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

• 1994 – Woody Strode, American football player, wrestler, and actor (b. 1914)
• 2013 – James Avery, American actor (b. 1945)
• 2015 – Natalie Cole, American singer-songwriter and actress (b. 1950)
• 2015 – Wayne Rogers, American actor and investor (b. 1933)
• 2016 – William Christopher, American actor (b. 1932)

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).