# The Celebrity Death Pool 2007 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 2, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620 "2006-12-02T22:07:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/1 "2006-12-02T22:07:31Z")
Presenting for your enjoyment the sickest thread on the SDMB – the Celebrity Death Pool 2007! **fanfare** **The Rules:** **1.** You pick 13 celebrities (that’s thirteen, not ten) whom you predict will die within the calendar year 2007. 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 the _undying_ _snort_ admiration of the SDMB. **2. All picks must be time- and date-stamped by midnight Chicago time, Dec. 31st, 2006.** (That’s U.S. Central time, which is six hours behind Greenwich.) **3.** Valid picks are **not** : a. already dead b. a fictional character c. non-human d. under age 18 at death e. a registered member of the SDMB, 'cause that would be weird f. political prisoners, 'cause we’re macabre but not THAT macabre. Please see Rule 7 regarding the likes of Saddam Hussein. **4.** You can pick people who are 100 or more years old but you won’t score points for them. See the “Quantity Not Quality” award, below. **5.** If we are uncertain about the celebrity’s age at death, we will go by the higher age (lower score). **6.** Your picks must specify a name: listing “anybody from [the cast of your most hated TV show or boy band]” as a pick will be ignored. **7.** Persons under sentence of death will be valid for scoring points only if they die by means other than official execution. **8.** Any poster who kills or otherwise contributes to the death of any celebrity mentioned in this thread is disqualified. It’s just a game, people. The only exceptions to this rule would be deaths caused by those posters serving as members of the police or armed forces of any country, in the line of duty. **9. Editing your choices: be careful!** You can make changes to your list before the end of the year, but it has to be clear which names are your final choices. You may submit one or more “alternates” with your list in the event that one of your picks dies during December 2006, or submit an alternate after the death of the original pick, as long as this is posted by 12/31/2006. If you do not submit a name, I will submit the rest. You can have no more than 13 picks. If you pick more than 13, or if any of your picks is otherwise invalid, I may ask for clarification. Otherwise, I will submit the first 13 names on your list. Do me a favor: check twice, post once. We have no rule about submissions having to be unique, despite claims of “copying” anyone else’s list. Sharing news of celebrities in ill health and whatnot is up to individual posters. We have no rule about valid SDMB memberships (disqualifying members who have been banned). If you submit a list and then change your username at some point, please post this news on the thread so I know who you are. We have no rule about what constitutes “celebrity,” because it makes our heads hurt to think about this. Spelling counts! Please try to spell celebrities’ names correctly. Some celebrities have common, identical or similar names. It is helpful to be specific. Additional awards: The “Quantity Not Quality” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value. The “Inside Track With the Grim Reaper” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick a celebrity that no one else picked. The “Opening Kickoff” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the first listed celebrity to die in 2007. The “Final Hours” Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the last listed celebrity to die in 2007. My thanks to **Little Nemo** who created this perennial thread and its rules, which I am essentially copying. Let the submissions begin! ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/2 "2006-12-02T22:18:13Z")
I’m sticking with my list of immortals from 2006. Who knows, 2007 might be my lucky year! 1. Gerald Ford 2. Dick VanDyke 3. Estelle Getty 4. Oral Roberts 5. Lady Bird Johnson 6. Elizabeth Taylor 7. Courtney Love (She’s gotta go sometime and soon, ya just know it!) 8. Jerry Lewis 9. Charles Manson 10. Yoko Ono 11. Walter Cronkite 12. Mercury Morris 13. Billy Graham Alternates: Dick Clark Eddie Van Halen Bob Newhart ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/3 "2006-12-02T22:20:27Z")
some of these are repeats from last year 1. Claude Levi-Strauss 2. Kitty Carlisle 3. Esther Williams 4. Hal David 5. Nanette Fabray 6. Edwin Newman 7. Phyllis Diller 8. Robert McNamara 9. Mitch Miller 10. Sargent Shriver 11. Robert Mondavi 12. Frankie Laine 13. Hugh Downs * * * alternates a) Marty Allen b) Annette Funicello c) Lou Jacobi D) Joe Barbera ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/4 "2006-12-02T22:26:07Z")
[QUOTE=swampbear] 7. Courtney Love (She’s gotta go sometime and soon, ya just know it!) [/QUOTE] not necessarily - she could be made of the same stuff as Keith Richards ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/5 "2006-12-02T22:27:07Z")
Hooray! I’m finally catching the thread in time to participate. I’ll have to do a little research, but I’ll be back! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/6 "2006-12-02T22:36:02Z")
1. **June Foray** , voice actress, age 89 (90 in September 2007)- Hokey smoke! 2. **Leslie Nielsen** , actor, age 84 (85 in February 2007)- Yes, I’m serious- and stop calling me Shirley. 3. Jose C. “Bill” Melendez, Emmy-award winning animator/voice actor, age 90 (91 in November 2007) 4. Viktor Yushchenko, president of Ukraine, age 52 (53 in February 2007)- He was poisoned two years ago by one of his political rivals. Just sayin’. 5. Ralph H. Baer, inventor/“father of video games”, age 84 (85 in March 2007) 6. Osama bin Laden, terrorist, age 49 (50 in March 2007)- He’s evaded U.S. capture longer than Hitler has. Let’s hope he goes the same way. 7. Sean Connery, actor/Bond\*, age 76 (77 in August 2007)- He’ll always be the man, dog! 8. Shirley Temple Black, actress/UN representative/captain, S.S. _Lollipop_\*\*, age 78 (79 in April 2007)- I actually thought she was already dead when I was a kid. Go figure. 9. John Seigenthaler, Sr., writer/politician/Kennedy assassin\*\*\*, age 79 (80 in July 2007)- Since I’m getting the ages off of Wikipedia, I thought I’d put the man who pointed out its flaws on the list. 10. Carol Channing, actress, age 85 (86 in January 2007)- just because I can’t get the [theme song to _Skidoo_](http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2006_12_02.html#012507) out of my head. Damn you, Evanier! 11. Stan Lee, Marvel Comics writer/editor, age 83 (84 on December 28, 85 in December 2007) 12. Gerald Ford, president, age 93 (94 in July 2007)- He was President of the United States. Why wouldn’t he be delicious? 13. Yogi Berra, baseballer/malaproper, age 81 (82 in May 2007)- because it ain’t over till it’s over. I don’t want any of these people to die, of course (except for #6)- they’re just people I thought of. We’ll see what happens in 2007. [sub]_James Bond[/sub] [sub]**Despite the rumors, the Lollipop is an adequate ship, at best.[/sub] [sub]**_[Not really.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Seigenthaler_Sr._Wikipedia_biography_controversy)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/7 "2006-12-02T22:46:16Z")
Might I nominate a new award this year? The “Robbing the Cradle Award” for the youngest (over 18) celebrity pick? Has a nice black humor quality about it, guaranteed to damn to hell anyone not so cursed already. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/8 "2006-12-02T22:48:50Z")
Quick query: for people on ‘Wanted’ lists, like Osama bin Laden, what happens if we get proof that he died earlier than 2007? Does it count? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/9 "2006-12-02T22:55:48Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Might I nominate a new award this year? The “Robbing the Cradle Award” for the youngest (over 18) celebrity pick? Has a nice black humor quality about it, guaranteed to damn to hell anyone not so cursed already. [/QUOTE] Hmm. Whaddaya think, **Little Nemo**? Others? Bueller? ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/10 "2006-12-02T22:57:25Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Quick query: for people on ‘Wanted’ lists, like Osama bin Laden, what happens if we get proof that he died earlier than 2007? Does it count? [/QUOTE] It would count for the people who picked him for that year, yes. (Gawd, retroactive scoring, the thought.) ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/11 "2006-12-02T23:14:49Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Might I nominate a new award this year? The “Robbing the Cradle Award” for the youngest (over 18) celebrity pick? Has a nice black humor quality about it, guaranteed to damn to hell anyone not so cursed already. [/QUOTE] I like it. I mean it’s not like we could get anymore macabre than the whole reason for this thread… ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/12 "2006-12-02T23:18:53Z")
1. George Carlin 2. Stephen King 3. Michael Jackson 4. Liza Minelli 5. Charlie Watts 6. Barbara Bush 7. Margaret Thatcher 8. Derek Jacobi 9. Bobby Sherman 10. Leonard Nimoy 11. Grace Slick 12. Hayley Mills 13. Kirk Douglas alternates: Mia Farrow, Donny Osmond, David Cassidy Some are “I wish they were”, some are “I’d hate it if they were”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@The\_Blue-Sighted\_Shadow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Blue-Sighted_Shadow)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/13 "2006-12-03T00:36:37Z")
I finally got here in time! [ol] [li]Mikhail Gorbachev[/li][li]Gerald Ford[/li][li]Nicole Ritchie[/li][li]Christina Aguilera[/li][li]Charles Manson[/li][li]Elizabeth Taylor[/li][li]Tammy Faye Messner[/li][li]Ariel Sharon[/li][li]Roger Ebert[/li][li]Mick Jagger[/li][li]Bill Clinton[/li][li]Mary-Kate Olsen[/li][li]Ben Affleck[/li][/ol] Alternates: Tom Cruise, Keith Richards, Michael J. Fox Some research, but mostly random. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/14 "2006-12-03T01:11:42Z")
(1) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (2) Eddie Van Halen (3) Greg Page, the Artist Formerly Know as Yellow Wiggle (4) Andrew Sullivan (5) Loretta Lynn (6) Hosni Mubarak (7) Dick Cheney (8) Sandra Day O’Connor (9) Michael Jackson (10) J. K. Rowling (11) Britney Spears (12) Paris Hilton (13) O. J. Simpson ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/15 "2006-12-03T01:12:35Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Might I nominate a new award this year? The “Robbing the Cradle Award” for the youngest (over 18) celebrity pick? Has a nice black humor quality about it, guaranteed to damn to hell anyone not so cursed already. [/QUOTE] I like it. (not that any of my picks would qualify) ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/16 "2006-12-03T01:13:34Z")
P.S… Thanks, **A35362**!!! ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/17 "2006-12-03T01:33:22Z")
1. Kurt Angle–pro wrestler, former Olympian. 2. Abe Vigoda 3. Fidel Castro 4. Keith Richards 5. Fred Phelps 6. John Madden 7. Ricky Williams-football player 8. Mohammed Ali 9. Dick Cheney 10. Billy Graham 11. Mary Travers-from Peter, Paul & Mary 12. Pete Rose 13. Ernie Ladd–Former pro wrestler, pro football player ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/18 "2006-12-03T02:14:12Z")
1. Jimmy Carter 2. Benoit Mandelbrot (mathematician) 3. Al Jaffee (MAD cartoonist) 4. John Glenn 5. Ernest Borgnine 6. John Forsythe 7. Ray Bradbury 8. Andy Rooney 9. Sandy Koufax 10. Augusto Pinochet 11. Tom Wolfe 12. Helen Gurley Brown 13. Karl Malden Alternates: Studs Terkel Art Linkletter Joseph Barbera ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/19 "2006-12-03T02:22:43Z")
[QUOTE=a35362] Hmm. Whaddaya think, **Little Nemo**? Others? Bueller? [/QUOTE] I like it. It captures the spirit of the game nicely. _goes off to google “olsen twin anorexia”_ ---
**Author:** ![the\_chicken\_of\_exeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_chicken\_of\_exeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_chicken_of_exeter)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/20 "2006-12-03T02:28:27Z")
1. Fidel Castro 2. Ozzy Osbourne 3. Margaret Thatcher 4. Rod Stewart 5. Bruce Forsythe 6. Mohammed Ali 7. Pete Doherty 8. Charlie Watts 9. Colin Powell 10. Peter Jennings 11. John Lydon 12. Elizabeth Taylor 13. Osama bin Laden [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620.md?page=2)