Dead Pool 2009 - March Update

March turned out to be a reasonably quiet month, although there were a few celebrity deaths all the more tragic for their unexpectedness.

On the 18th actress Natasha Richardson died at the age of 45 following a skiing accident in Canada. Daughter of the legendary Vanessa Redgrave and granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave, Richardson was the product of great acting stock but still a respected star of stage and screen in her own right.

On the 22nd reality TV star Jade Goody died of cervical cancer at the age of 27. After becoming famous as a UK Big Brother housemate in 2002, Goody turned what could have (and arguably should have) been fleeting notoriety into a lucrative career, and had the cameras rolling right up to the moment of her death. Expect a somewhat macabre documentary to be released very soon.

Finally, the 29th saw the death of US actor Andy Hallett at the age of 33. Best known as the singing demon Lorne in the TV series Angel, Hallett suffered heart failure as a result of cardiomyopathy contracted soon after finishing his stint on Angel.

A tragic month it was, but the score for our contestants is still nil-all.

Stay tuned for next month’s update.

Dead Pool 2009 – February Update

We’re now two months into 2009 and while we’re yet to see any movement in the scoreboard, it’s been another interesting month.

On the 3rd American graphic designer Ben Blank passed away at the age of 87. You know when a newsreader has a graphic over their shoulder representing the story? Yeah. Well this guy invented that. Seriously.

And while we’re talking obscure technological references on the 4th Mark Shepherd, chairman of Texas Instruments, passed away at the age of 86. (Note that he should not be confused with Mark Sheppard, the actor who played Badger on Firefly and Romo Lampkin on Battlestar Galactica. As far as I’m aware he’s fine).

The 7th, which has since been dubbed Black Saturday, saw the worst Australian bushfires in living memory. The fires claimed the lives of over 200 people, including actor Reg Evans at 80 and and legendary newsreader Brian Naylor at 78.

Also on the 7th we farewelled scientist Jack Cover, inventor of the Taser. There’s probably a joke in there, but it would probably be in poor taste. So I won’t.

The 16th saw the death of of Dorothy Bridges, wife of the late Lloyd and mother of actors Beau and Jeff.

On the 20th we had not one, but two famous animal deaths, with Australian racehorse Fine Cotton (of the infamous Fine Cotton Scandal) shuffled off to the glue factory at 31, and former First Cat Socks Clinton sent off to greet the great Ceiling Cat at the age of 19.

The 20th also saw the death of Irish author Christopher Nolan. Again, he should not to be confused with the UK-born director of The Dark Knight, who is also probably fine. As far as I know.

And finally on the 25th we farewelled science fiction author Philip José Farmer at the age of 91. Farmer was a writer with a prolific output and a man who knew better than to let the niceties of grammar and sentence structure get in the way of telling a rip-snorting story.

 

And that wraps it up for February. Keep watching those obituary columns and stay tuned for next month’s update.

Dead Pool 2009 – January Update

We’re just one month into the new year and while we’re yet to see any score in the pool, we’ve already seen some serious mortality.

The year started on a tragic note, with the announcement on the 2nd that Jett Travolta, the son of sometime actor and noted Scientologist John, had died at the tender age of 16.

On the 6th John Scott Martin, the world’s longest-serving Dalek operator (rolling around in one of those things from 1965 to 1988) passed away at the age of 83.

Also on the 6th, Apple boss Steve Jobs declined to deliver the Macworld keynote address, throwing the rumour mill into overdrive and prompting this very tasteless (albeit very funny) cartoon on xkcd.

(And that mill continues to turn, with the announcement on the 15th that Mr. Jobs will be taking extended sick leave until June. Hmmm.)

The 13th and 14th saw an unfortunate classic actor double-bill, with the respective deaths of The Prisoner Patrick McGoohan at age 80, and Fantasy Island (and occasional Star Trek) star Ricardo Montalbán at age 88.

On the 16th we farewelled Sir John Mortimer, creator of the modern legal drama with his classic grumpy barrister Rumpole of the Bailey.

On the 25th Kim Manners, director of many, many episodes of modern classic The X-Files and modern classic wannabe Supernatural, passed away at 58.

Finally, on the 27th we farewelled American author John Updike, a man who tragically lived to see his classic novel The Witches of Eastwick go from a great book to a passable film to a dodgy stage musical.

And that wraps it up for January. Stay tuned for further updates.

Welcome to Celebrity Dead Pool 2009

As the title suggests, it’s time for Celebrity Dead Pool 2009.

Thanks to all those who have entered. It’s shaping up to be an interesting year, with 18 entries and 126 unique nominees.

Like last year, posts on the Dead Pool can be quickly accessed using the link on the right-hand sidebar. I’ve also added a link for quick reference to the rules and to last year’s competition.

And so without further ado, here are the 2009 nominations:

Amanda Clint Eastwood Queen Elizabeth II Hugh Hefner Paul Hogan Barry Humphries Lindsay Lohan Diego Maradona Katie Price O.J. Simpson Amy Winehouse	Benn Bea Arthur Mercedes Corby Derryn Hinch Joseph Jackson La Toya Jackson Michael Jackson Magic Johnson Mickey Rooney Eric Sykes Carl Williams
Cath Muhammad Ali Richard Attenborough Ernest Borgnine Fidel Castro Joan Collins Kirk Douglas Zsa Zsa Gabor Jerry Lewis Lindsay Lohan Dick Van Dyke	Debbie Muhammad Ali Tony Bennett Fidel Castro Kirk Douglas Peaches Geldof Larry Hagman Les Paul Lou Richards JD Salinger Margaret Thatcher
Eliza Muhammad Ali Fidel Castro Zsa Zsa Gabor Hazel Hawke Michael Jackson Courtney Love Liza Minelli Bert Newton Keith Richards Amy Winehouse	Emmy John Cleese Zac Efron Katie Holmes Joseph Jackson Chloe Lattanzi Joanna Lumley Natalie Portman John So Allegra Versace John Wood
Greg Christina Amphlett Julie Andrews Miley Cyrus Blanche D'Alpuget Judi Dench Hazel Hawke Elton John Solomon Lew Liza Minelli Jessica Origliasso	Jarrod Richie Benaud Gary Coleman Phyllis Diller Kirk Douglas Zsa Zsa Gabor John Goodman Charles Manson John McCain Nancy Reagan Elizabeth Taylor
Jill Akihito, Emperor of Japan Ernest Borgnine Kirk Douglas Angela Lansbury Liza Minelli Peter O'Toole Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Nancy Reagan Britney Spears Gough Whitlam	Kate Natalie Cole Jeff Conaway Paul Gascoigne Corey Haim Robert Mugabe Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Joaquin Phoenix Nancy Reagan Elizabeth Taylor Allegra Versace
Kylie Pamela Anderson Osama Bin Laden Fidel Castro Pete Doherty Queen Elizabeth II Hugh Hefner Curtis Jackson Nancy Reagan Keith Richards Amy Winehouse	Paul Antonio Banderas Johnny Depp Harrison Ford Rachel Griffiths Katie Holmes John Howard Bill Hunter Dannii Minogue Geoffrey Rush Elizabeth Taylor
Rob George H. W. Bush Doris Day Clint Eastwood Queen Elizabeth II Michael Jackson John Laws Barack Obama Mary-Kate Olsen Keith Richards Elizabeth Taylor	Russell Pamela Anderson Fidel Castro Doris Day Farrah Fawcett Rudolph Giuliani Michael Jackson Margaret Thatcher Steven Tyler Gough Whitlam Margaret Whitlam
Sarah Bryce Courtenay Lindsay Fox Bob Hawke Nathan Hudson Di Morrissey Mary-Kate Olsen Michael Parkinson Margaret Thatcher Gene Wilder Terry Wogan	Shannon Zelman Cowen Blake Fielder-Civil Annette Funicello Mikhail Gorbachev Val Jellay Kim Jong-Il Bert Newton Jackie Stallone Elizabeth Taylor Gough Whitlam
Toby Lily Allen Richie Benaud George W. Bush Cher Dawn French Natalie Imbruglia Stevie Nicks Keith Richards John Symond Amy Winehouse	Ty Ronnie Biggs Fidel Castro Kirk Douglas Clive Dunn Michael Jackson Shia LaBeouf Marilyn Manson Joaquin Phoenix Elizabeth Taylor Charles 'Bud' Tingwell

2008 Celebrity Dead Pool Wrap-Up

Well, that’s it for 2008.

It only remains to see what happened in December, announce the 2008 winners and then roll on in to 2009.

So first things first.

On December 4th Forrest J. Ackerman, magazine editor, writer, collector and science fiction super-nerd passed away at the age of 92. A friend of the sci-fi fan community since long before it was cool (wait . . . is it cool yet?) he will be sadly missed.

On the 8th TV director Bob Spiers died at the age of 63. Spiers was known for his work on just about every famous British sitcom you can think of: Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers, The Goodies, French and Saunders, Bottom and Absolutely Fabulous. He also directed Spice World, but we’ll let that one slide.

On the 11th the world lost the iconic Bettie Page at the age of 85. Page was a pioneer of fetish and BDSM modelling back when it all seemed so charmingly innocent, or at least that’s the way they make it look in the movies. It probably wasn’t. Still, it inspired her to become a Baptist missionary so . . . I’m not sure where I’m going with this. I’ll stop there.

On the 18th Majel Barrett, the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry passed away at the age of 76. Majel appeared in every incarnation of Star Trek, most notably as Lwaxana Troi in Deep Space Nine and as the voice of the onboard computer in each series.

On the 24th Nobel laureate and outspoken playwright Harold Pinter passed away at the age of 78. Known as much for his political views as for his plays, Pinter’s particular brand of scathing commentary on world politics will be deeply missed.

And finally on the 25th Eartha Kitt, comedienne, singer, actress, gay icon and everyone’s favourite catwoman passed away at the age of 81. If only Halle Berry had paid a little more attention.

And thus ends the 2008 Celebrity Dead Pool, with the final scores standing as follows:

Spoon (a.k.a Rob) 17
Kate 16

With no second prizes, Rob wins the day and the double pass to Village Cinema Gold Class.

Congratulations!

One week to go

Christmas is just around the corner, which means there’s only one week left to get your entries in for the

2009 Celebrity Dead Pool !

Entries are flooding in already, you can read all the rules here and email me with your nominations at ilikeportello@gmail.com.

Don’t delay!

Get Ready for Celebrity Dead Pool 2009!

With just three weeks remaining of 2008, we're on the downhill run for the 2008 Celebrity Dead Pool, which means . . .

It's time to start thinking about who's going to be dropping off the perch in 2009 !

We've had a some surprising celebrity deaths this year, and you can bet your last dog-eared copy of Who magazine that 2009 will be no exception.

The only question is . . . can YOU pick a winner?

Just like the 2008 Celebrity Dead Pool, the game is very simple.

Simply nominate a list of 10 celebrities you believe are not long for this world, and submit them to me before 12am on 1 January 2009.

You can email your nominations to me at ilikeportello@gmail.com.

And that's it! From then on it's just a ghoulish waiting game.

Entry is free and the prize once again will be a double pass to Village Cinema Gold Class.

And finally there are, of course, some rules.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Scoring

1. The score awarded for a correctly predicted death will be equal to 100 minus Age at Date of Death.

2. A person's "age" will be defined as their Age Last Birthday. This figure is incremented at the instant of 12am on the date of the person's birthday. This means that if a person dies on their birthday, their age is taken as the age they had just become that day.

3. If a person is over the age of 100 at their date of death, the score will be zero.

4. In the event of dispute about a person's precise age, the issue will be investigated by the moderator (me) and a decision made based on the best available evidence. The moderator's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered in to.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Rules

1. All nominated persons must be human and must be alive as at 12am on 1 January 2009.

2. If you make a nomination and the person dies before 12am on 1 January 2009, you may substitute another name. You have 1 day's grace, and the substitution must happen before 12am on 2 January 2009.

3. Nominated persons must be famous or infamous in their own right, not (for example) because they're sick, or because they're very old, or because they're hideously and tragically deformed, or because they're about to undergo an extraordinary, ground-breaking and very risky operation.

4. For a death to be valid, it must be reported by at least one major mainstream media outlet. Examples include AP, AAP, Reuters, a major national or metropolitan newspaper or a major national or metropolitan TV network. Your blog doesn't count.

5. The death of a local celebrity will only be valid if their death is reported by a national media outlet, or by a major media outlet in another city.

6. If a nominated person is on death row or known to have a terminal illness at the start of the game, no points will be awarded if they die of the expected cause. Similarly, if a nominated person is being held hostage at the start of the game, no points will be awarded if they are killed by their captors or in a rescue attempt. Points will be awarded only if such a nominated person dies from another unrelated cause.

7. Each nomination list may have at most 10 names.

8. No name may appear on a nomination list more than once. You may, however, submit more than one list.

9. Any attempts to influence the result via homicidal acts will result in immediate disqualification.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Get your nominations in before 1 January, and good luck!

Dead Pool November Update

November was a pretty slow month for celebrity deaths.

On the 4th prolific paperback producer Michael Crichton passed away at the age of 66. His legacies include the science fiction classic Westworld, the story of an amusement park where things go horribly wrong. And science fiction classic Jurassic Park, the story of an amusement park where things go . . . wait a minute.

On the 9th Jayden Federline (aka Britney Baby II) was admitted to hospital suffering a “bad reaction” to “something” he “ingested”. Uh-huh. It turned out he was fine. Sorry, Shannon.

On the 10th legendary mathematician Kiyoshi Itō died of respiratory failure at the age of 93. This guy has a whole branch of calculus named after him which enables analysis of complicated stochastic processes like Brownian motion. This is incredibly useful in financial mathematics, but most importantly it’s one of the main components of Douglas Adams' Infinite Improbability Drive.

The 12th saw the death of Mitch Mitchell, original drummer of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. As a kind of anti-tribute to Spinal Tap and their disposable drummers, he was the last to go.

Finally, on the 29th we farewelled Jørn Utzon, the Danish architect who won an award for Norway the Sydney Opera House. There is no truth to the rumour that his funeral will be delayed because of cost overruns and poor planning.

Well, that’s it for November and the scores remain as they were last month:

Spoon 17 Kate 16

There’s only one month to go for the 2008 competition, and unless something big happens it looks like it might be Spoon’s year.

But it is the silly season, so it’s not over yet.

Dead Pool October Update

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Dead Pool September Update

The competition's heating up.

The 1st of the month was a veritable celebrity catastrophe, with no less than three notable personages dropping off the perch.

There was Australian actor Michael Pate, the first man, in a 1953 television production of Casino Royale, to play the iconic Felix Leiter.

Then there was Don LaFontaine, a man whose name you may not know but whose voice you certainly do. This was the guy famous for his narration of film trailers, particularly the way he would say "In A World . . ."

Still on the 1st, we bid farewell to television gardening presenter Kevin Heinz. I remember as a youngster turning on the TV to see Sow What, and getting annoyed because it meant The Goodies wasn't on. Cheerio, Kevin.

On the 6th silent movie star Anita Page, the last living attendee of the original 1929 Academy Awards ceremony, died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 98.

On the 15th musician Richard Wright, one of the founding members of Pink Floyd, passed away at the age of 65.

Finally, on the 26th the world lost Paul Newman; legendary actor, director, humanitarian and racing car driver. The outpouring of emotion that accompanied news of his death was huge . . . not least amongst our dead pool entrants, as a prescient tip meant that first-place holder Kate was usurped by Spoon.

The leaderboard now stands thus:

Spoon 17
Kate 16

But there's three months to go, and a lot of precarious names among the nominations. So anything could happen.

Paul Newman

Screen legend Paul Newman has passed away at the age of 83, following a long battle with cancer.

This drastically changes the leaderboard for the 2008 dead pool, with Spoon taking the lead on 17 points.

It's a close-run thing, however, with Kate coming second on 16 points.

There's still three months to go, so anything could yet happen.

Dead Pool August Update

With four months to go until the end of the year, August has been characterised by some celebrity deaths that might best be described as . . . unexpected.

On the 9th comedian Bernie Mac passed away at the age of 50, which prompted an outpouring of tributes from everyone he'd apparently ever met.

Then on the 10th musician and sometime voice-actor Isaac Hayes passed away at the age of 65. 'Shaft' to his older fans and 'Chef' to his younger fans, this prompted yet another outpouring of tributes.

On the 17th Dave Freeman, author of 100 things to do before you die, died after a fall at his home. And apparently he hadn't done all 100 of the things. Awkward.

The 27th saw the tragic death of All Saints actor Mark Priestley, who committed suicide by jumping from the window of his high-rise hotel room in Sydney's CBD.

And finally, on the 28th tech news website Bloomberg published the obituary of Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.

He wasn't actually dead, and the document was quickly withdrawn. But it was up for long enough to get copied and re-published elsewhere and it's now available all over the web for all the world to see. Have a read.

And that's it for another month. The rankings haven't changed, with Kate still leading on 16 points.

Dead Pool July Update

It's been a relatively quiet month in the celebrity mortality stakes, but we have nevertheless seen our first score for the year.

On the 3rd Larry Harmon, otherwise known as Bozo the Clown (the original one), passed away at the age of 83.

The 4th saw the death of controversial conservative US politician Jesse Helms. Apparently quite a few liberal-minded Americans saw his death as an excellent reason to set off some celebratory fireworks.

On the 7th Democratic congressman Clem McSpadden passed away at the age of 82. No particular reason to mention him, except that he wins for having the funniest name this month.

He was closely followed by Canadian ice hockey player Peanuts O'Flaherty, who passed away on the 16th at the ripe old age of 90.

On the 12th the world farewelled Olive Riley of Broken Hill. At 108, Olive was the world's oldest blogger.

And finally, Kate is now the proud owner of sixteen points having successfully tipped the legendary Estelle Getty, who sadly passed away on the 22nd at the age of 84.

Estelle Getty

Actress Estelle Getty has passed away at the age of 84.

Condolences to her family.

And 16 points for Kate.