After trawling links from metaquotes, I get a silly idea from poshcat.


Objective
Be the player who successful guesses the deaths of the most celebrities in 2006.

The Rules
1. Each player is allowed to choose 25 names. No fictional characters please, no matter how much you're hoping Ana Lucia the posh annoying one in the Archers will die.
2. Deadline to enter is 11:59 pm GMT, December 31, 2005.
3. Send your entry as a comment to this post. Changes may be made up until December 31 by commenting on your original comment. All comments will be screened so later entrants don't get an unfair advantage. All entries will be made public after Jan 1, 2007, so don't say anything to me you don't want other people to see.
4. Duration of the Dead Pool is January 1 - December 31, 2006.
5. The death of the celebrity must be mentioned in People magazine to count. Therefore, you can choose some obscure Russian politician if you wish, but if People doesn't acknowledge it, neither does the Pool you must be able to provide a link to a reputable news outlet to prove the death/existence of said person. Pravda and the Daily Sport don't count, if the only link is from News International, it counts half.
6. Points are awarded as follows:
100 - age of celebrity at time of death. (Example: if you picked Donald Trump, the calculation would be 100 - 60, and you'd receive 40 points. So although older people might be a better bet, your points will not be as high if you're right)
7. The winner will be announced in January, 2007. The grand prize is postcards from all the other players. If the winner would prefer not to give out his/her RL address to a herd of total strangers, it could also be icons/banners/fun e-mails from all the other players. Winner's choice.
8. Cost of entry is a promise to send the winner a postcard or icon/banner/fun e-mail, whichever the winner prefers.
9. In the event of a tie, the tie breaker will be the player who has the youngest correct pick. If all of the tied players have the youngest correct pick, the next youngest correct pick in succession will be the tie breaker, and so on.
10. I have the last word in all disputes, because I am god-like in my powers.

Hints and Tips
1. Pick old people. Or don't. Sure, picking old people is a solid strategy because they're more likely to…you know…die, but remember, you get more points for younger picks. Plus, more players might choose the same older celebrities. Also, some of these older celebrities seem pickled in the brine of eternal life. Larry King, for example.
2. Pick people in trouble. Drug addiction? On trial? Ill? All indicators that those celebs just might not be around to see 2007. Is Gary Glitter a good candidate? Only you can decide.
3. Pick a couple of dark horses. Young, healthy, happy. And tomorrow they could get hit by a bus. Reese Witherspoon or Ryan Phillipe, let's say. You just never know.


So, comments screened to this post, but if you post a non-entry and I reply, they'll unscreen. Sick and wrong? Well, yes, but it's me.