Thoughts and Opinions on the 2020 List

[Prophet 251]

Is it even allowed to pick people who are sentenced to death?

[Deathray 2,940]

Just now, Prophet said:

Is it even allowed to pick people who are sentenced to death?

 

Yes, the deathlist can pick who they want - it's their list. 

 

You'll note he's not in the 20 spots that get entered to the DDP.... 

[roaming_comrade 471]

1 minute ago, Prophet said:

Is it even allowed to pick people who are sentenced to death?

He is in exile tho, so it doesnt really affect him.

[Banana 859]

2 hours ago, ebless said:

The 12 dropped at a glance

 

June Brown

Barbara Walters

Ed Asner

Vanessa Redgrave

Jimmy Greaves

Sidney Poitier

Cleo Laine

Loretta Lynn

Mikhail Gorbechev

Little Richard

Larry King

Tina Turner

 

 

Bolded everyone who should've stayed on the list (or at least have better cases than those on it)

 

The committee seems to also be priming Van Dyke as the Douglas replacement as the everlasting celeb on the list.

[YoungWillz 21,037]

Just back in a whisky slightly induced haze.

 

List is losing it to fringes and popular DDP but nobody heard of them. Why do well when you can do better?

 

I will promise you this now. Major names will go, but you'll revel in P-Orridge/Gates/Edrich hits perhaps. Suddenly it's a numbers game rather than promises of hits where Committee know..they just smell a hit.

 

Predict a deathlist again? If I beat the Committee by three or more, maybe.

[Cant Wait 93]

2017 Deathlist Pierre Cardin. Rank number 8

2018 Deathlist Pierre Cardin. Rank number 12

2019 Deathlist Pierre Cardin. Rank number 10

2020 Deathlist Pierre Cardin. Rank number 9

 

I really hope Pierre Cardin takes the final slot. Rank number 11 on the Deathlist Next year!

[Joey Russ 7,220]

A bit of a rundown name by name then:

Prince Philip - might be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but was tired of Kirk Douglas at the top spot. So a bit refreshing to see a change. Healthwise, he certainly seems to be declining even if survived his most recent hospitalization. Think he can be a hit here

Kirk Douglas - Just seems to be old at this point? Have no idea when he'll go, wouldn't shock either way at this point

Olivia de Havilland - similar situation to Kirk, except she seems to be a bit healthier. 

Vera Lynn - Apparently she has gotten frailer, so might be a good call to become a hit

Daniel arap Moi - Am kind of surprised he made it on the list (especially this high up), but certainly a welcome addition. Definitely a good bet to become a hit

Dick van Dyke - tbh, I can see why they would keep him on the list, but at number 6? That seems to be a bit of a stretch 

Javier Perez de Cuellar - well, he's turning 100 and is as dull as ever

Emperor Akihito - Not sure why he was carried over the likes of Gorby, Little Richard, King, etc. He just seems fairly stable after his abdication tbh

Pierre Cardin - dull name, and doesn't even have the potential to make him more fun that JPDC did.  

Bob Dole - a how the fuck he's still alive name. Seriously, he looks really frail, and should've been a hit by now

Murray Walker - another in the oldie department, but it seems like they have their fans

Leon Spinks - could go either way, at the end of the day it's still prostate cancer which is generally slower moving. Though tbf, he has had his fair share of health issues in the past

Betty White - she looks better. But again, I understand why they'd keep her on

Angela Lansbury - now here's an oldie brought on after a long hiatus. Still kind of active, but I still think she's a good name

Bob Barker - he has his health issues, but you don't know when it's finish him

Alan Greenspan - eh, I actually kind of like him being on. Not exactly the kind of name you'd be sad about when they die, so there's that

Henry Kissinger - 97 and obese. How the fuck did he make it this far?

Jimmy Carter - He's finally showing his mortal side of these with the recent hospitalizations. Maybe he'll see another year, but is more likely to die sooner

Valery Giscard d'Estaing - typical dull committee name gotta be a typical dull committee name 

Honor Blackman - She seems to be Zsa Zsa's successor minus health problems. Which is fine tbh, those types of names should exist 

Leslie Phillips - good to see him back. Really a how the fuck their still alive name

Tony Bennett - Honestly not the worst pick out there. Sure, he's not great, but I don't think he's bad either

Harry Belafonte - I like this name being on the list. It's a good name to have

Nobby Stiles - Amazingly he's still alive. Which was weird because I thought he was dying in 2018, yet here we are 2 years later

Hosni Mubarak - I guess the committee just like certain names. Felt like he could've been dropped despite the committee desire to keep picking him

Genesis P-Orridge - obvious dead cert. Probably gone in the next few months. And it's the type of cult name they have gone for in the past. Excellent

Stirling Moss - apparently he's still in poor health. He did make his 90th birthday despite a respected member feeling otherwise. Surely his time is soon, right?

Prunella Scales - seems to be doing less appearances. Don't think it's quite her time yet, but her death wouldn't shock

Desmond Tutu - I don't know when his health problems will finally get him, but I think it might be a good idea to keep around

Jacques Delors - typical committee name. But they like these types of names

Willie Nelson - excellent name. He seemed to be struggling to breathe at that performance last November, and I felt like it was their last chance to have him on. Fortunately he's on

Jerry Stiller - eh, another name that's just kind of there, and wouldn't shock me either way

John Edrich - Okay, how the fuck did he get on over Nicholas Parsons? Sometimes I just don't understand the committee...

Abdelaziz Bouteflika - while some of the names brought back are questionable I think this one is a good call.

Alex Trebek - household name with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Had to be

Shane MacGowan - Okay, I'm not really sure why he got carried over. Sure, he has health problems, but then he also looked the best he has in years. So, I don't understand this carry over

Dick Cheney - Wouldn't mind him being a hit, but I'm a bit skeptical on whether he actually goes or not. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - I'm not sure. I do think it's the right call that she's on the list, but don't know if she'll be a hit or not

Imelda Marcos - of course. The biggest shoe in on the list. Honestly, don't think it's a bad call

Carl Reiner - A bit surprised here, and he also seems to be active. But I guess it's not impossible

Lester Piggott - another why is he back name? Although I guess the committee are fond of horse racing

Joanne Woodward - Could become a hit this year, not a bad debut choice

David Crosby - Had his fair share of health problems. When it'll happen I'm not sure, but certainly not a bad pick

Tom Smith - I think he's a good pick. Those articles in late November sounded quite grim and apparently he slurred his words on television.

Terry Jones - Sadly, I think 2020 is his year. Those end of the year articles made it seem like he's on his way out

Jean Marie Le Pen - Another name where I'm not sure they'll die but is certainly not a name to be missed when he does go

Pervez Musharraf - Some people seem to think there's an issue with this name. Well, he's currently in exile and has no planned date of execution. So, I don't know if he'll be a hit or not

William H Gates - Yeah, pretty dull name. Could go but then he'll be another Kerkorian name 

David Attenborough - not sure he'll die, but I like him being on the list

Peter Sutcliffe - obviously nobody would shed a tear if he dies. I'm skeptical that he goes, but if he does go, great call

 

Overall, I think it'll be a great list. Even with some drops that shouldn't have happened

[alt obits guy 3,371]

4 hours ago, ebless said:

The 12 dropped at a glance

 

June Brown

Barbara Walters

Ed Asner

Vanessa Redgrave

Jimmy Greaves

Sidney Poitier

Cleo Laine

Loretta Lynn

Mikhail Gorbechev

Little Richard

Larry King

Tina Turner

 

Ed Asner is just about the busiest actor  in Hollywood.

 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000799/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

 

[philheybrookbay 439]

7 hours ago, philheybrookbay said:

Yup Prince Philip top 3 with Olivia and Kirk I think

Well I got that right.

 

Its solid this list. I do think Jill Gascogne is a mighty miss along with Jimmy Greaves, but otherwise I do like it. 

 

They've gone for numbers this year with a much older list than I can remember. Could the record go? I think we'll miss it but a solid 15 is on the way imho.

[Etushispushingupdaisies 136]

OK list. It's a travesty that Loretta, Little Richard, Greaves, Walters and Gorby were dropped

[drol 11,944]

Daniel arap Moi, Leon Spinks, P-Orridge, Delors, Willie Nelson, Bouteflika, Imelda Marcos, RBG, Woodward, Crosby, Musharraf , Le Pen, Reiner, Tom Smith, Terry Jones are all welcomed new entries/returning names.

 

Shane McGowan should have been easily dropped. Bill Gates Sr. is a Fringe of Fame pick, I'd rather have liked Peter Tobin instead of Sutcliffe, it is probably too early for Akihito, Lansbury, Greenspan (Why returning, the fucker?), Tony Bennett (he is still too unsinkable), Scales, Edrich (a normal 83 year old with no current issues...maybe), Piggott (this sucks), Cheney and Attenborough.

 

Overall I pretty liked the list.

[The Watcher 317]

Good thoughtful list but the following should have been very close to making it - but probably not making it to 2021:

Eileen Ash 107 (Former England test cricketer)

Roberta McCain 107 (Twin sister lived to 99 & mother of the late politician John)

John Manners 105 (Oldest ever first class cricketer & only person alive who played FC cricket before WW2)

June Spencer 100 (Archers actress)

Clarissa Eden 99 (Widow of Anthony who was prime minister 60 years ago)

Nicholas Parsons 96 (actor & game show host)

Glynis Johns 96 (Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins)

Kenneth Kaunda  95 (former political leader)

John Woodcock 93 (cricket writer including decades on The Times; paternal grandfather was born before the Battle of Waterloo)

Ethel Kennedy 91 (last survivor of her generation of the Kennedy clan - widowed sInce 1968)

 

[The Old Crem 3,583]

Think unlike 2019 at least one of the dropped 12 will expire this year.

June Brown  is still working so not that poor a drop - she is the least likely of the 12 dropped to go this year in my eyes.

[The Old Crem 3,583]

10 hours ago, Philip said:

Gorbachev should not have been dropped

Committee will probably end up doing an Yeltsin with him.

[roaming_comrade 471]

6 hours ago, The Watcher said:

Good thoughtful list but the following should have been very close to making it - but probably not making it to 2021:

Eileen Ash 107 (Former England test cricketer)

Roberta McCain 107 (Twin sister lived to 99 & mother of the late politician John)

John Manners 105 (Oldest ever first class cricketer & only person alive who played FC cricket before WW2)

June Spencer 100 (Archers actress)

Clarissa Eden 99 (Widow of Anthony who was prime minister 60 years ago)

Nicholas Parsons 96 (actor & game show host)

Glynis Johns 96 (Mrs Banks in Mary Poppins)

Kenneth Kaunda  95 (former political leader)

John Woodcock 93 (cricket writer including decades on The Times; paternal grandfather was born before the Battle of Waterloo)

Ethel Kennedy 91 (last survivor of her generation of the Kennedy clan - widowed sInce 1968)

 

Taking someone like the top 3 is just lame imo. Statistically you almost cannot fail to get at least 1 out of 3 this year. Not too mention Roberta McCain is again just somebody's parent like Bill Gates Sr.

[msc 18,439]

Ok, it's my annual look at each person on the list that people seem to enjoy for some reason:

 

Prince Philip: We all saw his recent hospitalisation, and then his photos after. Nosferatu was offering him health advice. His ability to bounce back is not in question, but he clearly is in the winter of his lifetime now, and I feel he’s going to struggle to get through this year intact.

Kirk Douglas: Still alive, somehow. 104 now. Surely this is his year now? See what I said last 4 years…

Olivia de Havilland: Healthiest 103 year old in list history?

Vera Lynn: Somehow made it to 102 despite being frail for years. She rarely makes it out now (despite winning a gin legal case last year) but a rare appearance last summer had her looking like a sneeze could finish her off.

Daniel Arap Moi: if Drol thinks a dictator is fucked, they must be really ill! Has been in hospital for months and even on life support, so likely not one to last too long on the DL.

Dick Van Dyke – Super healthy, presumably the Cmme are huge fans.

Javier Perez de Cuellar – Super dull, could go today or in 5 years.

Akihito: Retired and ill but in no rush, think they dropped the wrong retired world leader tbh.

Pierre Cardin: Super old designer is super old.

Bob Dole: So in 2012, Inouye died and Bob Dole looked on his last legs. In 2018, Bush Sr died and Dole looked even more on his last legs. IN 2019 he got made an honorary Colonel and looked even worse. How is he still alive? This has to be his year.

Murray Walker: OoO says hes starting to notable age, but Walker smashed cancer in his 90s, it’ll take a lot to get rid of this legend.

Leon Spinks: I can understand the pick but with low level cancer, the hospital trip will end with him a hit by February or surviving the year.

Betty White: On till she drops, she looked frailer in 2019, but that’s by Betty White standards, not normal humans.

Angela Lansbury: Big fan of the great Angela returning. She still seems to be well, but we take many similar names for granted in recent years.

Bob Barker: Seems to have bounced back from that hospital spell in 2018, but is getting up in age. And he had two falls in 2019 so is clearly getting up in frailty too.

Alan Greenspan: The Deadly Doug of this year. So pick him in 2021 when they drop him.

Henry Kissinger: Still jetsetting, still fat as hell, still opinionated, but 97 this year so time must surely be up eventually.

Jimmy Carter: Been in hospital for a variety of worrying ailments in 2019 (the fall/brain bleed for example) – hes clearly starting to tire out and could well struggle to see out 2020. Also hes well past the expiry date for Presidents now.

Valery d’Estaing: Old French leader, on till he drops, still out and about though.

Honor Blackman: Aging actress, she made a bounce back from serious ill health a decade ago but now is quite quiet.

Leslie Philips: Increasingly frail and quiet comic who has somehow made it to 95 despite looking on last legs most of the last decade.

Tony Bennett: Cancelled some gigs last year due to ill health, the most interesting health update for Bennett in 60 years…

Harry Belafonte: Frail and aging  singer/civil rightd activist. Didn’t seem to say much publicly when some of his collaborators died in 2019?

Nobby Stiles: Gravely ill with cancer and dementia in 2015. Still here in 2020 and has outlived Gordon fn Banks, Ray Wilson and Martin Peters since. Remember when there was talk of a close race between the two 1966 teams on the DDP, and it was 2-2? England are diving out in front and with the increased rapid exit strategy of the team, and Stiles long recorded terrible health, he seems good to go in 2020. Now watch Bobby Charlton die in his sleep instead for sods law.

Hosni Mubarak: Dull and corrupt ex Egyptian President only on here because the Cmme would like him to die. Always room for wishful thinking but he doesn’t seem in any hurry.

Genesis Porridge: Terminally ill singer since 2018, her health has shown severe decline in 2019, and she is likely on the Eric Lubbock Longevity path. A great pick by the Cmme.

Stirling Moss: Still a good pick to have, said OoO last year, and he knows his stuff. Moss hasn’t been seen since forced retirement in 2018, and is said to be in very bad health.

Prunella Scales: Her appearance in the last Canal Journeys was genuinely jaw dropping, especially when she didn’t recognise her own son, or didn’t know who Princess Diana was. But who knows with dementia, eh?

Desmond Tutu: In and out of hospital and feels on the long road to heaven, but made of stern stuff clearly.

Jacques Delors: Bit worrying most Brits only know him via a 30 year old Sun headline. Clearly famous, clearly old and the Europeans say this is a good pick, so I bow to their knowledge.

Willie Nelson: Struggling to breathe at recent gigs, looking frailer than a frail thing, and is so ill he gave up weed. That last bit is the most worrying of the lot! Looks on the road out.

Jerry Stiller: Had a stroke last year (?) but very little news since.

John Edrich: No idea why a decade after remission from cancer, the Cmme went back to him. The stupid pick of the year? Nicholas Parsons was right there, guys!

Bouteflika: Lots of rumours about ill health and he got forced out. Likely a good pick.

Alex Trebek: What is Stage IV pancreatic cancer? He’s wombling on, but the diagnosis and the treatment failure means final Jeopardy is fast approaching.

Shane MacGowan: mess ridden Pogues singer who somehow made it to 61. I’ll be gutted when he goes.

Dick Cheney: Well he had a heart transplant a decade ago, and those things have about a decade on them? Could be a surprise smart pick.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: These two together is a rib, right? Relapsed pancreatic cancer, all those falls and other issues, she is in borrowed time. Hopefully not that less borrowed time, for fear of the alternative.

Imelda Marcos: The “is she still alive” pick? She was meant to be frail and ill 20 years ago FFS! Maybe she wont last long…

Carl Reiner: Avid tweeter and US tv legend who is now very old. He was literally on Twitter a few hours ago wishing everyone a merry new year!

Lester Piggot: Dull pick, wont die.

Joanne Woodward: I like this pick, her health has been rubbish for ages (end stage dementia since 2015), she doesn’t recognise her late husband – only Paul fn Newman, and the Cmme have a habit of picking folk right in the nick of time. This could well be her year.

David Crosby: “In the next 2 years I’ll have a heart attack and they wont be able to save me” said Crosby in summer 2019. His heart issues are well documented, and 2020 takes up a lot of that timeline…

Tom Smith: If you heard him slurring on the BBC a few weeks ago you’d think he had weeks left…

Terry Jones: A sensible pick (his type of illness has a 5 year prognosis, this is year 5), but a sad pick too. Heard from folk who know him that people don’t know if its even weeks or months left for Terry now as he is on the road out.

Jean Marie le Pen: Very DLy. Meant to be in frail health for years.

Pervez Musharraf: Lots of ill health last year and the death sentence in his homeland wont help matters…

Bill Gates Sr – Just old, but not that old, and not that famous?

David Attenborough: Legend who says he hasn’t long left but hopefully was talking metaphorically.

Peter Sutcliffe: So much ill health for years. Breathing issues, heart issues, diabetic complications, failing health and on a whole bunch of drugs to stay alive according to The Mirror. Could be a good call.

 

So on the basis of that, I suggest the target for the list is 17/50 like the 2017 list. If some of the punts, and really old folk start to go, it could be a very good year indeed, but the quality of this list will out over the course of a whole year.

[The Watcher 317]

45 minutes ago, roaming_comrade said:

Taking someone like the top 3 is just lame imo. Statistically you almost cannot fail to get at least 1 out of 3 this year. Not too mention Roberta McCain is again just somebody's parent like Bill Gates Sr.

Agree that Roberta McCain is as relevant as Bill Gates Senior - but she is certain to get an obit in the quality papers in this country. She is also the widow of a Wiki entry naval commander who died decades ago as well as the mother of the senator (& Trump nemesis) John. However the oldest ever Test cricketer (female) & the oldest ever first class cricketer (male) are as newsworthy as the oldest ever in other sports.

[Imelda 621]

Bill Gates' old man?

 

Weak.

[The Old Crem 3,583]

Also Rosalynn Carter should have been on the list.

[Arsewipe 202]

Better than last years, but thats not hard.

[Sir Creep 7,070]

I said 13 hits last year (hello) I’ll say 9 this year.

[RolandDeschain 91]

12 minutes ago, Sir Creep said:

I said 13 hits last year (hello) I’ll say 9 this year.

 

Only 9 on this list to go this year?!  I can see 14 easily.  Which ones do you think are definately doomed in 2020 then?

[dean1991 116]

28 minutes ago, Sir Creep said:

I said 13 hits last year (hello) I’ll say 9 this year

 

I too don't think it will hit double digits 

[Jeffs 6]

9 hours ago, The Watcher said:

Ethel Kennedy 91 (last survivor of her generation of the Kennedy clan - widowed sInce 1968)

 

Good call although isn't there also Jean Kennedy Smith, currently 91 years old and the last surviving sibling of JFK and RFK.  

[ThePrematureBurial 224]

The committee assumed that the centenarians will go before the octogenarians. Yet most famous persons die between their sixties and their eighties. I predict that we will lose many beloved stars born in the 1930ies and 1940ies. Tears will flow.