Laurence Simon, over at Is Full Of Crap, has opened up his 2005 Dead Pool. I'm preparing my entries for my first foray into this intense, risky, challenging venture. (OK, maybe I'm overselling it a bit.) The rules might seem intimidating, but mostly they're there to pre-empt weaseling twits. Essentially, you mail him your list of 15 famous people you think (or hope) will kick the bucket in the next year, then sit back and wait to see what happens. (Taking direct action is considered cheating and will get you disqualified, unless you do so in the line of duty.)

I'm still working on my roster, but in order to increase my chances I'm dividing my picks into three categories: 1) Those I think will die; 2) those I hope will die; and 3) those who might die that others won't think of. I've currently got 22 names on my list, and more to come. I should have it winnowed down to 15 by the end of the weekend.

I'm toying with the notion of choosing Lair himself for my list. The two biggest obstacles are 1) he would probably declare himself "not famous enough," and 2) it would make collecting my prizes somewhat challenging.

J.