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

• 1933 – 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
• 1987 – Linda Wong, American porn actress (b. 1951)
• 2010 – Captain Beefheart, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, 2nd Supreme Leader of North Korea (b. 1941)
• 2016 – Henry Heimlich, American doctor (b. 1920)

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).