# The Celebrity Death Pool 2010 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2009, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574 "2009-12-01T11:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/481 "2010-01-02T17:58:16Z")
Here are some stats - they may not be 100% accurate as it is easy to have celebrities under two different names. I catch misspellings as they appear next to each other in an ordered list (btw, the record was 5 in one list, achieved by more than one person). However, it is not as easy to differentiate duplicates like Elizabeth Taylor from Liz Taylor, or Boy George from George O’Dowd. Despite previously posting that we had 170 entrants, but I am now at 167 (181 in 2009). I entered three late revisions as brand new lists (note for those who can remember 11+ months: revisions are easier for me if you just state “replace x with y”). We have 847 celebrities, 576 unique. This is 68%, virtually identical to last year’s 67% The top vote-getters are: ```auto Fidel Castro 57 Amy Winehouse 51 Kim Jong-Il 41 Zelda Rubinstein 36 Rush Limbaugh 35 Steve Jobs 30 Ruth Bader Ginsburg 29 Roger Ebert 26 Bryant Gumbel 25 Elizabeth Taylor 25 Muhammad Ali 25 Elizabeth Edwards 24 Stephen Hawking 24 David Hasselhoff 23 Ariel Sharon 22 Lindsay Lohan 22 Orlando Thomas 22 Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi 21 Dick Clark 20 Nancy Reagan 20 ``` I assign each list a “uniqueness” measure by counting one point for each vote for each of the picks in the list. Hence the lowest total is 13, for a list of exclusively unique picks. **HowieReynolds** and **koufax** are totally unique. The least unique list is that of **Long Time First Time** with 347 points, closely followed by **Avarie537** with 346. The average uniqueness is 154 with 3.45 unique picks. ---
**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:** [January 2, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/482 "2010-01-02T20:19:33Z")
Are you kidding me? [Zelda Rubenstein’s imminent demise may have been delayed.](http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/poltergeist-star-not-near-death_1127321) ---
**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, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/483 "2010-01-02T20:28:14Z")
\ _Ha-Ha!_ \ ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/484 "2010-01-02T21:23:26Z")
I missed the deadline. I was just going to use those still alive on my list and add a couple replacements for the two I had that actually died. Now watch the rest of my list all kick off this year without my protection. Oh well, I guess I wasn’t cut out for it anyway, I feel too guilty over picking people and thinking about how many points someone was worth when I see a celebrity obituary. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Uncle\_Goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Goat)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/485 "2010-01-02T21:56:01Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Oh well, I guess I wasn’t cut out for it anyway, I feel too guilty over picking people and thinking about how many points someone was worth when I see a celebrity obituary. It’s not that someone deserves to die, it’s that so few deserve to be celebrities. Anyway, only in celebrity can death be a real career booster. It certainly take the guilt away. On the other hand, I could not do this at a site where money is wagered. That’s just sick. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/486 "2010-01-02T22:11:27Z")
> [@Uncle\_Goat](#): > > On the other hand, I could not do this at a site where money is wagered. That’s just sick. speak for yourself. That being said, last year being the exception, I’m sure our all time winner would be a wealthy man of leisure by now. Or, would have been done in by insurance companies. ---
**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 2, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/487 "2010-01-02T23:21:30Z")
> [@Uncle\_Goat](#): > > It’s not that someone deserves to die, it’s that so few deserve to be celebrities. That would make a great motto for our little past time. 🙂 ---
**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, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/488 "2010-01-03T00:08:02Z")
> [@Critical\_Mass](#): > > Are you kidding me? > > [Zelda Rubenstein’s imminent demise may have been delayed.](http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/poltergeist-star-not-near-death_1127321) The newspapers exaggerated on such important issues like _this_?! Is there no integrity in journalism anymore!!!111 ---
**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, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/489 "2010-01-03T02:27:30Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > The newspapers exaggerated on such important issues like _this_?! > > Is there no integrity in journalism anymore!!!111 With so many people putting her on their Dead Pool Lists across the web and globe, Zelda was pretty much given The Gift Of Life. See: Keith Richards and Stephan Hawkin for further proof. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/490 "2010-01-03T15:09:39Z")
I let my subscription to Sirius(/XM) lapse. Can anyone tell me if Arty Lange has fallen off the wagon? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/491 "2010-01-03T16:53:13Z")
> [@](#): > > On the other hand, I could not do this at a site where money is wagered. > [@](#): > > speak for yourself. I think he was. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/492 "2010-01-03T18:32:10Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > With so many people putting her on their Dead Pool Lists across the web and globe, Zelda was pretty much given The Gift Of Life. > > See: Keith Richards and Stephan Hawkin for further proof. As Jay Leno once noted, “Keith Richards cannot be killed with conventional weapons.” ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/493 "2010-01-03T20:00:34Z")
> [@Critical\_Mass](#): > > Are you kidding me? > > [Zelda Rubenstein’s imminent demise may have been delayed.](http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/poltergeist-star-not-near-death_1127321) How do you think the people who put Limbaugh on their list are feeling? :eek: I’m just glad I don’t have both of them on my list. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/494 "2010-01-04T00:17:14Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How do you think the people who put Limbaugh on their list are feeling? :eek: Speaking only for myself – I continue to hope that at some point in the next 362 days or so it won’t be a false alarm. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/495 "2010-01-04T00:42:43Z")
> [@Sidney Evgeni Jordan](#): > > Also, I just figured out that Taylor Lautner **doesn’t turn 18 until** February 11 (yikes!) - I hope he holds on until then. 😛 Bolding mine. Isn’t this a rules violation? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/496 "2010-01-04T00:43:46Z")
Perhaps for 2011, we can each list 25 people, and have amarone randomize our list into a 5 x 5 grid. Death Bingo! ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/497 "2010-01-04T00:49:52Z")
Actually, that’s overly sordid and morbid, coming from a guy who was hesitant to get in on the pool this year, but I like the idea of it. Especially if Amarone has 5 categories [Politicians, “Old”, “Young”, Sports, and “Drugs and other recreations”.] ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/498 "2010-01-04T00:59:59Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Bolding mine. > > Isn’t this a rules violation? I leave it up to **amarone** , but I don’t think so. Bolding below is mine. > [@](#): > > 1. 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. > g. famous solely as a result of their illness or associated actions/events. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/499 "2010-01-04T01:05:31Z")
> [@Sidney Evgeni Jordan](#): > > I leave it up to **amarone** , but I don’t think so. Bolding below is mine. Ah. I misread. Here I was thinking for some reason that we couldn’t pick Kids at all, for some inane reason. I saw that rule, but “read” it as over 18 at time of picking. Then again, I guess if your pick was 16 currently, it would be a different issue. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574/500 "2010-01-04T01:15:29Z")
Actually, I was icked out to discover he is a few months shy of 18 (hence the yikes). I’ll wait to see what \*\*amarone \*\*says on this one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2010/519574.md?page=26)