2008 Dead Pool

I'm posting this to see if there is enough interest in us forming a "Dead Pool" for next year.

Basically, you make up a list of 50 people whom you think will die next year. They have to have some sort of celebrity status whether it be a movie star, a political or literary figure, a sports star, etc. (it can't be someone like your next door neighbor or your mailman). The person who has the greatest number of "kills" at the end of the year wins.

I belong to such a pool this year, and its fun comparing our picks and kills. (So far I have eight kills including Tammy Faye Baker, Lady Bird Johnson and Phil Rizzuto).

Let me know if you're interested in joining. If we get enough participants (at least 5 or 6) I'd be happy to organize the thing. Your list of 50 would have to be submitted before December 31st.

Start checking all those old and sick celebrities (but please don't post any here).

Would I get Uber points (whatever they are) from ESPN??

My first reaction was yeah I'm in! But then I started thinking about how I would he happy each time someone on my list died. This game sounds slightly disturbing......... in a fun way.

Only for sports stars.

Blibble - I felt the same way when I was approached to join the group I'm in now. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that these people are gonna die whether or not I have them on my list... its not like I'm hoping they die (just to win a contest).

If it's anything like fantasy sports, the people on my list should feel LUCKY they'd have at least another year to live...

I really haven't looked in there this year... but I think I know what you mean... I'd like to put some of my golf picks on that list.

I join in,sounds like fun..

Is this gonna be complicated like the sports betting??? Do we play for money, points, or fun (I know sounds awful playing with the "dying" odds)

If it's fairly simply, I'll try. Also, do you have to come up with 50 names or can it be less? And, one more question, can you give brief description of how this works. Maybe call it "Dying Pool Rules For Dummies."

TIS

Its easy, TIS. This group would be for fun (the one I'm in off the boards costs $20).... everyone submits a list of 50 people. Put a short description by their name. An example is:

Lady Bird Johnson - former First Lady
Phil Rizzuto - baseball player
Tammy Faye Baker - tv evangelist

At the end of the year we total up who had the most correct picks and they win.

Simple.

(Fifty names is hard to come up with... start making a list now of old movie stars, tv personalities, etc., and then add names of famous people that you hear about being sick, etc. By the end of this year you should have 50 names).

You can also use it as a wish list of who you WANT to die.

Who knows, you may have the cursed. Then you'll win money on top of getting your wish...haha.

When do we have to have a list? You say for the year, so do you mean January, or a year from now? I will join as long as I have time to make a list.

Let me add, it's awkward putting a "death" list together. :oI hope by putting each and every person on the list, it adds another 20 years to that person's life. But hell, I'll do it.

TIS

I have a few on my list this year... Osama bin Laden comes to mind.

TIS - The list would have to be submiited by December 31st. The contest would be for all those who die in 2008.

I always thought that these Dead Pools were a twisted way to make money and never participated in them because of how I felt. But what the heck, I'll do it too.

Do we post the names here?

My early wish list

Britney Spears
Paris Hilton
All X Factor and Pop Idol Winners
Reality Programme Executives
Roman Abramovich
Amy Whitehouse

Ok, I'm in. Just keep me/us posted.

I'm assuming, dead means dead, whether it be a natural old age death or if someone thinks that a certain famous person may do him/herself in, as sad as it is, that can be included.

Let me ask, out of 50 names, how many right did the last winner get? I'm thinking even 10 outo 50 is good.

TIS

C'mon DE NIRO, please don't start posting bullshit lists unless you're really going to participate.

No. I'm just testing the waters to see if enough people are interested. If there are, then everyone can submit their lists privately in December.

I'll post all the submitted lists after New Year's.

I will-that is my "Wish List"

Ok. Just give us a reminder as it gets closer.

So far, the leader in my group (this year) has 14 kills. I have 8. To possibly give you a better understanding (and maybe some help) my eight are:

Tammy Faye Baker
Phil Rizzuto
Lady Bird Johnson
Brooke Astor (105 year old heiress)
Ernest Gallo (Gallo Bros. winemaker)
Charles Lane (old movie actor)
Bruce Bennett (old movie actor)
Kitty Carlisle (old actress)

I had to do some research on the net to come up with some of these names... if nothing else, its fun.

It's sick and twisted.

But fun.

Ut oh, Cardi's involved? I can see it now on Dec 31, 2008:

I kill old actors for fun, but for a dead man pool, I carve them up real nice...

Ive not heard of any of these dead people.LOL

It is!!

One of the gals from work got me into it. Her husband is the one who organized it... there have been days when I went to work and saw her and shouted out "I GOT TWO TODAY!!!" (Her husband once got three in two days... I cursed her out when I saw her. He just passed me on the scoreboard when Leona Helmsley died - he has 9 now).

Will Leona's dog count once someone offs the pup for the $12 million inheritance?

Ok, what are we playing for?

The key to your hot tub.

And what are you "putting up" from your end?

Putting up, or putting out?

You read my mind.

If that's the case this pool better be rigged for me to win.

Put out, ....ehh....err.... I mean up, or shut up!

You want me to whack a guy, off a guy, whack off a guy?

You can't go around whacking people just to win this dead pool thing!

says who?

Yeesh, 50 people!?

I could handle maybe 20, or even 25, but 50 is too many.

Where's your sense of adventure? Killing some people on my list would be considered community service.

Whacking people and whacking off people are two different things.

The women in your life I'm sure are glad you know the difference.

But do you?

It's been so long. I'll need something to refresh my memory.

It's been a real "dead pool" for you, huh?

What's the matter with you people? Don't you know that stuff makes you grow hair on your palms and then you go blind???!!

That explains it...

This thread makes me sad for some reason. I am not saying it is wrong or offensive, but plain saddening. I tried holding myself from expressing this, but couldn't.

I'll write you in as a "No" then.

Anyone else interested in joining?

Yes

This is undoubtedly one of the sickest, most twisted and disgusting ideas I've ever heard of.

Count me in!

Another question.

I looked up today "famous octagenarians" (ha ha). I know! I know!! But I wanted to see some names of people still living that I might choose from. Is that cheating??
I mean to think of 50 off the top of my pointed little head would take me 6 months. Anyway, just asking. I wouldn't think it's cheating because I have no way of knowing whether the people I select will make it another year.

Sidenote: Yea, it does seem weird betting on this type of thing. I don't want anyone to die, so why am I doing it???? I know, for the sport of gambling.

Btw, will this go in the sports section??? Believe me I'd have to remind myself (at least at first) to go to the sport's section.

TIS

Its not cheating ... you're using the available info that you can get... there's nothing wrong with that. The more research you do, the better your chances of getting a good list.

Its not mandatory that you submit 50 names (but you lessen your chances of winning if you don't). I really had to struggle just to make 50 for this year's list.... looking back on my list I wonder how I could've made such decisions.

This isn't really a sport.... I wouldn't want to tarnish that forum's image by putting this there. It'll stay in General Discussion.

I have a good 20 or so I can think of off the top of my head.

The sad thing is, some aren't even past 30.

Well Beth, I was thinking of not only browsing through the older people's names, and choosing some. But, let's face it, there are some famous young people who I might add. Not that I'd wish any of them death (I still need to get use to that part of this pool) , but sh*t happens, ya know?


TIS

Some are just train wrecks ready to happen, literally. Their luck has to run out sometime.

Man, I sound aweful morbid.

I hear ya Beth!!

Had I been in this kind of "pool" a few years ago, I might add Robert Downey Jr. (what's he up to now, perhaps I still could). I love his acting, but he's had his issues and at least at one time could have easily OD'd. Just an example.


TIS

You two are catching on real quick... adding some names of druggies may increase your chances.

What about alcoholics?

DMC is a celebrity right? lol

Only amongst the board members.

You can't be on the list!

I could have a list of 50 just from young hollywood.

(How many former presidents are still kicking? We're due one death every couple of years).

DMC is a legend in his own mind!! And on the BB of course.

TIS

If we pick DMC, then Turi can't be far behind.

I just missed out on Gerald Ford... I picked him for my list this year and he died a few days before the beginning of the year (thus making him ineligible).

Former Presidents: Clinton, Bush Sr. & Carter right? All three wives are living as well.

SC in checking out old people today (ha ha ha times are tough), did you know that Art Linkletter is still living? Sounds awful, but there were a lot of people I really thought had passed on, that are still alive.


TIS

I REALLY shouldn't be discussing particulars with you (aiding the enemy) but Linkletter is on my list for this year.

I still want to know if Leona Helmsley's $2M dollar dog counts.

Gotta be human! (that would have disqualified Leona ).

You're right. I already got some names in mind.

I assume at some point (Next year) we all post our list on the Dead Pool thread or what?

TIS

It would be best if your names are submitted in private (so that no copying can be done)... Once all the participants submit their lists the names will be posted in public.

Count me in SC unless I can't get enough names written down by the new year. But I'll try.

Ok, thus far: SC, DC, Beth, Bibble, Me and I'd bet $20 Geoff joins in. Is that it? Ok, so far I'll be winning $100 bucks.

TIS

I'll give it a shot but you have to remind me ok

Wait a minute, is there money involved here?? I don't want to make money on people's deaths... I just want to have fun at their expense

No money is involved. TIS got carried away with the excitement of the contest.

Is Keith Richards eligible?

I've never played this game for the same morbid reasons others pointed out... but they seem to be willing anyway! I'll think about it....

Sure, why not? But you get no points just because he LOOKS dead.

Oh, this is so morbid. I'll do it.

My list is finished. How sick am I?

Geeez... you're done already???

Well, you have three months to fine tune your list.

I think I'm fine tuning it after 3 hours. I thought of 4 people in the middle of the night, and have to think of who will deleted, and be saved from the Bethie Curse.

You think about people who have the potential of dying when you're laying in bed at night?

No wonder why you are always complaining about the men in your life!

If there were men in my life I'd be doing something else in my bed at night.

Yeah. Listing them in your dead pool and then helping them go ala John Garfield style!

Instead of dead man walking it'll be dead man....

Oh, never mind.

CSI: Miami had an episode around this topic. The Dead Pool was for big money and a young starlet got murdered. So naturally there was motive - someone was going to get rich.

I find the whole premise a bit morbid. Don't we have better things to do with our time?....bring bologna sandwiches to homeless people?....but I don't care how a man makes a living, as long as his interests don't conflict with my interests.

Of course it's morbid, that's why we love it. Like looking over at a car accident, or watch Lindsay Lohan get behind the wheel of a car. You know it's not gonna be pretty, but you can't resist.

I would server the homeless bologna sandwiches, but the ones around where I work at don't want bologna, they want bourbon.

Marycas, for years I've refrained from participating in these Dead Pools because I felt exactly as you did about their being a bit morbid and weird.

But this time I'm taking a different approach. So I figured "what the heck."

I do know that even though I may be in this one for the first time ever, I will NEVER be able to bring myself to root for someone, who is not evil, that may be on my list to die.

So what I was thinking of doing was trying to make my list to include scumbags like Usama Bin Laden, the scumbags of the world, so I can I hope and pray for them to drop dead without feeling any guilt.

You have to find him First..

This is probably a sin, but could I get odds on Britney Spears, being she's so young and all?

SC, can you bump this thread a few weeks before the end of the year? I keep forgetting about it and I want to make sure to make my list before the year ends.

Will do.

I might do this, I;d just have trouble getting 50 people together. If I had less could it still count?

Maybe you could get "Scumbag Bonus Points", then I might play.

BUMP.

You have one month before the 2008 Dead Pool will start.

The object of this is simply to name 50 people who you think may die in the year 2008. The listed people must be of "some" fame (i.e. you cannot list your mailman or your neighbor, etc.) and their names must be able to be checked online.

What you need to do:
1. Make up a list of 50 names of people you think will die during 2008.
2. Alphabetize the list by last name (it'll make it a lot easier to keep track that way).
3. PM your list to me (or email me the list) before December 31st.

Please don't discuss your picks on the board before January 1st.

I'll post all the entries as quickly as possible after January 1st.

Remember, the deadline for this contest is December 31st . All your entries must be submitted before then.

An example (of five names who have died in 2007):

Joey Bishop - Rat Pack comedian
Merv Griffin - talk show host
Deborah Kerr - actress
Phil Rizzuto - baseball player
Anna Nicole Smith - actress

HINT: Pick names of old celebrities or of those whom are known to be sick.

Fifty names may sound like a lot, but once you get started you'll come up with many. In truth, you'll be lucky if perhaps 10-15 of your picks actually die (that sounds kind of ghoulish, doesn't it?).

Its all for fun - join in!

I've got my list done, but I didn't list what they're famous for. What exactly would you put down for Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan?

Pains-in-the-ass?

I've had my list saved to my computer for a while now. I started by just checking older people who are still alive. Didn't know where exactly to start. Anyway, I'm gonna tweek it a bit and add/delete various people, various ages, etc. Some I actually thought had died already. I'll double check, but I'm sure SC you'll let me know if I added one who is already deceased? That would be cheating no?


TIS

No help with that, TIS. (But one hint: check the names online by doing a Google search. That should tell you a little about them - especially if they're already dead).

I'm putting together my list. I've never done it before, but it sounds like fun.

Well, I know what I'll be doing December 30th...

Well, I just went through my list to double check that each person was indeed still living. I still want to add/delete, as obviously it won't just be old people that pass away. It's just a matter of who to add/delete.

SC, will we all be able to see each other's list?

TIS

Absolutely. AFTER January 1st.

I'm not going to participate, but I'm curious. Can you have names of people who are members of the BB? or do they have to be celebrities?

I believe they have to be celebrities in some form or other. Although, Geoff has rubbed elbows with Mafia moviestar royalty, so maybe he'd count. But who'd want to put him on their list?

I did mine....first time for a dead pool.... what a gruesome thing!

I think we'd be better off not including any board members.

We've got two submissions already and I'm prepared to submit my list ...

Two weeks to go to submit your list (if you want to participate).

I do believe I've got mine all set, alphabetized and ready to submit sir. Not to mention, "ready to win".

Btw, you will let us know how many people participated?

This does seem "awkward" and I must admit. I'm using my mother's "attitude" with this. When I was a kid and dreamed of someone I loved dying. She'd say when you dream of someone's death, it's actually good luck to that person and adds ten years to their life. So with every name I've got on my list I'll hope in reality it adds ten years to their lives. Of course that would mean I'd lose, but oh well.

TIS

I started making my lists ten years ago. I'm due to win!

Yes, all contestants' lists will be posted after New Year's. So far there are four contestants.

I'm whittling my list down. I have a few good ones, but I'm sure everyone does.

So far, from the four contestants, there are three or four names that are duplicated on all lists.

What a morbid sesne of entertainment, which might explain why I like it.


Other that that not really interested in doing this, too freaking busy.

You already got the lists? I thought we weren't to turn them in yet???? Anyway, I just need to tweek it a bit but i am done for the most part.


TIS

If one of our 2008 people dies in 2007 can we amend the list?

Can I get odds on Britney or Lindsay because of their youth?

I'd say their lifestyles cancel out their youth.

Are you a lawyer or an adjuster for Aetna?

We really shouldn't... but since it wasn't explicitly explained in the rules (you like that lawyer lingo?) maybe we should allow a substitution for anyone inconsiderate enough to die before the end of the year.

klydon has joined, too, so we now have five participants.

No extra credit for "youngins" on the list, but since most of us are cramming our lists with names of old people a young one or two MIGHT may a difference.

Where do I sign up, SC?

PM me your list of 50 names, pb.

Is he a friend of YOURS, or a friend of OURS?

The list is in my basement, filed under "wedding gifts."

I've got 2 people on my list so far...

The deadline is the end of this year right? I haven't even started.

Its due before 11:59 p.m., December 31st. There's still plenty of time to research it.

We have six participants so far*. There are a few names that appear on mostly everyone's list. TIS and I have 20 names in common, which looks like the most (in common).

There is (at least) one name so far that appears on everyone's list.

*The six, so far, are:
TIS
klydon
Beth E
dontomasso
Don Cardi
SC

Hillary?

Now there's a good side bet.




TIS

Ann Coulter. I'd like to see just that one go, and happily lose the rest of the game.

Duff or Clinton?

Eleven days left to get your lists done.

Remember, if you want to participate, PM me your list before January 1st. Please DO NOT discuss your picks in public before that.

SIX DAYS LEFT TO SUBMIT YOUR LIST

If you want to participate in the pool, PM me your list BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 31ST.

I thought it would be, but I cruised through it in no time!

I actually brought this topic up with my family at Christmas dinner. My 93 year old grandmother was the most interested.

I had another name in mind (from the same genre)that we "might" all have put on our lists. I'll reveal it once SC posts our list.

Btw SC,will you be PMing us all the lists, or posting them in thread?

You know what's kind of weird? How do we react when someone on our lists passes away? Somehow cheering doesn't quite seem appropriate ya know?

SC, you and I have 20 names the same???? Well if that twenty goes, and we tie, do we have a run-off?

TIS

I'll post everyone's lists in this thread.



You post the standard "R.I.P." message, say something nice about them and (privately) go "WoooHooo".



Popguns at 20 paces.

Dunno why, but I find this funny. God bless her!

ANyone have Benazir Bhutto on their 2008 list?

DT,

I wondered the same thing. I did NOT have her on my list. I assume if I did, I'd simply add another name and cross her off.

Gee, this kind of death is sad. We never know what's gonna happen and/or who's gonna die in the coming year do we?


TIS

Nobody had her on their list.

BTW - We now have seven participants (Geoff joined a few days ago).

Also, if someone else "famous" dies before New Year's, and they're on someone's list, they should NOT be counted, and that participant should not be allowed to make a substitution on their list. However, since this was not pointed out before some lists were submitted, we'll have to allow a substitution to be made.

Last year, when I was making my list for 2007, I had included Gerald Ford. Ford died on December 26th, so he wasn't eligible for the list, but I hadn't submitted my list yet (so I was able to make a substitution).

So again, IF you have a name that dies before New Year's, that name won't count as a 2008 death BUT you will be allowed to substitute another name for your list.

That's good news. But now I have to root for a premature demise because I thought of a good one that I neglected to include in my list.

Good luck to all, both the participants and those, whose names appear on their lists.

I have thought of a bunch since I sent in my list, and I did hedge with some younger people as someone suggested, but if anyone buys the farm between now and next week, I guess we can make revisions. I think I had everyone in the middle east except Bhutto.

TWO DAYS LEFT IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE

Your list of 50 names must be submitted before midnight on New Year's. PM your list to me.

Random Dead Pool Whoring

What if six months go by and nobody gets to scratch a name off their list? Bummer!!! It seems to me, to even get 3 names in a year is good, no?


TIS

Geez, TIS, you can't wait for them to die!!

A lot of us seven in this group have common names and I'd be very surprised if a few of those names don't buy the farm in '08.

The group I'm in now (for 2007) has the leader with 14 "kills". I have eight this year.

You better get busy. You only have a few days left.

Did the leader get any long-shot picks right, like, of anyone under 65? Sixty-five is my youngest pick, the rest are way older than that. I was only looking at "natural causes" I guess...

Logically and realistically I would think the majority of those who pass away in any given year will be older. However, there are always the people who may have had health problems, drug problems, suicidal etc. that has no age limit, that could also meet their demise.

Also, let's not forget those that come as a total shock be it for whatever reason the pass away. Every year that happens (i.e. Anna Nicole Smith and the wrestler who recently passed away)

TIS

I love that smile at the end!

Ha ha ha!!!I really didn't realize I put that in such an inappropriate spot. That's terrible.


TIS

I'll have my list in before the deadline. I'm checking to make sure some of them aren't already dead so I don't look too foolish. Although I think I have a lot of longshots on my list, so I'll probably end up looking foolish anyway.

Once you've decided to participate in this thing, the last thing you need to worry about is looking foolish.

Ha ha ha LMAO Since you put it that way, yea, it's pretty pathetic isn't it?


TIS

OK, blibbleblabble joined today.

Is eight enough???

Dick Van Patton? He still alive?

You gonna add him to your list DC?

Anyway, is 8 the total number of people who wanted to join in SC? I see no harm waiting until the 30 (or was it 31st). I am looking forward to seeing the names everyone chose. I can imagine I'll be saying "Why didn't I think of that one?"
May the best woman (ok... or man) win?


TIS

Yeah, we have eight participants. Every one of us has one name that appears on all our lists.

50½ hours left to join in.

Did ya get my list SC?

I can just picture SC looking at all of our lists and thinking "I didn't think of that one, that's a good one!" and optimizing his list.

I'm pissed that I missed a few good ones (that I've seen on others' lists). I thought I'd have a big advantage by benefit of me being in a Dead Pool this year (and gaining SOME experience from it). I was wrong.

Mignon has joined us. There are nine of us now. AND that one name still remains constant on everyone's list!

I think I know who's "name" it is that we all have on our list. Who knows, that person may outlive us all.



TIS

I think I might know to TIS. I'm looking forward to see who it is. Sorry that is a little sick on my part.

Yea, I guess we all need to be a little sick to particpate in this kind of thing no? Blame SC, that's what I say.


TIS

TIS, you get rowdy when you're on vacation too long. Its time for you to go back to work.

As my old grandmother reminded me when I told her about this game, "Life is for the living."

She then exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke, and drained her Manhattan.

What a great attitude, klydon. She's my kind of person!!

She is. If she were 40 years younger, I'd introduce you.

Ha ha ha!!!! Hey didn't you hear? 90 is the new 60, so it's all good.


TIS

You got any single aunts??

LAST CALL FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS

All entries must be PM'd to me by midnight tonight (Eastern time). You have 16 hours if you want to submit a list.

There are currently nine participants.

Yeah, but she's a nun.

I have an aunt, who is several years younger than I am. My mother's baby brother married a girl 17 years his junior. i always make a point to call her "aunt."

So SC, you'll be posting our lists at what? 12:01??



TIS

Why do I get the impression you're anxious to see them??

Yeah, I'll post them after midnight if nobody else joins.

So far we have 9 participants.

SC,

Ha ha!!! I am looking forward to seeing them, but don't feel rushed. I am kidding.

Happy New Year my friend.


TIS

And a Happy New Year to you, sweetie!

OK... we have nine participants:

Don Cardi
dontomasso
Beth E
klydon
TIS
Geoff
blibbleblabble
Mignon
SC

The (only) name that appeared on everyone's list: Kirk Douglas

Don Cardi: (5)

ACTORS & ACTRESSES

1)Richard Widmark
2)Lou Jacobi
3)Eli Wallach
4)Kirk Douglas
5)Olivia de Havilland
6)Jane Powell
7)Dody Goodman
8)Van Johnson
9)Dom DeLuise
10)Doris Day
11)Cyd Charisse
12)Jennifer Jones
13)Maureen O' Hara
14)Deanna Durbin
15)Sophia Loren
16)Elizabeth Taylor
17)Tony Curtis
18)Shirley Temple
19)Ester Williams
20)Lauren Bacall
21)Christopher Plummer
22)Jane Russell
23)Jackie Cooper
24)Ann Rutherford

SPORTS FIGURES

25)Gordie Howe (Hockey)
26)Bill Gadsby (Hockey)
27)Red Kelly (Hockey)
28)Elmer Lach (Hockey)
29)Milton Schmidt (Hockey)
30)Sidney Wood (Tennis)
31)Pauline Betz (Tennis)
32)Bobby Riggs (Tennis)
33)Sammy Baugh (Football)
34)Steve Van Buren (Football)
35)Chuck Bednarik (Football)
36)Art Donovan (Football)
37)Jim Brown (Football)
38)Andy Robustelli (Football)
39)Y.A. Tittle (Football)
40)Gino Marchetti (Football)
41)Billy Werber (Baseball)
42)Tony Malinosky (Baseball)
43)Tommy Henrich (Baseball)
44)Preacher Roe (Baseball)
45)Eddie Joost (Baseball)

POLITICAL FIGURES

46)Nancy Reagan
47)Betty Ford

MISC.

48)Nicole Ritchie
49)Tony Bennett
50)Ernest Borgnine

***********************************************

dontomasso (3)

1. Muhamad Ali
2. Edward Albee
3. Iwad Allawi
4. James Arness
5. Ad Asner
6. Bob Barker
7. Sammy Baugh
8. Benedict XVI(pope)
9. Yogi Berra
10. Fidel Castro
11. Sid Ceasar
12. Hugo Chavez
13. Irwin Corey
14. Dalai Lama
15. Bob Dole
16. Fats Domino
17. Kirk Douglas
18. Angelo Dundee
19. Dominic Dunne
20. Bob Dylan
21. Elizabeth Edwards
22. Mark Felt
23. Betty Ford
24. Shecky Greene
25. Andy Griffith
26. Stephen Hawking
27. Delores Hope
28. Lena Horne
29. Osama bin Laden
30. Tommy Lasorda
31. Jerry Lewis
32. Art Linkletter
33. Karl Malden
34. Tony Martin
35. Mitch Miller
36. Barack Obama
37. Les Paul
38. Prince Phillip (UK)
39. Christopher Plummer
40. Nancy Reagan
41. Don Rickles
42. David Rockefeller
43. J.D. Salinger
44. Britney Spears
45. Yitzak Shamir
46. Claude Levi-Strauss
47. Studs Terkel
48. Herman Wouk
49. Eli Wallach
50. John Wooden

**********************************************

Beth (2)

Ahmadinejad Mahmoud
Barker Bob
BinLaden Osama
Brokaw Tom
Bush George H.W.
Bush Laura
Carter Jimmy
Carter Rosalyn
Coulter Ann
Douglas Kirk
Downey, Jr. Robert
Eden Barbara
Fawcett Farrah
Ford Betty
Funicello Annette
Gabor Zsa Zsa
Hagman Larry
Hilton Kathy
Hope Dolores
Jackson Kate
Johnson Earvin "Magic"
Linkletter Art
Lohan Lindsey
Majors Lee
Mandela Nelson
Marcos Imelda
Newhart Bob
Newman Paul
O'Neal Ryan
O'Reilly Bill
Osbourne Sharon
Osbourne Ozzy
Parker-Bowles Camilla
Pleshette Suzanne
Prince Philip
Queen Elizabeth
Rather Dan
Reagan Nancy
Rooney Andy
Rooney Mickey
Safer Morley
Sixx Nikki
Somers Suzanne
Spears Brittney
Steinbrenner George
Stern Howard K.
Taylor Elizabeth
Vick Michael
Von Anhalt Frederic
Wilson Owen

*********************************************

klydon (6)

1. James Arness, actor
2. Conrad Bain, actor
3. Chuck Berry, singer
4. Ray Bradbury, writer
5. Robert Bork, former Sup. Ct. nominee
6. Earl Butz, former Sec. of Agriculture
7. Robert Byrd, senator
8. Frank Cady, "Sam Drucker from "Green Acres"
9. Fidel Castro, dictator
10. Walter Cronkite, anchorman
11. Dino De Laurentiis, director
12. Olivia de Havaland, actress
13. Dom Deluise, actor
14. Kirk Douglas, actor
15. Bob Feller, pitcher
16. Betty Ford, first lady
17. John Forsythe, actor
18. Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress/entertainer
19. Billy Graham, evangelist
20. Paul Harvey, radio personality
21. Stephen Hawking, professor/physicist
22. Jesse Helms, senator
23. Sir Edmund Hilary, mountain climber
24. Hal Holbrook, actor
25. Lena Horne, entertainer
26. B.B. King, musician
27. Jack Klugman, actor
28. C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general,
29. Jack LaLane, exercise guru
30. Norman Lear, writer/producer
31. Art Linkletter, host/writer
32. Karl Malden, actor
33. Nelson Mandela, statesman
34. Rose Marie, actress
35. Ed McMahon, sidekick/personality
36. Robert McNamara, former Secretary of defense
37. Mitch Miller, bandleader
38. Harry Morgan, actor
39. William "the Refrigerator" Perry, football player
40. Carl Reiner, comedian
41. Oral Roberts, evangelist
42. David Rockefeller, patriarch and banker
43. J.D. Salinger, writer
44. Ariel Sharon, former Israeli P.M.
45. Sargent Shriver, McGovern running mate
46. Hurricane Smith, producer/singer
47. Larry Storch, "F Troop" actor
48. Richard Widmark, actor
49. Betty White, actress
50. Maharishi Yogi, meditation czar

************************************************

TIS (5)

1. Ali, Mohammud (boxer)
2 Ansara, Michael (actor)
3 Arnold, Eddy (C&W singer)
4. Billingsley, Barbara (actress Leave it to Beaver)
5. Borgnine, Ernest (actor)
6. Bradbury, Ray (author)
7. Byrd, Robert (Politics)
8 Caeser, Sid (comedian)
9. Cheney, Dick
10. Cronkite, Walter (Newscaster)
11.DeLaurentis, Dino (Movie producer)
12. Diller, Phyllis (Comedian)
13. Douglas,Kirk (actor father of Michael)
14. Fawcett, Farrah (actress)
15. Fontaine, Joan (actress)
16. Ford, Betty (former First Lady)
17. Forsthye, John (actor)
18. Gabor, Zsa Zsa ( actress/personality)
19. Graham, Billy (religion)
20 Hale, Barbara (actress)
21 Havoc, June (actress)
22. Holm, Celeste (actress)
23. Hope, Delores (wife of Bob Hope)
24. Horne, Lena (singer/actress)
25. Johnson, Van (actor)
26. Kennedy, Ethel (wife of Bobby)
27. Keyes, Evelyn (actress)
28. LaLane, Jack (fitness)
29. LaMotta, Jake (sports)
30. Linkletter, Art (tv host/personality)
31. Malden, Karl (actor)
32. McNamara, Robert (60's politician)
33. Miller, Mitch (music)
34. Morgan, Harry (Mash actor)
35. O'Hara, Maureen (actress)
36. Page, Anita (actress)
37. Parker, Eleanor (actress)
38. Paul, Les (music)
39. Reagan, Nancy (Former First Lady)
40. Roberts, Oral ( Religion)
41. Rooney, Andy (Journalist)
42. Rooney, Micheky (actor)
43. Shanker, Ravi (Musician)
44. Storm, Gale (singer/actress)
45. Stuart, Gloria Actress)
46. Thomas, Helen (Journalist)
47. Van Buren, Abigail (columnist)
48. Wallach, Eli (actor)
49 Whitmore, James (actor)
50 Widmark, Richard (actor)
49. Young, Alan (actor)
50. Zimbalist, Jr. Efrem (actor)

*************************************************

Geoff (12)

Muhammad Ali, boxer (65)
Bob Barker, game show host (84)
Sammy Baugh, former Redskins QB (93)
Barbara Billingsley, aka June Cleaver (92)
Ernest Borgnine, actor (90)
Earl Butz, former Sec of Agriculture (98)
Jimmy Carter, former president (83)
Fidel Castro, Cuban president (81)
Dick Clark, TV/radio personality (78)
Arthur C. Clarke, sci-fi author (90)
Walter Cronkite, news anchor (91)
Phyllis Diller, comedienne (90)
Dom DiMaggio, baseball player (90)
Kirk Douglas, actor (91)
Betty Ford, Gerald's wife (89)
Douglas Fraser, trade unionist (91)
Zsa Zsa Gabor, actress/socialite (90)
Billy Graham, evangelist (89)
Paul Harvey, radio broadcaster (89)
Hugh Hefner, Playboy (81)
Charlton Heston, actor (83)
Gordon Hinckley, Mormon leader (97)
Albert Hofmann, scientist who created LSD (101)
Dolores Hope, Bob's wife (98)
C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General (91)
Jack LaLanne, fitness guru (93)
Harry Richard Landis, WWI survivor (108)
Claude Lévi-Strauss, anthropologist (99)
Jerry Lewis, actor (81)
Art Linkletter, TV show host (95)
Norman Lloyd, actor/producer/director (93)
Sydney Lucas, WWI survivor (107)
Karl Malden, actor (95)
Tony Martin, crooner/actor (95)
Ed McMahon, TV personality (84)
Robert McNamara, former Sec of Defense (91)
Mitch Miller, bandleader (96)
Anita Page, actress (97)
Les Paul, guitarist (92)
I. M. Pei, architect (90)
Gladys Powers, last female WWI survivor (108)
Oral Roberts, evangelist (89)
Mickey Rooney, actor (87)
John Campbell Ross, WWI survivor (108)
J. D. Salinger, author (89)
Gloria Stuart, actress (97)
Margaret Thatcher, former UK Prime Minister (82)
Abe Vigoda, actor (86)
Eli Wallach, actor (92)
Phyllis A. Whitney, author (104)

************************************************

blibbleblabble (2)

Queen Elizabeth II
Muhammad Ali
Bob Barker
Fidel Castro
Dick Cheney
Dick Clark
John Cleese
Macaulay Culkin
Dick Dale
Al Davis
Bob Dole
Kirk Douglas
Ellen Albertini Dow
Dick Van Dyke
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Clint Eastwood
Peter Gammons
Andy Griffith
Estelle Harris
Hugh Heffner
Charlton Heston
Whitney Houston
Mick Jagger
Angela Lansbury
Shia Lebeouf
Stan Lee
David Letterman
Christopher Lloyd
Lindsay Lohan
Norm MacDonald
John Madden
Jason Mewes
Mary Tyler Moore
Paul Newman
Leslie Nielsen
Borack Obama
Regis Philbin
Keith Richards
Nancy Reagan
Mickey Rooney
Paul Shaffer
Britney Spears
George Steinbrenner
Elizabeth Taylor
Margaret Thatcher
Eli Wallach
Barbara Walters
Scott Weiland
Gene Wilder
Henry Winkler

**********************************************

Mignon (9)

1. James Arness
2. Olivia de Haviland
3. Mel Brooks
4. Billy Graham
5. Fidel Castro
6. usuma bin laden
7. Mickey Rooney
8. Kirk Douglas
9. Richard Widmark
10. Albert Hofmann
11. Dick Clark
12. Mitch Miller
13. Andy Rooney
14. Michael DeBakey
15. oscar Niemeyer
16. Charleston Heston
17. Karl Malden
18. Jean Simmons
19. Jennifer Jones
20. Francis Reid
21. Eli Wallach
22. Harry Morgan
23. Dody Goodman
24. Ernest Borgnine
25. Lena Horne
26. Zsa Zsa Gabor
27. Van Johnson
28. Diana Sera Carey
29. Frank Coghlan Jr.
30. Virginia Davis
31. Dr. jack Kevorkian
32. BB King
33. Claude Levi Strauss
34. George Beverly Shea
35. Earl Butz
36. Luise Rainer
37. Delores Hope
38. Gloria Stuart
39. Art Linkletter
40. Gorden Hinkley
41. Barbara Billingsley
42. Bruce Gorden
43. C Everett Koop
44. Walter Cronkite
45. Patty Andrews
46. Abigal Van Bruen
47. Nelson Mandela
48. Paul Harvey
49. Maureen O'Hara
50. Phyllisa Whitney

*****************************************************

SC (5)

Ali, Muhammad - Boxer
Barzun, Jacques - Historian
Baugh, Sammy - Football
Berra, Yogi - Baseball
Butz, Earl - Cabinet Member
Carter, Elliott - Composer
Castro, Fidel - Cuban Dictator
Clark, Dick - TV Host
Cronkite, Walter - TV Newsman
DeBakey, Michael - Heart Surgeon
deHavilland, Olivia - Actress
Douglas, Kirk - Actor
Ebert, Roger - Film Critic
Fawcett (Majors), Farah - Actress
Ford, Betty - First Lady
Gabor, Zsa Zsa - Actress
Graham, Billy - Evangelist
Harvey, Paul - Radio Personality
Heesters, Johannes - Dutch Actor
Hinckley, Gordon - Mormon Church Leader
Hope, Dolores - Bob Hope’s Widow
Houk, Ralph - Baseball
Kent, Barbara - Silent Movie Actress
Klugman, Jack - Actor
Kowalski, “Killer” - Wrestler
LaLanne, Jack - Fitness Guru
Lewis, Jerry - Comedian
Linkletter, Art - TV Host
Malden , Karl - Actor
Mandela, Nelson - So. African Political Leader
McNamara, Robert - Cabinet Member
Miller, Mitch - Musician
Morgan, Harry - Actor
Musial, Stan - Baseball
Paul, Les - Guitarist
Roberts, Oral - Evangelist
Roe, Preacher - Baseball
Rooney, Mickey - Actor
Salinger, J.D. - Author
Santo, Ron - Baseball
Shamir, Yitzhak - Israeli PM
Sharon, Ariel - Israeli PM
Shriver, Sargent - Political Figure
Simplot , J.R. - Idaho Billionaire
Stewart , Gloria - Actress
Taylor, Liz - Actress
Terkel, “Studs” - Author
Wallach, Eli - Actor
Wooden, John - Basketball
Zimbalist, Jr., Efrem - Actor


************************************************

Thanks for posting SC. Lot of good guesses. Some are kind of surprising, but you never really know. Gosh, no disrespect, but Jackie Cooper, I know started acting as a kid, but damn, seems like he should be 105 by now no? I forgot he was still around.


Is Betty Ford the one we all had???? Anyway, very interesting.


TIS

No.... I posted it earlier (before the lists). Kirk Douglas is the one name on ALL lists.

BTW - Dick Clark appears on a number of lists.

Oh, I'm sorry. I missed it. Wow, and Barack Obama??? Gee, I hope not, but you never know. Seems any political figure could be a target these days.


TIS

Some good strategies here... Geoff went the age route, a few went the age/sickness route, a few went with long shots. Should be interesting as the year goes on.

Exactly! I see names that escaped me, like Annette Funicello, and I was considering for a bit Robert Downey Jr because of his drug problems. Also Amy Winehouse who I don't really know except from the news and here on the BB, that she has drug issues.

Anything can happen and old, young, sick or healthy is always possible.

I think I tend to go the "older" route for the most part because although, no guarantees, it seems most likely.

TIS

Wow SC, TIS, Beth went the extra mile and put their list in ABC order.

Yep, it's easier to quickly scroll down the list and scratch off the names. We don't mess around.

TIS

Art Linkletter is still alive? Wow, I missed that one....

Oddly enough, his son died last week.

Actually, dontomasso, klydon, blibbleblabble and Geoff did also. They just listed the first names, first. I made copies of your list and Don Cardi's in alpha order to facilitate checking the names. I'm gonna make a master list of all names (and who had them) in alpha order and will post that shortly.

My list has a lot more long-shots as SC mentioned, including Barack Obama. I figure there has to be quite a few crazy white racists somewhere in the south who are willing to attempt an assassination to keep the first black president from taking office.

I, too, hope that doesn't happen, but for the sake of this game I have to try and think strategically *evil grin*.

Anyone who didn't at least think forward enough to at least alphabetize their lists should be disqualified...! p

Here's the master list:



Abbreviations:
B = Beth

b = blibbleblabble

D = Don Cardi

d = dontomasso

G = Geoff

k = klydon

M = Mignon

T = TIS

S = SC

In short, here are the most popular picks:

Kirk Douglas (on all 9 lists)
Betty Ford (on 7)
Art Linkletter (on 7)
Eli Wallach (on 7)
Fidel Castro (on 6)
Zsa Zsa Gabor (on 6)
Dolores Hope (on 6)
Karl Malden (on 6)
Mitch Miller (on 6)
Mickey Rooney (on 6)

If you notice that someone dies who is listed here, please post that news. The results will be updated every so often (every other month or sooner).

Good luck, and more importantly, have some fun with this. I'm sure we don't want to see any of our picks die (well, maybe Osama Bin Laden), but we're just "betting" on the inevitability of that.

Bibble, I understand your reason for Obama. We unfortunately live in that kind of world. SC or Geoff will this subject be at the top of the board or upward anyway? Just wondering

I didn't even consider Bin Laden. Although they might try to finally get him before the elections. But yea, the only person that I won't care if he goes.


TIS

The one that I regret not putting on my list was Charlton Heston. Just missed him.

SC, I didn't realize that Preacher Roe was still living. I'd have thought he died years ago.

I got to hope those WWI veterans still have another year left in them.

Yea Kly, I didn't think of Charlton Heston either. Poor guy!!!! We (or I) tend to go for the old and/or sickly, but each year this is always a "surprise" or two.


TIS

Now on the surface Keith Richards is an excellent choice. A drugged up weirdo who's face looks like a road map; a guy who admitted to snorting his own father's ashes. A guy who by all rights should NOT be standing today. Yet......Keith will most likely outlive us all. Gotta love him.

Actually I did think of putting him on my list, but for the reasons above, didn't include him. Still I maintain, we never really know, so any guess is a fair guess.

TIS

I tried to work Carrot Top into my list as a hopeful-to-die but he just seems to be too healthy. Oh well.

My best long shot is Shia Lebeouf. A kid who has been around forever in movies and very talented. He looks like he has a very bright, long acting career ahead of him. He has the type of potential River Phoenix had, and like River Phoenix he is going to be in the next Indiana Jones movie, and therefore die soon.

Yes, I put too much thought into that pick.

I have been watching this with morbid fascination. I find the picks and strategies very interesting. I also noticed several lists had Bob Barker, which I think was an excellent choice. Widowed, retired after a bazillion years doing the same job, exactly the type that goes within a year of leaving that job.

I tried to talk Mr. Babe into putting a list together, but he wouldn't do it.

Ddolores Hope is an interesting name. Dolores is Latin for sorrows, and takes on new meaning when placed with the word "Hope."

Anyway, I haven't included her on my list, so may she live long and prosper.

She's done both already. At 98 years old, she's one of the wealthiest women around (thanks to husband, Bob).

Looks like klydon draws first blood. Its just being reported that Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mt. Everest, has died.

klydon is the only one of us to have him on his list.

Damn.... I had Hillary on my 2007 list.

Do we congratulate Klydon or say "RIP"?

In this thread, congratulations are in order. If you post a message about the deceased dying (in a separate thread) I guess "RIP" would be more appropriate.

We all know we're sickos here (because we're playing this game)... no false modesties are necessary here.

Than it's ok for me to hope Britney goes postal?

Go for it, but you'll have to share that "hit" with blibble and dt.

Maybe I'll be lucky and she'll have Lindsay Lohan in the car with her.

Man, I am a sick puppy.

Here is confirmation of Sir Edmund's death. Couldn't hold out for 11 more months could ya?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_re_au_an/obit_edmund_hillary

Damn, when I saw the name Hillary........

Yea, it is difficult to know how to react isn't it. One for Klydon, and 49 more to go????

I would not have known that name, but obviously a good choice for our purposes at least.


TIS

I don't know why,but i have a feeling Malcom Mcdowell is going to pass away this year.Hmmmm premonitions

Johnny Grant, the man who's there when people get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame died too. He kind of slipped under the radar.

Congrats Klyd on one of your peeps to kick the bucket. Also

Congrats to SC keeping up with it.

Yes! An early lead. I heard Sir Hillary's last words were, "Screw Geoff. Long live the World War I veterans!"

Edmund Hillary was a choice I debated, and I almost tipped my hand last month when DC asked whether Hillary (Clinton) was the common choice among the participants. Actually, I recall hearing that Mrs. Clinton was named after Sir Edmund.

He was actually one of my favorites on my list (why couldn't it have been Betty White?). What I didn't realize when I entered this contest is that I'll now always remember Sir Edmund Hillary as the man who put me into the death pool lead.

That's one down. It makes up for my disappointment in forgetting to put Ernest Borgnine in my list after he was the first one I thought of.

Oh, well. It's a good start, but this contest is a marathon, not a sprint, and there's a long way to go. I'm predicting Maharishi Yogi by Groundhog's Day and Ariel Sharon by the Ides of March. I'm starting to like this game a bit too much.

Damn, talk about a bunch of long-shots!!

Macaulay Culkin
-Suicide...Bad relatiionship with parents, molested by Michael Jakckson, etc...

Peter Gammons
-Already almost died last year (or was it 2006?)

Whitney Houston
-Cocaine

Shia Lebeouf
-Curse of Indiana Jones, I explained in a previous post: "My best long shot is Shia Lebeouf. A kid who has been around forever in movies and very talented. He looks like he has a very bright, long acting career ahead of him. He has the type of potential River Phoenix had, and like River Phoenix he is going to be in the next Indiana Jones movie, and therefore die soon."

David Letterman
-Heart Attack

Norm MacDonald
-Alcohol/Gambling debt related death

Jason Mewes
-Drug Overdose

Borack Obama
-Assasinated

Paul Shaffer
-Because he annoys the hell out of me

Britney Spears
-Could die at any moment for various reasons

Henry Winkler
-I probably shouldn't have put him on the list but I figure at least one sitcom icon has to die and he's looking a little frail lately.

In other words, I'm going to lose.

A couple names I don't know, but I can see where you might choose Culkin, Spears, Obama, Houston, since they all, even though young, have their health/drug/sanity issues. Look at it this way Bibble, if you were laying odds in Vegas, and won with a long shot, look how rich you "would" be.


TIS

WTG on those who had Sir Ednund Hillary who climbed Mt. Everest and a likely candidate. Damn.... I missed that one.

BTW he is alays creditd with being the first guy to clim Mt. Everest, but he had sherpa guides all the way to the top. APparently thy stepped aside to let him tke the final steps to the summit. Does anyone really believe he was the first? I don't. Maybe the first white guy, but not the first guy.

Hillary was accompanied by Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay on his famous ascent. Norgay spoke several languages, but couldn't read or write. His grandson and Hillary's grandson climbed to the summit of Everest together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original climb. Norgay, I think, died about 15 years ago.

Sad news for me.... Johnny Podres, one of the great Brooklyn Dodger pitchers, died yesterday at age 75. He beat the Yankees in two games in the '55 Series, giving Brooklyn their World Championship. The Dodgers lost the first two games of the Series and Podres beat the Yanks in the third... tied up at 3 games apiece, Podres shutout the Yanks in the final game and earned the nickname "The Yankee Killer".

R.I.P. Johnny, and thanks for the memories.

P.S. Nobody had him in the Pool.

This is an instance where you don't want to put someone on your list, because you don't want them to die.

RIP Johnny!

RIP Johnny.... although as a Yankee fan I never forgave him for the 2-0 shut out in the 55 World Series.

Not only was he a solid pitcher, but I remember him as a very good pitching coach in Philadelphia and some other places. RIP

25 Year old actor Brad Renfro has died. He sure wasn't even on the radar blip.

Brad Renfro Dies at 25

TUESDAY JANUARY 15, 2008 08:00 PM EST

By Howard Breuer and Marla Lehner

Actor Brad Renfro has died at age 25, PEOPLE has confirmed.

Renfro died Tuesday at a Los Angeles apartment where he spent the night with friends, Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles county coroner, tells PEOPLE.

Renfro was heard snoring overnight, but found not breathing later Tuesday morning, and the friends called 911. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene at about 9 a.m., Harvey says.

A cause of death was not immediately determined, but Renfro had a history of drug problems.

Drug overdose is "obviously it's a possibility considering his history, but right now all we have is the history of his drinking the previous night," Harvey says. "All that we have is that he was last known to be alive during the morning hours and he was snoring."

The actor, who starred in The Client and Apt Pupil, had recently completed a movie with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.

Film director Joel Schumacher discovered Renfro at age 12 and cast him in the 1994 John Grisham movie The Client (which also starred Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones). The following year, PEOPLE named the young screen hopeful one of its "Top 30 Under 30." The actor's other credits include Tom and Huck, Ghost World and Deuces Wild.

But Renfro had a troubled life off-screen, going back to 1997 when he was sentenced to two years of probation after he tried to steal a yacht.

In 2005, Renfro was busted again, this time in a police sting in which he was charged with a felony count of attempting to possess heroin. In a separate incident, he was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence and two counts of driving with a suspended license.

In January 2006, he entered a rehab program. At the time, Renfro's attorney, Richard Kaplan, told the Los Angeles Times that his client was doing well and "looks forward to doing whatever is necessary to take care of his personal and legal issues." Renfro eventually plead guilty to the heroin charge and was sentenced to three years' probation.

Most recently, in June 2007 Renfro was found to have violated his probation by not enrolling in a long-term drug treatment program. A judge warned him that if he violated probation two more times, he could be sentence to a live-in rehab program or to jail time.

Renfro's death was first reported by TMZ.com.

He was the little boy in The Client! How sad! That's one of the better Grisham adaptations.

Nobody had him as a pick.

Two weeks into the year and we got only ONE hit!!??!

It's cold and flu season. Someone's bound to get pneumonia or something.

Everyone's predicting Britny's trainwreck. They're already calling her the next Princess Di or Anna Nicole Smith.

This list (linked below) might be of some interest to you participants:

2008 DEATHLIST PICKS

Least we aren't the only sicko's out there.

Former New York Mets Pitcher, DON CARDWELL, passed away yesterday.


DON CARDWELL DIES

They are as sick as we, and have many of the same picks!

I don't think anyone had Bobby Fischer on their list. We really suck at this.

World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer Dies

By GUDJON HELGASON

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) -- Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64.

Fischer died Thursday in a Reykjavik hospital, his spokesman, Gardar Sverrisson, said. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.

Born in Chicago and raised in Brooklyn, Robert James Fischer was a U.S. chess champion at 14 and a grand master at 15. He beat Spassky in a series of games in Reykjavik to claim America's first world chess championship in more than a century.

The event had tremendous symbolic importance, pitting the intensely individualistic young American against a product of the grim and soulless Soviet Union.

It also was marked by Fischer's odd behavior - possibly calculated psychological warfare against Spassky - that ranged from arriving two days late to complaining about the lighting, TV cameras, the spectators, even the shine on the table.

Spassky said in a brief phone call from France, where he lives, that he was "very sorry" to hear of Fischer's death.

Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov said Fischer's conquest of the chess world in the 1960s was "a revolutionary breakthrough" for the game.

But Fischer's reputation as a chess genius soon was eclipsed by his idiosyncrasies. He lost his world title in 1975 after refusing to defend it against Anatoly Karpov. He dropped out of competitive chess and largely out of view, emerging occasionally to make erratic and often anti-Semitic comments, although his mother was Jewish.

"The tragedy is that he left this world too early, and his extravagant life and scandalous statements did not contribute to the popularity of chess," Kasparov told The Associated Press.

Fischer lived in secret outside the United States but emerged in 1992 to confront Spassky again, in a highly publicized match in Yugoslavia. Fischer beat Spassky 10-5 to win $3.35 million.

The U.S. government said Fischer's playing the match violated U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia, imposed for Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic's role in fomenting war in the Balkans.

Over the years, Fischer gave occasional interviews with a radio station in the Philippines, often digressing into anti-Semitic rants and accusing American officials of hounding him.

He praised the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying America should be "wiped out," and described Jews as "thieving, lying bastards." His mother was Jewish.

He also announced he had abandoned chess in 1996 and launched a new version in Argentina, "Fischerandom," a computerized shuffler that randomly distributes chess pieces on the back row of the board at the start of each game.

Fischer claimed it would bring the fun back into the game and rid it of cheats.

In July 2004, Fischer was arrested in Japan and threatened with extradition to the United States to face sanctions-busting charges. He spent nine months in custody before the dispute was resolved when Iceland - a chess-mad nation and site of his greatest triumph - granted him citizenship.

Fischer told reporters that he was finished with a chess world he regarded as corrupt, and sparred with U.S. journalists who asked about his anti-American tirades.

"The United States is evil. There's this axis of evil. What about the allies of evil - the United States, England, Japan, Australia? These are the evildoers," Fischer said.

In his final years, Fischer railed against the chess establishment, alleging that the outcomes of many top-level chess matches were decided in advance.

Instead, he championed his concept of random chess.

"I don't play the old chess," he told reporters upon arrival in Iceland. "But obviously if I did, I would be the best."

If ever there was an example of the thin line between genius and madness, he was it.

First, I was thinking Bobby Riggs (Billie Jean King's foe).

Wow! Talk about a name from the past. You know I couldn't even tell you what he looked like, but there was a time his name was mentioned in the news very often.

TIS

I just know his name from the movie, "Searching for Bobby Fischer".

Nobody picked Fischer on their list.

So, with the final checkmate, Bobby, R.I.P.

Fuck him. He was a self-loathing, anti-semitic lunatic, who praised the September 11th attacks, referring to NYC as "Jew York City."

Good riddance.

I'm sorry for his death, but ONLY for the sake of his chess. He turned in some phenomenal performances in his time. Kasparov once said that Fischer was further ahead of the other players of his generation than anyone else ever! wow.

But of the Fischer who used his fame as a platform for anti-Semitic rants and who called the attacks on September 11, 2001 "wonderful news," I say good riddance.


(As per wikipedia, Fischer died at age 64, which is coincidentally the number of squares on a chessboard)

Fischer, like so many of these chess wizards seem to be, was an introverted, self-hating, miserable SOB. His anti-Semitism was embarassing, and I never knew his mother was Jewish.

I remember the victory over Spassky in Iceland in "72, and somehow think that it coincided with the Munich games. This was at the height of the Cold War, and was huge news. I was 8 years old and had thought they were playing checkers.

I remember the cover of Time or Newsweek with the pictures of both Fischer and Spassky on chess pieaces.

Another death to report, with particular sadness to me.

Ernie Holmes, #63, the mohawk wearing defensive tackle who was an anchor on the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s, was killed in a car accident in Texas at the age of 59. He was with the Steelers for two of their 4 Super Bowl wins of the 1970s.

Holmes played on the line with L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, and Dwight White to form perhaps the greatest front four in NFL history. He was an outstanding run stopper, and put great pressure on QBs.

He also battled emotional and mental health problems early in his life. He once opened fire on a police helicopter early in his career. After his retirement he seemed to settle down a bit even though he was briefly involved in pro wrestling. He also was an ordained minister.

I just heard about Holmes dying (on tv). Very sad....

(Nobody had him in the pool).

We had a 64 year old and now a 59 year old die today. When are all the 90+ year olds we picked gonna kick it?

If these people made it to their 90s, you got to think they don't engage in too many harmful or high risk activities or habits. Also, they're probably not going without a fight. But what's keeping Mitch Miller alive?

Mitch Miller is still alive??

We think so.

Ha ha!! I had to double check that as well. Yes, last I read he IS still alive.

As far as all these sports figures that may pass on, you guys would all be way ahead of me, because I know very few of them.


TIS

I seen this on the Today Show.

Hula Hoop and Frisbee inventor dies

I was one of the millions of kids who got a hula-hoop in 1958. Just like the article said, though, the fad died out as quickly as it started.

If I even TRIED to use a hoop now I'd throw a disk or two out of whack and be hospitalized for a month.

Hey, I had a hula hoop in the 1960s! Was I behind the times??

Oh yea? Well I won 9th place in a hula hoop contest when I was about 8/9. I use to be pretty good. Today that little movement it takes would probably throw my back out.


TIS

Susan Clewner was the girl who lived in the apartment above me back in those days. She always wanted to play "house" and of course she'd be the mommy. But she was progressive for her time and she didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom... she wanted to be a HulaHoop champion mom who earned her living with the hoop.

I hafta admit, I was pretty good with the hoop back in the day.

I don't think I could even get a hoop around my waist now.

What a popular toy that was. I was able to get it around my neck, and down to my knees and back around my waist again without touching it. ha ha ha!!! I wouldn't last two seconds today. Talk about an inexpensive toy. Remember the Hula Hoop Song???? My brother had it by Teresa Brewer. Btw she died very recently. I didn't have her on my list though.

TIS

I don't think they make a hula hoop big enough for me to use these days.

I was watching on VH1 the top 100 toys of all times. The hula hoop was #1. I don't think anyone on my block could get it around more than 5 times.

Another toy I could never do if my life depended on it was the yo-yo.

No wonder I had such a crappy childhood.

I loved the hula hoop. I was good at it back in the day. Today I would probably break a hip.

Oh yeah... like you're really fat.

My scale doesn't lie.

The pizza I just had doesn't help either.

Why is it all women look in a mirror and see something completely different from men looking at them?

Cuz men are looking at something else.

To hell with the hula hoop. How'd you do with Susan Clewner?

I couldn't get a hula hoop going to save my life.

She was a good gal.... we stayed friends for a long time.

St. Louis Rams Owner Georgia Frontiere died. Did anyone have her or are we still batting 0?

I do not often speak ill of the dead, but this woman deserves to ot in hell. She was married 7 times, the sixth to Carroll Rosenbloom, then owner of the Baltimore Colts. She had two kids with him. Mr. Rosenbloom was an avid swimmer, yet he "drowned" in very calm seas behind his beachfron house in Florida. There have been rumors of fould play, but nothing was ever proven.

The first thing this woman did was screw hs children from other marriages out of their share of their inheritance, and because Mr. Rosenbloom had given her more than one half ownership in the then L.A. Rams for which he swapped the Colts for tax reasons, his "grieving widow" used it as a way to cut off the rest of his kids and get his money for herself. Instead of having a funeral she staed a "celebration of his life" in Beverly Hills a few weeks after his death. His own family did not get invited. IN attence were a large assortment of B List Hollywood types, and she was already carrying on with men.

Later she moved the team from L.A. and her next husband got himself indicted and jailed for tax evasion. Standing by her man as she always did, she divorced him.

May she rot in hell for all eternity.

But she brushed and flossed daily.

I concur with your contempt.

I only know the name because years ago the radio station I listened to would make fun of her calling her Georgia "front & reary". I had assumed she was sports-related.

Anyway I hears yesterday she passed away and how many fans were mad because she sold her team.


TIS

Geez.... we're getting rowdy that nobody we picked is dying!

Did anybody have "Sam the Butcher" on their list?
Allan Melvin

How sad! Alice's secret squeeze!

He was a pretty popular character actor who had a big role on All In The Family and Archie Bunker's Place. He also provided the voices for a lot of cartoon shows such as Magilla Gorilla and The Flintstones.

R.I.P. Sam!

I remember a epi. of Andy Griffith where Barney gave him a ticket and he told Barney that he if he ever seen him out without his uniform that he would hurt him. So Barney wears his uniform 24/7.

Didn't he play a cook in Gomer Pyle USMC?

Beth joins klydon as the only scorers so far. She was the only one of us who picked Suzanne Pleshette (who died yesterday).

Should I feel "happy"? This is an odd scenerio.

But at least I scored.

A GF connection. She was briefly married to Troy Donahue.

RIP.

He played Sgt. Hackett, a friend and rival of Sgt. Carter. He also played an escaped con on Andy Griffith that Barney and Gomer had a hard time finding. And of course, he was Barney Heffner on All in the Family.

He was one of my last cuts in rounding out the names at 50. But that and 50 cents will buy me a soda,

I didn't see Suzanne Pleshette going. Good call, Beth.

I knew she had cancer. I saw her in interviews and she didn't look well. I figured it was only a matter of time.

Congrats Beth.

I think only someone playing this game can understand that.

Man, it seems that famous people have been dropping like flies this past week!

And none of them was on my list. Well I still have 345 days.

I think he must have been under contract for some production company at CBS. I think he also appeared on some of the later Archie Bunker shows.

I think he played a cab driver on All in the family.

TV Character actors to this day I think are under contract from production companies that do the same shows. On all the Law and Order franchises you see a lot of the same actors playing roles in all those shows.

Is Heath Ledger on anybodys list?

I don't think so. He wasn't one of the out of control young hollywood stars. If he was it would have been as a joke.

His body is still warm for chrissakes! (No, I checked already)

No.

Just checking.

If you're that interested, you should've joined.

My bad..

For the record, the lists are on the top of Page 6 of this thread

I was shocked to hear about Heath Ledger. I had only seen him in "The Patriot", but damn, what a shame.

Who would have thought? That's why, as sad as it is, as far as this list goes, there will always be some person/people like this who shock the hell out you when they die.

TIS

His death makes me sad! I was really enjoying the path he was taking in Hollywood by playing strange roles. He was a great young actor.

So now when someone dies we are no longer going to have the usual topic and string of RIP'S? Only a few of us got into this, but now someone dies and everyone takes this personally.

There is a thread on Heath's death in the TV/Movies section.

No, as Beth mentioned, there should still be the usual R.I.P. threads. I'd think this thread would be of interest to only those actually playing in the game.

Don't worry, dt, I'm sure you'll get a few confirmed kills this year. We've only gone through 6% of the year so far.

I did a quick check the other day and Geoff's two WWI survivors are still kicking. I found myself doing a Sollozzo imitation and yelling, "They're still alive!??! 109 years old and they're still alive!??!"

I'm rooting for these tough old bastards to survive the year, mostly because I didn't think to include them in my list. Also, I'll feel bad if Ernest Borgnine dies because I meant to include him, but must have forgotten.

Me too. I guarantee they'll be on my list next year, though.

I'll be happy if I just get 1 right.

There are actually currently 23 of them (15 are verified) -- for some reason I didn't pick the oldest one (who's 111), but picked 3 by gut (which is never right)...

Chin up. James Arness will be gone by Labor Day.

No one had Christian Brando either. I think Geoff went the wrong way. Instead of picking old people who should have picked young ones.

Yeah Beth, that's how it is going lately huh?

I feel very old all of a sudden. Although, Christian was older than me, so perhaps I have a few years left.

I feel very guilty playing this game. For years they ran these dead pools where I worked and I REFUSED to play them.

Now I decide to play it here this year, and I am feeling very guilty.

Over the past two weks or so, with all the famous personality deaths that have taken place, when I hear of a death I find myself wondering if anyone of us had that person on their list. It's almost as though the news and realization of the person's death is an after thought.

I don't know if I can continue playing this game.

You better move to New York FAST.

I feel pissed that I don't have any of these people on my list.

I'm so bad.

Faster than a New York minute.

Don't you mean New Yawk minute?

Since I've been told I'm not a New Yorker I guess I'm not allowed to say that.

Now who would tell you such a terrible thing?

Man, after seeing him tonight on The SAG awards I'm upset I don't have Charles Durning on my list. He's not looking too good.

Look it's only January and we've already lost Suzanne Pleshette, Heath Ledger, Brando's Son (first name escapes me at the moment), and I just know I'm missing a couple more.

TIS

Christian Brando.

Brad Renfro died. Klyd got his Mt.Everest climber too. I think I heard there was some Character Actor who died in the avalanche in California today, can't recall who that was.

Right??

He's such a classy guy... nice speech!

Christopher Allport is the character actor who died in the avalanche. Here is the link to his IMDB page. I can't find anything with photos of him though.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0021597/

Can't say I know him, but he has quite a resume'. Looks like he appeared on a whole lot of tv shows. I might know his face if I saw a picture, but the name doesn't ring a bell.


TIS

Every page I come up with that has his listed says "photo unavailable." I guess people who've watched any of the shows he was on might recognize the character's names.

This should be him, from a 1994 episode of X-Files:

Cant' say I've seen him in anything. That pictures 13 years old, so maybe I'll recognize him in a more recent picture. With all the work he's done I'm sure I've seen him in something.

Damn, your good Geoff. How the heck did you find a picture so quickly????

Anyway, the face does look familiar. Probably a character actor that we are all familiar with but don't know by name. (evidently)

TIS

Geoff has the down low on the info. He's a made man after all.

It sure is refreshing to hear that for a change!

At first I thought he was Jeff Conaway from Grease and the tv show Taxi.

Looks like Geoff, Mig and SC got on the scoreboard with Gordon Hinckley. RIP

Good going guys. I have no idea who Gordon was.

RIP!

He was the leader of the Mormon Church and was 97 years old.

Thanks for the heads-up, klyd.

Geoff's strategy of picking old folks finally paid off for him.

Now Cardi and TIS have to get their point.

We'll put in a good vibe for Eli Wallach passing on for you.

I scored RIP Gordon I don't even feel happy about it.

Is he ill??


Who is Gordon Hinckley?


TIS

Not that I know of. But there's always hope.

As SC stated above Gordon was the leader of the mormon church.

NO DEAD FOR YOU!




dt has to break his cherry, too.

Im saving it for Ms. Right.

Would that be Betty Ford, Lena Horne or Britney Spears? They're all on your list.

A gentleman never tells.

No. A gentleman just wishes they'd drop dead so he can score.

The SAG had a nice memoriam of entertainers/actors that died the past year (i think):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBxnNrzHGqA

That is a nice touch when award shows do that.

I'm still at zero right? Or did I miss something?

It seems they just tacked on Heath Ledger at the end after the fade out -- at first I thought they forgot about him! Apparently they couldn't be bothered adding him in w/ the music

That pisses me off. I kept hearing how they were gonna "honor" Heath at the SAGS. I didn't stay up for the whole thing. I'm glad I didn't stay up later just to see a little thing of him at the end.

I think one of my all-time favorite actors, Daniel Day-Lewis, made up for that error:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-r5DlfrtZRM

Ooops.... mea culpa. I'm sorry, Blibble, you still have your cherry, too.

Darn...

"Margaret Truman Daniel, the only child of former President Harry Truman who was known for her series of crime novels, died on Tuesday in Chicago at age 83, the Truman Library said."

Is that "darn" because you loved her novels and you'll miss her? Or, is it "darn" I didn't have her on my Dead Pool list?

I really didn't realize she was Trumans' daughter until I heard a piece on the radio about it today though on NPR. The announcer went on to say that she evidently tried her hand at singing and some critic or reporter/reviewer did NOT give her a good review. Truman wrote him a letter and told him, "I'd like to meet you some day because I want to break your nose."

Gee Harry Truman...he was President when I was born. I don't remember a thing about him though, honest.

TIS

My money's on the latter.

That incident with Harry Truman got a lot of press. Harry was really miffed. Margaret, I believe, actually sang at Carnegie Hall.

I remember her as a writer though. She wrote a series of whodunnits, the titles of which all started with "Murder at..." and ended with various D.C. locations or landmarks, like the White House, Georgetown or the National Cathedral. I think I read most of them. They weren't masterpieces, but they were interesting and well written.

She's not a celebrity, but "Jethro Bodine's" girlfriend killed herself.

Maybe she thought she was shooting at some food.

(That was in poor taste, I know. I'll slap myself for that one).

The 30-year-old girlfriend of 70-year-old Max Baer, Jethro Bodine of "The Beverly Hillbillies," died Sunday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Lake Tahoe, Calif.

According to a sheriff's spokesman, Baer called 9-1-1 at 1:15 PM last Thursday after discovering Chere Rhodes unconscious in a bedroom, suffering from a gunshot wound. She apparently regained consciousness and told deputies she was trying to kill herself. A handwritten suicide note found at the scene confirmed that, cops said.

Rhodes was flown to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno where she was placed on life-support. Her condition did not improve and she died Sunday after her family requested she be taken off life-support.

No foul play is suspected.

Granny could have fixed her up with possum belly and hog renderins.

Last I heard, Jethro was operating a resort with a Beverly Hillbilly theme.

I heard something like that too, although it's been several years since I heard that Max Baer wss thinking of making a casino in Vegas with the Hillbilly theme. I assumed it died out.

TIS

I've got dibbs on Artie Lang, Richard Widmark, Gloria Stewart from Titanic, Britney Spears and Sidney Lummett.

For anyone who's a long time viewer of General Hospital the actress who played Laura's sister Amy died.

RIP!

http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/02/god-pages-nurse-vining-to-heaven/

We've got a month under the belt for 2008 and only a measly handful of "kills".

Maybe a Tsunami will hit.

I'm hoping for a 9.0 Los Angeles earthquake to eliminate as much of Hollywood as possible. I have to score at least one point that way.

That would make us ALL winners then.

Not from where I stand. I'm not in Hollywood, but close enough for a 9.0 to affect me.



TIS

We'll all win, I just don't want to get skunked.

Well, maybe just a 5.5. Specifically aimed at all the night spots the young starlets hang out at.

Oh, well only a 5.5!! Bring it on then. I can handle that.

TIS

In case anyone hasn't heard.....

Actor Barry Morse, who played a detective pursuing the wrongly accused Dr. Richard Kimble in 1960s TV series "The Fugitive," has died, his son said Tuesday. He was 89.


Anyone happen to have him?

Nobody had him.

RIP!!

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi dies

Did anybody have him?

The List is on Page 6... klydon got his second kill and takes the lead

BINGO!

48 to go.

The article about his death says he was thought to be 91. I actually thought he was about 98. This guy hit his peak in the mid-7os. I remember him on the Merv Griffin Show, sitting on the chair barefoot with his legs folded.

I just heard about Barry Morse. Gee, I'll remember him most as Girard, the guy after Richard Kimble. He made me so mad. Too bad.

I didn't hear about the Mahrishi. I didn't have him on my list, but I have Ravi Shankar, for whatever good that does me.

TIS

How'd I ever get suckered into playing against a lawyer. TWO lawyers, no less. (They have some sort of deal with the devil).

Well, as the REAL Yogi once said, "It ain't over 'til its over".

I posted this on January 10. I was off by 3 days. Let's see how close I am with Ariel Sharon.

I'll stick with my pick for Ariel Sharon by the Ides. And, Earl Butz, don't laugh...I predict that the Easter Bunny won't be coming to you this year.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't do this to me. SC already let it slip that Santa Clause was dead.

How can you not laugh at that name?

(trying to decode that)

If the Yogi sees his shadow there's six more weeks of coma??

Actually, if Yogi sees his shadow, he will have six more weeks of stealing picnic baskets with Boo Boo at Jellystone Park.

Geoff picking the oldies has paid off.

TAMPA, Fla. - Harry Richard Landis, who enlisted in the Army in 1918 and was one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, has died. He was 108.

Landis, who lived at a Sun City Center nursing home, died Monday, according to Donna Riley, his caregiver for the past five years. He had recently been in the hospital with a fever and low blood pressure, she said.

"He only took vitamins and eye drops, no other medication," Riley said Wednesday. "He was 108 and a healthy man. That's why all of this was sudden and unexpected. He was so full of life."

The remaining U.S. veteran is Frank Buckles, 107, of Charles Town, W.Va., according the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, John Babcock of Spokane, Wash., 107, served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war.

Another World War I vet, Ohioan J. Russell Coffey, died in December at 109. The last known German World War I veteran, Erich Kaestner, died New Year's Day at 107.

Landis trained as a U.S. Army recruit for 60 days at the end of the war and never went overseas. But the VA counts him among the 4.7 million men and woman who served during the Great War.

The last time all known U.S. veterans of a war died was Sept. 10, 1992, when Spanish-American War veteran Nathan E. Cook passed away at age 106.

In an interview with The Associated Press in April in his Sun City Center apartment, Landis recalled that his time in the Student Army Training Corps involved a lot of marching. VA records show his entry date into the service was Oct. 14, 1918.

"I don't remember too much about it," said Landis, who enlisted while in college in Fayette, Mo., at age 18. "We went to school in the afternoon and drilled in the morning."

They often drilled in their street clothes.

"We got our uniforms a bit at a time. Got the whole uniform just before the war ended," Landis said. "Fortunately, we got our great coats first. It was very cold out there.

He told reporters in earlier interviews that he spent a lot of time cleaning up a makeshift sick ward and caring for recruits sickened by an influenza pandemic.

When asked whether he had wanted to get into the fight, Landis said, "No."

When the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Landis recalled a final march with his unit.

"We went down through the girls college, marching down the street. We got down to the courthouse square and there was a wall around this courthouse. We got to the wall and (the drill instructor) didn't know what to do and we were hup, two, three, four, hup, two, three, four," Landis said, laughing at the memory. "Finally, we jumped up on the wall and kept going until we got to the courthouse — hup, two, three, four — and he said dismissed."

He said he and some fellow recruits piled into a car to go to the next town.

"What we did there, why we were there, I couldn't tell you," Landis said.

He signed up to fight the Germans again in 1941, but at age 42 was rejected as too old.

"I registered, but that's all there was to it," Landis said.

"I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Landis," said LeRoy Collins Jr., executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. "He was the last World War I-era veteran in Florida, and with his passing we say goodbye to a generation."

Landis was born in 1899 in Marion County, Mo.

After the war, he was a manager at S.S. Kresge Co., which later became Kmart, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Dayton, Ohio. His fondest memory was taking golf vacations with three friends and their families, a tradition that ended more than five decades ago with the death of his best friend.

"We really looked forward to getting our old foursome together and going somewhere for a couple of weeks," Landis said. "Sadly, my favorite best friend lived until he was only 60 years old. We were like brothers. We could talk about business, serious things and we could act like a couple of kids."

Landis retired to Florida's warmer climate in 1988 and lived in an assisted living center with his wife of 30 years, Eleanor.

His first wife, Eunice, died after 46 years of marriage. Landis had no children. He said he enjoyed a good game of golf until his health kept him off the course.

Landis laughed when asked the secret to his longevity.

"Just keep swinging," he said.

Sonuvabitch couldn't last out the year??

Thanx for the heads-up, Beth.

Geoff is now tied with klydon (with two kills).

Of all the news journalists I have on my list John McWethy isn't one of them.

Former ABC Reporter John McWethy dies in skiing accident.

John Fleetwood McWethy (1947 - February 6, 2008), was a former American print and television journalist, best known as a correspondent for ABC News.

McWethy attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1969. In 1970, he graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

McWethy began his career as a print journalist. He wrote for U.S. News & World Report for seven years, starting as a science editor in 1972, before becoming the magazine's White House correspondent in 1977.

McWethy joined ABC News in 1979. He served as the network's National Security Correspondent from 1985 until his retirement in 2003, covering the military, terrorism, diplomacy, and intelligence. He was in the Pentagon when it was struck by a hijacked passenger plane, American Airlines Flight 77, during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

For his work with ABC News, McWethy received several awards, including five Emmy awards, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and an Overseas Press Club award in 1987. [1] He was granted an honorary doctorate degree from DePauw in 2003.

Though he retired in 2003, McWethy continued to serve as a Special Correspondent for ABC News until 2006. Starting in 2005, he served as a Senior Advisor to the United States Army Command and General Staff College. On August 11, 2004, he moderated the first of several "News and Terrorism: Communicating in a Crisis" workshops, a joint program presented by the National Academies of Engineering, the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

McWethy died on February 6, 2008 at Keystone Resort in Colorado in a skiing accident. Witnesses reported he was skiing fast, missed a turn, and struck a tree, suffering blunt force trauma to his chest. He is survived by a wife and two adult children.

I feel guilty now

You should. That guy was huffing and puffing along at 108, until you put the hex on him. He probably could have lived to be 111.

I thought my list would be safe... y'know, the whole Anti-Jinx™ thing. I guess it was an Anti-Anti-Jinx™

Don't worry about it Geoffy.

Just entered this thread for the first time since it began. What do you guys have against poor Kirk Douglas?

I love him, but he's 156 years old.

But with him on Geoff's list he won't live to be 157.

Kirk Douglas does not live to see the new year.

Kirk Douglas is so old that the hole in his chin has wrinkles.

And dust comes out.

Roy Sheider was unexpected to everyone...

I thought for sure someone had him. That's bad news for him...and even worse news for us.....

David Groh dies

The only show I remember him on was Rhoda. RIP

For some reason I remember his name well. I only really knew Dvid Groh from Rhoda, although I've seen him on Law & Order more recently. Too bad. I hadn't seen him for a while and didn't know he was ill. Too bad.


TIS

RIP, but he could not save Rhoda....an awful show imho

Yea, Rhoda was just perfect as the sidekick. I loved her off the wall comments. One of my favorites was when she was putting a piece of chocolate in her mouth. She says, "I don't know why I am putting this in my mouth. I should just apply it directly to my hips."

As far as Groh goes, I think the writers thought it was a good idea for Rhoda to marry (and get a show), but you're right, he didn't do anything for Rhoda unfortunately.

TIS

He played a Joel Steinberg like character on LAW AND ORDER last year. He looked terrible. Well, now I guess I know why.

RIP

Looks like our fearless groundhog, klydon, has an inside line to the grim reaper. Earl Butz died February 2nd.

Also, author Phyllis Whitney (picked by Geoff and Mig) died on February 8th.

Great news following, bunkies!

Geoff, klydon, Mig and I all scored on Butz.

The standings as of right now:

Geoff - 4
klydon - 3
Mignon - 3
SC - 2
Beth - 1
Blibble - 0
DC - 0
dontomasso - 0
TIS - 0

So, what you're saying is that so far DC, dontomasso, TIS and myself and the only ones not going to hell right?

Not at all. I'm saying you four can't pick a dead guy worth a shit.

I'm such a loser. You guys are all cheaters. I'm not gonna play with you anymore.


I woke up this morning and see Fidel Castro's name on the headline banner. First thing I thought of, is he on my Dead Pool list? Then I see he only resigned, which is just as well, as I don't believe he's on my list.


TIS

We are letting the sprint horses set a fast early pace. Wait till the home stretch!

Yea, wait til later in the year. They're gonna drop like flies.


TIS

I nailed the Maharishi for February, and gave the kiss of death to Earl Butz, but Ariel Sharon is still hanging on. My next prediction is that Billy Graham won't be playing any April Fools jokes.

12% of the year has passed (not to mention 5 different personalities). Don't you think its time you walked out of the starting gate?

way to go Geoff 4 people not bad.

I didn't even know those people I picked passed. RIP

Yeah, I just found out today about earl Butz, and SC said he died on 2/2.

If you get another kill before the end of February I'm gonna demand you be tested for steroid use.

B.B. King. Book it.

I know it's early yet, but I'm averaging one every 12.5 days

IF you were to keep up that pace, you'd end up with 29 kills by the end of the year. That would be EXTREMELY unlikely.

...my youngest pick is Ali (65)... all the rest are 78+, and most in their 90's+... I think I'll do okay

(Jinx™ )

Unless I overlooked no one had William Buckley on their list.

Thats correct... nobody had him. We played it too conservatively on this conservative.

I met him a few times. My old law firm used to represent "National Review" (which he published), and he came up to the office regularly.

And just to show how odd I am, aside from thinking of our friends in England when I listened to the news this morning, when they talked about Buckley's passing, my first thought was, "Who had him in the Dead Pool??"

We can never escape the BB.

He's playing the House of Blues in Atlantic City in March. Should I tell him?

No need. He won't be there. tick, tick, tick...

32 hours, 32 minutes to go. B.B., be gone.

Stop it! You morbid bastards are freakin' me out!

Sounds like MaryCas bought tickets to see BB King in AC.

Actually I saw him this past summer. He was 81 then and needed help walking onto the stage. He sat in his chair and played the blues. The guy never stops touring. He may beat you guys this year.

I hope so. But final victory belongs ultimately to the Angel of Death. (I saw it on the Twilight Zone).

I'm going to see James Taylor on June 14. I hope he's not on anyone's list.

Wow, talk about a flashback. I remember having (probably his first??) album on 8 Track. I don't remember the title, but it had "Fire & Ran" (?). He was very popular back in the 70's. One of the few "mellow" sounds I use to listen to. Enjoy the concert MC. Btw, what happened to all his hair???

TIS

Well if he is stil breathing on June 9 -- I will be happy as that is when I will be seeing him (well along with thousands of others) at his conceert at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City.

After that, well if anyone has them on their list -- he's all yours Sorry MaryCas

Its now March and BB King is still alive.

He's still alive.... klyd hit him with 5 picks and he's still alive. [/Sollozzo imitation]

The klibosh is now on klyd!!

Most of you probably won't know of him by name, nor is he on anyone's list, but Mike Smith from the Dave Clark Five, top British group of the 60's passed away. Next to the Beatles, Stones, I loved the DC5 (as they were known). I remember seeing their one movie, "Catch Us If You Can". although Dave Clark was the "handsome" one, I always did like Mike Smith and although not all memorable songs, I did like the group. RIP

TIS

Mike Smith

That's bad news for me.

William F. Buckley Jr. dies at 82 (no one had him)

I am suprised no one had him. I considered it actually, but ended up nixing the idea. See, what the hell do I know??? I'm doing so well here so far.


TIS

Apparently he died on Wednesday, but I just heard now somehow... lol

You haven't been following the boards closely.

I was going to include him, but trimmed him from my list because I knew he kept himself fit. He was active and was a yachtsman.

You should know better, the people who drink, smoke, eat what they want, etc live longer. Look at Keith Richards.

Does anyone have Hillary? Do assasinations count?

Assassinations always count, but they are discouraged.

Except for Osama bin Laden.

Right now I'm listening to Bluesville on XM radio. An interview with B.B. King. He sounds pretty strong. He says he feels great. He'll be 83 this year.

You hope. tick, tick, tick...

Sci-fi guru Arthur C. Clarke dies

+1 for me

My strategy seems to be paying off so far... the ages of my 5 "kills" so far have been 90, 97, 98, 104, 108

[picks]

Way to go, angel of death! Another solo-hit for you.

Dunno if any of you read his stuff, but he wrote some great fiction!!

I only thought of Arthur C. Clarke when the guy from the Dave Clark 5 died.

Good call, Geoff.

I've given up on B.B. King dying this year. If he's still playing clubs, he's not quite ready to die.

A friend of mine is in a death pool where points are awarded not for the number of kills, but rather your score is the difference between 100 and the age of the decedent. For instance if Clark was 94, Geoff would get 6 points. If the decedent died at 40, you'd get 60. I prefer our way.

Good job grim reaper!!

At the rate I'm going, I'll be able to resubmit my 2008 list in 2009.

You are all a bunch of ghouls.

Thats an interesting way. It would stop people like Geoff from sticking his voodoo pins into old people.

He would actually lose points for the WWI vets.

Ivan Dixon, the black guy from HOGAN'S HEROES, is dead. He was 76.

Nobody from our group had him.

He also played a washed-up boxer in an episode of the Twilight Zone.

British actor Paul Scofield died at age 86. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1966. He was an excellent actor, who maintained a low profile.

Paul Aspinall, road manager to the Beatles, is dead at 66.

Doesn't help me. The only guy working with the Beatles that I have (besides the Maharishi, who died earlier this year) is Hurricane Smith.

UPDATE:

I just mentioned Hurricane Smith to a colleague, who told me that he read that the producer/singer died earlier this month. Can anyone confirm this death for me?

He died March 3rd.

He was perhaps best known for his 1970s version of "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say."

By the way, thanks, pizzaboy.

Bubblegum music at it's best.

Or worst.

Okay, I credited KL with Hurricane Smith.

Current Standings:


The leaders at Rotten's Dead Pool have 6, but Hurricane isn't on their list. Next year we might want to sign up there to help us keep track... [NEVER MIND: I was just adding the rest of my current list and they only allow 10 picks for the year. ] So their leaderboard with 6's and 5's is pretty good then...!

I think those who go the entire year with a consistent "O" deserve some kind of prize no??? Gee, it's already been three months and I have a big fat stupid "O". They just aren't dropping like they use to in the good ol' days.



TIS

Not any more. TIS, you broke your cherry - Richard Widmark died at age 93.

Congrats to Don Cardi (also getting his first hit), klydon (who is now tied with Geoff for the lead), Mig and TIS.

How the hell did I miss him??

Widmark was a decent actor and appeared in some good roles. My favorite role of his was his portrayal of a Navy captain in "The Bedford Incident" from the mid 60's.

Oh gee, now I feel bad. I like Richard Widmark. I missed the story on him. I always thought he was a little under rated as an actor. He was not one of my favorites, bu I liked him.

Anyway, don't know how to react.....I finally got one.


TIS

Ok, I'm not posting a thread on this, but I'm reading on another blog that Charlton Heston has died. I know he's been suffering with Alzheimer's, so it's possible, but I can't confirm yet. If so, I see Blibble and Mig both have him on their lists. I'll try to find out if it's true.


TIS

The Heston family issued the following statement:

"To his loving friends, colleagues and fans, we appreciate your heartfelt prayers and support. Charlton Heston was seen by the world as larger than life. He was known for his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and resonating voice, and, of course, for the roles he played. Indeed, he committed himself to every role with passion, and pursued every cause with unmatched enthusiasm and integrity.

We knew him as an adoring husband, a kind and devoted father, and a gentle grandfather, with an infectious sense of humor. He served these far greater roles with tremendous faith, courage and dignity. He loved deeply, and he was deeply loved.

No one could ask for a fuller life than his. No man could have given more to his family, to his profession, and to his country. In his own words, "I have lived such a wonderful life! I've lived enough for two people."

A private memorial service will be held. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Motion Picture and Television Fund:

Its being acknowledged now that he died Saturday night.

blibble breaks his cherry and now has a kill. Geoff and Mig also score as the Red Sea parter has departed.

dontomasso still has yet to pick a kill.

As of right now:
Geoff - 6
klydon - 5
Mig - 5
SC - 2
Beth - 1
blibble - 1
Don Cardi - 1
TIS - 1
dontomasso - 0

Wow that is so sad that Charlton has passed away. God speed to his family and friends.

RIP Moses

Geoff has 6 and Kly & Mig 5???? What's up with that??? You guys aren't cheating are you? You're not whacking these people on your list just so you can win?

TIS

Can't fool TIS.

Didn't you say you shot an AK 47 on Friday? What day did Heston die? Why, you little gun toter you!!

TIS

Btw, welcome back Mig!!

Thanks TIS.

I must have a good scope on the Col's gun and good aim to reach him.

I didn't even wanna play this morbid game, and all of a sudden when you look at the list it's like I'm an expert prognosticator of death!

Now they can pry his rifle from his cold, dead hand.

Damn, Beth, you stole my line. After everybody's picks were made, I kicked myself for having forgotten Heston.

Albert Hoffman, the creator of LSD, has taken his final trip. He died at the age of 102.

Congrats to Geoff and Mig for getting the kill.

Geoff now leads the pack with 7 kills and Mig is in second place with six.

(I had picked him on my list for 2007 but didn't add him on this year's list ).

How do you people know who the creator of LSD is?

Obviously not me as I continue my 0 kills for the year.

Why do I feel a tiny bit of excitement when this thread is bumped? Is that wrong?

No it's not wrong. I admit I still feel all aflutter when I see this thread pop up. I look online to see who died and if I had them.

I feel bad for being in second place.

I must not have any scruples then because I'm upset I only have one hit.

Ha ha! I know what you mean. It's hard to know how to feel, but when I saw this thread "bumped" I did say to myself, "who died that I didn't hear about?"

Beth don't feel bad cause I only have scratched off my list too.

TIS

There's no need to feel bad for someone, who lived for 102 years. In life he gave the world LSD; in death he gave Geoff a bigger lead and Mig sole possession of second place.

ANyone have Eddy Arnold?

TIS does. Did he kick the bucket??