Dead Pool 3rd March 2019

Another quiet’ish week; I blame all the unusually warm weather for keeping the old un’s alive. Not to worry, the Evil Flying Monkey’s are preening their feathers and getting ready for a reaping good time this week. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Tony Pike, 85, British-born Australian hotelier (Pikes Hotel), prostate and skin cancer.  
• Janet Asimov, 92, American science fiction writer, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst.  
• Mark Hollis, 64, English singer-songwriter (Talk Talk).  
• Edward Nixon, 88, American entrepreneur. 
• Doug Sandom, 89, English drummer (The Who). 
• André Previn, 89, German-born American composer and score adapter (Gigi, Elmer Gantry, My Fair Lady), Oscar winner (1959, 1960, 1964, 1965). 
• Yannis Behrakis, 58, Greek photojournalist, cancer.

In Other News

Luke Perry, star of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Riverdale, has been hospitalised after suffering what’s been described as a ‘massive stroke’. Paramedics arrived at Perry’s home Wednesday morning at around 9:40am Pacific Standard Time. The 52-year-old actor was rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital where his condition reportedly worsened and he remains under observation, his representative told us, declining to elaborate on the actor’s condition. Prior to his stroke Perry was said to be experiencing “bad back problems”, which had to be surgically fixed, according to the actor’s neighbour. Perry’s last major health scare was in 2015, when precancerous growths were found in his body following a colonoscopy, prompting the actor to speak out about checking for colorectal cancer. Perry had been shooting episodes for the upcoming fourth season of The CW’s Riverdale. Fans and friends of Perry are sending out messages of support to the actor on social media. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman star Dean Cain tweeted that he was ‘praying’ for Perry’s “full and fast recovery”. Perry’s fellow 90’s star Kristy Swanson also wrote that she was praying for Perry, addressing him personally with: “by God’s Grace you will get through this”.  

More details of former glamour girl Katie Price’s drink driving charge have been released after a court hearing. She was found slumped in a “very” drunken state in the back of her vomit-covered pink Range Rover after police saw the vehicle collide with a grass verge, a court has heard. The 40-year-old was allegedly almost twice the legal limit when she was arrested in the early hours of 10 October in Shooter’s Hill, Greenwich, south-east London. Ms Price denied an additional charge of drink-driving when she appeared at Bexley Magistrates’ Court, having already entered a not-guilty plea to being in charge of a vehicle while over the limit. Police Constables Benjamin Jones and Balvinder Mann first saw her car veer off the road and hit a grass verge at 12.40am before seeing it stationary about 15 minutes later. PC Jones told the court that he approached the car to find Ms Price in the back of the vehicle with her boyfriend, Kris Boyson, in the passenger seat. “Her eyes were blurred and her speech was a bit slurred. Although she was sitting, it was in a slumped position,” PC Jones said. The car, he added, showed signs of a collision, with the bumper hanging off and pieces of shrubbery attached to its exterior. Both Ms Price and Mr Boyson said a third person had been driving and that they ran off after the trio had an argument, the court heard. The officer said Mr Boyson told Ms Price to “shut up” when she was asked who was driving.  

Roman Reigns returned to the WWE on Monday night for the first time since revealing he had been diagnosed with leukaemia to update fans that his illness is now in remission. The emotional moment came in Atlanta, Georgia, as Reigns made an emotional return to the WWE for the first time since he took a leave of absence in October last year. After winning the Universal Championship, Reigns – real name Leati Joseph Anoaʻi – was forced to relinquish the title and decided to make his illness public, having privately battled leukaemia for 11 years. Reigns revealed he had relapsed and would need to undergo further treatment, but promised to fight the illness and return to the WWE. That moment came on Monday. Reigns was given a hero’s welcome as he returned to the ring, and with a beaming smile on his face, it quickly became apparent that there was good news on the way. “When I tell you this I am so grateful, so humble and I’m so honoured to announce this,” Reigns said. “Let’s crawl before we can walk and walk before we can run, but the good news I’m in remission ya’ll.” The announcement triggered a huge cheer from the WWE fans who have for so long booed and jeered Reigns in his persona, and the moment looked to get to the 33-year-old, whose family were also ringside.

On This Day

• 1873 – Censorship in the United States: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” books through the mail.  
• 1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia. 
• 1991 – An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers.
• 2005 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refuelling. 

Deaths

• 1959 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (b. 1906)  
• 1983 – Hergé, Belgian author and illustrator (b. 1907)
• 1987 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1911)
• 2003 – Horst Buchholz, German actor (b. 1933)  
• 2010 – Michael Foot, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Employment (b. 1913)  
• 2012 – Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer and illustrator (b. 1929)  
• 2018 – Roger Bannister, English middle-distance athlete, first man to run a four-minute mile (b. 1929)

Last Week’s Birthdays

Bryce Dallas Howard (38), Daniel Craig (51), Rebel Wilson (39), Gates McFadden (70), Jon Bon Jovi (57), Chris Martin (42), Alexander Armstrong (49), Javier Bardem (50), Lupita Nyong’o (36), Jensen Ackles (41), Ron Howard (65), Harry Belafonte (92), Dirk Benedict (74), Justin Bieber (25), Roger Daltrey (75), Paul Hollywood (53), John Turturro (62), Rae Dawn Chong (58), Mercedes Ruehl (71), Stephanie Beacham (72), Kate Mara (36), Adam Baldwin (57), Timothy Spall (62), Richard Coyle (47), Bill Duke (76), Chase Masterson (56), Michael Bolton (66), Téa Leoni (53), Sean Astin (48), Lee Evans (55), Edward James Olmos (72), and Dennis Waterman (71).