Dead Pool 16th December 2018

Slight points jiggle this week  as I ploughed through your lists for missing ‘dead un’s’,  seems we all missed the death of Devin Lima at the age of 41 back in November, points awarded where needed. With just over two weeks to go, I hope you have been working on your ’19 lists. Remember, 13 names in total. I’ve already got a couple of list; I have already submitted mine and my theme this year is Star Trek, all of my listings have a connection to that particular program. Of course, you lot don’t have to have a theme, I just found it more fun. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Police visited Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson after an alarming social media post sparked fears for his welfare. Concerns were raised for the US comedian and actor, 25, following an Instagram post in which he wrote: “I really don’t want to be on this earth anymore.” He added: “I’m doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last. All I’ve ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so.” Davidson, who was engaged to pop star Ariana Grande earlier this year, concluded the message with a heart emoji. He later deleted his Instagram account and appeared as scheduled on SNL, which is broadcast live. New York police said they had checked on the comedian, but did not say where officers met him. Earlier this month, the comedian wrote on Instagram about suffering from borderline personality disorder, being targeted by online trolls, and feeling suicidal. He said he was speaking out about his mental health “only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth”.  

The latest test flight by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic successfully rocketed to the edge of space and back. The firm’s SpaceShipTwo passenger rocket ship reached a height of 82.7km, beyond the altitude at which US agencies have awarded astronaut wings. It marked the plane’s fourth test flight and followed earlier setbacks in the firm’s space programme. Sir Richard is in a race with Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to send the first fee-paying passengers into space. In 2008, Virgin Galactic first promised sub-orbital spaceflight trips for tourists would be taking place “within 18 months”. It has since regularly made similar promises to have space flights airborne in the near future. But delays and a fatal crash in 2014 prevented Sir Richard’s original ambitions. So, what does this mean for us? Many well known celebrities have already booked a flight on Bronson’s ‘almost safe’ space ship. Amongst them Brad Pitt, Paris Hilton, Bryan Singer, Princess Beatrice, Tom Hanks, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher, although fuck knows how he’s going, maybe they’ll serve him up as the inflight meal. Could this be the way someone scores the perfect 13 in one hit?  

US actress Sarah Hyland has described how having to undergo two kidney transplants left her “contemplating suicide”, US media report. The 28-year-old, who stars in the popular sitcom Modern Family, opened up about her kidney dysplasia in an interview with Self magazine. She said her body rejected a kidney donated by her father when she was 21, but luckily her brother was a match. Now she’s drained her family of organs, she’s feeling rather unenthusiastic of her future. “I had gone through my whole life always being a burden,” Hyland said. “When a family member gives you a second chance at life, and it fails, it almost feels like it’s your fault. It’s not. But it does,” she said. “For a long time, I was contemplating suicide, because I didn’t want to fail my little brother like I failed my dad.” Hyland was treated with dialysis after her body started to reject her father’s kidney two years ago. During her treatment, it was established that her brother, who said he “had her back”, was a match. She said that going through “26 years of always being a burden” because of her health issues made her feel “really helpless”, but that she was now “stable”. Hyland also suffers with endometriosis, a chronic condition where tissue that lines the womb is found in other parts of the body, often resulting in intense pain. Last year, the actress was criticised about her appearance, with some fans suggesting that a photo posted on Instagram made it look as though she was promoting anorexia. “I’m here to say that no-one should aim to be the weight that I am right now,” she responded on Twitter at the time, adding: “I’m not in control of what my body looks like.” “I was born with so many health issues that doctors told my mother I would never have a normal life.” 

On This Day

  • 1653 – English Interregnum: The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland.  
  • 1773 – American Revolution: Boston Tea Party: Members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbour as a protest against the Tea Act.  
  • 1901 – Beatrix Potter privately publishes The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It goes on to sell over 45 million copies worldwide.   
  • 1920 – The Haiyuan earthquake of 8.5Mw , rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000.  
  • 1937 – Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from the American federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Miranda Otto (51), Krysten Ritter (37), Billy Gibbons (69), Christopher Biggins (70), Benny Andersson (72), Charlie Cox (36), Don Johnson (69), Helen Slater (55), Garrett Wang (50), Alex Cox (64), Vanessa Hudgens (30), Natascha McElhone (49), Miranda Hart (46), Ted Raimi (53), Vicki Michelle (68), Dick Van Dyke (93), Jamie Foxx (51), Christopher Plummer (89), Steve Buscemi (61), Taylor Swift (29), Robert Lindsay (69), Jennifer Connelly (48), Mädchen Amick (48), Bill Nighy (69), Sarah Douglas (66), Kenneth Cranham (74), Connie Francis (80), Dionne Warwick (78), Kenneth Branagh (58), Kirk Douglas (102), John Malkovich (65), Judi Dench (84), Michael Dorn (66), Beau Bridges (77) and Donny Osmond (61).

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