Death Impends

Here we go... Political git, Kate Garraway squeeze, and COVID hanger-on Derek Draper was the token name to be super ill at the last minute and then make an early exit. As it was due to a massive heart attack rather than end stage cancer, he was more of a gamble than Gary Burgess or Gianluca Vialli, but most of his pickers went high with some variance. Also, extra .19 points as his death was COVID complications, even for his sub picker, because why not. BabyBlue, Banana, Perhaps, Sean, Torva Messor, YorkshireBanker 50.19 points. drol and theoldlady 45.19. Book and Imelda 40.19. ladyfiona and Pedro67 35.19. Captain Hemlock and Thatcher 30.19. Funeralopolis 25.19. Prophet 20.19. Hell 10.19 The Unknown Man 5.19. John Key sub 25.19. Five votes for Glynis Johns! The beloved Mary Poppins mum also had panto on her CV. chilean way and diego get 49 points (35 base + 14 bonus), Grimgrass and livingbygrace 42 (30 + 12), and markb4 35 (25 + 10). And the DeathList hit trio was rounded off with football legend Franz Beckenbauer. Der Kaiser ushers in a reign for Imelda of 21 points (15 base + 6 bonus), alongside Grimgrass hitting the first sub for 25 points. Another name who was circling the drain around New Year's was director/Kate Beckinsdale stepdad Roy Battersby. Like Beckenbauer, he was unique by virtue of being only on one main team, despite being another team's sub. RadGuy is the big winner with 56 points (40 base + 16 bonus) while Thatcher also moves onward with 25 sub points. As the last surviving cast member of the earliest non-Lucy US sitcom to still have a pop cultural footprint, Honeymooner Joyce Randolph had been a great WTF still alive deadpooling pick for ages. She went bang, zoom, straight to two subs benches - MariNisia and markb4 pow 25 points. We go from a 50s sitcom star to a YouTube star. Deadpooling really gets around sometimes. Snake-hassler Brian Barczyk slithers four teams up the scoreboard - Perhaps by 35, DevonDeathTrip 30, Banana and gcreptile 25. Venerated film director Norman Jewison wasn't terribly popular in deadpooling for a 97-year old of his stature, perhaps in part due to many assessing him a likely centenarian. I mean, he was a Norman - Lear made 101, Lloyd made 106, Tebbit is currently 666. One team that defied the norms was markb4, who accrues 21 points (15 base + 6 bonus). Sometimes, the celebrity death who defines the year happens very early on. Take Bowie, for instance. Indeed, even if tomorrow we lost Jimmy Carter, Pope Francis, and King Charles, we'd still remember 2024 as the year where legendary councillor Jason Smith died. Curiously, all he got was local BBC press, but it was all that was needed for HPDP pointery. Banana gains 45 points, Book, maryportfuncity, and Perhaps 35, and An Fear Beag and gcreptile 30. Footballer Stuart Gray was another of the DDP canon to leave early. The cholangiocarcinoma-afflicted full-back found himself on 6 HPDP teams, gaining Etushispushingupdaisies 50 points, wannamaker 40, Banana and justonecornetto 30, Perhaps 20, and msc 10. The last of this jam-packed January was popular Broadway actress Chita Rivera. She was on the subs bench of MalePoster, who dances to the tune of 25 points. And phew, the January scoreboard. Everpresent Banana takes an early lead with Perhaps nipping at his heels, but it's still very early days. 1. Banana 150 2. Perhaps 140.19 3. markb4 81 4. Book 75.19 5. Grimgrass 67 6. Imelda 61.19 7. RadGuy 56 8. gcreptile 55.47 9. Thatcher 55.19 =10. BabyBlue 50.19 =10. Sean 50.19 =10. Torva Messor 50.19 =10. YorkshireBanker 50.19 14. Etushispushingupdaisies 50 =15. chilean way 49 =15. diego 49 =17. drol 45.19 =17. theoldlady 45.19 19. livingbygrace 42 20. wannamaker 40 =21. ladyfiona 35.19 =21. Pedro67 35.19 23. maryportfuncity 35 24. Captain Hemlock 30.19 =25. An Fear Beag 30 =25. DevonDeathTrip 30 =25. justonecornetto 30 =28. Funeralopolis 25.19 =28. John Key 25.19 =30. MalePoster 25 =30. MariNisia 25 32. Prophet 20.19 33. Hell 10.19 34. msc 10 35. The Unknown Man 5.19 36. DeathByArsenic 0.98 37. CaptainChorizo 0.84 =38. Everyone else 0

Aston Barrett Brian Barczyk Chita Rivera Cllr Jason Smith Derek Draper Dries van Agt Franz Beckenbauer Glynis Johns Jonnie Irwin Joyce Randolph Norman Jewison Robert Badinter Robert M. Young Roy Battersby Seiji Ozawa Stuart Gray Toby Keith Okay, I think that's everyone in the HPDP who died thus far? Update hopefully this weekend. Might just two-prong the update, do the January names more immediately and the February ones a little later.

Dries van Agt QO https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-13066467/Former-Dutch-Prime-Minister-Dries-van-Agt-dies-hand-hand-wife-following-euthanasia-93.html Also an unnatural.

That's news to me, awesome to hear.

I recently read Amy Schneider's book (highly successful trans Jeopardy champion, naturally DI idol) and she pointed out that while extremely online T*RFs were being their usual gnat-y selves to her, the older everyday folk who make the bulk of Jeopardy's viewing audience, even if they were right leaning, had no qualms seeing as her as the woman she is! Further underscores that in addition to their many, many moral failings, transphobes are really fucking stupid.

It probably would take more time to read the book than the time she served in office

Indeed and it is the hateful environment fostered by him and many other cretins on both sides of the pond that made the murder of Brianna Ghey, and many other trans people, possible. They all need to choke on the bile they spew ASAP; would make my reaction to Henry Kissinger's death look like my reaction to Ronnie Spector's by comparison.

A third hit for me, and the type of name I might have eschewed on a more serious team. Anywho, I'm not usually one for proclaiming ignorance (so if I never heard of a G8 world leader my lips are sealed), but while I long knew his name I have no recollection of hearing a song by him and have no desire to remedy it.

War flashbacks to Spotify thinking I was a Jive Bunny fan

Picked by a 1922 theme team, so one to watch for a DDP QO.

The announcement of Kissinger's death has 45 combined reactions, which I believe is the current forum record. The leaderboards page is pretty unreliable as it doesn't even include the Kissinger post despite almost all its reactions being positive. Can the record be broken?

"Hold my beer" - BonScott

I didn't know Eloise beforehand either, but it is pretty grand. I like a good underdog hidden gem victory.

Surely even those not well versed in world leaders have to remember the most high profile assassination in recent memory?

2/4/2024 25 Barry Ryan--- Eloise +4 15 The Kinks--- Waterloo Sunset -6

IIRC the above system quirks were also why 1800s births were such a pain for the system.

Heads up, will start catching up on obits again in about a week's time, along with setting up the Theme Team League. Ditto goes to updating the Hartlepool. Work is at its craziest at the end of January and for this past and this coming week I only have one day off, and didn't really want to use up that time to muse about Jonnie Irwin. But after that a more normal work schedule is resuming.

2/3/2024 38 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset -6 24 Barry Ryan — Eloise 12 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows +4 God Only Knows is the best song out of the finalists IMO so very pleased with it making the podium. But the difference in quality is pretty molecular and I'm happy with whatever wins (which face it, is going to be Waterloo Sunset)

A List of the Missed alum, thanks to an old Spade theme team of Half Man Half Biscuit namechecks.

Nixon will always be the funniest President for me. Thanks Futurama. Though I also have a lot of nostalgia for making fun of Dubya, especially given at the time I just thought of him as a dope without being aware of the full extent of his disaster. Trump's 2016 campaign was hilarious at first, when we were all still under the assumption he was a joke who wouldn't actually get anywhere. Then him winning took all the humor out of it. EDIT: Though I'll give Trump this - I still do love his playground nicknames for his opponents. Meatball Ron is my favorite though 1-in-47 Kasich is a real underrated one.

Murray was actually a first-time DDP pick this year, despite being an Oscar nominee actor well into his 90s!

Here's a Sun UK article that covers Joe Madison's death

2/2/2024 33 The Kinks — Waterloo Sunset -6 32 The Beach Boys — God Only Knows +4 23 Barry Ryan — Eloise 18 The Kinks — All Day And All Of The Night

On wholly personal level, and pets notwithstanding.. January: Mary Weiss February: Henry Fambrough March: Eric Carmen

Ooer missus!