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There's a great story from the guy who wrote the definitive Golden Girls biography about when he went to interview Bea Arthur, and she was massively ornery with him because the chat meant she couldn't watch Judge Judy that day. She kept muttering under her breath "I'm missing Judge Judy for this?"

To me Mull Of Kintyre and ABBA are something between miley cyrus in the mtv music awards 2013 and Chinese water torture – no wait, I choose the torture by water

The rest of the forum is quite quiet. Theoldlady is merely sparking conversation - surely something we should welcome. Quit being so grumpy.

I think she looks fantastic for 80, in my opinion, she'll live to be 90 at least.

Paul Gascoigne. I have Jill as very likely...

I've always liked Mull Of Kintyre. There's nothing wrong with it. Well, until the f&@#ing bagpipes kick in anyway... I do remember when it spent an eternity at no.1 though - and it knocked Abba's The Name Of The Game off the top spot too Thank goodness for Althia & Donna in their khaki suits and ting.

50 years of artistic decline can't end well – perhaps there's some truth in that "Paul is dead" rumour

Also a lot of these older women who had long careers with reps for being nippy sweeties tended to be folk who needed to be harder nosed to survive in their industry. Like Paddy Russell, one of the first female directors at the BBC ever, who, once you got past her "she was a monster" reputation, was apparently lovely as long as you weren't rude or wasted her time needlessly. And back then, she became a director because production staff were paid equally because no one assumed a woman would ever take up the course, whereas actresses were paid peanuts. Anyhow, this is a bit of a detour (Paddy Russell was awesome btw), but she works as an example for those sorts of women.

The Guardian tend to commission and have good names to write their obits on call. Alas when they're not interested... I know at least one Jane Baker obit was offered (not by me) to several of the papers, but got turned down.

What are you saying, that he didn't die in 2018?

Got curious tonight, so I looked up the roster of the 1972 Soviet basketball team that controversially won the gold medal over the USA in Munich. I found out that only 4 of the 12 players on that team are still alive. Anatoli Polivoda (b. May 29, 1947, age 70) Modestas Paulauskas (b. Mar. 19, 1945, age 72) Ivan Edeshko (b. Mar. 25, 1945, age 72) Alzhan Zharmukhamedov (b. Oct. 2, 1944, age 73) Coincidentally, none of the four remaining players are native Russians either - they're Ukranian, Lithuanian, Belarusian, and Kazakh, respectively. Ivan Dvorny, who died in 2015, was the last surviving Russian member of the team.

Bea Arthur I always got the impression from her performances and interviews that she was feisty outspoken and difficult to get on with much like Elaine Stritch and Jerry Lewis.I agree Betty appears too nice to be true.I think the whole aww bless her appeal she has now is because of her age. Even the nastiest old bitches tend to be seen as sweet and innocent when very old.She once said she liked animals better than people which is a hint she isn't as personable as she comes across.Most likely an act but one that has made her last in the business for nearly 80 years.

Sad news. Saw The Cranberries many many times very early on (they were a bit like Radiohead in that they always seemed to be the support/on the same bill as other bands I liked) as well as in their own right numerous times; they were always excellent live. Went off them from Zombie onwards when Dolores developed her vocal style to be - to these ears anyway - as irritating as possible but the first album is still stunning. She's admittedly had her problems in the past but would anyone have thought she'd go before Sinead?

Look, you know, if you want me as a Deathlist Cup hit one day, you'll have to accept that the substitute host, Joey Russ, might be biased against you in any showdown. Back's fine btw.

Should have been on my team Since twenty sixteen..... Aye, for a while a more bammy lass than Sinaid is.

Final Sears Canada stores have closed their doors.

That's what I like about the DDP; a concerted exercise in media studies, oncology, physiology, statistics and moral philosophy all rolled into one.

Another unique in Spanky Manikan moves another team onto the leaderboard from the "bottom".....

1. John Tyler was 63 when his son Lyon was born (1853). 2. Lyon was 71 when Lyon Jr. was born (1924), and 75 when Harrison was born (1928). 3. Both sons are still alive.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Oh come on, surely we are allowed one main team and one theme team?

My mind's telling me no....

JR man Ringo's Jewishness is a well-worn myth founded on his looks but with NO TRUTH TO IT WHATSOEVER. I highly recommend a wonderful book about Beatle myths (cover below) which offers chapter and verse on this and much other Beatle strangeness And his former (now deceased wife) wasn't half Jewish, though his current wife - actress Barbara Bach - is.