# The Celebrity Death Pool 2009 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262 "2008-12-01T23:40:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/321 "2008-12-31T15:38:03Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > With respect to “who is a celebrity”, I just inherited the previous rules. Personally, I think there should be some restrictions. I don’t think we should have people who are solely known for their illness - even if they achieve fame through other efforts that are related, e.g. fund-raising activities. I have found several such people in searches, but do not think it right to use them. > > I also think we should avoid relatives of celebrities, unless the relative is famous in their own right. For example, I would view Earl Woods as a celebrity, but not Phil Mickelson’s dad. It’s also your party; ultimately you can set the rules any way you like prior to posting the next game announcement. Proposal #2 would also rule out the likes of Elizabeth Edwards. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/322 "2008-12-31T15:50:46Z")
If **amarone** is willing to administer the voting on a rule change, that’s fine. But let’s make another change, one that will make **amarone** ’s job **EASIER**. Your entry isn’t counted until you’ve submitted it according to the rules. No numbers, no bullets, no commentary, just the plain Jane vanilla list. And **amarone** shouldn’t have to nag you to get you to do it, either!😃 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/323 "2008-12-31T15:59:00Z")
You know where my vote stands. Thanks for pitching it 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:** [December 31, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/324 "2008-12-31T16:09:25Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > I think next year there should be a sub catagory:\*\* Pop Your Cherry.\*\* > Pick who you think will be who dies first on your list and if you are right, you get five extra points. > > Whaddya think? Sick and Twisted? Yes, it is sick and twisted. Which is why it’s a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/325 "2008-12-31T16:22:29Z")
I’m still lobbying for the **Derisive Laughter Award** to be given to everyone who scores 0. And I’ll second the suggestion about you’re not entered until your list conforms to the submission rules. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/326 "2008-12-31T16:35:50Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > If **amarone** is willing to administer the voting on a rule change, that’s fine. > > But let’s make another change, one that will make **amarone** ’s job **EASIER**. Your entry isn’t counted until you’ve submitted it according to the rules. No numbers, no bullets, no commentary, just the plain Jane vanilla list. And **amarone** shouldn’t have to nag you to get you to do it, either!😃 And check spelling! I saw some upthread that I don’t think is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/327 "2008-12-31T17:03:01Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > You know where my vote stands. Thanks for pitching it amerone. I don’t really have a problem with the rule per se, but adding it in explicitly on the very last day, with just over 12 hours to go for posting lists, seems like it is a bit last minute. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/328 "2008-12-31T17:11:03Z")
Last-minute again this year. 1. Obama (God, I hope not.) 2. Amy Winehouse 3. Kim Jong-Il 4. Gordon Lightfoot 5. Farrah Fawcett 6. Shane MacGowan 7. Lindsay Lohan 8. Hamid Karzai (Afghan president) 9. Ernest Borgnine 10. Mary Carey (former adult film star) 11. Duke of Edinburgh 12. Seth Binzer (Crazy Town singer and rehab failure) 13. Henry Kissenger Alternates: Jimmy Carter Sean Connery Liz Taylor Clean list: Obama Kim Jong-Il Gordon Lightfoot Farrah Fawcett Shane MacGowan Lindsay Lohan Hamid Karzai Ernest Borgnine Mary Carey Duke of Edinburgh Seth Binzer Henry Kissenger Alternates: Jimmy Carter Sean Connery Liz Taylor ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/329 "2008-12-31T17:36:20Z")
Oops! Forgot two things. First, many thanks to **amarone** for going to what must be a hell of a lot of trouble for our sick entertainment; and, I left off a name in my “clean list.” Here is the proper version: Obama Amy Winehouse Kim Jong-Il Gordon Lightfoot Farrah Fawcett Shane MacGowan Lindsay Lohan Hamid Karzai Ernest Borgnine Mary Carey Duke of Edinburgh Seth Binzer Henry Kissenger I then kew. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/330 "2008-12-31T17:46:03Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > I don’t really have a problem with the rule per se, but adding it in explicitly on the very last day, with just over 12 hours to go for posting lists, seems like it is a bit last minute. How about if anyone has a candidate disqualified, and has no alternate, then I give them 48 hours to name a replacement? ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/331 "2008-12-31T18:00:50Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > How about if anyone has a candidate disqualified, and has no alternate, then I give them 48 hours to name a replacement? This sounds like a good idea; but wouldn’t it mean much more work for you? ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/332 "2008-12-31T18:54:36Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > But let’s make another change, one that will make **amarone** ’s job **EASIER**. Can you suck up, or what? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/333 "2008-12-31T19:17:01Z")
> [@Andrew\_21](#): > > This sounds like a good idea; but wouldn’t it mean much more work for you? I don’t think so - I don’t think many picks would get overturned - I doubt it would be more effort than putting in alternates after a late death (e.g. Betty Page). ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/334 "2008-12-31T19:18:23Z")
my medically-challenged list for 2009: Orlando Thomas - Football Player - ALS Steve Smith - Football Player - ALS Stefano Borgonovo - Soccer Player - ALS Ariel Sharon - Former Isreali PM - Stroke Kim Jong Il - Korean Military Leader - Stroke Ted Kennedy - Politician -Brain Cancer Seve Ballasteros - PGA Golfer - Brain Cancer Patrick Swayze - actor - Pancreatic Cancer Roger Ebert - Cancer Richard Quick - Univ of Auburn Coach - brain tumor Paul Gascoigne - English Soccer Player - Alcoholic Peter Falk - Actor - Alzheimer’s dementia Willie Wood - football player - dementia Alternates: John Wooden - NCAA Coach Any Winehouse - universal mess Danny Bonaduce - universal mess Clean List: Orlando Thomas Steve Smith Stefano Borgonovo Ariel Sharon Kim Jong Il Ted Kennedy Seve Ballasteros Patrick Swayze Roger Ebert Richard Quick Paul Gascoigne Peter Falk Willie Wood Alternates: John Wooden Any Winehouse Danny Bonaduce ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/335 "2008-12-31T19:23:55Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > And check spelling! I saw some upthread that I don’t think is correct. Spelling mistakes are common - I catch many early on, and others show up in the overall celebrity list when I sort by name. Lindsay Lohan, Linsey Lohan; 3 or 4 ways of spelling Britney; and Muhammad Ali has several different spellings. I think I have has as many as four spelling mistakes in a single list. I do have to get each incidence of a name exactly the same. I often need to edit names that include initials, e.g. O. J. Simpson. My rule is always to include the periods, and to include spaces. Those things aside, it is very quick for me to process a list (as long as it is unformatted). It takes about 20 seconds. It gets quicker as the month progresses because I only need to copy new names over to the list of celebrities, and there are fewer new picks per list as the celebrity list grows. I appreciate those of you that remind people about the formatting. I pass over formatted lists and hope that a corrected one gets posted. If it isn’t, I will edit the formatted list myself eventually. ---
**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 31, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/336 "2008-12-31T19:37:45Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > I also think we should avoid relatives of celebrities, unless the relative is famous in their own right. For example, I would view Earl Woods as a celebrity, but not Phil Mickelson’s dad. For what is Earl Woods famous in his own right? This is why I am against these new rules; they are too subjective and ambiguous, and as your predecessor opined, it will make your head hurt. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/337 "2008-12-31T20:01:20Z")
1. Michael Jackson(musician/creep) 2. Barack Obama(president elect of US) 3. Bobby Robson(Non-american football coach) 4. Ian Bady(serial killer) 5. Ron Springs(former NFLer) 6. Robert Novak(political commentator) 7. Jim Saxton(US politician-New Jersey) 8. Emilio Navaira III(musician) 9. Steve Jobs(Apple) 10. Patrick Swayze(actor) 11. Farrah Fawcett(poster) 12. Fidel Castro(cuban) 13. Mindy McCready(country singer) Michael Jackson Barack Obama Bobby Robson Ian Bady Ron Springs Robert Novak Jim Saxton Emilio Navaira III Steve Jobs Patrick Swayze Farrah Fawcett Fidel Castro Mindy McCready alt- Elizabeth Dawn ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/338 "2008-12-31T20:16:17Z")
Muhammad Ali Bob Barker Fidel Castro Dick Clark Richard Dawson Roger Ebert Richard Gautier Andy Griffith Ed McMahon Jaye P. Morgan J.D. Salinger Joanne Woodward Dick Van Dyke Notes: Jaye P. Morgan (actress who was on “The Gong Show”, among other things) Richard Gautier (actor who played Hymie on “Get Smart”) ---
**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:** [December 31, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/339 "2008-12-31T20:20:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > For what is Earl Woods famous in his own right? > > This is why I am against these new rules; they are too subjective and ambiguous, and as your predecessor opined, it will make your head hurt. My suggestion has always been that the person’s death needs to be reported by one of the world’s major news sites to count. No coverage = no celebrity. That removes all the tough calls from the person running the game. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/340 "2008-12-31T20:45:37Z")
Elizabeth Taylor Michael Jackson Liza Minelli Alan Jones Patrick Swayze Ariel Sharon Kirk Douglas Colleen McCullough Deanna Durbin Peter Falk Amy Winehouse Shirley Temple Black Barack Obama Alt: Robert Mugabe Alan Jones is an Australian radio broadcaster. I think the rest are fairly obvious and unambiguous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262.md?page=18)