Apolyton Celebrity Dead Pool 2009

[-Jrabbit]

Rule 22
f) Sorry, but no death row inmates may be chosen. If a celebrity dies while in prison, but not because of a state-sponsored execution, (killed in a prison riot by a fellow prisoner, suicide, etc.) that death will count for points.
g) People charged with capital crimes are ineligible.

Chemical Ali -- He has been sentenced to death, twice. The rule in question (#22f) refers to people "on death row" and while that would seem to apply here.

In addition, he is on trial again, for gas attacks against the Kurds. So he is also in violation of #22g - charged with a capital crime.

So I'm ruling that that choice (made by SlowwHand and OneFootInTheGrave) is ineligible and will be replaced in accordance with the rules. Basically, all selections will move up by one slot in the ranking list, and the #21 (first alternate) will be slotted into the #20 spot.

[SlowwHand]

David Floyd was the only one to include O.J. Simpson?

[-Jrabbit]

Oddly, no. There are actually a bunch of candidates in my finalist list that nobody took. There are just too many damned celebrities.

BTW, I'm going through all the choices today to make sure they're all legit. Will post any further ineligibles if somethiing comes up.

Sloww -- Your replacement for Chemical Ali will have to be Amy Winehouse. Sorry, but you don't get to make the selection -- especially since Billy Graham is not on your bench.

[-Jrabbit]

The entry list is updated to reflect Chemical Ali being ineligible. OFITG gets Queen Elizabeth and Sloww gets Amy Winehouse, both slotted at #20 with everyone else pushed up the list.

I just noticed: A reply by Winston is now the thread's OP, despite the fact that I'm still listed as the thread starter. Proof positive that something wonky happened in the forum upgrade. Pretty funny.

[-Jrabbit]

I've now gone through all the celebrities I didn't know (mostly European entertainers and politicians) and confirmed their eleigibility.

So all entries are now locked in.

If anyone else wishes to join the fray, they have until January 7, midnight CST, to submit their list to me via PM.

[-Jrabbit]

One last note:
Changed spelling of "Than Swe" to the more commonly used "Than Shwe" on Solomonwi's entry.

There were a couple other typos corrected as well.

Looks like the missing OP was the official rules. See next post.

[-Jrabbit]

Off-Topic Celebrity Dead Pool
Game Rules 2009

1. All site members (including the admin and moderators) are eligible to participate.
2. A Judges Panel (-Jrabbit, SlowwHand and Ming) will arbitrate and rule on all disputes and verify eligibility of all list names. Any decision is carried by 2 or more votes. Decisions of this Panel are FINAL.
3. Each player is to pick 23 different celebrities who they believe will be alive as of the end of 2008 (midnight New Year’s Eve, local time), but whom will no longer be “with us” by the end of 31st December 2009.
a) These 25 names will be divided between a “Game List” of 20 names and a “Reserve List” of 3 names.
b) The celebrity choices are to be “Ranked” in order of confidence (most likely to die at the top of the list – least likely at bottom).
4. This list is to be sent by Private Message to -Jrabbit for eligibility verification by the Panel Judges. DO NOT post your list in the thread. We will post the lists of all players at the start of the game in January. This prevents others from “poaching” your good picks.
a) The deadline for entries is 31st December 2008, end of day, U.S. Central Standard Time (Chicago).
b) Late entries: Due to the late start of the 2009 Dead Pool, entries will be accepted during the week of January 1-7, or until a selected celebrity dies, whichever happens first. Late entries may not contain any unique picks from other players. If any late entries are received and accepted, all entries submitted on time under Rule 4a will receive the On Time Airlines Award [see Rule 17 (l)].
5. The Panel Judges will examine all list names for eligibility (see Rule 22). In the event a celebrity is ruled ineligible a replacement, if available, will be moved up from the player’s Reserve List
6. The Panel Judges will not determine if the submitted celebrity is currently alive. If you choose someone that is already dead you will be stuck with that celebrity on your list unless you notice and report the error prior to January 1st, 2009. If you still have available celebrities from your Reserve List one will be moved up to replace the already deceased choice prior to the start of the Pool.
7. If one of your picks dies after selections are submitted but before the beginning of game play at the start of the year, the top name on your Reserve List will move up to your Game List. If a celebrity does jump the gun and die before the official start of the game it is the responsibility of the player to report the early death to a Panel Judge.
8. If one (or more) of your picks are ruled “Ineligible” by the Panel Judges, celebrity names from you Reserve List, if available, will be moved up to your Game List.
9. You may only enter the Apolyton Off Topic Dead Pool once.
10. Points will be awarded for each celebrity that you accurately predicted would die in 2009. Points will be awarded according to the formula in Rule 15.
11. Celebrity deaths are to be reported by the players in the Dead Pool thread (one report will suffice for all). I don’t have the time or inclination to keep track of everybody’s list. If someone on your list dies, it is your duty to claim your points. NOTE: A link to an obit of some kind is required (see Rule 23b). This link must be in English.
12. All deaths are to be reported by 7th January 2010 (to allow for any delay in media reporting). This will be the official closing day for awarding points.
13. I'll update the thread every time someone scores points, and post an up-to-date scoreboard.
14. At the end of the year the poster with the most points will be declared the winner. The winner gets the Grim Reaper Award for the year.
15. When an eligible celebrity on your list dies points will be awarded according to the following formula:

Points = 150 + (100 – age) + (21 – Rank) + Bonus
Alternately: (271 - Age – Rank) + Bonus

16. Rank points - The #1 pick on a player's list is worth 20 points should that celebrity die, the #2 pick is worth 19 points, etc. Be careful to order your list from most likely to least likely to perish sometime in 2009 if you want to make the most of their loss. Stated mathematically, Rank Points = (21 – Rank)
17. In addition, bonus points will be awarded when a death meets the following criteria (points to be shared equally in the event of multiple winners):
a) Unique Pick Award: +25 points if you were the only player to pick that celebrity.
b) Unlucky 13 Award: +13 points for a celebrity who dies on the 13th of any month.
c) Unnatural Causes Award: +20 points for murder, suicide or accident.
d) Party Pooper Award: +25 points for any celebrity rude enough to die on their birthday or Christmas Day.
e) First Blood Award: +25 points for the first celebrity to die in 2009
f) You Can’t Cheat Death Award: +25 points for the last celebrity to die in 2009.
g) The Daily Double: +50 points awarded to any player who has two celebrities on their roster die on the same day.
h) The Hat Trick: +75 points awarded to any player who has three celebrities on their roster die over the course of one week (any 7-day span).
i) The Grand Slam: +100 points awarded to any player who has four celebrities on their roster die in the same month (any 30-day span).
j) The Empty Casket Award: +50 points awarded at the end of the year to the player who had the longest "dry spell" between deaths.
k) The Killing Spree Award: +50 points awarded at the end of the year to the player who has the most celebrities on their list die in a row. (That is, they score multiple points without anyone else scoring between them).
l) On Time Airlines Award: 25 points to all entries submitted before the midnight Dec. 31 deadline. To be awarded only in the event of at least one late entry being accepted.
18. The official date/time of any celebrity death is measured in the time zone that the celebrity is in when they die.
19. In the event of a “dead heat” (heh) on points at the closing of the 2009 Dead Pool, the winner will be selected according to the following criteria, applied in this order:
a) The player with most correctly chosen deceased celebrities.
b) The player with the youngest average age of correct predictions.
20. If a celebrity who has passed on has more than one reported age the following websites will be consulted and the age that the majority says the celebrity was would be the age used.
a) deadoraliveinfo.com
b) Reuters.com
c) AP.com
d) bbc.co.uk
e) NPR.org
f) CNN.com
i) If there is no clear majority, then the deadoraliveinfo.com site will be the official age recorder.
ii) If deadoraliveinfo.com doesn't list an obituary for this celebrity, then the rest of the websites, in the order listed above, will be queried.
21. You may not go out and “help yourself” win. Basically, you cannot kill someone on your list to give yourself more points. any list. The penalty for violating this rule, in addition to any criminal charges brought upon you by the appropriate authorities, is a lifetime ban from the Off Topic Dead Pool.
22. CELEBRITY ELIGIBILITY:
a) All of your chosen celebrities must be Human (no animals or concepts).
b) Apolyton site members, staff and family members are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN as list picks.
c) No minors may be chosen (at least 16 years old as at 1st January 2009). Waiting for a child to die would stretch what little amount of taste resides in this game.
d) Selections must be actual “real-life” people, not characters out of soap operas and the like.
e) The celebrity must be a named individual, not just "Pope Wotsisface".
f) Sorry, but no death row inmates may be chosen. If a celebrity dies while in prison, but not because of a state-sponsored execution, (killed in a prison riot by a fellow prisoner, suicide, etc.) that death will count for points.
g) People charged with capital crimes are ineligible. Murderers who've gotten away (OJ Simpson), murderers still skirting justice and murderers not sentenced to death (Charles Manson) are eligible. Run-of-the-mill murderers don't count either.
h) People who are hostages as of January 1st, 2009 are not eligible picks.
i) No Porn Stars. While some porn stars may have achieved enough crossover fame to be considered celebrities, most have not. To avoid any arguments, I am therefore forbidding all of them.
j) Celebrities or people undergoing experimental medical treatment involving artificial vital organs or animal part implants are not eligible. Pacemakers are all right (Dick Cheney is still eligible).
k) No celebrity may be named more than once on your list.
l) A celebrity must be “famous” in his or her own right – family members of celebrities do not count unless they too have their own fame. Exception: All present and former “First Ladies” still alive are eligible to be chosen.
m) No illness/dying celebrities (commonly referred to as the “Terry Shiavo Rule”). That is, someone whose claim to fame IS their illness or dying. This rule also covers people who are not famous for anything save being members of a suicide cult, etc.
n) No person whose only claim to being a celebrity is being old may be chosen.
23. DEFINITIONS:
a) "Celebrity" means someone who, upon their death, gets a written obituary in a major, mainstream media news website. A good rule of thumb is “Celebrity = Name Recognition.” The Judges Panel should be able to look at the name and say “Oh, I know who that is,” without any prompting from the player. The Judges Panel should at least be able to find many references to the individual with a cursory online search.
b) "Obituary" simply means a factual article that mentions the fact that the person has died. It doesn't have to be the conventional biographical write-up.
c) "Alive" means drawing breath, not decomposing, that kind of thing.
d) “Dead” means dead. No irreversible coma, no vegetables. To qualify as dead, there must be an actual corpse. The death of a career (e.g. Michael Jackson) doesn't count.
24. Ming is the Staff Contact on this project. Any attempt to squirm around the letter or intent of these rules will be met harshly and swiftly by Ming the Merciless.
25. PRIZE: The player with the most points at the end of the year will win the Grim Reaper Award (suitable for signature use), along with the glory and distinction of being the best at reading the tea leaves and determining where Death was most likely to strike in 2009.

[SlowwHand]

Amy Winehouse was a near-miss from last year's list. I think she'll succeed if she tries.
Billy Graham wants to stay alive, giving him the edge on longevity.

[Wezil]

[QUOTE=SlowwHand;5506102]Amy Winehouse was a near-miss from last year's list. I think she'll succeed if she tries.
/QUOTE]

I read another article about her today. Apparently she is afraid she is going to join the "27 Club".

Bad for her. Good for Dead Pool players.


edit - What the heck is wrong with the "Reply with Quote" feature?!!

[snoopy369]

Amy Winehouse was a near-miss from last year's list. I think she'll succeed if she tries.

I read another article about her today. Apparently she is afraid she is going to join the "27 Club".

Bad for her. Good for Dead Pool players.


edit - What the heck is wrong with the "Reply with Quote" feature?!!

Works fine for me ...

[snoopy369]

Amy Winehouse was a near-miss from last year's list. I think she'll succeed if she tries.
Billy Graham wants to stay alive, giving him the edge on longevity.

Right?

Yep, seems fine to me.

[SlowwHand]

It's hard to tell with Wez. There are so many possibilies.
He's Canadian. He's a lawyer. He's a stoner. He's old.
Is it one thing, or a combination of things? We could consider this for days.

[Winston]

Only now do I realise I should've put more Hamas celebrities on my list.

[-Jrabbit]

Time will tell.

[embalmer42]

It's hard to tell with Wez. There are so many possibilies.
He's Canadian. He's a lawyer. He's a stoner. He's old.
Is it one thing, or a combination of things? We could consider this for days.

I think the lawyer thing just about covers it myself