# 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:** 87
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1721 "2009-12-24T18:25:11Z")
A_hem_. :dubious: šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1722 "2009-12-24T18:39:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Did any past game moderators have this situation? Little Nemo? a35362? If there was confusion (like those people who picked George Bush) I asked people which one they meant. But Iā€™ll admit I hadnā€™t known there was a sportscaster named George Michael until now so I would have missed this one. So I agree with the honor system solution; ask stockton which one he meant and trust his answer. ---
**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 24, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1723 "2009-12-24T18:40:57Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Itā€™s the honor system around here, folks. Sorry, I had a frog in my throat. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1724 "2009-12-24T18:55:13Z")
It might be like asking Rhett Butler ā€œā€¦on your honor, as a gentleman.ā€ ā€œAs a _gentleman?_ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1725 "2009-12-24T19:08:59Z")
**Duckster** , I donā€™t follow why you came in after? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1726 "2009-12-24T19:12:12Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > I donā€™t think I had to deal with it either. I remember we didnā€™t know for sure how old a couple of celebrities were at death, but they were unique names at least. > > Itā€™s the honor system around here, folks. If we have a rule in place, that we take the older age if age is in disputeā€¦ Can we not in a similar manner, for ambiguous names,\* as penalty for not being clear\*, assume that the list mentions the still living holder of the name, and therefore no points will score? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1727 "2009-12-24T19:20:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > If giving the points to **stockton** puts him higher on the list than me, then he meant the singer. **FTA** : Michael was the D.C. Sports Anchor for NBC4 I am guessing that George Michael [Singer] is a LOT more famous than a Sports guy for local news / NBC affiliate in D.C. This really gets at how famous does someone have to be, before they are a Celeb? In the immediate case I feel comfortable saying that this was the guy listed. ---
**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 24, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1728 "2009-12-24T19:49:04Z")
I donā€™t live in the same country and I know who George Michael the sportscaster is. I think heā€™s reasonably well known for a cheesy Sunday morning highlights show or some such thing. Thatā€™s what I remember, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1729 "2009-12-24T19:52:30Z")
Yeah, ā€œGeorge Michaelā€™s Sports Machineā€ came on Sunday nights on TV. I am nowhere near the DC area and hate sports, but I was familiar with his name and that show. ---
**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:** [December 24, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1730 "2009-12-24T21:23:53Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > **FTA** : Michael was the D.C. Sports Anchor for NBC4 > > I am guessing that George Michael [Singer] is a LOT more famous than a Sports guy for local news / NBC affiliate in D.C. > > This really gets at how famous does someone have to be, before they are a Celeb? > > In the immediate case I feel comfortable saying that this was the guy listed. As others said, he had a nationally syndicated sports show, and was known outside DC. I knew of him, which is why I posted his death, even though heā€™s not worth any points to me. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1731 "2009-12-24T21:33:24Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Yeah, ā€œGeorge Michaelā€™s Sports Machineā€ came on Sunday nights on TV. I am nowhere near the DC area and hate sports, but I was familiar with his name and that show. Heh. Coming from me, this is going to sound somewhat Ironic; Oh, _THAT_ George Michael. Yeah, Iā€™ve seen sports machine ā€¦ it came on like 2 or 3 am on weekends, in Atlanta back in my first semester of college. I wondered what happened to the show, I havenā€™t seen it recently. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1732 "2009-12-24T22:14:47Z")
Umā€¦ I meant that guy from WHAM! No, that other guy - the one that could sing. No points for me. Thanks to all for offering me the benefit of the doubt. Hey, the other George Michael could still kick off! Thereā€™s still a week left! ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1733 "2009-12-24T22:20:05Z")
Thanks for the honest response. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1734 "2009-12-25T17:20:18Z")
[Rafael Antonio Caldera](http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-rafael-caldera25-2009dec25,0,5535003.story), who served as Venezuelaā€™s president from 1969 to '74 and again from '94 to '99, has died at the age of 93. Soon after beginning his second term, Caldera granted amnesty to a young army paratrooper who had helped lead a 1992 coup attempt against former president Carlos AndrĆ©s PĆ©rez. The man pardoned, Hugo ChĆ”vez, now leads Venezuela. ---
**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 25, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1735 "2009-12-25T23:08:34Z")
Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, [dead at 45.](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/vic-chesnutt-singer-dies/) ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2009, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1736 "2009-12-25T23:32:40Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, [dead at 45.](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/vic-chesnutt-singer-dies/) There goes another from my 2010 list. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1737 "2009-12-28T00:15:55Z")
[R.I.P. Percy Sutton](http://www.examiner.com/x-32147-Tucson-Holistic-Health-Examiner~y2009m12d27-Percy-Sutton-civil-rights-leader-and-former-attorney-of-Malcolm-X-dead-at-89) ---
**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:** [December 28, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1738 "2009-12-28T18:29:56Z")
NOTHING like turning on the morning news and hearing about the death of someone you met (my former boss served in the Tuskegee Airmen and was a good friend to Percy). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1739 "2009-12-30T02:45:36Z")
If the report is accurate, things are not looking good for Zelda Rubinstein: [http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/29/poltergeist-star-zelda-rubinstein-taken-off-life-support/](http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/29/poltergeist-star-zelda-rubinstein-taken-off-life-support/) ---
**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:** [December 30, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262/1740 "2009-12-30T19:24:53Z")
[Abdurrahman Wahid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdurrahman_Wahid) was a former president of Indonesia, dead at 69. Zelda could go on my 2010 list but it is risky, she could go into the light today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262.md?page=86) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2009/475262.md?page=88)