Dead Pool 24th September 2017

More points to be awarded, Debbie, Shan, Martin and Doug all score 55 points with the death of the boxer Jake LaMotta, which has caused something I can’t recall happening before. A tie at the top of the leader board! Both Laura and Martin now have 521 points each. If this happens to be the final score we have no rules to decide the winner! So as we are a democratic dictatorship here, we at Dead Pool Towers will let the masses decide how such an occurrence will be decided should it happen, then ignore it all and make up another rule. So, what do you think?

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Suzan Farmer, 75, British actress (The Scarlet Blade, Doctor in Clover, Coronation Street).
• Bobby Heenan, 72, American professional wrestler, manager and commentator (WWF, AWA, WCW), organ failure.
• Ben Hammer, 92, American actor (The Beastmaster, Law & Order, Sleepers).
• Bernie Casey, 78, American actor (Revenge of the Nerds, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and football player (San Francisco 49ers).
• Jake LaMotta, 95, American Hall of Fame boxer and comedian, inspiration for Raging Bull, complications from pneumonia.
• Liliane Bettencourt, 94, French cosmetics businesswoman (L’Oréal) and socialite.
• William G. Stewart, 84, British game show host (Fifteen to One) and television producer.

In Other News

Former Olympics Minister Dame Tessa Jowell has been diagnosed with brain cancer, her family have revealed. Her daughter-in-law Ella Woodward posted on social media that the Labour peer was diagnosed in May. Writing on Dame Tessa’s 70th birthday, she described the last few months as “some of the hardest of our lives”. The politician, who stood down as an MP in 2015, responded by tweeting her thanks for the “love and support” she had been shown. Ms Woodward, a food blogger who is married to the politician’s son Matt Mills, wrote on Instagram: “Matt’s Mum was suddenly diagnosed with brain cancer in May. “Her bravery, optimism, love and support for others during this process has inspired us both so much, and today we’re all pledging to try and do everything we can to make people’s lives with cancer better for longer.”

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has appeared in court and admitted drink-driving. He was arrested when police stopped a car in Wilmslow, Cheshire, in the early hours on 1 st September. The 31-year-old was banned from driving for two years and ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community order. Rooney was also ordered to pay £170 when he appeared at Stockport Magistrates’ Court. The court heard Rooney was almost three times the legal limit when he was stopped by police at 02:00 BST. A breathalyser test showed his alcohol level was 104 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath. The drink-drive limit in England and Wales is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. In a statement issued after the hearing, the Everton footballer said: “I want publicly to apologise for my unforgivable lack of judgment in driving while over the legal limit. It was completely wrong. “I have already said sorry to my family, my manager and chairman and everyone at Everton FC. Now I want to apologise to all the fans and everyone else who has followed and supported me throughout my career. “Of course I accept the sentence of the court and hope that I can make some amends through my community service.” Are these his first steps as a possible Gazza replacement??

Robbie Williams has been forced to cancel the remaining dates of his European tour due to a mystery illness. The 43-year-old had been due to perform two concerts in Russia this week, with gigs scheduled for St Petersburg and Moscow, and was also set to appear at the closing ceremony of the New Wave singing contest in Sochi. Now though he’s had to pull out because of his health and won’t be resuming his tour until he heads to New Zealand and Australia in February next year. A statement from his publicist reads: ‘Due to illness, the final two dates of the European leg of The Heavy Entertainment Show Tour, St Petersburg and Moscow, have been cancelled. It comes just days after Robbie had opened up about his health struggles with conditions including arthritis and depression. The Take That star also spoke in depth of his mental health issues and confessed he didn’t think he’d have suffered quite as much if he hadn’t have become famous. In July the singer revealed that he’d been suffering from a rare condition called Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder, which causes him to eat in the middle of the night whilst totally unaware he’s doing so. Many of us poolers can surely sympathise with this, I know I certainly can..

On This Day

• 1960 – USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is launched.
• 1979 – CompuServe launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service.
• 2015 – At least 1,100 people are killed and another 934 wounded after a stampede during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Deaths

• 1863 – William Debenham, English businessman, founded Debenhams (b. 1794)
• 1945 – Hans Geiger, German physicist & academic, co-invented the Geiger counter (b. 1882)
• 1991 – Dr. Seuss, American children’s book writer, poet, and illustrator (b. 1904)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Kevin Sorbo (59), Brad Bird (60), Sven-Ole Thorsen (73), Karl Pilkington (45), Bruce Springsteen (68), Tom Felton (30), Billie Piper (35), John Woo (71), Ruth Jones (51), Joan Jett (59), Sue Perkins (48), Nick Cave (60), Stephen King (70), David Wenham (52), Bill Murray (67), Ricki Lake (49), Alfonso Ribeiro (46), Faith Hill (50), Sophia Loren (83), Asia Argento (42), Moon Bloodgood (42), George R.R. Martin (69), Jeremy Irons (69), David McCallum (84), Jimmy Fallon (43), Victoria Silvstedt (43), Twiggy (68), Jada Pinkett Smith (46), Tim McInnerny (61), Paul Feig (55), Neill Blomkamp (38), Bruce Spence (72) and Baz Luhrmann (55).