
Nobody picked him. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/792 "2005-06-26T18:44:05Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > “Nestles makes the very best chaaaaaawwwwwwwwwclate!” Actually, the ventriloquist involved in that campaign was [Jimmy Nelson,](http://www.venthavenmuseum.net/video.html) whose dummy Danny O’Day was admittedly very similar to Winchell’s Jerry Mahoney (indeed, both were carved by [Frank Marshall](http://www.tvacres.com/puppets_ventriloquists.htm)). Of course, it was Danny’s canine buddy, Farfel, who “sang” the elongated version of “chocolate” that ended the jingle. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/793 "2005-06-27T01:47:09Z")
> [@wolf\_meister](#): > > **Spiff** > That “Point / Counterpoint” 60 Minutes segment was skewered beautifully in “Airplane” (1980) > I believe they called it “Count / Pointercount”. Wasn’t that a Saturday Night Live sketch? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/794 "2005-06-27T02:05:51Z")
> [@Sternvogel](#): > > Actually, the ventriloquist involved in that campaign was [Jimmy Nelson,](http://www.venthavenmuseum.net/video.html) whose dummy Danny O’Day was admittedly very similar to Winchell’s Jerry Mahoney (indeed, both were carved by [Frank Marshall](http://www.tvacres.com/puppets_ventriloquists.htm)). Of course, it was Danny’s canine buddy, Farfel, who “sang” the elongated version of “chocolate” that ended the jingle. :smack: Of course, I was but a wee twickster at the time… ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/795 "2005-06-27T02:21:46Z")
You know, it’s really depressing that many of the reports of Shana Alexander’s death mentioned the Dan Ackroyd/Jane Curtin sketch on _Saturday Night Live_ as if the only important thing about her life was something she did about 35 years ago. She was a good reporter who unfortunately got a job (along with James J. Kilpatrick) doing a fairly stupid segment on _60 Minutes_. If anyone should be blamed, it’s whoever came up the idea of the “Point/Counterpoint” segment on _60 Minutes_, which would have been a disaster no matter who did it. (“Point/Counterpoint” was so bad that it makes Andy Rooney’s commentaries look good.) It’s bad enough that Dan Ackroyd’s and Jane Curtin’s obituaries will probably mention that one sketch. It’s worse that that’s all that most people remember about Shana Alexander. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/796 "2005-06-27T05:44:06Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Wasn’t that a Saturday Night Live sketch? It was done as part of the Kentucky Fried Movie. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/797 "2005-06-27T14:09:34Z")
**Rilchiam, Diceman, Mockingbird** It’s from Airplane (1980) Here’s the quote: Jack Kirkpatrick: Shanna, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash. Here’s the cite: > **[Quotes from "Airplane!"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080339/quotes)** > > \[as the plane prepares to take off\] Hanging Lady: Nervous? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/798 "2005-06-27T16:05:56Z")
Nobody picked John Fiedler (the voice of Piglet). ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/799 "2005-06-27T16:18:58Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Nobody picked John Fiedler (the voice of Piglet). First Tigger then Piglet. How depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574/800 "2005-06-27T16:32:20Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Nobody picked John Fiedler (the voice of Piglet). Guess it’s a sign of my age that I know Fiedler as Mr. Peterson of _The Bob Newhart Show_, and that I remember Paul “Tigger” Winchell as the host of a kids’ game show called [_Runaround_.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198223/) [Here is an obituary](http://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/27/obit.fiedler.ap/) for Fiedler. Meanwhile, [Chet Helms](http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=705692005) has died at the age of 62. He is remembered for promoting the free concerts and “be-ins” that characterized San Francisco’s 1967 “Summer of Love”. Helms also brought Janis Joplin, among others, into musical prominence. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2005/277574.md?page=41)