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Who says we're sick - yet another Deathrace winner insists the prize is given as a charitable donation - to animals Buttercups Sanctuary For Goats - Donation receipt Please find confirmation of your donation below: Donation amount: £10 Donor Fee Cover Amount: £1.02 Gift Aid amount: £2.50 Payment Type: Single Credit/ Debit Cards Charity Name: Buttercups Sanctuary For Goats

STATS AND FACTS The Inverse Dead Pool has seen an increase in participation, with the 41 teams entered 5 more than last year (though still short of 2019's participation record of 48). This time, we see one name unanimously picked and one unanimously avoided. Donald Trump has typically been the most popular pick in the years he is pickable, but his recent tantrums somehow manage to make Gazza look stable. Indeed, the unanimous pick is Gazza, with all of us reckoning the conductor has control of this train wreck for another year. Name Total Points Total # of Teams 1. Paul Gascoigne 903 41 2. Donald Trump 875 39 3. Queen Elizabeth II 852 40 4. Billy Connolly 717 38 5. David Attenborough 698 38 6. Angela Lansbury 665 40 7. Dick Van Dyke 642 39 8. Rolf Harris 477 34 9. June Brown 470 36 10. Doddie Weir 466 34 11. Rob Burrow 425 34 12. Betty White 417 34 13. Olivia Newton-John 406 31 14. Bobby Charlton 403 33 15. Prunella Scales 342 33 16. Willie Nelson 339 34 17. Desmond Tutu 332 30 18. Bill Turnbull 303 25 19. Greg Gilbert 300 26 20. George Alagiah 289 27 21. Henry Kissinger 278 26 22. Sarah Harding 269 27 23. Murray Walker 262 28 24. Jerry Lee Lewis 252 27 25. Shannen Doherty 173 22 The 2020 people's choice would have placed 3rd with 42 points - worse than the typical people's choice in terms of points but better than typical in terms of placement. As for the ten most anticipated deaths by our collective: Name Total Points Total # of Teams 1. Rush Limbaugh 0 0 2. Larry King 2 1 3. Leon Spinks 4 1 4. David Gulpilil 6 2 5. Bob Dole 18 2 6. James Whale 21 1 7. Carlos Menem 29 3 8. Dai Davies 32 4 9. Leslie Phillips 40 6 10. Norman Lloyd 45 7 Yep, I won't have the opportunity to berate any Limbaugh pickers with a "fools Rush in where wise poolers never go" quip should he die in 2021 as not a single person has plumped for the odious fuck. He's the first name to be entirely unpicked in the four years I've run the Inverse. Covid-battling Larry King was aligned with Rush in the no-pick zone until minutes before the deadline, with the final entrant machotrouts including him. The remainder are self explanatory - Spinks, Gulpilil, Whale, and Davies all have advanced cancer, Dole and Phillips are premier "how are they still not dead?" zombies, Menem is the token annual world leader who pisses off drol for a number of months before finally succumbing to his numerous ailments, and Lloyd is the second-oldest ever Inverse pick (after Misao Okawa in 2015). Only half of last year's bottom 10 died. Of the five survivors, Gulpilil stayed put, Tom Smith, Yoo Sang-chul, and Susan Bayh saw increases in support, and Gianluca Vialli is no longer pickable due to a collapse in DDP popularity. And be wary of the history of names on one team or less - in the four years I've run the Inverse, four past names were on only one team: Leah Bracknell (2018), Marieke Vervoort (2018), Genesis P-Orridge (2020), and Tom Smith (2020). Three out of four survived the year. Will any of Limbaugh, King, Spinks, or Whale join them in this deadpooler-defying statistic?

And the entry period has closed. Good luck to the participants and their candidates for survival. As always, stats corner to come shortly.

As I turned in my team today I also turned....and asked Team Wean if she wanted another go at the DP, and she declined. Glad to see your mum throw a few names at it, best of luck to her team.

Just in from work to discover that I've won - I'm well chuffed! Nice to get a deadpool win under the belt so early in the year. MPFC suggested that I would have practiced my gracious "its down to luck" victory speech. To hell with that false humility - I won because I am fucking awesome . Note the masterful use of reverse psychology on the Reaper himself - on Monday I suggested that a pick on my team granted immunity from the ravages of Covid-19 - 6 days later he has taken three of them. Just goes to show, he's only human (or summat). Thanks to everyone for their kind words. Thanks also to everyone for a good game. Commiserations in particular to Banana - I knew I had a decent team when the teams were published and most of my best picks were on his/her teams also. Ultimately the Floyd Little joker proved decisive - seems that you just can't trust the Covid picks. Thanks to MPFC for running a great pool. Its my first time playing it, and I enjoyed it immensely (but briefly ) I look forward to locking horns with everyone again in the Cup.

This year's list with help from @Torva Messor, @Lewd_Squirrel & @alt obits guy George Armstrong (b. 1930, Skead, ON, d. January 24, 2021), Hockey Player, Hall of Fame Margaret Atwood (b. 1939, Ottawa, ON), Writer, The Handmaid's Tale Andy Barrie (b. 1945, Baltimore, MD, USA), Radio Personality, Host of Metro Morning Lucien Bouchard (b. 1938, Saint-Coeur-de-Marie, QC), 27th Premier of Quebec & Leader of the Bloc Quebecois Scotty Bowman (b. 1933, Verdun, QC), Hall of Fame Hockey Coach Don Cherry (b. 1934, Kingston, ON), Hockey Coach & Personality, Host of Coach's Corner Tommy Chong (b. 1938, Edmonton, AB), Actor & Comedian, Cheech & Chong Jean Chrétien (b. 1934, Shawinigan, QC), Politician, 20th Prime Minister Joe Crozier (b. 1929, Winnipeg, MB), Hockey Coach Bill Davis (b. 1929, Toronto, ON, d. August 8, 2021), Politician, 18th Premier of Ontario Graeme Ferguson (b. 1929, Toronto, ON, d. May 8, 2021), Co-Inventor of IMAX Michael J. Fox (b. 1961, Edmonton, AB), Actor, Back to the Future Emile Francis (b. 1926, North Battleford, SK), Hockey Player, Coach & Executive, Hall of Fame Frank Gehry (b. 1929, Toronto, ON), Architect, Walt Disney Concert Hall Glenn Hall (b. 1931, Humboldt, SK), Hockey Goaltender, Hall of Fame Ian "Vampiro" Hodgkinson (b. 1967, Thunder Bay, ON), Professional Wrestler Dick Irvin Jr. (b. 1932, Calgary, AB), Sports Broadcaster James K. Irving (b. 1928), Billionaire Norman Jewison (b. 1926, Toronto, ON), Film Director, Oscar Winner Martha Johnson (b. 1950, Toronto, ON), Rock Singer, Martha and the Muffins Sid Krofft (b. 1929, Montreal, QC), Puppeteer, H.R. Pufnstuf Guy Lafleur (b. 1951, Thurso, QC), Hockey Player, Hall of Fame Gordon Lightfoot (b. 1938, Orillia, ON), Folk Singer-Songwriter, 5x Grammy Nominee Rudolph A. Marcus (b. 1923, Montreal, QC), Chemist, Nobel Laureate Hazel McCallion (b. 1921, Port Daniel, QC), Politician, 5th Mayor of Mississauga, ON Joni Mitchell (b. 1943, Fort Macleod, AB), Folk Singer-Songwriter, 9x Grammy Winner Allan Moffat (b. 1939, Saskatoon, SK), Racing Driver Alice Munro (b. 1931, Wingham, ON), Writer, Nobel Laureate Peter C. Newman (b. 1929, Vienna, Austria), Editor of MacLean's & the Toronto Star Helen Nichol (b. 1920, Ardley, AB, d. June 25, 2021), Baseball Player Cornelia Oberlander (b. 1921, Muelheim-Ruhr, Germany, d. May 22, 2021), Architect, Robson Square Gino Odjick (b. 1970, Montreal, QC), Hockey Player Marty Pavelich (b. 1927, Sault Ste. Marie, ON), Hockey Player, 4x Stanley Cup Winner Jim Peebles (b. 1935, Winnipeg, MB), Astrophysicist Gordon Pinsent (b. 1930, Grand Falls, NL), Actor, Babar the Elephant Christopher Plummer (b. 1929, Toronto, ON, d. February 5, 2021), Actor, 1x Oscar, 2x Tony & 2x Emmy Winner John Polanyi (b. 1929, Berlin, Germany), Chemist, Nobel Laureate Hubert Reeves (b. 1932, Montreal, QC), Astrophysicist Lloyd Robertson (b. 1934, Stratford, ON), Journalist, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson Richard Rohmer (b. 1924, Hamilton, ON), RCAF Aviator, WWII Mort Sahl (b. 1927, Montreal, QC, d. October 26, 2021), Comedian Edward Schreyer (b. 1935, Beausejour, MB), 22nd Governor General of Canada William Shatner (b. 1931, Montreal, QC), Actor, Star Trek Lawrence "Abdullah the Butcher" Shreve (b. 1941, Windsor, ON), Professional Wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame Michael Snow (b. 1928, Toronto, ON), Multi-Media Artist, Wavelength Paul Soles (b. 1930, Toronto, ON, d. May 28, 2021), Voice Actor, Spider-Man (1967) Donald Sutherland (b. 1935, Saint John, NB), Actor, 2x Golden Globe Winner David Suzuki (b. 1936, Vancouver, BC), Environmental Activist, Host of The Nature of Things Ian Tyson (b. 1933, Victoria, BC), Country Singer-Songwriter Rhoda Wurtele (b. 1922, Saint-Lambert, QC), Olympic Women's Skiing Pioneer

Channel Four thoughtfully providing a form-studying bonanza with a new series of Shut-ins (doc on morbidly obese people so far gone the great outdoors is beyond them - not so much couch to 5k in six weeks as bed to couch in six weeks) Starts tonight: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/shut-ins-britains-fattest-people/episode-guide/

Sickipedia but wtf? Leicester city have lodged a formal complaint about Liverpool holding a minutes silence for local musician Gerry Marsden. They say that the precedent it sets, has implications for them, when you realise that Showaddywaddy had about 20 members.

Admittedly, nicked from online but... Q - What's the difference between Trump and Phil Spector? A - People will remember Spector's wall!

You clearly missed the REASON for my post. Did you not see the link at the top? The meme wasn't the point. The point was that a teacher had sent this meme to a class of schoolchildren as a worksheet. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/school-apologises-after-asking-children-4896111

Christopher HAMILTON Bidmead, science/technology journalist who had a short spell in the 60s as an actor and a short but memorable spell as Doctor Who script editor during the Tom Baker era, is 80 today, much to his own disbelief.

Final paragraph tells me all I need to know...

Why are you so obsessed with likes and why do you think you have so few compared to your post count?

Probably buried in a wall of sound.

My mum has made a team. I told her about the Inverse Dead Pool, and she said "oh, that sounds nice! I'll play!". With the precedent of Sir Creep and "Team Wean" a couple of years ago, I hope it's okay if I send it on her behalf? She's a DDP participant, but not a forum member. (I still intend to submit my own team, shortly before midnight.) machotrouts' mum's team: Sarah Harding Olivia Newton-John Yoko Ono Queen Elizabeth II Jean-Louis Trintignant Tom Parker Greg Gilbert Paul Gascoigne Susan Bayh Jimmy Carter Tom Smith Rob Burrow Doddie Weir Dick Van Dyke Angela Lansbury Betty White Desmond Tutu Bobby Charlton Shannen Doherty Murray Walker Prunella Scales Jimmy Greaves George Alagiah Willie Nelson Norman Lloyd SUB: Sidney Poitier

Sammy Nestico (wiki), American jazz composer and arranger for the Count Basie Orchestra, died this morning aged 96 according to his Facebook page. Expect a Grauniad obit.

Historian George Bancroft died on this day 130 years ago, aged 90.

Apparently still in the hospital. Improving, but still fairly ill: https://www.showbiz411.com/2021/01/16/update-broadcast-legend-larry-king-remains-in-the-hospital-fighting-covid-after-three-weeks-improving-slowly

Final scoreboard below - this is indeed an awesome performance by An Fear Beag - hell of a lead, hell of a leap over the line for that BIG winning margin. An Fear Beag - 2140 Banana - 1731 Captain Chorizo - 1446 Deadsox 1091 Death Impends - 1084 Perhaps - 1078 Old Crem - 1073 msc - 1070 gcreptile - 1069 Book - 1056 Joey Russ - 728 Eesti - 727 Sean - 722 Gooseberry Crumble - 363 Lard Bazaar - 363 Lychian - 363 The Old Lady - 363 The Unknown Man - 363 Maryportfuncity - 356 Grim up North - 349

Big corrections: Sarah "Sally" Palin didn't die in 2009, she apparently died yesterday. Chuck Palin is still alive.

They don't have to inaugurate Biden at the Capitol. The can do it at McDonalds if they wanted to. My understanding of the constitution is that Trump's term ends at 12 noon on the 20th regardless of anything. At 12 noon he ceases to be President. If they can't install the President-elect or Vice-President-elect they would have to install the next in line...Nancy Pelosi...the President pro-tempore... Its a shit theory. For it to work it would require more than Trump's base to act illegally and, to be frank, I can't see that happening. The people he needs are fed up of him.

We really don’t. It’s not like they’re called ‘Bummers’ or ‘Cocksuckers’ is it? Most “offence” is bollocks, it’s fake, it’s a construct of people who actually want to offend people. So they pretend these things do cause offence. Unfortunately, certain silly cunts fall for it and make it an issue that never existed.

I do try to win. Its just that my idea of what a celebrity is and what others' idea of a celebrity is are two entirely different things. Mitt Romney is more of a classic pick than half of the no-marks put forward on this forum. PS. Don't look at my shadow list...

PG Wodehouse: Very Good Jeeves 18 Wodehouse: Very Fucking Good Jeeves You Daft Cunt