BCAlum2000

What the Falk are you talking about?

Who's Mr. Alzheimer?

Were they unofficially dead, then? And who made them official? Celebrities can be unofficially dead, e.g. Steve Fossett. Celebrities are not officially dead until they get their death certificate.

Falk is an interesting choice and one I will consider for my death pool. I need a couple more names, especially now that Bettie Page and Forrest J. Ackerman are officially dead.

We were talking about this in the pub the other night. My mate Tzung, who is a Sherpa was most definitely of the opinion that Hilary's death was the most significant. Then his buddy Dmitri, who is a Russian Orthodox priest arrived for a pint of mild, he was mourning Patriarch Alexius and it is his firmly held view that his death is the most noteworthy thing that has happened this year. They were still arguing about it when I went home to watch Cool Hand Luke. Personally I think the most significant death of the year was Janez Drnovsek's. If he'd survived and prospered, he might have saved the world. Janez is a very intriguing choice. He was the President of Slovenia at the time of his death. A significant political figure in Europe and internationally. I can see why most non-Americans would consider Alexy II and Edmund Hillary to be more significant than Paul Newman. They would argue that what Alexy II and Edmund Hillary did were revolutionary and had a truly meaningful impact on society. On the other hand, Paul Newman was "just" an actor. of course, these people forget that Newman was also a successful entrepreneur and a humanitarian who ran several charities and had a very successful business. To continue this debate, I would like to throw another name as a possible candidate for most significant death of 2008: George Carlin. Carlin shaped and influenced modern stand-up comedy. He was the bridge between the old and the new. Comedy today wouldn't be where it is without Carlin's acerbic insights into society.

Well ... Alexy II and Sunny von Bülow also died this week and so far, these two have received extensive coverage by the media. CNN just did a long tribute to Sunny von Bülow this morning. Alexy II's death is listed as the top story on several on-line news outlets. Meanwhile, the five celebrities I mentioned who died this week were practically ignored by the media. Odetta received some media coverage for her work as a civil rights activist -- and the fact that she was supposed to sing for Obama's Presidential inauguration -- but otherwise, no one outside of certain circles is paying tribute to these five fine celebrities who died last week. i never heard of Sunny von Bülow so I guess that shows my age. But most news shows have covered her death, some extensively. One show even described Bülow as the "Paris Hilton" of her time, which I guess shows how prominent Bulow was.

For all you non-Americans, would you consider either Alexy II or Edmund Hillary to be a more significant death in 2008 than Paul Newman?

Oh piss off you moron, no-one's heard of any of these people. I am American, you're British. So that's understandable. The five names I mentioned are known primarily to Americans. Of the five deaths, the only name probably familiar to non-Americans is Forrest J. Ackerman. But hopefully, my American heritage explains my American-centric posts and my emphasis on American celebrities. But I do focus on non-American celebrities who are obviously known internationally.

Two Hollywood related deaths to report... Nina Foch, a 1940s B-movie starlet who went on to supporting roles in several Hollywood blockbusters including Spartacus, An American in Paris, and The Ten Commandments, has died at the age of 84: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...,0,533502.story Beverly Garland, another B-movie starlet (a reliable staple in the films of B-movie master Roger Corman) who went on to a solid career in film and television, has died at the age of 82. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ga...0,3405510.story After a very slow November, we have just been hit with a deluge of celebrity deaths the first week of December. Nice to see the Grim Reaper finally woke up to claim some old souls... Paul Benedict, Odetta, Forrest J. Ackerman, Nina Foch, and Beverly Garland all in one week. Not bad, not bad....

Forrest J. Ackerman just died. I will replace him with Bettie Page (who just suffered a heart attack, but knowing the trend for celebrities this year to tease us with their "on the brink of death experience only to come back stronger" (e.g., Morgan Freeman, Kelsey Grammar, Travis Barker, DJ AM, etc.), she will survive).

Who? Well, at least the celebrity deaths are picking up a bit... Paul Benedict, Odetta, and Forrest J. Ackerman all in one week. not the most impressive bunch, but considering the paucity of celebrity deaths lately, they'll do. However...Forrest J. Ackermann was falsely reported dead earlier this year (actually only about a month or two ago) and the sources looked legit back then. Hopefully he won't tease us this time.....

After a 22-day dry spell of no major celebrities dying, the unfortunate streak has finally been broken... Folk singer and civil rights activist Odetta has died at the age of 77. http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1863667,00.html Funny enough, I'm not very familiar with the name, but she was the inspiration for, among others, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Janis Joplin. Hey, i'll settle for this one. She is definitely a prominent name in American music (even if I've never really heard of her)!

From the mouth of Patrick Swayze's wife, Lisa (courtesy of Patrick Swayze's official fan club website): "Saturday 29th November 2008: Hello everyone, The Official Fan Club has received a lovely message from Patrick's wife, Lisa. She is happy to say that Patrick is NOT saying goodbye to anyone just yet!! Patrick is still considered to have a minimal amount of disease and Lisa urges everyone not to believe what is printed in the less responsible press. Lisa says: "Thank you and everyone for caring. As it's been said before, we believe all good and positive thoughts and prayers make a difference. God knows we need that positivity to battle the horribly negative reporting that can happen out there!" So please continue to send all your love, light, positive thoughts and prayers to Patrick and Lisa. They do make a difference! In friendship, Margaret." http://www.patrickswayze.net/patrick.htm There you have it. Patrick appears to be doing a-OK. I admit I'm a bit skeptical about this, particularly b/c Patrick has pretty much outlived everybody who has had pancreatic cancer. Though Luciano Pavoratti did survive pancreatic cancer for about 14 months so who knows?

Bliss? She was a nobody. Michael Crichton & Reg Varney were much better known than her. Varney is the biggest name to go since Makeba, but BC Alum won't have heard of him because ol'Reg wasn't American. I am hoping that if ANYONE on the DDP dies, whether it be Norman Wisdom or Patrick Swayze or whomever, that they do it in the next 10 days, otherwise I'll have a nervous breakdown. Please please, please Castro, Sharon, Thatcher et al just last 40 more days or so. Ta. I hear ya, Octopus. I expect we will have a flood of celebrity deaths in December, to make up for the lack of celebrity deaths in November. in November, the only major celebrities to have died were Michael Crichton and Miriam Makeba. That's far too little. BTW, Miriam Makeba is South Africa, yet I've heard of her. Actually enjoyed her music too. But as a Yank, my standards of famous for non-Americans is a much higher threshold than Americans. For example, if it's a foreign politican, he has to be very well known internationally (aka, Fidel Castro, Sarkosy, Thatcher, Gordon Brown, etc.).

20 days ... no major celebrity deaths. The last major celebrity to die was Miriam Makeba, who died around November 10. Yeah, it's starting to dry up around here. 2008 is a weird year. From late May to early July, we had celebrities practically dying en masse. I think we had as many as two celebrities die per week from that time period. We also had a pretty brutal stretch from mid January to early February (Bobby Fischer, Heath Ledger, Suzanne Pleshette, Roy Scheider, Barry Morse, Brad Renfro, etc.). But then we have literally weeks when no celebrities would die. Also, i can't help notice the lack of female celebrities who died this year. The most famous female celebrities to have died this year were Suzanne Pleshette, Miriam Makeba, Cyd Charisse, and Estelle Getty. Not exactly the most impressive bunch.

many of us Yanks are calling bullshit on this one. but it could very well be true. Patrick appears to have gotten worse -- but he still looks pretty good, considering the circumstances. next to Steve jobs, Patrick swayze is probably the longest lasting survivor of pancreatic cancer -- so far.

I don't think he will die in 2009. I know he has cancer but he seems to be doing alright at the minute. He probably should be included on the list just incase, but I don't think he is a dead cert for 2009. Then again, I didn't think that Tony Snow's cancer was that serious... I'll tell you who I am considering though - Michael Jackson. By all accounts he is not a well man, and I think if he is not put on the list he could end up as one of those big names who manage to slip past us. (Even though Swayze would probably be considered more ill than Michael Jackson). Michael Jackson is an interesting choice. Maybe he'll be the "shocking" death of 2009, ala Heath Ledger in 2008, Anna Nicole Smih in 2007, and Steve Irwin in 2006. Patrick Swayze is very surprisingly resilient. But when I saw pictures of him, I get the impression that he's hangin' in there but not really doing all that great. Most people anticipate that he will live at least until next Spring (2009) but there's the outside chance he could live longer even.

Yeah, this actually made front page news on Yahoo! You know that celebrity deaths are gettin' real slow when the obituaries have to report the death of a friggin' polar bear.

My nominees for 2009: Kim Jong-il Fidel Castro Ariel Sharon Billy Graham Margaret Thatcher Farrah Fawcett Amy Winehouse Annette Funicello Elizabeth Taylor Little Richard Tony Curtis Kirk Douglas John Wooden Zsa Zsa Gabor Gloria Stuart Nelson Mandela Forrest J. Ackerman Robert Novak Patrick Swayze (I say this with a heavy heart) James Garner (I also say this with a heavy heart; love the actor, he's so talented) Wildcard picks: Ed McMahon Jan-Michael Vincent Elizabeth Edwards

Miriam Makeba, talented singer best known for her international hit "Pata Pata" has died at the age of 76. Most Westerners probably thought of her as a one hit wonder with Pata Pata, but she was a truly a treasure in the music world. But more than a just talented artist, Makeba was also a powerful activist who served as the voice of the South African people and fought against apartheid. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7719056.stm

This is a huge shocker to me! Crichton (along with Stephen King) was amongst the many genuises who defined my literary interests as an adolescent. Crichton was one of the most talented writers out there. His blend of science fiction, fast paced suspense, attention to scientific details, and technological plausibility have made Crichton one of the best contemporary authors in the literary world. I will really miss him. I'm honestly saddened by his untimely death. RIP Michael Crichton. Thank you for your fantastic contributions to the world of contemporary literature.

Let's compare filmographies: Paul Newman Somebody Up There Likes Me (Newman's breakout role) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (great chemistry between Newman and Taylor) The Hustler (a classic) Hud (a winner) Cool Hand Luke (another classic) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (my favorite Newman flick) The Sting (Best Picture winner) The Towering Inferno (entertaining seeing two of my favorite 60s actors in one motion picture: McQueen and Newman) The Color of Money (great performance by Newman) The Road to Perdition (haunting classic) Tony Curtis Some Like it Hot (funny) Spartacus (classic) The Manitou (LOL) Prime Target (LOLOLOL) Center of the Web (actually decent B-movie) Let's see ... Tony Curtis: PWN3D by Paul Newman

If Kim Jong-il dies this year (and if the reports are true, then that's likely the case), do you think he will be the most significant person to have died in 2008? Even moreso than Paul Newman? What if Elizabeth Taylor dies this year? Perhaps 2008 would have a three way tie for most significant death that year...

That'll be an awesome addition if he croaks. Croak baby, croak.

I wish.