Death Impends

The only one of those four I could have really seen in that video was Cimino. Clark was a TV/music guy, Hemsley appeared in a few minor films but was easily much more well known for TV work, and Sassoon I'm in agreement with Trautmann on.

Temperature of 999? Does this mean Herman Cain's behind the apocalypse?

Mandela's dead. Because, Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.

I feel that the obit's a shoe in if she gets the #1. If she doesn't, I still feel she's more interesting a story than the typical terminally ill moms (the article even calls her "terminally ill singer" rather than "terminally ill mother" even though I assume that this is the first notable singing she's really done) so it's enough for me to have her on my roster.

Also reports are coming in that Ryan Lanza wasn't the shooter. It was his younger brother Adam.

One of the most unsettling things to me about all the recent shootings in America is how commonplace these are. Unless there's a larger loss of life like in this case, I don't feel shock at news of shootings anymore due to how damn often they happen. And with each tragedy people continue to hawk on how guns are oh so necessary while going "You can't politicize these events". I agree that losses of life shouldn't be used for political gain but one has to remember political enabling of guns to such a wide extent is what helps these tragedies become more commonplace. It's a serious issue that can't be ignored and something needs to be done pronto.

Picture of him taken after he had a few visitors in the hospital: (article is in Polish but if you really want the link...) Even though this particular health issue probably won't kill him he certainly looks very poor

Officials have announced that Chavez suffered complications during the latest surgery, but is recovering from them.

Interestingly enough the article dates to 'round the same time the illness was first made known, so the assisted suicide thoughts weren't going to be a factor all this time. Either way certainly helps with winnowing my own potential picks.

N. Joseph Woodland of bar code fame.

Though he WAS on the fake Moon landing set where he shot JFK from...

1987: de Cesaris, Wing, Osbourne (3/31) 1989: Bruno, Mandela, Ditka, Paisley, Kendall, Osbourne, Brian Wilson, Jenkins, Cole (9/32) 1990: Noriega, Aznavour, Queen, Alliss, Ditka, Rex Williams, Winfrey, Waite (8/42) 1991: Willis, Mandela, Gabor, Beenhakker (4/40) 1992: Finney, Ryder (2/37) 1993: Bennett, Ian Paisley, Kissinger, Ray Kennedy, Lineker, Jerry Lee Lewis (6/56) 1994: Castro, White, Kirkbride, Holly Johnson, Thorpe, Shilton (6/50) 1995: Castro, Holly Johnson, Forsyth, Connery (4/50) 1996: Mr T, Thorpe, Domino, Castro (4/50) 1997: Rooney, Domino, Kirk Douglas (3/50) 1998: Rooney, Jaruzelski (2/50) 1999: Leeson, Simon (2/50) 2000: Farrakan, Jaruzelski, Biggs (3/50) 2001: Tutu, Minelli, Pincher, Wallach, Wouk, Rooney (6/50) 2002: Biggs, Brady, Kirk Douglas, Kendall (4/50) 2003: Biggs, Rooney, Gabor (3/50) 2004: Biggs, Brady, Musharraf, Wallach, Kirk Douglas, Michelmore, Rooney, Mugabe (8/50) 2005: Biggs, Karzai, Maradona, LaMotta, Wallach, de Havilland, O'Sullevan, Castro, Jerry Lewis (10/50) 2006: di Stefano, Biggs, Wallach, Kirk Douglas, Lynn, Bouteflika, Graham, Ali, Magaret Thatcher, LaMotta, Rooney, Mandela (12/50) 2007: Castro, Sharon, Graham, Biggs, Tim Johnston, Piper, Wallach, Kirk Douglas, de Havilland, Lynn, LaMotta, Molinaro, Vigoda, Jerry Lewis, Farrakhan (15/50) 2008: Biggs, Castro, Pincher, Wallach, Kirk Douglas, Domino, Gabor, Lynn, Sharon, Graham, Watson, Lamotta, Karzai, Klugman, Charles Taylor (15/50) 2009: Biggs, Havelange, Pincher, Wallach, Castro, Kirk Douglas, Graham, Mandela, LaMotta, Rooney, Nancy Reagan, Christopher Lee, Klugman, Cardin, King, Margaret Thatcher, Sharon. (17/50) 2010: Biggs, Wing, Gabor, Pincher, Wallach, Castro, Kirk Douglas, Wouk, de Havilland, Priebke, Healey, Tork, Edrich, Graham, Mandela, Bough, O'Sullevan, Margaret Thatcher, Molinaro, LaMotta, Thornton, Klugman, Norden, Attenborough, King, Lansbury, Jerrt Lewis, Domino, Garner, Sharon. (30/50) 2011: Biggs, Gabor, Kirk Douglas, de Havilland, Healey, Edrich, Margaret Thatcher, LaMotta, Thorton, Khamenei, Klugman, Jerry Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Godfrey, Dole, Cheney, Wing, Pincher, Wallach, Ellison, Mandela, Schmidt, Molinaro, Brady, Priebke, Andrews, Sharon, Cardin, Lynn, Michael Douglas, Nancy Reagan, Frederiksen (32/50) Updated to reflect Shankar's death.

Too late for that... Shankar's plucked his last string.

CNN doesn't seem to be optimistic: They just released a "fast facts" page on Mandela including a timeline

I wouldn't be surprised if he outlasts the younger Helmut

As always this time of year, TCM releases their annual In Memoriam video. Not their strongest one IMO, but still quite nice and will inevitably be much better than whatever the next Oscars ceremony churns out.

I'm including both him and Hillsborough mother, not enthusiastically, on my team pretty much for the reason of the sake of holding my own like mentioned previously. Other than that I agree completely on much preferring picking people who are famous in their own right, all but one of my other potential picks have fame in their own right albeit some are a bit more obscure than others.

General Giap like mentioned on the first page is the best bet I'd say, both very famous and looks awful

Nothing in English yet, but it's being reported that the plane's remains were found with no survivors Edit: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/plane-singer-jenni-rivera-missing-mexico

Has to be the most entertaining response to false death rumors I've seen at any rate.

Indeed, soon as I saw Spade's post I knew I finally had a definite choice for my joker... now the only factor that remains is if he makes it to January 1...

Certainly a frustrating miss for DL... though, at least it's during a decent year. Could only imagine how irritating it'd feel if he died during the downright-disappointing 2011 Ain't gonna lie, this was the first thing to come to mind upon hearing of his death. Still love that flash. Turns out weebl made a tribute version today:

Those sensationalist "Nancy Reagan last days" headlines may become true if she hears word of this death

It was mentioned earlier by TMIB that he'll count, just no unnatural death points.

Gamer version http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9-HTTFEk6UM#t=164s The Smurf dying after touching grass pretty much takes the cake for dumb deaths.