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Ending Dong Looks like the doctor must have popped out of the house for a minute – Leslie Phillips has died at the age of 98, and will have to amend his catchphrases to "goodbye" and "I don't say". Star of multiple Carry On films, including Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Columbus (1992), and Carried Off in a Coffin (2022), he's best known to younger, cooler, lither audiences like myself for his part in the Harry Potter series as the Sorting Hat, a crazed old pervert who sits on children's heads and dictates their fates, and occasionally shits out swords – truly his most risque role of all. Only 5 of you thought the long-time resident of the Drop Forty care home would see 99, though all 5 banked a weirdly brave number of points on him – Gryffindors, clearly. The only action in the top 41 is @BuffaloPhil's unlucky swing from 7th to 13th, but the race for last place is a real carry-on, with @chilean way making way for @Neobrakeon and @msc to have a big old ding-dong at the bottom. GAINED TOTAL = 1. YorkshireBanker 20 = 2. Joey Russ 23 = 3. machotrouts 25 = 3. Sean 25 = 5. Sideik 28 = 6. An Fear Beag 31 ▲ 7. gcreptile 33 ▲ 7. LizLemon 33 ▲ 9. ThereWillBeDeaths7 34 ▲ 10. Book 35 ▲ 11. Pedro67 36 ▲ 12. Banana 37 ▼ 13. BuffaloPhil +8 40 ▲ 13. CaptainChorizo 40 = 15. GuyFromFuture 41 = 15. Toast 41 = 17. Philip 42 = 17. theoldlady 42 = 19. Newjack 44 = 20. MortalCaso 46 = 20. MariNisia 46 = 22. Funeralopolis 48 = 22. drol 48 = 24. CastAway 49 = 24. Sir Creep 49 = 26. YoungWillz 51 = 26. wannamaker 51 = 28. Nick 53 = 28. The Old Crem 53 = 30. deadsox 56 = 31. Spade_Cooley 59 = 32. Bibliogryphon 60 = 33. Death Impends 61 = 34. BabyBlue 63 = 35. The Unknown Man 64 = 35. Predictor 64 = 35. Perhaps 64 = 38. Grim Up North 65 = 38. TQR 65 = 40. Great Uncle Bulgaria 66 ▲ 41. Annami 71 = 42. machotrouts' mum +9 79 ▲ 43. Hell 81 ▼ 44. Pedro67's wife +16 82 = 45. Doulton 103 ▲ 46. chilean way 114 ▼ 47. Neobrakeon +19 123 ▼ 48. msc +22 126

Jim Stewart, the co-founder of Stax records, has died. He was 92. https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/12/06/jim-stewart-obituary-stax-records-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-memphis-music-history/69702156007/

Jim Lea - who co-wrote Merry Xmas Everybody - with Noddy famously said it was "not so much a song, more a pension plan"

U.S. Air Force Colonel and test pilot Kenneth O. Chilstrom dead at 101.

Richard Edlund, the excellent American visual effects artist, one of the most distinguished names in the visual effects industry, who is the talented person behind many famed and successful films, such as "Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Poltergeist", "Return of the Jedi", "Ghostbusters", "Big Trouble in Little China", "Die Hard" and "Ghost", among others, is 82 today. Edlund, a founding member of Industrial Light & Magic, is a four-time Oscar winner. His 1977 Oscar for "Star Wars" is currently on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Peter Handke, the noted Austrian essayist, novelist, playwright and poet whose body of work has been awarded numerous European literary prizes and the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature, is 80 today. Peter Handke's literary career has been very marked, the excellent novel "A Sorrow Beyond Dreams" is a good example of this, by the suicide of his Slovenian-born mother, happened in 1971. He has also made film incursions as a director and screenwriter.

Was she still in Scientology? They don't have the best record when it comes to healing cancer.

In his defense, he was dead.

It’s good news: she’s out of hospital and recovering.

I'm not shocked tbh? Nearly picked her in the punt pool. Always struck me as the type to try and cure cancer with prayers and that bleach water.

It's the middle of the bloody night here! FFS. She will always be Rebecca in Cheers to me. And Kirstie Alley is a DDP Pick, so we'll need one of these: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-63868992

Not yet ready to delve too deeply into creating a list but "most shocking" and "saddest" certainly go to comedians (imho, at least). Most shocking (by far): Bob Saget Saddest: Gilbert Gottfried Both deaths came as a shock, honestly... especially considering that Artie Lange has somehow outlived both them and Norm

Still in reasonable shape, going by this:

The new game starts last week of December

74 Baccara – Yes Sir, I can boogie 72 ABBA - The Name of the Game 70 Donna Summer - I Feel Love 62 ABBA – Knowing me, knowing you 45 ABBA - Fernando -6 30 Rod Stewart – I don't want to talk about it / The first cut is the deepest +4 21 ABBA - Mamma Mia Three Abba songs in top five? Come on they're good but suggests a lack of imagination - we're better than that (plus I've given Rod Stewart most of my points this round - will be really depressing at a difficult time of year if he doesn't make the top 5 ) 

Bought a toasted sandwich maker. I’m grateful for this warning.

Updated for Kirstie Alley: Scoreboard: wannaker:50 LadyFiona:50 MariNisia:50 theoldlady:50 Bibliogryphon:50 Lewd-Squirrel: 50 JustPassingThrough:50 bmugnoz:50 Captain Chorizo:50 Yorkshire Banker:50 Lewd-Squirrel:50 tracy:50 Book:50 Hell:50 gcreptile:50 Gooseberry Crumble:50 BuffaloPhil:49 Captain Hemlock:49 Great Uncle Bulgaria:49 Khtonia:49 Shaun:49 ThereWillBeDeaths7:49 TheSpinosaurus:49 Deaths: 1)Dietrich Mateschitz (20th May 1944-22nd October 2022) (78) Picked by TheSpinosaurus 2)Christine McVie (12th July 1943-30th November 2022) (79) Picked by ThereWillBeDeaths7 , Great Uncle Bulgaria and Captain Hemlock 3)Kirstie Alley (12th January 1951-5th December 2022) (71) Picked by Shaun BuffaloPhil and Khtonia

Guardian obit for Alan Jinkinson (wiki), aged 87, British trade union leader who was General Secretary of UNISON (1993–1996). Also stood as the Labour Party candidate at the infamous Orpington by-election in 1962 (came third and lost his deposit).

Anyone still bother with the traditional Blue Peter advent calendar? Just asking because it's an invitation to q/o territory - y'know: "Here's one I prepared earlier!"

Times obit for Jack Swaab MC, 104, WWII artillery officer who was awarded the Military Cross for showing "the utmost contempt for danger".

Like it isn't already....

Die Skull Gonefideadtial Pardon me – I had to wait a few weeks to make sure Jerry Lee Lewis was dead for real this time. Rock and roll icon, boogie-woogier, wife collector, Killer, and killer Jerry Lee Lewis has died at the age of at-least-50-years-older-than-anyone-expected. His hits include 'High School Confidential', the apostrophe-laden 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On', and the church-rattling devil music of 'Great Balls of Fire' – very much the 'WAP' of its day. Lewis was a figure of controversy to 1950s sensibilities for playing his piano too hard, and remains a figure of controversy to modern sensibilities for marrying his cousin too young – which, to be fair, took place at an unenlightened time and place where marrying your teenage cousin was considered *less* morally outrageous than murdering a subsequent, adult wife to whom you are unrelated. These days, we know better. 15 players banked a collective 135 points on Mr Lewis Boogie, which means there's a moderate amount of shakin' goin' on. @The Unknown Man's hopes have been Killed by a nerve-shakin' and brain-rattlin' 23 points – he's hoppin' and boppin' all the way from 17th to 35th. Furthermore, @CastAway gets real low from 15th to 24th with 11 points, @Philip's days as a top 10 star are ended by a scandalous 13 – Jerry sympathises – and most devastatingly of all, @machotrouts falls from 2nd to 3rd, with 4 points making all the difference at such an elite level of play. Of course, what's Balls for them is Great for the rest of you. This thread's substitute mathematician @Sideik rises to the top 5, @Joey Russ becomes our new runner-up (well, insofar as anything in this update is "new") and, goodness gracious, great @YorkshireBanker holds steady in 1st – but that 6-point penalty makes it tighter than a Jerry Lee Lewis wedding night. GAINED TOTAL = 1. YorkshireBanker +6 20 ▲ 2. Joey Russ 23 ▼ 3. machotrouts +4 25 ▲ 3. Sean 25 ▲ 5. Sideik 28 ▲ 6. An Fear Beag 31 ▲ 7. BuffaloPhil +7 32 ▲ 8. gcreptile 33 ▲ 8. LizLemon 33 ▲ 10. ThereWillBeDeaths7 34 ▲ 11. Book 35 ▼ 12. Pedro67 +3 36 ▲ 13. Banana 37 ▲ 14. CaptainChorizo 40 ▲ 15. GuyFromFuture 41 ▲ 15. Toast 41 ▼ 17. Philip +13 42 ▲ 17. theoldlady 42 ▲ 19. Newjack 44 ▲ 20. MortalCaso +2 46 ▲ 20. MariNisia 46 ▲ 22. Funeralopolis 48 ▲ 22. drol 48 ▼ 24. CastAway +11 49 ▲ 24. Sir Creep +1 49 ▲ 26. YoungWillz 51 ▲ 26. wannamaker 51 ▼ 28. Nick +12 53 ▲ 28. The Old Crem 53 ▼ 30. deadsox +12 56 = 31. Spade_Cooley +7 59 ▲ 32. Bibliogryphon 60 ▲ 33. Death Impends 61 ▲ 34. BabyBlue 63 ▼ 35. The Unknown Man +23 64 ▲ 35. Predictor 64 ▲ 35. Perhaps 64 = 38. Grim Up North 65 = 38. TQR 65 = 40. Pedro67's wife 66 = 40. Great Uncle Bulgaria 66 = 42. machotrouts' mum 70 = 43. Annami 71 = 44. Hell 81 = 45. Doulton +17 103 = 46. msc +14 104 ▲ 46. Neobrakeon +3 104 = 48. chilean way 114 Leslie and Doddie updates coming imminently (before 2026).

Duly cuntified.

At 70, it's hard to walk in heels and up stairs... Putin's gait as a symptom (4:48) https://youtu.be/NVr43L84-WA The height of Putin's hidden heels (1:01) https://youtu.be/ihCxQ61Ypak ___________________________ Putin and Lukashenko fear the fate of Ceausescu or Gaddafi, but by their actions they increase the likelihood of violent removal from governance.

Love this pool. Thanks for running and good luck everyone (including our picks!) 1. Ghislaine Maxwell 2. Donald Trump 3. Joe Exotic 4. Phil Collins 5. Rupert Murdoch 6. Willie Nelson 7. Billy Connolly 8. Rolf Harris 9. Shannen Doherty 10. Bobby Charlton 11. Shane MacGowan 12. Milos Zeman 13. Paul Gascoigne 14. Jerry Lee Lewis 15. Queen Elizabeth 16. Tom Parker 17. June Brown 18. Rob Burrow 19. Mikhail Gorbachev 20. Linda Nolan 21. Olivia Newton-John 22. Clint Eastwood 23. Tony Bennett 24. Angela Lansbury 25. Dick Van Dyke SUB- Eva Marie Saint

Bad link.