Here we go again for 2013. The rules are:
1. You pick 13 celebrities (that's 13, not 10) whom you predict will die within the calendar year 2013. If any of your celebrities dies, you score 100 points minus their age at death. Whoever has the most points at the end of the year wins the undying *snort* admiration of the IMCT.
2. All picks must be time- and date-stamped by midnight U.S. Central Time on December 31, 2012. (U.S. Central Time is six hours behind Greenwich.)
3. Valid picks are NOT:
a. already dead
b. a fictional character
c. non-human
d. under age 18 at death
e. a registered member of the IMCT, 'coz that would be too weird
f. famous solely as a result of their illness or associated actions/events (and I am the judge of this)
4. You can pick people who are 100 or more years old but you won't score points for them. But these stiffs will add to your total in the "Quantity Not Quality" Award (see below).
5. If there are conflicting reports about a celebrity's birth date (and hence confusion about his/her age at death), I will go by the higher age (i.e., lower score).
6. Your picks must specify a name: listing "anybody from [the cast of your most hated TV show or emo band]" as a pick will be ignored.
7. Persons under sentence of death will be valid for scoring points only if they die by means other than official execution.
8. Any poster who kills or otherwise contributes to the death of any celebrity mentioned in this thread is disqualified. It's just a game, people.
9. Editing your choices: be careful! You can make changes to your list before the deadline, but it has to be clear which names are your final choices. Don't edit your original post; make a new, separate post. This makes it easier for me to track. You may submit one or more "alternates" with your list, which will be used in the event that one or more of your picks dies during December 2012. Or, you may submit an alternate after the death of an original pick, as long as this is posted by midnight on December 31, 2012. If you do not submit a new name or have a clearly identified alternate, too bad for you; you’re going to be playing with fewer picks than the rest of us who are obviously smarter than you are.
10. You can have no more than 13 picks. If you pick more than 13, or if any of your picks is otherwise invalid, I may ask for clarification. Or not. If I’m too busy, or distracted by something shiny, then I won’t and it’s too bad for you (again). So do me a favor and check twice, post once.
Additional stuff:
I have no rule about submissions having to be unique, despite claims of "copying" anyone else's list. (I call this The Sting Rule.) Sharing news of celebrities in ill health and whatnot is up to individual posters.
Except for Rule 3f, I have no rule about what constitutes a "celebrity" -- although it would be nice if there's at least one post-death media report that I can access online.
Spelling counts! Please try to spell celebrities' names correctly.
Some celebrities have common, identical or similar names. Listing just "Bush" will get you on my shit list, and you do not want to be on Spiff's Shit List.
Additional awards:
The "Quantity Not Quality" Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the greatest number of celebrities who died, regardless of their actual point value.
The "Inside Track With the Grim Reaper" Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who had the most unique picks who died.
The "Opening Kickoff" Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the first listed celebrity to die in 2013.
The "Final Hours" Award: to be awarded to the poster or posters who pick the last listed celebrity to die in 2013.
Let the ghoulishness begin!
Spiff
