Bibliogryphon

May 18th

I don't think he will die this year but he is such a massive pick (no r) that there is a nagging feeling that leaving him off the list will bring about a miss which everyone will say was an obvious no-brainer in hindsight. I think there are three elements which contribute to a Deathlist pick. Fame, Longevity and Illness. Many of the successes are for the less famous but obviously ill types but Longevity is always worth playing on. The Fame factor tends to come into play more with the DDP drop forty. For example last year none of the top ten picks died but almost all of the 11-20 picks did. DOE is too famous to drop but not ill enough to die, yet old enough to justify inclusion.

This is as far from Christian as ISIS is from Islam.

it might be interesting seeing a reality star on the death list But Prince Philip is already on there... (Thank you for the opportunity...) Prince Philip and reality in the same sentence?

I remember him from The Hand of Fear in particular. When acting was acting and not getting your shirt off to hide your obvious stage school talent... A little jealous that you are not Aidan Turner? methinks... I don't know who that is, so not jealous at all Edit: just googled...still don't know who he is, I've seen nothing he's in, and by the sounds of it, he spends his time in nothing but his underbritches lol. I can't therefore comment on his talent or lack of it. He's in a "new version" of Poldark where it basically involves him getting his tits out for the lad(ie)s. I only know cos I saw it on the cover of Radio Times while I was on the shitter. Now I think of it I can't even remember the last time I thought "wonder what's on BBC1", if ever. Still it's got be a vast improvement on being told asked to worship Cumberbatch and Redmayne IMO. He was a dwarf in 'The Hobbit'. The one that got given a love interest with a female elf. If you listen to those scenes carefully the strange rumbling sound is Tolkien turning in his grave.zx

Is Keith Vaz your MP?

I remember him from The Hand of Fear in particular. When acting was acting and not getting your shirt off to hide your obvious stage school talent... A little jealous that you are not Aidan Turner? methinks... I don't know who that is, so not jealous at all Edit: just googled...still don't know who he is, I've seen nothing he's in, and by the sounds of it, he spends his time in nothing but his underbritches lol. I can't therefore comment on his talent or lack of it. He's in a "new version" of Poldark where it basically involves him getting his tits out for the lad(ie)s. I only know cos I saw it on the cover of Radio Times while I was on the shitter. Now I think of it I can't even remember the last time I thought "wonder what's on BBC1", if ever. Still it's got be a vast improvement on being told asked to worship Cumberbatch and Redmayne IMO. He also played Kili in The Hobbit and the vampire in Being Human. Flavour of the month.

I remember him from The Hand of Fear in particular. When acting was acting and not getting your shirt off to hide your obvious stage school talent... A little jealous that you are not Aidan Turner? methinks...

The brief flurry is now almost two months ago However last year we didn't get hit number three until day 166. So there is still a way to go before we write off the year. I did suggest I would send the ten that I thought would get us to 12 so some what late here they are:- Havalange Graham De Havilland De Cuellar James O' Hara Crowe Philiips Sallis Adams

Aye, a shock I'm coping, mind I saw the headline on the news and I thought "who?" So I did some searching, looked up the show "Everybody's Loves Raymond" and still had no idea So we could do Everybody Loves Raymond under Trades Descriptions law, then? Noone is going to watch a show called "A reasonably large number of people are at least aware that Raymond exists"

I've wondered why, with all the categories, we don't have one called Suicides, where we put them all. I particularly like the jumpers and may damn well start up a jumper thread next participant. SC I thought about that as well, but for some reason, it was too morbid for me. I think that would be too much misery in one place. Fear not, we already have a thread for the suicidal: http://www.deathlist.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3665&hl=suicidal Terribly underused---a fact that will change I hope. Thanks! SC I think it would be a difficult one to call. Those that give out hints, might just be calling for help and get it in time to be saved but those who have decided on this as a course of action tend to keep thier own council. If your friend asks you "Should I kill myself?" outside of seriously sick and messed up chat rooms you are going to say "Hell No, what is wrong, is there anything I can do to help?" The only ones that could have been predicted with any accuracy would be those like Fred West or Harold Shipman and they would go in a different thread.

Why does Danny Alexander remind me of Beaker from the Muppet Show?

In the light of Lauren Hill I have been reassessing these types of deaths. Does Lauren Hill and Steven Sutton provide the counter point to Misao Okawa and Gertrude Weaving. If we plotted the ages of all the picks we would come up with a skewed bell curve with a long leading tail. I imagine the peak of the bell would be somewhere in the 85-90 range. But the deaths of the youngest are as notable as the deaths of the oldest. It is also the changing nature of celebrity and the way social media and the internet have changed our lives. However because of this I think it is important to keep stringent rules for the DDP on the qualifying nature of obituaries. Further thinking on this. Are we actually contributing to the concept of celebrity and by discussing the possibility of obits actually more likely to increase the chances of one. I am sure more than one lazy journalist has passed this way on a slow news day.

That is your definition of Breaking News. I saw that 4 hours ago and filed under "meh"

1992 I have got to go on a foreign business trip on 07th May which will deprive me of my five year highlight of sitting up till 2 in the morning watching the results come in surrounded by colour coded charts and marker pens. Very disappointed. You only stay up until 2? That's when the real action starts. It depends how clear the result is going to be and if there are going to be any Michael Portillo moments. Last time it was a bit depressing and it was horrible in 1992. The "Portillo Moment" could be Nick Clegg at Sheffield Hallam. Hold on to your energy drinks, his last election result came at 6:30am in 2010! If I was at home I get up at 5.30 every morning so that would be seeable fresh from a nights sleep. As I will be in Europe I will be an hour ahead. It is possible the hotel will show BBC One or at least BBC world.

If you were claimigng benefits and didn't turn up to a job interview you would get sanctioned.

Someone gets a unique hit for Peter Howell (Saruman in the R4 Radio Series of LOTR)

Hmmmm. TV/Film adaptations of much loved novels can be a mixed blessing. Isaac Asimov has not really had much attention paid to him (Fantastic Voyage doesn't count) but his books are fairly sedate, very readable but often deal with concepts as opposed to action. Having said that I seem to be in a minority in quite liking the film I, Robot which i felt told a story using principles and elements from Asimov's work. I will watch with interest.

1992 I have got to go on a foreign business trip on 07th May which will deprive me of my five year highlight of sitting up till 2 in the morning watching the results come in surrounded by colour coded charts and marker pens. Very disappointed. You only stay up until 2? That's when the real action starts. It depends how clear the result is going to be and if there are going to be any Michael Portillo moments. Last time it was a bit depressing and it was horrible in 1992.

1992 I have got to go on a foreign business trip on 07th May which will deprive me of my five year highlight of sitting up till 2 in the morning watching the results come in surrounded by colour coded charts and marker pens. Very disappointed.

The National Enquirer seems to be fixated on Cher at the moment. I have linked to a website which covers the story but it is essentially coming from the NE. I don't know what to believe. Is she ill or are the NE extrapolating from facts and coming to incorrect conclusions.

Even if that were a rule, Elizabeth Sladen would be an exception.

Does Seal go clubbing?

It's like German Week at Grace Bros. "You've all done very welll"

The Labour Party were trying to distance themselves from Blair and the whole Iraq war issue. David Milliband would have been a continuation of the Blair project. Ed offered a choice of a (more) socialist alternative which is why he stood. He gave the party a choice, he didn't secretly brief to the press that his brother was a complete tosspot who devoured children for breakfast every morning. He didn't break the rules or play dirty. The whole back stabbing thing is media narrative trying to scare the electorate away from EM because they can't get the polls to move any other way (and its still not working). I think that if Ed did have to do a deal with the SNP he might get more socialist policies through which may go down well with his grassroots supporters.