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Dead Pool 27th April 2025

Let’s dole out the points! With the death of Pope Francis I can award 62 points to Debbie, Rachel, and Mark W, plus I can award a whopping 162 points to Emma as she had him down as her Cert. Well done everyone! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Carlos Santana was forced to postpone a concert after suffering a medical scare during rehearsals this week. The legendary guitarist’s manager, Michael Vrionis, shared a statement with his fans ahead of Tuesday’s show at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio. It was revealed that Santana was taken from the venue to a local hospital in an ambulance, where he was diagnosed with dehydration. He is currently being kept under observation. “It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight’s show in San Antonio has been postponed,” Vrionis told the Flying Monkeys “Mr Santana was at the venue preparing for tonight’s show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration. Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action.” Vrionis continued: “He is doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon as well as continuing his US Tour. Thank you all very much for your understanding. The show will be rescheduled soon.” The “Black Magic Woman” guitarist has suffered similar episodes in the past, including in 2022 when he postponed six shows after collapsing onstage in Clarkson, Michigan. Earlier this year, he took what he described as a “hard fall” while walking around the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the location of his $20m home, and broke a finger on his left hand, leading to the postponement of several dates for his residency in Las Vegas. At the time he stated, “My finger is recuperating really well, I lost my equilibrium and fell. I put my hand out to block the shock and broke my baby finger, but they operated and put it back in place. One or two more weeks and I’ll be good as new.”

On This Day

  • 1978 – In the deadliest construction accident in United States history, 51 construction workers are killed when a cooling tower under construction collapses at the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island, West Virginia.
  • 1986 – The city of Pripyat and surrounding areas are evacuated due to the Chernobyl disaster.
  • 1992 – Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history.
  • 1993 – Most of the Zambia national football team lose their lives in a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon.

Deaths

  • 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese sailor and explorer (b. 1480).
  • 2002  – Ruth Handler, American businesswoman, created the Barbie doll  (b. 1916).
  • 2023 – Jerry Springer, American politician and actor (b. 1944).

Last Meals

A death row murderer in the US finally apologised to his victim and her family shortly before dying by lethal injection.

James Osgood, 55, and his girlfriend forced Tracy Lynn Wilemon to perform sex acts at gunpoint before Osgood killed the 44-year-old by cutting her throat.

He was convicted for the 2010 rape and murder four years later and sentenced to death.

Osgood was pronounced dead at 6.35pm on Thursday following a three-drug injection at a prison in Atmore, Alabama, authorities said.

He used his last moments to speak about Ms Wilemon. ‘I haven’t said her name since that day,’ Osgood said. ‘Today will be the first time I said it. Tracy, I apologise.’ He then looked towards friends and family in the witness room and cried as he slowly lost consciousness.

Ms Wilemon was found dead in her home after her employer became concerned when she didn’t show up for work. 

Prosecutors said Osgood admitted to police that he and his girlfriend, Tonya Vandyke, sexually assaulted Brown after discussing how they had shared fantasies about kidnapping and torturing someone. 

His girlfriend, who was Ms Wilemon’s cousin, was sentenced to life in prison. The jury in 2014 took 40 minutes to convict him and unanimously recommended a death sentence.

His initial death sentence was thrown out by an appeals court. But at resentencing in 2018, Osgood asked for another death sentence, saying he didn’t want the families to endure a further hearing.

Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said the victim’s family members witnessed the execution in a separate viewing room. They chose not to make a statement to the media, he said. Governor Kay Ivey issued a statement, calling the killing ‘premeditated, gruesome and disturbing’. ‘I pray that her loved ones can feel some sense of closure today,’ the governor said. 

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said ‘my heart and prayers are with Tracy’s family. No one should have to endure the pain they’ve carried or relive the horror of her tragic and senseless death’. 

Before the execution, Wilemon’s step-sister, Trish Jackson, told the Flying Monkeys that her family planned to attend. She said she’d be travelling to Alabama from Southern California with her mum, ‘Just to know that he will be no more.’ ‘She didn’t deserve this. No one does. She was very loved … She deserved to have the greatest life and flourish,’ Ms Jackson said. Ms Jackson said Wilemon had just gone through a divorce and was restarting her life when she was killed. She said her step-sister, whose surname was legally Brown when she died, had been saving up money to visit her daughter in Arizona when the attack happened.

Last week Osgood said he had dropped his appeals because he was guilty and thought his execution should go forward. ‘I’m a firm believer in — like I said in court — an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I took a life, so mine was forfeited. I don’t believe in sitting here and wasting everybody’s time and everybody’s money,’ he said. 

Osgood declined his lunch tray, but did have a final meal of pizza. He chose to die by lethal injection. Hamm said it took a total of five attempts to get the two required IV lines connected to him. The execution was the second in Alabama this year and the 14th in the nation overall.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jenna Coleman (39), Russell T. Davies (62), Lizzo (37), Giancarlo Esposito (67), Channing Tatum (45), Pablo Schreiber (47), Kevin James (60), Jet Li (62), Joan Chen (64), Melania Trump (55), Al Pacino (85), Renée Zellweger (56), Hank Azaria (61), Talia Shire (79), Jack Quaid (33), Rory McCann (56), Aidan Gillen (57), Djimon Hounsou (61), Shirley MacLaine (91), Barbra Streisand (83), John Cena (48), John Hannah (63), Dev Patel (35), Gemma Whelan (44), Lee Majors (86), John Oliver (48), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (59), Jack Nicholson (88), Amber Heard (39), Sheryl Lee (58), James McAvoy (46), Andie MacDowell (67), Toby Stephens (56), Robbie Amell (37), Tony Danza (74), Rob Riggle (55), Iggy Pop (78), and Liz Carr (53).

Posted by  |  27th April 2025 | Categories: 2025 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 20th April 2025

Not much to report this week, no points to award either. But we do think that we should ring-fence Warwick Davis after two of his cast-mates from Willow have passed away so very close to each other, after all, these things come in threes…  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Pope Francis made a brief appearance on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square as he continues his recovery from a near-fatal bout of double pneumonia. “Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Francis said, his voice sounding stronger than it has since his hospitalisation. “Viva il Papa!” (Long live the pope), the crowd responded. Francis looped through the square in his open-topped popemobile and then up and down the main avenue leading to it. He stopped occasionally to bless babies brought up to him, a scene that was common in the past but unthinkable just a few weeks ago as the 88-year-old Francis fought for his life. Since his release from the hospital nearly a month ago, Francis has been slowly returning to work and has made several Sunday appearances at St. Peter’s Square, much to the relief and adoration of the crowd that gathers every weekend. He skipped the solemn services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday leading up to Easter, but he had been expected to appear on Sunday. Unlike in years past, the 88-year-old pontiff did not celebrate the Easter Mass in the piazza, delegating it to Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica. But after the Mass ended, Francis appeared on the loggia balcony over the basilica entrance for more than 20 minutes. The thousands of people below erupted in cheers as a military band kicked off rounds of the Holy See and Italian anthems. Francis waved from the balcony and then asked a Vatican archbishop to read his speech, a global appeal for peace in the world’s hotspots that is the hallmark of the Vatican’s Easter celebrations. Afterward, he imparted the apostolic blessing in Latin.  

Michelle Trachtenberg died as a result of complications from diabetes, New York City’s medical examiner has said. The 39-year-old, who was also known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harriet the Spy, was found dead at her home in New York City after officers responded to a 911 call on 26th February. According to the Flying Monkeys, she had recently received a liver transplant. At the time of her death, officials said no foul play was suspected, and the medical examiner’s office had listed her death as “undetermined”. Trachtenberg’s family had objected to a post-mortem, which the medical examiner’s office honoured because there was no evidence of criminality. But the medical examiner’s office said in a statement on Thursday it amended the cause and manner of death for the actress following a review of laboratory test results. Trachtenberg was best known for her role as Dawn Summers in Buffy, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.  

Officials have revealed the worrying internet searches Betsy Arakawa made in the days before her death. The pianist, 65, and her husband, Gene Hackman, were both found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 26th February. Investigations later found that she had died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome around 12th February, roughly a week before the actor. Suffering from Alzheimer’s disease – a contributing factor in his death – it is said Hackman, 95, possibly did not know his wife had died before he passed as a result of cardiovascular disease. Authorities released a lengthy investigation, detailing some of the final internet searches, emails and phone calls made by Arakawa. rakawa appeared to be looking into information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques, the Associated Press reports. A review of her computer found she was actively searching up medical conditions related to Covid-19 and flu-like symptoms between 8 February and the morning of 12th February. This including asking questions about if Covid could cause dizziness or nosebleeds. On 11th February, Arakawa emailed her masseuse to say Hackman had woken up with flu or cold-like symptoms but had tested negative for Covid. ‘Out of an abundance of caution’, she asked if she could reschedule her appointment for the following day. Then the next morning, she had searched for a local concierge medical service which she had a call with that lasted less than two minutes. There was then a missed return call later that afternoon. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which a post-mortem determined as Arakawa’s cause of death, is a rare disease typically spread to humans through infected urine, droppings or saliva of certain species of mice and rats. Dr Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner for New Mexico, previously told press that the mortality of the hantavirus strain in the south west of the United States is about 38 percent to 50 percent. The rodent-borne disease can lead to a range of symptoms including flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and severe respiratory distress. Therefore, it could often be mistaken at first for a flu or Covid due to the similarities in signs. It was also reported by the New Mexico medical investigator’s office that there were signs of a rodent infestation at Hackman and Arakawa’s estate. A live rodent, a dead rodent and a nest were found in the three detached garages on the property with droppings and live traps also discovered.

On This Day

  • 1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a. The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
  • 1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial “Rivers of Blood” speech.
  • 1999 – Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 14 people and injure 23 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School. 
  • 2010 – The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers and beginning an oil spill that would last six months.
  • 2023 – SpaceX’s Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time. It explodes 4 minutes into flight.

Deaths

  • 1912 – Bram Stoker, Anglo-Irish novelist and critic, created Count Dracula (b. 1847).
  • 1992 – Benny Hill, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1924). 
  • 2016 – Victoria Wood, British comedian, actress and writer (b. 1953).
  • 2018 – Avicii, Swedish DJ and musician (b. 1989).

Last Week’s Birthdays

Andy Serkis (61), Clint Howard (66), Veronica Cartwright (76), Jessica Lange (76), Carmen Electra (53), George Takei (88), Nicholas Lyndhurst (64), Kate Hudson (46), Ashley Judd (57), James Franco (47), Hayden Christensen (44), Tim Curry (79), Simu Liu (36), Rick Moranis (72), James Woods (78), Conan O’Brien (62), David Tennant (54), Hayley Mills (79), Sean Bean (66), Jennifer Garner (53), David Bradley (83), Anya Taylor-Joy (29), Sadie Sink (53), Ellen Barkin (71), Claire Foy (41), Gina Carano (43), Martin Lawrence (60), Seth Rogen (43), Emma Watson (35), Emma Thompson (66), Maisie Williams (28), Luke Evans (46), Anthony Michael Hall (57), Adrien Brody (52), Sarah Michelle Gellar (48), Rob McElhenney (48), Robert Carlyle (64), and Peter Capaldi (67).

Posted by  |  20th April 2025 | Categories: 2025 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 13th April 2025

No points this week, although there are a few interesting tidbits to read about.  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Harry Potter actor Nick Moran has been rushed to hospital with a “life-threatening” condition. The actor’s friend Terry Stone revealed the news on Friday, asking fans of the franchise to send prayers after Moran, who played Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, underwent “life-saving” spinal surgery. Stone said that Moran’s health concerns began when he started feeling a pain in his neck, which his girlfriend urged him to get checked out. “But, as a bloke, he said, ‘No I’ll put some deep heat on it’ – then he went to the doctors and got sent to A&E and told, ‘We need to take you in for an emergency operation because this is life threatening’,” he told the Flying Monkeys. Stone originally said Moran “may never talk or walk again” but, in a new update, he said his friend was “giving the thumbs up” while “recovering in the ICU” – and revealed “he’s speaking now” and is “shuffling around like a 100-year-old”. He added: “He still needs your support, prayers & love. Let’s pray he fully recovers and is back to normal soon.” Stone said he will provide Moran’s fans with an update on Sunday  – but is now believed to be recovering at home. Moran’s Harry Potter character was a member of the gang led by Fenrir Greyback and appears in the final two Harry Potter films. 

Eric Dane has revealed that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS, also known as motor neurone disease, is an incurable condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and causes increasing muscle paralysis over time. Dane, 52, who’s known for the role of Dr Mark Sloan in Grey’s Anatomy, said he will continue filming for season three of HBO series Euphoria, in which he plays Cal Jacobs, regardless of the diagnosis. Speaking to the Flying Monkeys, Dane said: “I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter. I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week,” he added. “I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.” Early symptoms of the disease, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, include: muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder or tongue; cramps; tight or stiff muscles; muscle weakness; slurred or nasal speech; and difficulty chewing and swallowing. There is currently no cure for ALS.  

Legendary sports broadcaster Steve Rider has revealed his plans to “sidle away” from TV this summer, marking the end of an illustrious career that spanned nearly 50 years on screen. The 74 year-old is perhaps most recognised for hosting the iconic BBC sports show Grandstand, where he covered a wide range of sports including rugby, golf, rowing and motorsports. He also presented Sportsnight and Sports Personality of the Year, and was the anchor for the corporation’s coverage of every Olympic Games between 1988 and 2004. Rider’s exit from our screens comes a year and a half after he disclosed his diagnosis of prostate cancer. The host shared the news on BBC Breakfast, stating that he had been “incredibly lucky” as the disease was detected early and he immediately underwent “significant” surgery to stop it from spreading. He decided to get tested after one of his mates was diagnosed with the same cancer following a medical examination, and his wife encouraged him to have further tests when his initial check-up results came back “a little high”. “I was cutting it a bit fine,” Rider admitted. “They took one look and said, ‘We’re going to operate in two weeks’. No messing around. We did Brands Hatch for ITV on the Sunday and I had the operation on the Thursday, so it slotted into the schedule quite nicely! It was one operation, whip it all out, off you go and enjoy the rest of your life, second chance. But I was one of the lucky ones,” he added, urging people to get checked for the disease. “Get yourself tested because once this wretched thing develops, as we’ve been seeing from Chris Hoy and Eddie Jordan, it just gallops away and there’s no control. The chance you have is early testing.”

On This Day

  • 1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American man to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.
  • 1970 – An oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the Apollo command and service module (codenamed “Odyssey”) while en route to the Moon.
  • 1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.

Deaths

Last Meals

A convicted cop killer who became the second death row inmate in South Carolina to die by firing squad chomped on a ribeye steak, mushroom risotto, broccoli, collard greens and cheesecake before he was executed on Friday night.

Mikal Mahdi, 42, had three slugs fired into his heart by trained correctional volunteers at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia and was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. for the ambush killing of Orangeburg Public Safety Captain James Myers in 2004.

Mahdi, who washed down his hearty last meal with a sweet tea, did not make a final statement before his execution, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Mahdi was then hooded and strapped to a metal chair that sat on top of a catch basin inside the prison’s death chamber with a white target and red bullseye placed over his chest.

Three members from the state’s corrections department stood behind a wall 15 feet away and simultaneously opened fire through openings in the partition at 6:01 p.m. Each shooter fired one round, with Mahdi flexing his arms and crying out as the bullets struck him.

Mahdi continued to groan and take deep breaths for about two minutes before taking one final gasp – with a doctor affirming his death four minutes after the shots rang out.

Nine witnesses were seated in a room separated from the chamber by bulletproof glass.

One member of the victim’s family, Mahdi’s attorney, a representative from the First Circuit Solicitor’s Office and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office and three reporters were among those who witnessed Mahdi’s final moments.

Mahdi, who personally chose the violent punishment over the electric chair or lethal injection, became the second death row inmate executed by the Palmetto State’s new firing squad after double murderer Brad Sigmon became the first person in 15 years be shot to death last month. 

“Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi had chosen the lesser of the three evils,” his attorney, David Weiss said in a statement after the execution, which he described as a “horrifying act” that doesn’t belong in a “civilised society.”

“Mikal chose the firing squad instead of being burned and mutilated in the electric chair, or suffering the lingering death on the lethal injection gurney.”

Mahdi was sentenced to death after he confessed to shooting Myers at least eight times and then burning his body in a shed that had been the backdrop of the officer’s wedding just 15 months earlier.

The heinous act unfolded three days after he killed Christopher Boggs, a convenience store clerk in North Carolina. Mahdi shot the clerk twice in the head.

He was later arrested in Florida while driving the cop’s unmarked police pickup truck. 

Last-minute appeals to spare Mahdi’s life were rejected this week by both the US and South Carolina Supreme Courts. His defence team argued that his original attorneys made little effort to save his life and failed to call on those who knew him to testify after the prosecution called 28 witnesses.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster also denied clemency. 

Five inmates have been put to death in the state since September – when executions resumed following a 13-year pause.

Twenty-six inmates remain on death row.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Ron Perlman (75), William Sadler (75), Edward Fox (88), Peter Davison (74), Saoirse Ronan (31), Claire Danes (46), Andy Garcia (69), Ed O’Neill (79), Nicholas Brendon (54), David Letterman (68), Milly Alcock (25), Jeremy Clarkson (65), Matt Ryan (44), Charlie Hunnam (45), Daisy Ridley (33), David Harbour (50), Haley Joel Osment (37), Steven Seagal (73), Peter MacNicol (71), Elle Fanning (27), Dennis Quaid (71), Kristen Stewart (35), Cynthia Nixon (59), Patricia Arquette (57), Katee Sackhoff (45), Robin Wright (59), Dean Norris (62), Jackie Chan (71), Russell Crowe (61), and Francis Ford Coppola (86).

Posted by  |  13th April 2025 | Categories: 2025 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 6th April 2025

With the world falling into pieces, I bet those listed below are glad to be away from the  shit-show that is life. However, we must look at the bright side of things, like points! With the sad passing of Val Kilmer, I can award 85 points to Nicki H, Sarai K, and Ian K, well done all of you! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

 In Other News

The Taliban is investigating an Afghan man’s claim that he is 140 years old – which would make him the oldest person ever to have lived. Aqel Nazir, who lives in the country’s eastern Khost province, says he was born in the 1880s. He claims to remember celebrating the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919 alongside King Amanullah Khan, the Afghan leader who launched a campaign against the British, while in his thirties. Nazir, who lives in the picturesque hills in Khost, said: ‘I was in the palace with King Amanullah Khan. I was over 30 at the time and I remember saying that the British had fled and knelt down. Everyone was happy and thanked King Amanullah Khan for chasing the British away. Many leaders accompanied us to the Arg [presidential palace], but now all of them have passed away.’ The great-great grandfather does not have any documents to support his claim, but his family are also on board with gaining official recognition of his status. Khyal Wazir, his 50-year-old grandson, said: ‘He is my grandfather, and I have my grandchildren as well.’ Another grandson, Abdul Hakim Sabari, said: ‘We request the government confirm our grandfather’s age using an ID or any other scientific method or documents, to prove he is 140 years old.’  In an attempt to solve the mystery, the ruling Taliban administration has dispatched a special civil registration team to assess his true age. Mustaghfar Gurbaz, a Taliban spokesman for the province, said: ‘If confirmed by documents or assessments, we will work to register him as the oldest person in the world. If verified, he would comfortably take the title of the oldest person to have ever lived.’ That record is held by Jeanne Calment, who was born in 1875 and passed away in 1997, 122 years later. The world’s current verified oldest living person is Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun who turned 116 last June.  

A familiar TV personality is said to be gearing up to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on ITV, with the show set to premiere April 7th, just over a year after she faced a cancer diagnosis. TV host Trisha Goddard bravely announced this February that her breast cancer had made a comeback after previously battling and overcoming the disease in 2008. Sources, including The Flying Monkeys, suggest she’s thrilled about the chance to join the reality TV fray. Trisha was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer – also referred to as metastatic or stage 4 breast cancer – a condition treatable but incurable. She kept her diagnosis under wraps for 19 months until going public with it in February 2024. Renowned for her eponymous talk show on ITV which aired from 1998 to 2005 before transitioning to Channel 5, Trisha has been a familiar face on British television. Trisha has been vocal about her previous encounters with cancer and has cited the burden of carrying the secret of its return as the reason for disclosing it now. The TV star has candidly spoken out about not wanting to be seen as “frail” following her health issues. She told the Flying Monkeys that maintaining secrecy over her health became exhausting, saying: “I can’t lie, I can’t keep making up stories. It gets to a stage, after a year and a half, when keeping a secret becomes more of a burden than anything else.” Revealing her nervousness around public perception after her diagnosis, the icon shared: “My worry is that people will start seeing me as a frail little thing, and that if the news got out, I’d be judged, or people would change the way they are with me, or that I wouldn’t work.”  

Virginia Giuffre has spoken publicly for the first time since sparking alarm with a social media post claiming she had just “four days to live.” Giuffre — who has accused Prince Andrew of abusing her when she was a teenager, a claim the royal denies — shared the disturbing update last Sunday, writing: “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they’ve given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.” Now, the 40-year-old has broken her silence about her health battle, telling the Flying Monkeys the issues began following a serious episode earlier this year. “I was able to fight back against Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein who abused and trafficked me… I can no longer stay silent,” she said in a statement. “Again, I thank everyone for their support.” Giuffre’s condition is said to have worsened after a bus crash in rural Western Australia on March 24th. However, police, the bus driver, and several witnesses have since said the collision was not as severe as she had suggested online. Her brother, Sky Roberts, later clarified the viral post, saying doctors had warned Giuffre she could have died within four days without treatment. “Let’s be clear, she never stated in the bus accident the cause of all her other injuries,” he told us. “Nobody ever said her liver issues and kidney failure were ever from that. We still don’t know if it is, I’m not a medical professional. That’s up to her doctor to determine.” He added that while he didn’t know the exact cause of her internal injuries, they were “consistent” with a car crash. Giuffre remains in a Perth hospital, where a spokeswoman said she is “marginally better but still in serious condition” after undergoing treatment. The update comes amid growing scrutiny of Giuffre’s private life, following reports that she has become increasingly isolated since splitting from her husband earlier this year. She now lives alone on a secluded 40-acre farm north of Perth — a property she bought following her settlement with Prince Andrew in 2022, reportedly worth millions. The Duke of York made the payment with no admission of liability. While the farm is equipped with stables, a brook, and a dirt bike track, neighbours say it has become a “gilded cage,” with high-security fences and surveillance cameras. “You don’t know the half of it,” one neighbour told us. “I can’t really say anymore, but none of this surprises me.” Giuffre is also facing a court appearance on April 9th, accused of breaching a family violence restraining order. It is unclear whether she will be discharged in time, with hospital sources saying, “It looks like she may be here for a few more days still.”

On This Day

  • 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
  • 1974 – In Brighton, United Kingdom, ABBA wins the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo“, the first of a joint-record seven Swedish wins.
  • 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collides with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others. 

Deaths

  • 1199 – Richard I, king of England (b. 1157).
  • 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, and mathematician (b. 1471).
  • 1992 – Isaac Asimov, American science fiction writer (b. 1920).
  • 1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942).
  • 2014 – Mickey Rooney, American soldier, actor, and dancer (b. 1920).
  • 2015 – Ray Charles, American singer-songwriter and conductor (b. 1918).

Death Row’s Youngest

The youngest woman ever to be sentenced to death in the US is still on death row almost 30 years later.

On 12th January 1995, then-18-year-old Tennessee woman Christa Pike lured a 19-year-old classmate named Colleen Slemmer to a secluded location and murdered her.

Pike thought that Colleen was trying to ‘steal’ her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, and the three of them, along with 18-year-old Shadolla Peterson, signed out of their dormitory and went into the woods. 

The 18-year-old told her victim that she wanted to make  peace with her by offering her some cannabis, but she and Shipp attacked Colleen while Peterson acted as a lookout.

A court heard that Colleen was beaten, slashed, and had a pentagram carved into her chest for around 30 minutes before Pike killed her by smashing her skull with a chunk of asphalt.

Pike kept a piece of her victim’s skull, and started showing it to other people in her class.

It wasn’t long before she, Shipp and Peterson were arrested. 

Though she confessed to torturing and killing Colleen, Pike insisted that she had only intended to scare the 19-year-old.

Charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, Pike was found guilty on 22nd March 1996, and shortly afterwards was sentenced to death by electrocution.

Shipp received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years, while Peterson had become a state witness and was given a six-year probationary sentence.

Pike became the youngest woman to be sentenced to death in the US, but almost 30 years on, she is still on death row.

The reason for that is that there are very long processes involved with carrying out an execution. Many death row inmates will spend years appealing and challenging their death penalty. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, prisoners in the US who have been sentenced to death will normally spend more than 10 years before they get executed or are found to be not guilty. 

They said that since 2013, more than half of death row inmates who are exonerated had to spend over 25 years awaiting execution before their names were cleared.

The group added that over half of US inmates sentenced to death have spent at least 18 years on death row.

Over time, Pike has appealed her verdict, cancelled her appeal, and then re-issued it, as well as had legal representatives attempt to commute her sentence.

At one point, she did have an execution date set for 19th August 2002, but a month before that, she said she changed her mind and her appeal continued.

While behind bars in 2001, she attempted to murder fellow inmate Patricia Jones by strangling her with string, and was convicted of attempted murder in 2004.

In 2012, a plan to break her out of prison was discovered, with a man named Donald Kohut, who had been writing letters to her in prison, and corrections officer Justin Heflin coming up with a plan.

The two men were arrested, with Kohut sentenced to seven years in prison and Heflin being fired from his job. Pike wasn’t charged as it was not clear how much involvement she had with the plan.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Paul Rudd (56), Michael Rooker (70), Zach Braff (50), John Ratzenberger (78), Billy Dee Williams (88), Lily James (36), Hayley Atwell (43), Mitch Pileggi (73), Pharrell Williams (52), Robert Downey Jr. (60), Natasha Lyonne (46), Hugo Weaving (65), David Blaine (52), Graham Norton (62), Adam Scott (51), Alec Baldwin (67), Sofia Boutella (43), Eddie Murphy (64), Amanda Bynes (39), Paris Jackson (27), Pedro Pascal (50), Michael Fassbender (48), Emma Myers (23), Penelope Keith (85), Mackenzie Davis (38), Asa Butterfield (28), Ali MacGraw (86), Michael Praed (65), Christopher Walken (82), Ewan McGregor (54), Rhea Perlman (77), and William Daniels (98).

Posted by  |  6th April 2025 | Categories: 2025 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 30th March 2025

Yesterday I was all worried that there were no notable deaths, the good old Flying Monkeys  were released and now we have a few names at least! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Legendary crooner Johnny Mathis has announced his retirement from touring and live performing due to “age and memory issues.” The 89-year-old romantic singer, behind hits like “Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say,” was scheduled to continue touring throughout the summer. However, he has now canceled all concerts from June 2025 onwards. “As many of you may already be aware, Johnny Mathis is approaching his 90th birthday this year,” a statement shared from his Facebook account read. “So, it’s with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis’ age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring & live concerts. At this time, the 2025 Voice of Romance Tour dates will continue, with the final concert currently scheduled on May 18th 2025 in Englewood, New Jersey at the Bergen PAC,” the statement continued. “Johnny Mathis & his entire staff send their heartfelt gratitude to all Mathis Fans worldwide for your continued love & support of his music. It’s truly been ‘Wonderful, Wonderful,’” it concluded. Mathis’ final concert brings an end to an incredible singing career that has spanned over six decades. In that time, he’s recorded 73 studio albums, 10 of which are certified Gold for having sold 500,000 units each. In total, he’s gone on to sell more than 360 million records worldwide. His most popular album, Johnny’s Greatest Hits, was once the record holder for the longest-running album to chart on the Billboard 200. It remained on the chart for 490 weeks from its 1958 release until 1968. It was later dethroned by Pink Floyd’s 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. In 2003, Mathis was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s also nabbed five nominations, with his first one being in 1960 for Best Vocal Performance Single Record Or Track, Male for his song “Misty.” Mathis is also known for his Christmas albums. In fact, his latest album, released in 2023, is titled Christmas Time Is Here and features covers of several holiday classics, including “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”  

The daughter of Dame Esther Rantzen has revealed that the cancer drugs that her mother was placed on last year are no longer working. The 84-year-old revealed in 2024 that her cancer was being kept at bay thanks to a new drug, which had left her feeling “much better” than she thought she would be. The broadcaster, who is best known for founding Childline, a telephone helpline for young people aged up to 18, has previously revealed that she has registered with the Swiss assisted dying clinic, Dignitas. Rantzen’s daughter, Rebecca Wilcox, said that the medication her mother was put “was an improvement”, but then admitted: “I really wish that was true but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.” Wilcox also revealed that Rantzen’s health is so poor that travelling to Dignitas is now out of the question. Both Rantzen and Wilcox are advocates of making assisted dying legal in the UK. The topic is the subject of a much-debated parliamentary bill which has this week been delayed by two years. Speaking of the delay, Wilcox explained: “I just wish that people understood that all the assisted dying bill is, is choice for people that want it. All it is, is giving you peace of mind and that peace of mind, I cannot tell you how powerful that would be right now for my mum. I’m a witness to the trauma of uncertainty, to the trauma of stress around what is going to happen. The fact that she doesn’t know how her death is going to happen, how the pain is going to progress, the exhaustion, the fatigue, what symptoms are going to come in. She is a person who has fought her whole life for other people, and she has no control now. Why can’t we give people like my mum with a terminal diagnosis, with no other choice, some choice as to when and how and where they die? Frankly, Dignitas is out of the window for us as well. You have to be relatively healthy to do that, if she had gone, she would have gone months before she would have died here.”  

King Charles has been forced to cancel a string of engagements after being admitted to hospital. In a statement released on Thursday evening, Buckingham Palace said that following “scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer”, he had “experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital”. The monarch, 76, later returned to Clarence House, where he lives with Queen Camilla. “As a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary program will also be rescheduled”, the Palace added. While the Palace did not comment on the specific nature of the side effects, it’s understood not to be uncommon with cancer patients. Sources described the medical incident as a “most minor bump in a road that’s very much heading in the right direction”, but added that in order to “protect and prioritise his continued very positive recovery” he has “regretfully” cancelled engagements planned for Birmingham on Friday. The King was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February last year and has been undergoing treatment as an outpatient ever since. He was forced to cancel all public-facing duties for several weeks, but returned in April and has since travelled internationally – including to Australia last October – and hosted incoming state visits for international dignitaries, all while continuing his recovery. Just last week, the King visited the Pharmacy and Pharmacology department at Ulster University in Northern Ireland to learn about their groundbreaking cancer research. During his time there, he told fellow cancer patients: “What’s that Winston Churchill saying? Keep b****ring on.” The King added that, in regards to side effects, “you just have to push on, don’t you?” While it’s not clear what type of cancer the King has, it’s previously been reported that it was caught at a very early stage.

On This Day

  • 1842 – Ether anesthesia is used for the first time, in an operation by the American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long. 
  • 1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr.; three others are wounded in the same incident. 
  • 2023 – Donald Trump becomes the first former United States president to be indicted by a grand jury.  

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Warren Beatty (88), John Astin (95), Eric Clapton (80), Donna D’Errico (57), Lucy Lawless (57), Ed Skrein (42), Brendan Gleeson (70), Marina Sirtis (70), Christopher Lambert (68), Eric Idle (82), Thaddea Graham (28), Elle Macpherson (61), Julia Stiles (44), Vince Vaughn (55), Lady Gaga (39), Nick Frost (53), Dianne Wiest (79), Chris Barrie (65), Quentin Tarantino (62), Nathan Fillion (54), Julian Glover (90), Mariah Carey (56), Keira Knightley (40), Jennifer Grey (65), Martin Short (75), Diana Ross (81), Steven Tyler (77), Lee Pace (46), Sarah Jessica Parker (60), Paul Michael Glaser (82), Richard O’Brien (83), Elton John (78), Jessica Chastain (48), Jim Parsons (52), Lara Flynn Boyle (55), Alyson Hannigan (51), Kelly LeBrock (65), and Tig Notaro (54). 

Posted by  |  30th March 2025 | Categories: 2025 | Leave A Comment »