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We're up. Teams, celebs picked, Drop 40 all posted (I previously alluded to there being a joint tie at 40th, but two of these names had an inflated total due to a few duplicate teams - it's just 40 names). Obits posted for the first two weeks - Crosby and co will wait until next weekend. 2022 archived. List of the Missed up, as is a (currently blank) List of the Lost. TTL waits until later in the month. There's obviously still kinks to be sorted out but that will be handled in due time. But for now, we're here. I said it on the DDP site itself and I'll reiterate here: In addition to the 2023 committee of @gcreptile, @Banana, and I, @Grim Up North was also invaluable in helping during the entry period and first couple of weeks of the year, in both teaching Banana all the ins-and-outs of the team entry process and the many quirks of our system, as well as assisting the committee with new celeb data entry. Additionally @Whitehouse contributed to the new celebs in a voluntary capacity. Having that task divided between five people indubitably made it far less daunting than last year, and we thank the assistance.

THE DRAW FOR THE DEATHLIST CUP, AS SPONSORED BY PARTY CITY, FIRST ROUND IS AS FOLLOWS: Great Uncle Bulgaria vs ladyfiona wannamaker vs Sean Famous6Eva vs TheKillingTime Hell vs MortalCaso Il Magento vs CalebH JoeMoneypenny vs Dying Probably theoldlady vs deadsox Wormfarmer vs diego Gooseberry Crumble vs ThereWillBeDeaths7 Liz Lemon vs TheSpinosaurus Pop_Zeus vs Bibliogryphon justonecornetto vs Arghton GuyFromFuture vs DeathByArsenic

And, hey, why not: the Round 2 draw as well: Match 1 : msc vs Winner of Famous6Eva vs TheKillingTime Match 2 : BabyBlue vs Annami Match 3 : The Old Crem vs Banana Match 4 : Winner of  Pop_Zeus vs Bibliogryphon vs An Fear Baeg Match 5 : Winner of justonecornetto vs Arghton vs gcreptile Match 6 : alt obits guy vs YorkshireBanker Match 7 : TQR vs MariNisia Match 8 : Winner of Wormfarmer vs diego vs Sir Cunto Match 9 : Winner of Il Magento vs CalebH vs Captain Hemlock Match 10 : Winner of  GuyFromFuture vs DeathByArsenic vs CaptainChorizo Match 11 : Winner of Gooseberry Crumble vs ThereWillBeDeaths7 vs Winner of theoldlady vs deadsox Match 12 : Winner of Great Uncle Bulgaria vs ladyfiona vs DevonDeathTrip Match 13 : Perhaps vs Grim Up North Match 14 : Sideik vs Winner of wannamaker vs Sean Match 15 : SpadeCooley vs Winner of JoeMoneypenny vs Dying Probably Match 16 : Winner of Liz Lemon vs TheSpinosaurus vs Winner of Hell vs MortalCaso

OK, entries are now.... closed. The draw is upcoming.

The 19 players getting a first-round bye, based on seedings from the last tournament, are: gcreptile DevonDeathTrip Sir Cunto Annami Captain Hemlock Perhaps alt obits guy msc Banana TQR BabyBlue YorkshireBanker The Old Crem Sideik SpadeCooley An Fear Baeg MariNisia Grim Up North CaptainChorizo

As with last year, keeping in with interests of transparency, here are names we DQed from the 2023 DDP, including names that were queried about but not actually submitted: Elena Huelva - Mentioned upthread, although her social media following was sufficient, too much of that following was based on her illness Natalie Fornasier - We already discussed her before as well, given multiple teams picked her. Does not meet our social media criteria Roger Kliger - Doctor in a Massachusetts right-to-die case. There are a few too many right-to-die court cases now, that not every single plaintiff should count, especially when it's at the state level Nicola Waters - Similar to above, an MND campaigner but without any extraordinarily high profile Lubov Mihailivna - "Elderly Ukrainian woman who collects wood in Cherson". Not even Google could easily find this red carpet-er Colette Soulages - Pierre's widow, with no real media profile or any claims to fame of her own Nadja Seipel - Another that falls afoul of our social media rules Eric Coulam - Young lad planning assisted suicide, not even a court case or activist Georgie Allyn Barrett - Aspiring showjumper but with no recorded notability as a showjumper, and does not pass social media criteria Sam Watson - Andy Murray's stepmother, that's about it Grandma Joy Ryan - Grandmother crisscrossing the US to visit many of its national parks. A harmless pick, but another that doesn't pass social media rules Marianne Simard - Terminally ill woman who published a few songs after her illness. But the attention the music received is near nonexistent Past DQ Laura Nuttall was submitted on one team, which was also brought up in this thread. Also, one deadpooler submitted themselves as a pick! If you yourself are not at least vaguely notable, please do not do so.

Nikos Xanthopoulos has improved so much he's dead.

Ha! That reminds me when someone picked me for the 2009 DDP, presumably annoyed at how I ran 2008. Irony is that back then I would be disqualified, nowadays I should pass the fame test.

New posters try looking up to see if thread exist challenge. Difficulty: impossible

Linda Blair, American activist, film and television actress, and humanitarian, best known for her iconic role as the possessed Regan in the excellent film "The Exorcist", one of the most influential horror films of all time, is 64 today. Diane Lane, the notable American actress whose versatile career began in New York City at the age of 6, who made her big screen debut in George Roy Hill's "A Little Romance", and widely known for her starring roles in a great variety of films, is 58 today.

Some 20/20 possibilities Solihin G. P. - Indonesian politician and Lt. Gen who was the Governor of West Java 1970-1975. He's been in and out of hospital since suffering a stroke in 2017 and was rumored dead in 2021 when he was ill with covid. 97 this year. Sao Sanda - Burmese royal and last princess of Yawnghwe, 95 this year. Apparently attended the wedding of QEII. Probably not many of those still living. Mohamed Fayek - Nasser-era Egyptian cabinet minister. 94 this year. Sankara Narayana Menon Chundayil - One hell of a name (try saying that), however also called Shri Sankaranarayana Menon and Unni Gurukkal. Indian martial artist, master of Kerala's Kalaripayattu and Padma Shri recipient. Wheelchairbound and quite frail. 94 next month. Jukka Haavisto - Finnish jazz vibraphonist and accordionist. Lyme disease, 93 this year. K. W. Lee - Korean-US journalist. Liver and stomach cancer survivor and underwent a liver transplant 31 years ago. 95 in June. Max Baldwin - Australian Olympic canoeist, 95. Lost the ability to move his other leg due to polio in 1929. T. K. Murthy - 98-year-old Indian mridangam master. Has never really looked very healthy. Wang Huo - Chinese writer and best friend of Ma Shitu. Survived multiple heart attacks a few years ago and every time he makes a public appearance he looks like a different person. 99 this year. Budimir Lončar - Formerly the Foreign Affairs Minister of Yugoslavia, Croatia's own Kissinger still around to tell how things should be done in his opinion. 99 this year. Gazi Yaşargil - Turkish pioneer of microneurosurgery. 98 this year. Ihor Yukhnovskyi - Former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. 97. Vija Vētra - Latvian Classical Indian dancer who lives in the US. Appeared in a few episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood in the 1960s and 1970s. 100 next month.

Thank you for the mention DI - as a point of minor detail to me but only fair to banana the committee info on the site needs updated. Cheers

He and I concur on a huge range of tracks but if he's ever voted for that dratted total eclipse you and old lady are welded to I'm putting him in the stocks on an Essex village green and pelting him with overpriced groceries.

The most interesting thing about this round is that TQR and I vote for a song together - only this time in the same direction!

That sir, is your opinion. Mine differs, there are two shite songs left and that isn't even one of them . Yet other opinions are available...... (quite clearly)

Piper Laurie is 91.

Marshall Tucker, who in 1972 rented out an old warehouse to a new musical group who showed their appreciation by naming themselves The Marshall Tucker Band, has died. He was 99. Tucker was a piano tuner by trade. He was blind, but pitch perfect. The Marshall Tucker Band had seven U.S. Hot 100 hits and three more that bubbled under. Their biggest American hit was 'Heard it in a Love Song', which hit #14. https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/marshall-tucker-namesake-of-iconic-southern-rock-band-has-died/

New Picture of Steve “Mongo” McMicheal

Tom Nairn, another nationalist who didn’t live long enough to see his dreams come true, has died after a fall aged 90. Some Scottish Nationalists already suggesting suspicious circumstances in the comments section because no 90 year old ever has died following a fall…

You beat me to it. Don’t think he looks better at all. Stop shaving apparently and his voice is rough, gasping for air at some point and looks really tired.

Regal Cinemas plans to close 39 movie theaters across the country in February, a move that could save $22 million annually, parent company Cineworld said in bankruptcy court documents. SC

Likely only him and Broch left. Some interesting or uninteresting European names that as far as I know have never been mentioned here before: Miloslav Masopust - 98-year-old Czechoslovak Army Corps officer. Promoted to Brig. Gen in 2005, Maj. Gen in 2019 and to the rank of Lieutenant General in 2022. Looked fine in October, check again when he's promoted to Army General. Agadadash Samedov - Decorated Azerbaijani veteran. 99 in March. Veljko Bulajić - A resistance fighter/child soldier in WWII, but more known for directing Yugoslavia's four most viewed films. UNESCO Kalinga prize recipient. Looked fine in October, 95 in March. Aris Poulianos - Greek archaeologist, anthropologist. Most known for studying the Petralona skull. And of course also known for controversy on the age of the skull. 98 and seemingly still active.

Leslie Philips for me