# The Celebrity Death Pool 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439 "2007-12-01T11:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 69
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1362 "2009-01-02T21:41:25Z")
[John Travolta’s son has died](http://www.tmz.com/2009/01/02/john-travoltas-son-dies/) at their vacation home in the Bahamas. He was only 16. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1363 "2009-01-03T00:29:56Z")
didn’t I get a unique pick for [Abbie Hoffman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9755160&postcount=726)? If I recall, there was debate over whether or not I should have -2 points, since he was 102. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1364 "2009-01-03T04:01:33Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > didn’t I get a unique pick for [Abbie Hoffman](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9755160&postcount=726)? If I recall, there was debate over whether or not I should have -2 points, since he was 102. Sorry - I changed that award to being for the person who had the most unique picks, not just everyone who had a unique pick. Given that 63% of picks in 2008 were unique (and it’s even higher in 2009), sharing an award amongst them all didn’t seem as meaningful as giving it to the person who had the most deceased uniquers. ---
**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 3, 2009, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1365 "2009-01-03T04:15:24Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > Given that 63% of picks in 2008 were unique (and it’s even higher in 2009)… This is a most encouraging evolution of the game. As more people realize that me-too picks are largely a dead end, they will search out the unique picks that have just as much chance of dying as a Swayze, but the points awarded won’t be diluted by everybody else on the bandwagon. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1366 "2009-01-03T05:02:11Z")
Science Fiction author Leo Frankowski died on Christmas at age 65. I doubt anyone had him. I read a few of his books. Very enjoyable. Even if he wrote several with that tool Dave Grossman. [http://sfwa.org/news/2008/lfrankowski.htm](http://sfwa.org/news/2008/lfrankowski.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1367 "2009-01-03T14:08:41Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > And here are the results. > > The final positions were: > > 83= Intelligently Designed 0 Intelligently Designed picked Sammy Baugh. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1368 "2009-01-03T14:16:15Z")
> [@Andrew\_21](#): > > Intelligently Designed picked Sammy Baugh. Thanks. The effect of that is to remove the equal sign from ID’s position: he now has sole possession of 83rd place. All the DPVs move from 83= to 84=. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1369 "2009-01-03T17:05:43Z")
> [@Andrew\_21](#): > > Intelligently Designed picked Sammy Baugh. > [@amarone](#): > > Thanks. The effect of that is to remove the equal sign from ID’s position: he now has sole possession of 83rd place. All the DPVs move from 83= to 84=. **GEE THANKS ANDREW!!! WAY TO HELP EVERYONE OUT BY KNOCKING US DOWN EVEN LOWER!!!** :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1370 "2009-01-03T17:31:39Z")
Top ten! Top ten!?? damn. I think that is the worst I’ve ever done. nursecarmen is done taunting those below him Thanks again for another great year **amerone** ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1371 "2009-01-03T22:49:47Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > **GEE THANKS ANDREW!!! WAY TO HELP EVERYONE OUT BY KNOCKING US DOWN EVEN LOWER!!!** :eek: > > 😃 Look at the bright side: like the Detroit Lions, you’re quite likely to do better in 2009.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1372 "2009-01-04T02:54:40Z")
> [@Andrew\_21](#): > > Look at the bright side: like the Detroit Lions, you’re quite likely to do better in 2009.🙂 If you took the time to compare my lists from my first posted in 2002, to the one I just posted for this year, you would find only one name different. Doing better at this game is not in my blood. Or the names on my list either apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Andrew\_21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_21)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1373 "2009-01-04T03:11:21Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > Doing better at this game is not in my blood. You’ll probably do better this year. I’ll be surprised if Michael Jackson, Margaret Thatcher and Billy Graham all survive the year. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1374 "2009-01-04T04:41:49Z")
Oh, I won’t be the list bit surprised if they all live to be 100. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1375 "2009-01-04T06:11:10Z")
Thanks for all your hard work, **amarone**! ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439/1376 "2009-01-06T00:49:57Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > And here are the results. > > * * * > > Inside Track With the Grim Reaper (redefined so it is given to the person with the most unique picks) > > - Rachm Qoch, for Yo-sam Choi and Sherrill Headrick > - **BJMoose** , for Studs Terkel and Van Johnson > > * * * Hah! And they laughed at me for my oddball approach. So _there_. 😛 Though I never imagined I’d share anything with you-know-who. Seriously, I’m surprised no one else had Terkel. Guess those who named him in years past finally gave up on him. I too would like to applaud **amarone** for the countless hours he put into this crazy thing. (I’d extend a laurel and hearty handshake, but I think I did that shtick last year. . . .) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2008/428439.md?page=68)