# The Celebrity Death Pool 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523 "2010-12-01T09:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/201 "2010-12-11T03:29:38Z")
Fidel Castro Raul Castro Kim Jong-Il Than Shwe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Robert Mugabe Jean Kennedy Smith Sargent Shriver Ethel Skakel Noam Chomsky James Carter Walter Mondale Harry F Byrd Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/202 "2010-12-11T03:36:04Z")
A revised, hopeful list: Fidel Castro Raul Castro Kim Jong-Il Than Shwe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Robert Mugabe Julian Assange Charles Manson Omar al-Bashir Fred Phelps Bradley Manning Ayman al-Zawahiri Mohammed Omar ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/203 "2010-12-11T03:59:15Z")
> [@amarone](#): > > Winehouse? Yep, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/204 "2010-12-11T18:45:30Z")
It’s probably nothing but I thought I would offer this little tidbit in the morbid spirit of the game. A Boston radio host has a popular Death Pool segment (I believe it’s sponsored by a local funeral home), and the latest episode aired on Friday, thanks to Elizabeth Edwards. Anyway, a conversation with one of the callers went roughly like this: CALLER: At the risk of being accused of having inside information, I’d like to submit Nicolas Cage. HOST: Really?! Do you actually have inside information. CALLER: Um. I don’t remember, heh heh. Again, it’s probably nothing but I have to admit that I found the exchange very curious. Nicolas Cage? He’s only in his late-40s, right? Damn, that would be some sweet points…I mean, God, that would be tragic. So if anyone wants to take a wild chance with his or her SMDB Celebrity Death Pool picks, I figured I’d pass along the information. I’d also like to ask: _are_ there any rumors out there about Cage? ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/205 "2010-12-11T19:48:39Z")
sounds more like a stalker planning a kill to me ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/206 "2010-12-11T19:56:46Z")
If there is anything on a Nicolas Cage illness/death rumor, it’s buried more deeply in Google than I’m willing to search. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/207 "2010-12-11T21:22:56Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > sounds more like a stalker planning a kill to me Yeah, I can see how it _reads_ like that, but it certainly didn’t _sound_ like that, if you know what I mean. Obviously, anyone can say anything about anybody during an anonymous radio show phone call, but this guy (who said he lived on Martha’s Vineyard, by the way) really sounded like someone who knew that some big news was about to break. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/208 "2010-12-11T21:35:24Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Yeah, I can see how it _reads_ like that, but it certainly didn’t _sound_ like that, if you know what I mean. Obviously, anyone can say anything about anybody during an anonymous radio show phone call, but this guy (who said he lived on Martha’s Vineyard, by the way) really sounded like someone who knew that some big news was about to break. Either that, or someone trying to bluff everyone into jumping on a Nic Cage bandwagon so they waste a spot on their list. 'Cause some folks take their death pools _way_ too seriously. None of us, of course. ---
**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 11, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/209 "2010-12-11T23:01:38Z")
Amarone: Are you going to validate whether or not a pick is celebratory enough and let us select another, or disqualify suspicious picks after January 1? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/210 "2010-12-12T13:30:47Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Amarone: > Are you going to validate whether or not a pick is celebratory enough and let us select another, or disqualify suspicious picks after January 1? There is no concept of “celebratory enough”. There are several specific exclusions in the rules (under 18 etc.) but outside that you can choose anyone. There are some posters, myself included, who make their own decision as to whether someone is a celebrity, but they don’t have to. As for disqualifications, I don’t pay much attention to the picks as they are made. There were 846 different celebrities in 2010, a good number of which I have never heard of - I am certainly not going to vet them all. I would only notice a suspicious pick later on should that person die and be brought to our attention. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/211 "2010-12-12T13:46:27Z")
Not to nitpick too keenly, but … wasn’t there a Can’t Be Famous Just For Being Sick rule? ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/212 "2010-12-12T13:55:53Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Not to nitpick too keenly, but … wasn’t there a Can’t Be Famous Just For Being Sick rule? Yes - that is one of the exclusions I referred to. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/213 "2010-12-12T18:04:26Z")
I don’t have a theme. But with one exception all of the following would get me at least twenty points if they shuffle off this mortal coil on 1/11/11. And with one exception they are, as of today, unique picks. With one exception I don’t want to see ANY of them dead. With one exception I’ve heard no rumors of illness for any of my picks. The exceptions are all the same person, heh, heh. Fred Phelps hatemonger Leslie Caron French actress Haya Harareet Israeli actress Desmond Tutu South African cleric Debra Paget actress Tina Louise actress Jean M. Auel author Colleen McCullough author Brian Blessed actor Angel Cordero jockey Tom Clancy author Spider Robinson author Lindsey Davis author Clean list: Fred Phelps Leslie Caron Haya Harareet Desmond Tutu Debra Paget Tina Louise Jean M. Auel Colleen McCullough Brian Blessed Angel Cordero Tom Clancy Spider Robinson Lindsey Davis ---
**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 12, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/214 "2010-12-12T18:10:52Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I don’t have a theme. But with one exception all of the following would get me at least twenty points if they shuffle off this mortal coil on 1/11/11. And with one exception they are, as of today, unique picks. With one exception I don’t want to see ANY of them dead. With one exception I’ve heard no rumors of illness for any of my picks. … It sounds as if your theme is “Celebrities expected to live through 2011” ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/215 "2010-12-12T18:38:00Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > It sounds as if your theme is “Celebrities expected to live through 2011” Well, the most picks I’ve ever had die on me was three, so it’s not like I have a talent for choosing. That was when I waited until 12/31 to post my list, and used the top twelve vote getters, plus one other. ---
**Author:** ![BoilerUp1975](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/90ced4/32.png) [@BoilerUp1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoilerUp1975)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/216 "2010-12-13T02:11:01Z")
Betty White Dick Clark Amy Winehouse Michael Douglas Abe Vigoda Nancy Reagan Vince Young Nick Hogan Bob Barker John Glenn Eddie Van Halen George Bush Sr. Scott Steiner Alternates: Kirk Douglas Jack Lalanne ---
**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 13, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/217 "2010-12-13T14:55:55Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > It’s probably nothing but I thought I would offer this little tidbit in the morbid spirit of the game. > > A Boston radio host has a popular Death Pool segment (I believe it’s sponsored by a local funeral home), and the latest episode aired on Friday, thanks to Elizabeth Edwards. > > Anyway, a conversation with one of the callers went roughly like this: > > CALLER: At the risk of being accused of having inside information, I’d like to submit Nicolas Cage. > > HOST: Really?! Do you actually have inside information. > > CALLER: Um. I don’t remember, heh heh. > > Again, it’s probably nothing but I have to admit that I found the exchange very curious. Nicolas Cage? He’s only in his late-40s, right? Damn, that would be some sweet points…I mean, God, that would be tragic. > > So if anyone wants to take a wild chance with his or her SMDB Celebrity Death Pool picks, I figured I’d pass along the information. I’d also like to ask: _are_ there any rumors out there about Cage? He has a perchant for rough gay sex. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/218 "2010-12-14T02:00:17Z")
**Primaries** Aretha Franklin Michael Douglas Amy Winehouse Abe Vigoda Nancy Reagan Kim Jong-Il Fred Phelps Ariel Sharon Zsa Zsa Gabor Dick Cheney Margaret Thatcher Steve Ballestoros Courtney Love **Alternates** Lindsay Lohan Steve Jobs Andy Rooney ---
**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 14, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/219 "2010-12-14T02:16:32Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Steve Ballestoros Steve? ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523/220 "2010-12-14T02:47:08Z")
Here is my 2011 list, eerily similar to every one of my lists since 2006… 😉 Ariel Sharon James Garner Natalie Cole Peter O’Toole Aretha Franklin Butch Patrick Kirk Douglas Margaret Thatcher Ruth Bader Ginsberg Orlando Thomas Annette Funicello Stephen Hawking Bob Feller Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister, permanent vegetative state James Garner, actor, cigarettes & red meat Natalie Cole, singer, hep C Peter O’Toole, actor, lifestyle choices Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, cancer Butch Patrick, child actor (Eddie Munster), lifestyle choices Kirk Douglas, actor, old age Margaret Thatcher, politician, old age Ruth Bader Ginsberg, former US Supreme Court justice, cancer Orlando Thomas, former NFL player, ALS Annette Funicello, Disney Mouseketeer, various ailments Stephen Hawking, physicist, ALS Bob Feller, noted former MLB player, leukemia Alternate #1- Courtney Love Alternate #2- Lindsay Lohan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2011/562523.md?page=12)