Archive for December, 2017

Dead Pool 31st December 2017

Welcome my fellow poolers to the last edition of 2017. With a few hours left to go, unless something tragic happens, or someone spots a mistake, I can provisionally declare the winner of The Dead Pool 2017 as Martin G! I’m sure we would all like to congratulate him on his feat of prophesy! Martin correctly guessed seven deaths and accumulated a score of 586 points with his Woman still in the bag.

Also, a big well done to Laura U; last years Angel fo Death was leading for most of the year but was pipped at the end with only 17 points between her and Martin.

Finally, I hate to mention poor old Christine A at the very bottom of the table, who was the only person who failed to score this year, lets hope she gets a better streak of luck in 2018.

As per usual, I only have a handful of your lists, I assume you’re all still frantically researching your new ones and will get them to me by midnight 😀

Look Who You Could Have Had:

  • Heather Menzies, 68, Canadian-born American actress (The Sound of Music, Logan’s Run, Piranha), brain cancer.
  • Thomas Hunter, 85, American actor (The Hills Run Red, Death Walks in Laredo, The Magnificent Tony Carrera).
  • Sue Grafton, 77, American author (“B” Is for Burglar, Keziah Dane, The Lolly-Madonna War), cancer.
  • Rose Marie, 94, American actress (The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Hollywood Squares, The Doris Day Show).
  • Jim Baikie, 77, British comic book artist (Judge Dredd, Skizz, Jinty)
  • Alfie Curtis, 87, British actor (Star Wars, The Elephant Man, Cribb).

In Other News 

The sister of Australian actress Jessica Falkholt has died after a car crash which also killed their parents and another man.  Jessica is in a coma and remains in critical condition, officials have not said whether she is aware of her family’s deaths.. Falkholt, 27, appeared on TV soap Home and Away in 2016, playing the character of Hope Morrison. The accident happened on the highway near Ulladulla, New South Wales. Home and Away cast members have been sending support to the actress, who appeared in several films and TV shows. A spokesperson for Channel Seven, the Australian broadcaster of the show, said the news was difficult to comprehend and “especially tragic” given the Christmas period. Falkholt’s stint on the long-running series came to an end in November 2016. She stars in the US film Harmony, set for release next year. Motorists who witnessed the crash helped pull the sisters from the burning wreckage, local media reported. They were airlifted to Sydney hospitals. Police said the three people who died – the sisters’ parents and the 50-year-old drive of the other car – had suffered intense burns. Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy called the crash “an absolute tragedy” and pleaded for motorists in the state to drive safely. He said police were investigating whether the car which hit the Falkholts’ vehicle had been on the wrong side of the road.

In other news, there isn’t any. However tomorrow you will be treated to a massive, well researched and in depth memoriam to all the stars we said goodbye too during 2017. I promise it wont be just a copy and paste from the BBC… *ahem…

On This Day

  • 1759 – Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum and starts brewing Guinness.
  • 1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
  • 1907 – The first New Year’s Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in Manhattan.
  • 2014 – A New Year’s Eve celebration stampede in Shanghai kills at least 36 people and injures 49 others.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Eliza Dushku (37), Russ Tamblyn (90), Fred Ward (75), Tracey Ullman (58), Michael Nesmith (75), Patti Smith (71), Jude Law (45), Jon Voight (79), Ted Danson (70), Danny McBride (41), Lilly Wachowski (50), Bernard Cribbins (89), Marianne Faithfull (71), Noomi Rapace (38), Denzel Washington (63), Sienna Miller (36), Joe Manganiello (41), Maggie Smith (83), Stan Lee (95), Nichelle Nichols (85), John Amos (78), Gérard Depardieu (69), Kit Harington (31), Jared Leto (46), Shane Meadows (45), Phil Spector (78), Sissy Spacek (68), Helena Christensen (49), Annie Lennox (63), Shane MacGowan (60) and Carol Vorderman (57).

31st December 2017 | Categories: 2017 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 24th December 2017

Welcome to the penultimate edition of the 2017 Dead Pool. With one week left to go, things are really tight at the top of the league table, one death could swing the result. Those of you at the top echelon of the table should start wishing for an errant turkey bone if you want to win or perhaps we should unleash the evil flying monkeys once more, just out of spite.

Again, thank you all who have donated towards the running costs, it’s most appreciated and keep working on those lists for 2018!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

  • Sharon Laws, 43, British racing cyclist, cervical cancer.
  • Keely Smith, 89, American singer (“That Old Black Magic”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen”), Grammy winner (1959), heart failure.
  • Terence Beesley, 60, British actor (EastEnders, The Phantom of the Opera, War & Peace).
  • Bruce McCandless II, 80, American astronaut (STS-41-B).
  • Leon Bernicoff, 83, British reality show participant (Gogglebox).
  • Bob Givens, 99, American animator (Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Garfield and Friends).
  • Heather North, 71, American actress (Scooby-Doo, Days of Our Lives, The Barefoot Executive), cardiac arrest.

In Other News

Peru’s former President Alberto Fujimori has been taken from prison to a hospital because of low blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm. His doctor was quoted by local media as saying cardiologists had advised the 79-year-old needed urgent treatment. Fujimori – who was in power from 1990 to 2000 – is serving a 25-year sentence for human rights abuses. He is admired by some Peruvians for combating Maoist rebels. His critics consider him a corrupt dictator. In 2007, Fujimori was sentenced to six years in jail for bribery and abuse of power. In 2009, he was sentenced to another 25 years in prison for human rights abuses committed during his time in office, including authorising killings carried out by death squads. He has been in and out of hospital for a variety of health problems in recent years.

After years of speculation that Val Kilmer had been dealing with health issues, the actor decided to finally open up about what exactly he’s been going through. Kilmer’s two-year fight with throat cancer has “taken its toll,” he told our Dead Pool reporter, the procedure on his trachea has made his voice raspy and left him short of breath. Confusion has surrounded the state of the actor’s health since he denied Michael Douglas’s claim that he had cancer in a November 2016. Kilmer elaborated on his denial. “(Douglas) was probably trying to help me ’cause press probably asked where I was these days and I did have a healing of cancer, but my tongue is still swollen altho (sic) healing all the time,” he wrote. “Because I don’t sound my normal self yet people think I may still be under the weather.”

John McCain has been hospitalised yet again as he continues to undergo cancer treatment. “As ever, he remains grateful to his physicians for their excellent care, and his friends and supporters for their encouragement and good wishes,” McCain’s staff said in a statement on Wednesday, via The Hill. “Senator McCain looks forward to returning to work as soon as possible.” McCain, 81, is looking increasingly frail and it’s said he has not spoken up in recent GOP meetings the way he had before. One source said that McCain always used to speak up in these meetings, and that he hasn’t at all recently. The source was not commenting on McCain’s mental acuity, but on his energy level, and pointing out that his lack of participation was not normal. One well known side effect of cancer treatments is fatigue. McCain is five months into treatment for brain cancer. He was diagnosed in July with a primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumour. He underwent surgery to remove a blood clot associated with the tumour at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, and lab results from that surgery confirmed the presence of brain cancer associated with the blood clot.

On This Day

  • -01 – A cheating wife and her carpenter husband fail to book accommodation in Bethlehem. Both end up in a stable and she pushes out a baby that became the cause of most wars in history and gave the clergy and excuse to molest children on an epic scale which was only rivalled by Gary Glitter visiting Vietnam and Jimmy Savile being employed at the BBC.
  • 1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
  • 1865 – The Ku Klux Klan is formed.
  • 1913 – The Italian Hall disaster in Calumet, Michigan results in the deaths of 73 Christmas party participants (including 59 children) when someone falsely yells “fire”.
  • 1914 – World War I: The “Christmas truce” begins.
  • 1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called “Britain’s Roswell”.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Harry Shearer (74), Carla Bruni (50), Ralph Fiennes (55), Vanessa Paradis (45), Samuel L. Jackson (69), Jane Fonda (80), Kiefer Sutherland (51), Julie Delpy (48), Phil Donahue (82), Jonah Hill (34), Jenny Agutter (65), Nicole de Boer (47), Lucy Pinder (34), Jake Gyllenhaal (37), Alyssa Milano (45), Kristy Swanson (48), Jennifer Beals (54), Richard Hammond (48), Steven Spielberg (71), Brad Pitt (54), Katie Holmes (39), Ray Liotta (63), Christina Aguilera (37), Sia (42), Robson Green (53), Keith Richards (74), Bill Pullman (64), Milla Jovovich (42), Laurie Holden (48), Ernie Hudson (72), Eugene Levy (71) and Bernard Hill (73).

24th December 2017 | Categories: 2017 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 17th December 2017

Welcome all. Let’s begin with thanking everyone who has donated towards the running costs this year. You are absolutely amazing, especially from those of you who aren’t rolling in money, it’s most appreciated, especially before xmas. Still a tiny bit more to go to cover all the costs, but I realise payday is a little way away and hopefully some newbies will venture a couple of quid, who knows.

Now, let’s remind you all that you have 15 days to finalise your list for 2018, as always I’ll be panicking that nobody is taking part and you will all send them in 3 minutes before the deadline, hopefully… If you’re stuck for names, I suggest you flick through a few DeadPool.rip pages for inspiration, the birthday lists are there for a reason! 😛 And for the first time ever, you are now able to submit your entry by web form, which can be found on the website or by following this link 2018 Entry Form I know, I spoil you!

And lastly, lets award some points, Dave J correctly guessed that Spains oldest ever living person would die, thus giving him an astounding 34 points which just nudges him up to third place. So as you see, it’s all to play for!!

Look Who You Could Have Had:

  • Keith Chegwin, 60, English television presenter (Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Cheggers Plays Pop) and actor (Macbeth), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
  • Suzanna Leigh, 72, British actress (Paradise, Hawaiian Style), liver cancer.
  • Yurizan Beltran, 31, American pornographic actress, suspected drug overdose.
  • Warrel Dane, 56, American rock singer (Sanctuary, Nevermore), heart attack.
  • Ana María Vela Rubio, 116, Spanish supercentenarian, oldest Spanish person ever.
  • Heinz Wolff, 89, German-born British scientist and television presenter (The Great Egg Race), heart failure.

In Other News

Former South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has been hurt in a prison brawl, less than two weeks after his sentence for the killing of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was more than doubled. The disgraced Paralympian was  allegedly involved in a fight over the use of a public phone, a prison department spokesman told Dead Pool Towers. Pistorius, jailed for 13 years and five months, sustained a bruise, he added. No other serious injuries were reported, the spokesman said. Let it be noted that a love kiss is also classed as a bruise. “It is alleged that he was involved in an altercation with another inmate over the use of a public phone in the special care unit where both offenders are detained at Attridgeville Correctional Centre,” the spokesman, Singabakho Nxumalo, added. The department has launched an investigation, in terms of standard procedure, to “establish the facts and to ensure that appropriate action is taken as incidents of assaults are not allowed”, he said. The brawl took place on 6 December, 10 days after South African prosecutors successfully argued Pistorius’ “shockingly light” six-year sentence should be increased.

Comedian Peter Kay has cancelled all future work projects, including his stand-up tour, “due to unforeseen family circumstances”. “This decision has not been taken lightly and I’m sure you’ll understand my family must always come first,” he wrote on Twitter. Kay said he was “very sorry” and that he hoped the media and public would respect his family’s privacy. The 44-year-old was due to start his first tour in eight years next April. The star of Phoenix Nights and Car Share currently holds the record for the biggest-selling comedy tour of all time after playing to 1.2 million people in 2010 and 2011. His next tour, which had 112 dates listed in the UK and Ireland, was due to have begun in Birmingham and was scheduled to run into 2019. There was a rush for tickets when they went on sale in November. Those who successfully booked seats have been told they will get refunds from their original point of purchase. But the announcement won’t affect the final two episodes of his BBC One sitcom Car Share, which he and co-star Sian Gibson announced last month.

And finally, seventeen runners collapsed with hypothermia at a charity mud run in near-freezing temperatures. Two ambulances were called to the annual Christmas Mud Run in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, as another runner had to be stretchered off with a broken ankle.  About 200 competitors took part in the event run by Man-Up UK on Saturday. Organisers blamed near-freezing weather conditions  and poor preparation by some of the runners taking part in the four-mile race this year. Competitors had to wade through waist-high mud pits, clamber over obstacles and climb up rocky waterfalls during the race, which is in its eighth year. Man-Up UK director Fintan Godkin – himself an Ironman finisher and marathon runner – said it was the first time the charity race had seen so many casualties. “They were dropping like flies,” he said. “At the finish line, 17 people were reported to have signs of hypothermia. We immediately wrapped them in space blankets, duvets, anything we could get our hands on to keep them warm and gave them hot drinks. “Some collapsed soon after crossing the line and others were collapsing in the showers. “Of the 17, four needed further treatment from paramedics who arrived in two ambulances. One had to be taken to hospital because her blood pressure had dropped very low, but she was discharged from Withybush Hospital later that evening.” Mr Godkin said the runner who broke her ankle had fallen badly as she approached a 20-ft (6.1m) slide near the start of the course. He said temperatures on the day were between 4C and 7C. “Not as cold as some years and certainly not cold enough for us to have considered cancelling.” Mr Godkin added: “In eight years, we’ve had 1,750 competitors and this is the first time we’ve had to call an ambulance, I’ve never seen so many snowflakes in my life.”

On This Day

  • 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
  • 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs.
  • 1989 – The Simpsons first premieres on television with the episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”.
  • 2003 – The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Miranda Otto (50), Christopher Biggins (69), Charlie Cox (35), Helen Slater (54), Don Johnson (68), Garrett Wang (49), Vanessa Hudgens (29), Natascha McElhone (48), Miranda Hart (45), Ginger Lynn (55), Ted Raimi (52), Vicki Michelle (67), Christopher Plummer (88), Steve Buscemi (60), Dick Van Dyke (92), Jamie Foxx (50), Taylor Swift (28), Jennifer Connelly (47), Mädchen Amick (47), Bill Nighy (68), Sarah Douglas (65), Kenneth Cranham (73), Connie Francis (79), Dionne Warwick (77) and Kenneth Branagh (57).

17th December 2017 | Categories: 2017 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 10th December 2017

Afternoon all, welcome to a bumper two week edition of The Dead Pool. Seems like the evil flying monkeys decided to venture out to cull a few celebrities to make up for the dearth of deaths last week. With last minute rewrites due to the death of Max Clifford and the collapse of Chris Rea, its certainly been an interesting Sunday morning.

Lets begin with awarding some points! 154 points to Mark for correctly guessing that King Michael of Romania would finally succumb to the Winter cold; which now propels him up to the third place spot!!!

I really hope that you are working on your list for 2018, this year has been exceptional! With all but one of us scoring and many records being broken, I hope that 2018 can be as successful.

Look Who You Could Have Had:

Week ending 3rd December

Week ending 10th December

In Other News 

Singer Chris Rea is said to be in a stable condition in hospital after collapsing during a performance. Fans posted on Twitter that they saw the 66-year-old “fall backwards” mid-song at the New Theatre Oxford. Rea, who is known for his hits “Driving Home for Christmas” and “Road to Hell”, is on tour to promote his new album. A concert due to take place in Brighton on Sunday has now been cancelled. A decision has not yet been made on a concert due in Bournemouth on Tuesday. Darren Fewins, who was in the audience in Oxford, said Rea had been on stage for about 45 minutes when he collapsed halfway through a song. He told the Press Association that Rea, who was born in Middlesbrough, was “playing the best I have ever seen” before his fall. South Central Ambulance Service said it was called at 21:30 GMT to an incident at the venue and that one patient had been taken to hospital. Staff at the theatre tweeted that they “appreciate everyone’s patience” and will update people with news when they have it. Rea had his pancreas removed in 2001 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He suffered a stroke in 2016, but recovered to launch an album in September and embark on his tour around Europe from October. He told BBC Breakfast in August this year that he still felt the effects of the stroke. “I’m fine when I’m sitting down. I’ve just got a little bit of balance – it’s a bit dodgy, just in case anyone thinks I’m drunk on-stage.”

Last week the production on the new Freddie Mercury biopic has been suspended so director Bryan Singer can deal with “a personal health matter”. The film, titled Bohemian Rhapsody, will tell the story of the late Queen frontman’s life. Twentieth Century Fox told the BBC work had been temporarily halted “due to the unexpected unavailability” of Singer. The director’s representative said it was “a personal health matter concerning Bryan and his family”. However, since the story aired last week, the director has now been fired due to “unreliable behaviour”. In a statement, Twentieth Century Fox said Bryan Singer was no longer the director of the film. A source told DP Towers  that the main reason for the firing was “a pattern of unreliable behaviour on the set”. But Singer said his firing came while he was ill and that the studio was “unwilling to accommodate” him during his illness. The Hollywood Reporter reported on Monday that Singer had clashed with lead actor Rami Malek and failed to show up for filming on multiple occasions.

A Wolverhampton man who cemented his head inside a microwave said he “doesn’t care” what people think. Jay Swingler, 22, had to be freed by firefighters after the stunt, filmed for his YouTube channel, took a dangerous turn. He said emergency services’ time was not wasted, because “they saved my life”. West Midlands Fire Service said it took an hour to free the man after they were called to a house in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton. Friends had managed to feed an air tube into the 22-year-old’s mouth to help him breathe, the service said. Watch Commander Shaun Dakin said the man “could quite easily have suffocated or have been seriously injured”. Mr Dakin said: “He and a group of friends had mixed seven bags of Polyfilla which they then poured around his head, which was protected by a plastic bag inside the microwave. “The oven was being used as a mould and wasn’t plugged in. The mixture quickly set hard and, by the time we were called, they’d already been trying to free him for an hour and a half.” West Midlands Fire Service said it would not charge the £650 deployment fee as his life was in genuine danger.

Have you ever been so bored with sex that you have considered getting close with a ghostly spirit? That might sound utterly ridiculous and impossible, but according to a woman from Bristol, it is real. Amethyst Realm claims to have had sex with 20 different ghosts in the past 12 years and that they are better than men in the bedroom. The 27-year-old appeared on a recent episode of This Morning where she discussed her experiences. Realm, who is a “spiritual guidance counsellor” states that it all began when she and her then-fiance moved to a new house where she noticed there was a presence or entity. Talking to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, Realm said: “It started as an energy, then became physical. There was pressure on my thighs and breath on my neck. I just always felt safe. I had sex with the ghost.” Although she could never see the ghost she claims that she could definitely feel it. She says that she had an affair with the spirit for three years until her partner caught her in the act. Since then she has moved on to other ghosts and has even looked into the possibility of phantom pregnancies.

Japanese authorities are trying to identify eight people whose badly decomposed remains were found on a wooden boat that washed up on a  beach. The discovery took place in the northern Akita prefecture. Crew-less boats or vessels with bodies on board, known as “ghost ships” and thought to be North Korean fishing boats, regularly wash up in Japan. They have usually been found on the western coast, which faces North Korea. In the latest incident, Japanese broadcaster NHK said the boat, measuring about 7m (23ft) long, was found on a beach near Oga city on Sunday. The vessel was missing a rotor blade and navigational devices. On Monday officials found the remains of eight people, some reduced to bones, while inspecting the boat. Kyodo news agency reported that the coast guard suspected the boat and its occupants had come from North Korea. The discovery is the latest in a string of similar incidents. On Friday, a wooden boat carrying eight men – alive and in reasonably good health – washed up at Yurihonjo city. The men said they were North Koreans fishing for squid, who had ended up drifting into Japanese waters when their boat experienced difficulties.

On This Day

3rd December

  • 1984 – Bhopal disaster: A methyl isocyanate leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, kills more than 3,800 people outright and injures 150,000–600,000 others (some 6,000 of whom would later die from their injuries) in one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
  • 1992 – A test engineer for Sema Group uses a personal computer to send the world’s first text message via the Vodafone network to the phone of a colleague.
  • 1994 – The PlayStation was released in Japan

10th December

  • 1799 – France adopts the metre as its official unit of length.
  • 1868 – The first traffic lights are installed, outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.

Deaths

3rd December

10th December

  • 1896 – Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist, invented Dynamite & founded the Nobel Prize (b. 1833)
  • 1928 – Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish architect and painter (b. 1868)
  • 1967 – Otis Redding, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1941)
  • 1978 – Ed Wood, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Richard Pryor, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2006 – Augusto Pinochet, Chilean general, 30th President of Chile (b. 1915)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Up to 3rd December – Lucy Liu (49), Britney Spears (36), Connie Booth (73), Nelly Furtado (39), Woody Allen (82), Sarah Silverman (47), Deep Roy (60), Bette Midler (72), Ben Stiller (52), Ridley Scott (80), Mandy Patinkin (65), Billy Idol (62), Diane Ladd (82), Don Cheadle (53), Jeff Fahey (65), Gena Lee Nolin (46), Simon Amstell (38), Karen Gillan (30), Ed Harris (67), Judd Nelson (58), Jon Stewart (55), Martin Clunes (56), Armando Iannucci (54), Sharlto Copley (44), Bill Nye (62), Rita Ora (27), Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (29) and Tina Turner (78).

Up to 10th December – Judi Dench (83), John Malkovich (64), Kirk Douglas (101), Beau Bridges (76), Michael Dorn (65), Donny Osmond (59), Kim Basinger (64), Teri Hatcher (53), Nicki Minaj (35), C. Thomas Howell (51), Kristofer Hivju (39), Ellen Burstyn (85), Judd Apatow (50), Tom Hulce (64), Nick Park (59), Frankie Muniz (32), Marisa Tomei (53), Jeff Bridges (68), Tony Todd (63), Tyra Banks (44), Pamela Stephenson (68), Jay Z (48), Julianne Moore (57), Brendan Fraser (49), Amanda Seyfried (32), Daryl Hannah (57), Jean-Luc Godard (87) and Ozzy Osbourne (69).

10th December 2017 | Categories: 2017 | Leave A Comment »