# The Celebrity Death Pool 2013 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** death-pool\ **Created:** [December 1, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655 "2012-12-01T05:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/1 "2012-12-01T05:59:44Z")
_“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!“_ Well, here we go for 2013! I’m **Baker** , your Death Mistress, with the power of life and death over the choices made here. Nothing much has _ **really** _ changed with the rules, but it never hurts to list them all again. The Rules: 1. You pick 13 celebrities (that’s thirteen, not ten) whom you predict will die within the calendar year 2013. If any of your celebrities dies, you score 100 points minus their age at death. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year wins the undying _snort_ admiration of the SDMB. 2. All picks must be time- and date-stamped by midnight Chicago time, Dec. 31st, 2012. (That’s U.S. Central time, which is six hours behind Greenwich.) 3. 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. 1. You can pick people who are 100 or more years old but you won’t score points for them. See the “Quantity Not Quality” award, below. 2. If we are uncertain about the celebrity’s age at death, we will go by the higher age (lower score). 3. Your picks must specify a name: listing “anybody from [the cast of your most hated TV show or boy band]” as a pick will be ignored. 4. Persons under sentence of death will be valid for scoring points only if they die by means other than official execution. 5. Any poster who kills or otherwise contributes to the death of any celebrity mentioned in this thread is disqualified. It’s just a _game_, people. The only exceptions to this rule would be deaths caused by those posters serving as members of the police or armed forces of any country, in the line of duty. 6. Editing your choices: be careful! You can make changes to your list before the end of the year, but it has to be clear which names are your _ **final** _ choices. You may submit one or more “alternates” with your list in the event that one of your picks dies during December 2012, or submit an alternate after the death of the original pick, as long as this is posted by Dec 31, 2012. If you do not submit a new name, I will submit the remaining twelve… You may have no more than 13 picks. If you pick more than 13, or if any of your picks is otherwise invalid, I may ask for clarification. Otherwise, I will submit the first 13 names on your list. Do me a favor: check twice, post once. We have no rule about submitted lists having to be unique, despite claims of “copying” anyone else’s list. We will just turn up our noses at you if you do this. Sharing news of celebrities in ill health and whatnot is up to individual posters. We have no rule about valid SDMB memberships (disqualifying members who have been banned). If you submit a list and then change your username at some point, please post this news on the thread so I know who you are. We have no rule about what constitutes “celebrity,” because it makes our heads hurt to think about this. HOWEVER, if you DO have a question about whether or not someone’s choice qualifies, please, I’d prefer a PM about it to start off with, rather than thrashing it out in public and possibly causing resentment. Remember, it’s only a _game_! Some celebrities have common, identical or similar names. It is helpful to be specific. Spelling counts! Please try to spell celebrities’ names correctly. Names that weren’t originally spelled in English can be tricky, I know, but if you aren’t sure of a name, try looking at what a major news outlet, like CNN or the BBC, uses. Additional awards: The “Quantity Not Quality” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value. The “Inside Track With the Grim Reaper” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who had the most unique picks that died. The “Opening Kickoff” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the first listed celebrity to die in 2013. The “Final Hours” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the last listed celebrity to die in 2013. The “Robbing the Cradle” Award: awarded to the poster or posters who pick the youngest celebrity to die in 2013, but see rule 3.d. List Format: There is a spreadsheet that allows me to post updated standings quickly and produce various other statistics. The pain is “loading” the data into the sheet. I can do each list in a single cut and paste if you use the following format and guidelines: present a plain, unnumbered list that contains just the celebrities’ most commonly used names (e.g. use “Al Gore”, not “Albert Gore”), correctly spelled. If anyone is known by initials, include a period and a space after each. And please observe, what I, **Baker** , refer to as the “Pope” rule, a variation on “the most commonly used name” rule. If a person is known primarily by a titled name, use that. So it wouldn’t be Joseph Ratzinger, it would be Pope Benedict XVI. And don’t put down Elizabeth Windsor, put down Queen Elizabeth II. For all I know there are other celebrities with the plain names. If you do pick Joe or Lizzy, under their lesser known names, I might not notice it, to give you those points if and when they shuffle off this mortal coil. An example of a plain list follows here: O. J. Simpson Ronnie Biggs Fidel Castro George W. Bush Muhammad Ali Lindsay Lohan Fred Phelps Abe Vigoda Kirk Douglas Clint Eastwood Ariel Sharon Dick Cheney Bill Gates However, I know that many of you like to include commentary within your lists, such as: O.J. Simpson(we can only hope) Fidel (I’m not dead yet!) Castro Fred Phelps, hatemonger That is fine - it adds to the entertainment. But if you do that, please also include the list again in plain format for me to copy & paste. Have fun, sickos. Oh, and just to be trendy “May the odds be ever in your favor!” Of course, seeing as I volunteered to do this for another year, what does that say about me? _(Where am I going, and why am I in this handbasket?)_ ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/2 "2012-12-01T06:00:20Z")
As was the case for my 2012 list, and will be for my 2014, and more than likely my 2015, this list has been pre-recorded. Well, you know what I mean. * * * **Death Pool 2013 Game Night!** Shuffle up and **Nathan Deal** your **Orson Scott Cards** and hope you don’t draw a **Dustin Diamond, David Spade, Melissa Joan Hart and Neil Diamond** rainbow. Instead, try for the \*\*Ace Frehely, Larry King, Queen Latifah, and Jack Black [That’s Black,Jack to you] \*\* court cards. After cards, place your last **Bette Midler** on a roll of your **Andrew Dice Clay.** If you crapped out, well then you can always enjoy the All you can can eat **Jimmy Buffet**. Nathan Deal - Governor of Georgia Orson Scott Card - Science Fiction Author Dustin Diamond - “Screech” David Spade - Actor / Comedian Melissa Joan Hart - Clarissa Explains it all / Melissa and Joey Neil Diamond - Musician Ace Frehely - KISS Larry King - Suspender Magnate Queen Latifah - Actress Jack Black - Actor Bette Midler - Singer / Actress Andrew Dice Clay - The Diceman Jimmy Buffet - Covered in Oil Chris Moneymaker - Professional Poker Player Steven Club - actor no one has heard of from young and the restless (kept in for the obvious reason, left out of contention because I have no way to confirm his livingness.) Stephen King - Author, playing second banana to the more than likely of the two to kick it. * * * Nathan Deal Orson Scott Card Dustin Diamond David Spade Melissa Joan Hart Neil Diamond Ace Frehely Larry King Queen Latifah Jack Black Bette Midler Andrew Dice Clay Jimmy Buffet Chris Moneymaker Steven Club Stephen King ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/3 "2012-12-01T06:07:00Z")
Aaaaaaand I get to point out that the first poster has selected sixteen choices! Are the last three alternates? ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/4 "2012-12-01T06:15:42Z")
No award for doing a themed list? Oh well… I’m doing one anyway, I’m doing authors. Gabriel García Marquez Ursula LeGuin Philip Roth George R R Martin Terry Pratchett Chuck Palahniuk Orson Scott Card Gunter Grass Stephen King Maya Angelou Toni Morrison Doris Lessing Beverly Cleary ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/5 "2012-12-01T06:19:16Z")
Reposting [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzGdd2YZHH8) for anyone who missed it last year. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/6 "2012-12-01T06:21:17Z")
There will be a theme award, but be sure to say whether or not your list is themed. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/7 "2012-12-01T06:31:17Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Aaaaaaand I get to point out that the first poster has selected sixteen choices! Are the last three alternates? Last year, they ask for a list without numbers. And what do I get from them this year? mumble mumble mumble. Oh well, there is always 2014. \ ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/8 "2012-12-01T06:31:49Z")
Sick celebrities destined to kick the Grim Reaper in the balls for another year: Tommy Iommi Bonnie Franklin Macauley Culkin Mari Hulman George Van Cliburn Mike Ditka Gallagher George Wendt Marcia Strassman Hugo Chavez Judy Blume Chuck Pagano Tracy Nelson Alternates: Roger Ebert Don Imus Michael Douglas Note to the Death Mistress: Gallagher is the original Sledge-o-matic guy. If you want me to resubmit him with his given first name added, I will. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/9 "2012-12-01T11:48:29Z")
Why the heck not! **swampbear’s** annual list of celebrity immortals… ::drumroll:: David Hasselhoff Jonathan Rhys Meyers Mohammed Ali Michael Douglas Penny Marshall Courtney Love Charlie Sheen Pamela Anderson Lady Gaga Mary Tyler Moore Lindsay Lohan Missy Eliot Toni Braxton Alternates: Billy Joel Robin Williams Michael Fox ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/10 "2012-12-01T13:18:03Z")
Since my best score ever came from my “Bandwagon” list, I’ll be doing that again this year. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/11 "2012-12-01T14:06:00Z")
First time player here George H.W. Bush (former US president) Glen Campbell (singer) Fidel Castro (ex-president of Cuba) Hugo Chavez (president of Venezuela) Michael Douglas (actor) Roger Ebert (film critic) Bonnie Franklin (actress) Zsa Zsa Gabor (actress) Billy Graham (evangelist) Jerry Lewis (actor/comic) Lindsay Lohan (actress) Nelson Mandela (South African politician) Betty White (actress) Plain list: George H.W. Bush Glen Campbell Fidel Castro Hugo Chavez Michael Douglas Roger Ebert Bonnie Franklin Zsa Zsa Gabor Billy Graham Jerry Lewis Lindsay Lohan Nelson Mandela Betty White ---
**Author:** ![cazwhatever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@cazwhatever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cazwhatever)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/12 "2012-12-01T16:02:03Z")
Brand new to this, 1st post 🙂 Macauley culkin David bowie Judy blume Aretha franklin Meat loaf Jonathan Rhys-Myers Margaret Thatcher Peaches Geldof Pamela anderson Randy travis Alternates Ian Brady Lisa Robin Kelly Pete Doherty ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/13 "2012-12-01T17:44:33Z")
> [@cazwhatever](#): > > Brand new to this, 1st post 🙂 > > Macauley culkin > David bowie > Judy blume > Aretha franklin > Meat loaf > Jonathan Rhys-Myers > Margaret Thatcher > Peaches Geldof > Pamela anderson > Randy travis > > Alternates > Ian Brady > Lisa Robin Kelly > Pete Doherty Unless you add in your alternates, you ain’t got enough. RTFR. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/14 "2012-12-01T17:53:59Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Unless you add in your alternates, you ain’t got enough. RTFR. My apologies, **Caz.** ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/15 "2012-12-01T18:04:12Z")
Wow, the year flies by when I think about these threads. I can’t believe it is time again. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/16 "2012-12-01T18:16:57Z")
Is it Jonathan Rhys-Meyers or Myers? I’ve seen it both ways, here and elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/17 "2012-12-01T18:29:01Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > Is it Jonathan Rhys-Meyers or Myers? I’ve seen it both ways, here and elsewhere. Well, I won’t have too much trouble either way, because I alphabetize starting with the first name. I’ll tell you the one I have to look out for, and I imagine you remember this too. It’s M **u** hammed Ali, not M **o** hammed Ali. So I have to double check when I’m counting selections. ---
**Author:** ![cazwhatever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@cazwhatever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cazwhatever)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/18 "2012-12-01T21:38:13Z")
oops, sorry! Knew I’d make a mess of my first post 🙂 Macauley culkin David bowie Judy blume Aretha franklin Meat loaf Jonathan Rhys-Myers Margaret Thatcher Peaches Geldof Pamela anderson Randy travis Ian Brady Lisa Robin Kelly Pete Doherty Alternates Liza Minnelli Charlie sheen lindsay lohan ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/19 "2012-12-01T23:27:39Z")
My 2013 Entry George H.W. Bush Barbara Bush (H.W.'s wife) Fidel Castro Jerry Sandusky (he was a well known coach b4 the scandal) Harper Lee Stan Musial Dick Cheney Chuck Bednarik Bobby Doerr Milt Schmidt Pope Benedict XVI Ruth Bader Ginsberg Nancy Reagan ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655/20 "2012-12-01T23:29:47Z")
Question about Sandusky-We get points if he’s shivved in prison, right? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2013/642655.md?page=2)