I think Princess Alice is 103 too, but am too lazy to see whether Brooke or Alice was born earlier in 1901.

turns out that neither is 103 yet. Princess Alice was born on Christmas, 1901. Brooke Astor was born in March, 1902. Really really old, but not 103.

I win
 

That makes my odds better. Neener, neener, neener.

I win
 

Las Vegas death pools count points per death as 100 minus age at death. Get it? these would be negatives. If she croaks don't gloat.

Fun facts from death pools
 

Until Lester mentioned her, I didn't even know there was a Princess Alice, much less part of the British Royals. When I Googled her, I found a web site from which I also learned there is a Princess Alexandra and a Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. They must not have scandals as juicy as the Queen's kids and grandkids. My knowledge of essentially useless trivia already has been enriched by the 2004 FB Death Pool.

What did you do with yourself before the Internet?

Hmm
 

So Whitney Houston has entered rehab -- http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Musi....ap/index.html

I'm not sure what to do with this information at this point. I guess the options are:

1. Still count her as a wild card for all purposes.
2. Only count her death for wild card purposes if she dies of something not drug related. This is the rule for concealed illness (wild card pick that had an undisclosed illness does not count as a wild card if that person dies of the undisclosed illness but does count if death is, for example, in a car accident).

If a wild card is disqualified from wild card contention, any death would still count towards the picker's overall death pick total (and of course pride points would still be available), but the death would not entitle the picker to any portion of the wild card prize.

What do you guys think? I am leaning towards option 2 above.


ETA: you can either post a response in this thread or PM me your thoughts.

Hmm
 

Undisclosed? Don't we know it's been a problem for a while? How does rehab change it? Although drug use isn't a disease, any more than fatness is. What's next, perversion, thus disqualifying michael jackson?

Hmm
 

Well actually the idea behind disqualifying people from wild card contention for these reasons is that, despite the 50 Cent picks and the like, the spirit of the wild card is to pick a true wild card. Someone who has no reason that they might be more likely to die than anyone else, thus shocking the world when they do die. Application of the rules relating to wild cards is necessarily difficult because at least some of the analysis is subjective. That is why I had a hard time with determining eligibility. And why I might throw that portion out if we do it again next year.

I did not pick Michael Jackson as a wild card in my big pool because I wasn't sure if there would be some obvious mental illness disqualifier, but sure enough, that pick was allowed there, so I have allowed it here. In the same spirit, some morbidly obese comedian with a coke habit is not really a "wild card" in that if that person died, no one would be surprised. It just depends how far you want to take the analysis. I will be watching what the person running the big pool does with respect to this Whitney Houston thing. THe guy who runs it has been doing so for many years and this stuff has likely been encountered there before. If he doesn't do anything to wild card Houston picks there, I'd be more inclined not to do anything about them here.

Rehab is short-hand for drug problem. It is not perfect because celebs entering rehab either have admitted to the problem and are trying to fix it, or they haven't and some outside force (such as law enforcement) has pushed it on them. The first scenario seems to make them better off (if the rehab takes), the second just shows that they have a problem.

Hmm
 

Well, that makes sense. But it seems if it's undisclosed then that's just your good luck (so to speak), just like a car wreck. But, it doesn't matter much to me . . . your 2 seems eminently reasonable should whitney die (although I think it's more likely to be at the hand of bobby brown that at the end of a needle or crack pipe).

Don't know about "undisclosed," but her drug problem was widely suspected, if not outright known. Kinda like saying we didn't know Dean Martin was a drinker.

Hmm
 

Don't get all pissy just because I picked her as my Wildcard.

C.I.W.
(Crack is Wack)

Hmm
 

I'd leave things alone. Suspected drug user isn't the same as confirmed. If anything, her going into rehab reduces her chance of a dirt nap this year...

Hmm
 

I tend to agree that she is probably less likely to die (especially during the time that she is actually in rehab). I'll let the picks stand.

Now that I am death obsessed...
 

This death didn't get any press at the time:

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/pages/main

11/14/2003 41 Gene Anthony Ray Entertainment

[Leroy from Fame! - dead]