Spade_Cooley

Hsing Yun was the second draftee to die in this year's cup, as well as being the second of the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Taiwanese buddhism to cark it. Hsing was effectively China's pet monk - he believed there were no such thing as "Taiwanese" people, advocated a "one-China" policy and was trusted by Xi Jinping to lead a project reviving traditional faith in the Chinese mainland. He'd been in ill health for something like two decades, and that's finally paid off for JoeMoneypenny in this round, leaving Dying Probably dying on his arse. JoeMoneypenny 4 vs Dying Probably 0 theoldlady 0 vs deadsox 4

And the 2023 Brian Deane award goes to General Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf was perhaps the true definition of "radical centrist" - he swung between supporting the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War to being one of Dubbya's biggest cheerleaders during the original War On Terror. He was a major figure in the Kargil War with India, but also during his time as leader began the most widespread talks on Kashmir with Pakistan's long-time bete noire. And he spoke at length of the needs for a "enlightened moderation" of Islamism and greater women's rights, but he also probably got Benazir Bhutto assassinated. A man of great contrasts, and another man of great contrasts is deadsox, who has contrasted with the rest of the teams in this round by actually scoring some bloody points. theoldlady 0 vs deadsox 4

Feel like every year there's an "on-the-edge-of-death" Nigerian footballer who ends up carking it the round after everyone stops picking him.

"SPADE OUT" banners being waved by Deathlist ultras, ugly scenes.

Bit quiet in here.

Didn't think he'd lose a "first person who used to suck their own cock to entertain the boys in the dressing room to die" race to Virgil, but there you go.

National holiday for barely literate Nigerians with Casemiro avis on Twitter.

Ciara is still having top 20 singles, absolutely no way she dies and it doesn't get reported for 24 hours. He's talking about Jackie Murphy, who was (or is if she's not dead)  the former art director for Sony/Jive.

I allowed him as a pick as I think the chances of him being found in the next few days are slim-to-none, and the chances of him scoring any points are effectively zero. Same as I'd have allowed Jimmy Hoffa or Richey Edwards as picks.

Always surprised that Hans Blix never appeared on the DL, but again maybe he falls foul of the "nobody who found fame after 1992" rule.

"Superstar" Billy Graham DIE Aaron Ramsey SPI Agnes Keleti BIB* Alan Greenspan DYP* Alma Adamkiene JMP Amanda Bynes JMP Anastasia Zavorotnyuk DBA Andres Garcia ARG Andy Taylor OLD, POP Anne Baker JOC*, WOR Barbara Barrie TKT* Bas de Gaay Fortman CAL Bernardo Ruiz F6E Bob Barker BIB, POP Bobby Charlton SPI, TWB Brenda Milner F6E Břetislav Staš TKT Brian O'Donovan DBA Burt Bacharach POP Caren Marsh Doll DSX, DYP, JOC Carmen Sevilla JMP Carolyn Bryant Donham HEL, MOR, SEA Chris Snow GFF* Christy Dignam SEA*, WAN Claire Maurier DBA Colette Maze FIO Dai Henwood FIO Dave Marsh GUB Denny Crum JMP Dick Button LIZ Dick Van Dyke DYP Dickie Bird GOO* Dikembe Mutombo DIE Dj Bubba Bo WAN Dom Geraldo Majella Agnelo DIE* Doreen Mantle TKT Dov Lando DIE Dries van Agt F6E Duane Eddy GOO Edie Ceccarelli JOC Edith Ballantyne GFF Eleanor Collins GFF Elizabeth Dole DYP Enilce Lopez ARG Enock Mwepu SPI Eric Bailly SPI Eric Lamaze DBA Esther Rantzen MOR, TWB Ethel Caterham GUB, JOC, WOR Fernanda Montenegro DBA Frank Field ARG, BIB, FIO, GFF, GOO, GUB, HEL, JMP, LIZ, MOR, OLD, WOR Frank Sedgman GOO Franz Beckenbauer SPI Frederic Forrest LIZ Garth Manton TKT Geneviève Callerot DBA George Alagiah POP, SEA, TWB, WOR Giorgio Napolitano GFF Glynis Johns BIB Graham Cross SPI Harriet Andersson GFF Harry Greenway GOO Hazel Plummer CAL Henry Kissinger DYP Honor McKellar F6E horst-Dieter Hottges SPI* Hsing Yun JMP Humberto Maschio F6E ian Callaghan GOO Irene Camber GFF J. Christopher Flowers WOR James C Floyd WOR James L. Buckley DYP James Whale BIB, DSX, FIO, HEL, JOC, LIZ, TWB, WAN, WOR Jane Fonda POP Jango Edwards MOR Janis Paige FIO jayanta Mahapatra JMP Jesse C. Navarro WAN Jimmy Carter DYP, FIO, MOR Jiřina Bohdalová CAL Joanne Woodward GOO, LIZ John Capodice F6E John Tinniswood JOC John Woodvine BIB Jonnie Irwin DSX, GUB, HEL, JOC, MOR, OLD, TKT, TWB, WAN Jose Mujica CAL Josef Fritzl TKT Joseph Zen JMP Josip Manolic DYP Joss Ackland DBA Juan Vicente Perez Mora DSX Julian Sands FIO June Spencer FIO Kat Bjelland BIB Kate Keltie DBA*, OLD Katherine, Duchess of Kent BIB Kenneth McAlpine FIO KH Ali Yafie ARG* Khaleda Zia WOR Khamtai Siphandone ARG Kurt Hamrin F6E Larisa Latynina DBA Larry Garza CAL Larry Pressler TWB Lautaro Ronchi WAN Law Lan JMP Leslie Caron GOO Linda Nolan BIB, POP, WOR Lloyd Geering JOC Malachy McCourt SEA Margaret Stuart Barry BIB Maria Branyas DSX, GUB, LIZ Mario Zagallo F6E, SPI Marita Comacho Quiros WOR* Mark Patton SEA Mark Pilgrim CAL, WOR Marthe Cohn CAL Michael Flately SEA Mike Peters SEA Mike Swick MOR* Mohamed Bensaid Ait Idder ARG Nanjil Sampath WAN Nathalia Timberg F6E Nick Anderton DIE, GUB Nigel Starmer Smith DIE, GUB*, LIZ, OLD, POP Nikolai Ryzhkov F6E Norman Bowler GOO Norman Tebbit DYP Ole Anderson TKT Oleg Protopopov TKT Otis Taylor ARG, DSX Paul Gascoigne SPI Paul Hogan POP Pervez Musharraf DSX Philippe De Gaulle GOO Princesa Bajrakitiyabha DIE, HEL, JOC, LIZ, WAN* Princess Mikasa DBA Rachel Dror CAL Randy Jackson POP Rebecca Pan JMP Rhod Gilbert HEL, MOR Richard Rohmer GFF Rivellino SPI Rob Burrow GUB Roberta Flack ARG, POP, TWB Roberto Chale WAN Roland Bertin DBA Rolf Harris DSX, FIO*, GUB, HEL*, LIZ, MOR, OLD, POP*, SEA, TWB, WAN Rolf Schimpf DIE Ron Yeats SPI Rosalynn Carter DYP Ruth Buzzi JOC, LIZ, SEA, TKT Ryuichi Sakamoto DIE, GUB, HEL, JOC, OLD, SEA, TWB* Sandra Day O'Connor DYP Sebastian Brodrick ARG, DIE Silvana Lattmann TKT Simon Cowell (wildlife) DSX, GFF, HEL, MOR Simone Segouin GFF Sonny Rollins GUB, OLD Stanley Baxter GOO Steve McMichael ARG, CAL*, DSX*, GFF, HEL, JMP*, LIZ*, MOR, OLD*, TWB Ted Kaczynski HEL Teresa Taylor SEA Tim Lobinger CAL, OLD, DSX Tina Turner OLD Tongo ARG, WAN Tony Bennett TWB Ugo Mifsud Bonnici F6E* Vic Seixas DIE Virginia Halas McCaskey FIO Wang Huo CAL William Russell BIB Zhu Rongji TKT Do quickly skim to make sure I've not made any data entry errors w/your teams. And of course, good luck.

The final team, Il Magneto, did submit a team, but 56 minutes past the deadline, so I'm going to have to reluctantly disqualify them and award CalebH a walkover win in their first round match. These are the ties for the first round Great Uncle Bulgaria (GUB) (Dave Marsh, Frank Field, Ethel Caterham, Jonnie Irwin, Maria Branyas, Nick Anderton, Nigel Starmer-Smith*, Rob Burrow, Rolf Harris, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sonny Rollins) vs Ladyfiona (FIO) (Colette Maze, Dai Henwood, Frank Field, James Whale, Janis Paige, Jimmy Carter, Julian Sands, June Spencer, Kenneth McAlpine, Rolf Harris*, Virginia Halas McCaskey) wannamaker (WAN) (Christy Dignam, DJ Bubba Bo, Jesse C. Navarro, Jonnie Irwin, James Whale, Lautaro Ronchi , Nanjil Sampath, Princess Bajrakitiyabha*, Roberto Chale, Rolf Harris, Tongo) vs Sean (SEA) (Carolyn Bryant Donham, Christy Dignam*, George Alagiah, Malachy McCourt, Mark Patton, Michael Flately, Mike Peters, Rolf Harris, Ruth Buzzi, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Teresa Taylor) Famous6Eva (F6E) (Bernardo Ruiz, Brenda Milner, Dries van Agt, Honor McKellar, Humberto Maschio, John Capodice, Kurt Hamrin, Mario Zagallo, Nathalia Timberg, Nikolai Ryzhkov, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici*) vs TheKillingTime (TKT) (Barbara Barrie*, Břetislav Staš, Doreen Mantle, Garth Manton, Jonnie Irwin, Josef Fritzl, Ole Anderson, Oleg Protopopov, Ruth Buzzi, Silvana Lattmann, Zhu Rongji) Hell (HEL) (Carolyn Bryant Donham, Frank Field, James Whale, Jonnie Irwin, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, Rhod Gilbert, Rolf Harris*, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Simon Cowell (Wildlife), Steve McMichael, Ted Kaczynski) vs MortalCaso (MOR) (Carolyn Bryant Donham, Esther Rantzen, Frank Field, Jango Edwards, Jimmy Carter, Jonnie Irwin, Mike Swick*, Rhod Gilbert, Rolf Harris, Simon Cowell (Wildlife), Steve McMichael) Il Magento - DNS vs CalebH (CAL) (Bas de Gaay Fortman, Hazel Plummer, Jiřina Bohdalová, Jose Mujica, Larry Garza, Mark Pilgrim, Marthe Cohn, Rachel Dror, Steve McMichael*, Tim Lobinger, Wang Huo) JoeMoneypenny (JMP) (Alma Adamkiene, Amanda Bynes, Carmen Sevilla, Denny Crum, Frank Field, Hsing Yun, jayanta Mahapatra, Joseph Zen, Law Lan, Rebecca Pan, Steve McMichael*) vs Dying Probably (DYP) (Alan Greenspan*, Caren Marsh Doll, Dick Van Dyke, Elizabeth Dole, Henry Kissinger, James L. Buckley, Jimmy Carter, Josip Manolic, Norman Tebbit, Rosalynn Carter, Sandra Day O'Connor) theoldlady (OLD) (Andy Taylor, Frank Field, Jonnie Irwin, Katie Keltie, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Rolf Harris, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sonny Rollins, Steve McMichael*, Tim Lobinger, Tina Turner) vs deadsox (DSX) (Caren Marsh Doll, James Whale, Jonnie Irwin, Juan Vicente Perez Mora, Maria Branyas, Otis Taylor, Pervez Musharraf, Rolf Harris, Simon Cowell (wildlife), Steve McMichael*, Tim Loblinger) Wormfarmer (WOR) (Anne Baker, Ethel Caterham, Frank Field, George Alagiah, J. Christopher Flowers, James C Floyd, James Whale, Khaleda Zia, Linda Nolan, Marita Comacho Quiros*, Mark Pilgrim) vs Diego (DIE) ("Superstar" Billy Graham, Dikembe Mutombo, Dom Geraldo Majella Agnelo*, Dov Lando, Nick Anderton, Nigel Starmer Smith, Princesa Bajrakitiyabha, Rolf Schimpf, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sebastian Brodrick, Vic Seixas) Gooseberry Crumble (GOO) (Dickie Bird*, Duane Eddy, Frank Field, Frank Sedgman, Harry Greenway, ian Callaghan, Joanne Woodward, Leslie Caron, Norman Bowler, Philippe De Gaulle , Stanley Baxter) vs ThereWillBeDeaths7 (TWB) (Bobby Charlton, Esther Rantzen, George Alagiah, James Whale, Jonnie Irwin, Larry Pressler, Roberta Flack, Rolf Harris, Ryuichi Sakamoto*, Steve McMichael, Tony Bennett) Liz Lemon (LIZ) (Princess Bajrakitiyabha, Dick Button, Frank Field, Frederic Forrest, James Whale, Joanne Wooodward, Maria Branyas, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Rolf Harris, Ruth Buzzi, Steve McMichael*) vs TheSpinosaurus (SPI) (Aaron Ramsey, Enock Mwepu, Eric Bailly, Franz Beckenbauer, Graham Cross, Horst-Dieter Hottges*, Mario Zagallo, Paul Gascoigne, Rivellino, Ron Yeats, Bobby Charlton) Pop_Zeus (POP) (Andy Taylor, Bob Barker, Burt Bacharach, George Alagiah, Jane Fonda, Linda Nolan, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Paul Hogan, Randy Jackson, Roberta Flack, Rolf Harris*) vs Bibliogryphon (BIB) (Agnes Keleti*, Bob Barker, Frank Field, Glynis Johns, James Whale, John Woodvine, Kat Bjelland, Katherine, Duchess of Kent, Linda Nolan, Margaret Stuart Barry, William Russell)  justonecornetto (JOC) (Anne Baker*, Caren Marsh Doll, Edie Ceccarelli, Ethel Caterham, James Whale, John Tinniswood, Jonnie Irwin, Lloyd Geering, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, Ruth Buzzi, Ryuichi Sakamoto) vs Arghton (ARG) (Andres Garcia, Enilce Lopez, Frank Field, KH Ali Yafie*, Khamtai Siphandone, Mohamed Bensaid Ait Idder, Otis Taylor, Roberta Flack, Sebastian Brodrick, Steve McMichael, Tongo) GuyFromFuture (GFF) (Chris Snow*, Edith Ballantyne, Eleanor Collins, Giorgio Napolitano, Harriet Andersson, Frank Field, Irene Camber, Richard Rohmer, Simon Cowell (wildlife), Simone Segouin, Steve McMichael) vs DeathByArsenic (DBA) (Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, Brian O'Donovan , Claire Maurier, Eric Lamaze, Fernanda Montenegro, Geneviève Callerot, Joss Ackland, Kate Keltie*, Larisa Latynina, Princess Mikasa, Roland Bertin)

OK every team but one in, and as they haven't posted since January 15th I think we may be seeing one bye. Got everything else formatted and ready to go, so I should have the teams and line-ups posted before work starts tomorrow morning GMT.

Nine-hour reminder to the six teams who haven't submitted yet. @MortalCaso @ladyfiona @diego @Il Magneto @Dying Probably @TheSpinosaurus

And it looks like we have a sponsor for the next round of the DL Cup: Paperchase falls into administration.

Just received a message from Hell that worked, weird. Edit: I know what the issue was. Try now, it'll work.

Try again?

Sorry about that, just deleted about 20 messages so you should be able to message me again.

All entries received so far now in that great Google Sheet that will be my only friend for the next few months. Those of you who didn't specify a joker: the person top of your roster will be taken as a joker unless you tell me otherwise.

When deadpooling is so pre-occupied with the likes of Rolf Harris, Bill Cosby and Vladimir Putin, men who've all provided so much entertainment over the years, it's nice to have a candidate whose brand of pure evil was never accompanied by anything worth watching on TV.

I have received, yep. Was going to save putting the stuff into the spreadsheet for the weekend and spend my workday evenings watching MILF Manor.

Nick Cohen resigns from The Observer on "health grounds". Although as he's still writing for the Spectator, has launched his own Substack and was the subject of an investigation into workplace behaviour last year, you probably don't need to add him to any long lists.

Kudos to those who punted on him, didn't think he'd make it to a QO.

In my mind, that video was played on every single episode of "The Chart Show" for about 13 years.

OK, let's try this: Donald Trump Vladimir Putin David Attenborough Clint Eastwood Buzz Aldrin Dick Van Dyke Rhod Gilbert Ozzy Osbourne Linda Nolan Mel Brooks Henry Kissinger Tim Bilton Andy Taylor Kate Keltie Prunella Scales Shane MacGowan Shannen Doherty Billy Connolly Rupert Murdoch Bill Cosby Yoko Ono Joanne Woodward Francoise Hardy Phil Collins Burt Bacharach Subs: Michael J. Fox, Michael Parkinson