# 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:** 24
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/461 "2007-01-02T17:59:54Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] At least they have a claim to fame. They are in the news. They have been on the cover of magazines. They have been in the National Enquirer. I assume that all notable people have parents. That doesn’t mean I should pick Stephen Hawkings Mum or Bill Gates’ Dad. I hear that Brad Pitt’s cousin Elmer is sick, should I have picked him? [/QUOTE] Many death pools have rules that state that a relative of a famous person isn’t elidgible unless they’ve done something to become famous in their own right. Such rules are usually enacted to stop people from listing the relatives of some hated celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/462 "2007-01-02T18:08:24Z")
Well, here’s my two-cents on the two questions: 1.) A famous person’s parent can’t be a celebrity unless they’ve done something. Tiger’s dad was a recurring figure in the sports news, and because a celebrity that way. I wouldn’t think Mrs. Griffey qualifies. 2.) I agree with **qwest**. The deadline was firmly established ahead of time, and everybody else got their list in on time. Better luck next year. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/463 "2007-01-02T18:48:28Z")
FWIW, my definitioof celebrit for thpool is tt the person’s death has to generate a wire service story. Aunt Mable’s obit won’t cut it; Tiger’s dad would… Since I ain’t running the show, this and $2.95 will get you cup at Starbuck’s. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/464 "2007-01-02T18:50:12Z")
Damned sticky keyboard. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/465 "2007-01-02T18:59:21Z")
[QUOTE=Idle Thoughts] 1. Bill Keane (had him on my list twice already and he’s still holding out) [/QUOTE] Did you misspell his name on your previous two lists too? 🙂 ---
**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:** [January 2, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/466 "2007-01-02T19:04:53Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I hear that Brad Pitt’s cousin Elmer is sick, should I have picked him? [/QUOTE] Knock yourself out. No skin off my nose. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/467 "2007-01-02T19:14:45Z")
Very few people are famous only for being sick. Terri Schaivo comes to mind. Her “famousness” could hardly be contested, however. Other people famous for being sick are more often famous for what they do despite being sick, such as Jane Tomlinson, Terry Fox or Ryan White. Trying to draw the line is too much to ask I think. Some celebrities have relatives that, in my opinion, deserve to be considered famous in their own right such as Mel Gibson’s dad (anti-Semitic ranting) and Eminem’s mom (famously scorned in his lyrics). Billy Carter, the Bush twins, the Queen Mother, the list goes on. But Ken Griffey’s mom? Why not Paul Schaffer’s dad? Additionally, some people can become famous when they die like Tony Dungy’s son. Maybe it’s time to revisit my suggestion from about a year ago. Namely that in order to count your celebrity’s death must be reported by at least one major (e.g. ABC, BBC), English-language, non-subscription news source. So [Earl Woods](http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SPORT/golf/05/03/golf.woods/) is in no problem. That would eliminate having to make any judgment calls about this. If you can’t post a link to something better than the Sugerland Shoppers’ Guide showing the person died you don’t get the points. It would also add a degree of difficulty to players contemplating picking someone on the edge. Do I dare pick him/her? It would also put an end to picking absolute nobodies. ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/468 "2007-01-02T19:26:12Z")
[QUOTE=GIGObuster] [QUOTE=LVgeogeek] 10. Abe Vigoda- actor [/QUOTE] He will die again? [/QUOTE] according to [WIKI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda) old Abe is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/469 "2007-01-02T19:38:45Z")
[QUOTE=LVgeogeek] according to [WIKI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda) old Abe is still alive. [/QUOTE] Whooooshh! 🙂 > **[Abe Vigoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_Vigoda)** > > Abraham Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor, known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in The Godfather (1972) and Phil Fish in both Barney Miller (1975–1977, 1982) and Fish (1977–1978). His career as an actor began in 1947 performing with the American Theatre Wing and continued in Broadway productions throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Vigoda was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 24, 1921, the son of Samuel Vigoda (Yiddish: שמואל וויגאָדאַ; Russian: Самуэл... > [@](#): > > In 1982, Vigoda enjoyed a little extra publicity when People magazine erroneously declared him dead. Vigoda took the error with good humor, posing for a photograph showing him sitting up in a coffin, holding the magazine in question. Since then his erroneous death has remained a running joke for Vigoda; for example, a November 2006 Conan O’Brien sketch shows an audience member “summoning the dead.” The “deceased person” turns out to be Vigoda. This rumor was nearly started again in 1987 when a reporter for Secaucus, New Jersey television station WWOR, Channel 9 erroneously referred to him as “the late Abe Vigoda.” She corrected herself on the air the next day. ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/470 "2007-01-02T19:53:56Z")
Well, he is only mostly dead then? 😃 ---
**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:** [January 2, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/471 "2007-01-02T20:02:35Z")
I have 2 points to make here: 1. Why should there be a penalty for posting late? Let’s take it to the extreme and say that **severus** posted his list at 0000 hours on Dec 31, 2007. How many points is he going to get in those 24 hours? 2. I don’t like the idea of including friends, relatives, etc of celebrities. It seems posting on time is more important than allowing SDMB members to select obscure people with fatal diseases. I’m still a little miffed about a 2005 selection - somebody chose a golfer’s _caddy_ because he had ALS. I had never even heard of the golfer !!! If Reese Witherspoon’s gardener had a cousin whose roommate’s ex-husband has a terminal disease, should this selection be allowed? I think you know what my answer is. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/472 "2007-01-02T22:14:15Z")
[QUOTE=LVgeogeek] Well, he is only mostly dead then? 😃 [/QUOTE] You rang? ---
**Author:** ![8675309](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ea5d25/32.png) [@8675309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/8675309)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/473 "2007-01-02T22:56:45Z")
I feel no guilt making my picks, since the inclusion on my list seems to guarantee at least one more year of life above ground. ---
**Author:** ![Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grits_and_Hard_Toast)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/474 "2007-01-03T00:04:45Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] I have 2 points to make here: 1. Why should there be a penalty for posting late? Let’s take it to the extreme and say that **severus** posted his list at 0000 hours on Dec 31, 2007. How many points is he going to get in those 24 hours? 2. I don’t like the idea of including friends, relatives, etc of celebrities. It seems posting on time is more important than allowing SDMB members to select obscure people with fatal diseases. I’m still a little miffed about a 2005 selection - somebody chose a golfer’s _caddy_ because he had ALS. I had never even heard of the golfer !!! If Reese Witherspoon’s gardener had a cousin whose roommate’s ex-husband has a terminal disease, should this selection be allowed? I think you know what my answer is. [/QUOTE] I think the main reason there needs to be cutoff time is for the scorekeeper. I don’t think it would be fair to her to have to keep looking for new players and adding them in. After the cutoff, she knows who to keep track of. I am guessing at midnight she wasn’t sitting at her computer finalizing the players, but celebrating somewhere. So his being two minutes late probably won’t make a difference to her. Keeping with the spirit of that, I don’t think it is a problem for serevus to join us. I don’t think it could be argued that he had any advantage over the rest of with those two extra minutes. The only reason not to include him is that he technically didn’t meet the deadline. He was so close, and we know the problem with losing posts, so to me it would be silly to not have him play because he had techinical difficulties. That was sort of my point about “penalizing” him, so that if he did win he only got half of the huge cash prize. Since there is no money at stake, and we are all just playing this because we are sick individuals that enjoy a chance to laugh, HA HA, at death, why not let him play? I do have friends who are even more twisted than I, and do play this for money. They put $100 up each year, winner takes all. If you put up a financial stake in the outcome, then yes, the deadline matters. You don’t get in, sorry 'bout your luck. But we are just doing this for fun ( sick, twisted, macbre fun, but still fun), so why not have one more to join us in hell? And I add this not to argue, but to educate. That caddy you mentioned, Bruce Edwards, worked for Tom Watson. I wasn’t the one who chose him, but I do remember the details. It was a huge story in the golf world. After Jack Nicklaus, and before Tiger Woods, Watson was the most dominant player in the world. He was well respected and a fan favorite. So when his long time caddy was diagnosed with ALS, Tom Watson used his celebrity to raise awareness and money for ALS research. Millions of dollars were raised at various fundraisers, and a book was written about Bruce, all before he died. Not an interview went by that Watson didn’t talk about his caddy, and ALS. So in that case, I do feel Bruce Edwards had earned celebrity on his own. He first gained national attention because he caddied for a top golfer and had ALS, but his fundraising efforts and interviews and guest appearances educating people about ALS led him to win national awards and he did get quite a bit of national coverage. And I am sure his death was covered by all the major news sources, because the story had taken on a life of its own. So don’t mean to argue your point. I am sure I couldn’t name the top Tennis player during that time, but anyone who followed golf would have known Tom Watson, and would have likely heard about Bruce Edwards. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/475 "2007-01-03T00:53:10Z")
I think the host should be able to decide any questions on who plays, who is a “celebrity”, and so on. They do all the work, it should be their say, and I’d abide, as I’m sure we all will, by their rulings. It is only a game, after all. Sick, twisted, and demented, yes, but a game. So, who’s gonna help provide the “Opening Kickoff” award this year? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/476 "2007-01-03T01:56:29Z")
I would like to think 8 of my picks all meet up and fly on Quantas, where the airlines will have its first crash evah. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/477 "2007-01-03T03:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] I would like to think 8 of my picks all meet up and fly on Quantas, where the airlines will have its first crash evah. [/QUOTE] Is someone a tad upset that certain people didn’t take advantage of anonymously mailed free Indonesian airline tickets or Java ferry passes, hmmmm? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/478 "2007-01-03T04:36:40Z")
Damn, I’m getting impatient! Will one of you celebs just get your act together and DIE??!!! I thought you all loved attention. “Ooh, but I’d have to die to get mentioned again.” – Pussies! C’mon, step up. For many of you, it will not only be your best role ever, but an actual public service. And better yet, one that you’re not even sentenced to by some high-minded judge. You won’t have to pick up trash along the highway, or feed soup to smelly bums. Hell, you can even OD on heroin! I tell ya, this is not an opportunity you want to pass by. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2007, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/479 "2007-01-03T05:00:31Z")
**Grits and Hard Toast** That was a polite and well-thought reply to my rant. Yeah, I think my posting was a little grouchier than necessary. Then again, this is the 2007 SDMB Death Pool where the competition is ruthless and leniency is a luxury I cannot afford to squander. BWA-HA-HA !!! Heck it looks like **Boyo Jim** is _really_ getting into the spirit of the 2007 game. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620/480 "2007-01-03T06:36:34Z")
I think it’s definately **a35362** ’s call at this point, because neither **severus** or I put a heck of a lot of time into the lists, and she’ll (he’ll?) have to track the scores. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2007/382620.md?page=25)