GAME: Celebrity Scandal Pool!

[saint]

I'll Bite.

Britney Spears

John McCain

The Pope (Benedict XVI)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Scandals don't have to be sex and/or drugs. They can very easily be something else, political or otherwise.

If you don't believe me, ask the current Governor of Illinois (selling Senate seat),

Or the Governor of Illinois before him, George Ryan (?) who was Republican and did jail time for... something or other.

I guess in Illinois you have to have committed felonies before you can become Governor, or at least swear to commit several felonies during the Oath of Office.

[Kusanagi]

Hmmm...2009? Someone already picked my top choice so I gotta go with

Hillary Clinton - with how many waves Obama is making through the "old school" democrats, there's no way that cow's been milked dry.

David Miscavige - Current president of the Church of Scientology which is getting heat from every angle right now

Lindsey Lohan - because you always put money on the best odds

[Geek King]

Hell, I'm in:

Al Franken Should be interesting since he wants to be a politico all of a sudden.

Joe Biden Obama's VP--Always good for scapegoating, and he's got a big mouth to boot!

Jesse Jackson Jr. Papa's already crazy, and Jr needs to make a name for himself. A winning combo!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Off the top of Irv's noggin:

Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney's too easy)

Vanessa Hudgens

And from the political realm, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.

[Jester]

None of them are taken, but I am afraid you are going to have to specify WHICH Lewis Hamilton: the footballer or the race car driver.

And congratulations--you are the first one to make me look up ALL THREE of your selections.

EDITED TO ADD: Just thought of this. Whenever any scandal occurs, I shall PM all the people participating to let them know about it and who in the Pool had that celebrity. Yes, I am keeping a list of everyone's picks.

[MannersMakethMan]

Sounds an interesting idea! I'd like to take David Cameron, Rhianna, and Lewis Hamilton if they haven't already gone.

[Jester]

Many (lol) years ago, one of my friends made a screen name of Rae "Spare Tire" Carruth.

I was wondering if anyone would get that reference. Glad you did!

[Jester]

I was wondering when someone would take W.

I almost excluded him based on how easy it might be, but on that some idea, I almost excluded Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

But then I figured, hell, why not? New scandals are new scandals!

Just remember, kids, the scandal has to come to light in 2009. So, unless you feel there is a lot more info coming on the Illinois Governor, he may not be the best choice.

And that is what makes W. interesting, as he will only be in office for 20 days in 2009, but something tells me we haven't heard the last of him.

[Bella_Vixen]

Hello Rae Carruth!

Many (lol) years ago, one of my friends made a screen name of Rae "Spare Tire" Carruth.

[Jester]

I'd be willing to settle on bankruptcy and forced resignation, rather than the "caught in bed with two transvestites" scandel that usually hits politions.

Scandals don't have to be sex and/or drugs. They can very easily be something else, political or otherwise.

If you don't believe me, ask the current Governor of Illinois (selling Senate seat), Spiro Agnew (selling influence), Richard Nixon (questionable financial dealings, spying, break-ins, cover-ups, abuse of power), Ronald Reagan (Iran-Contra), Rep. William Jefferson (taking bribes), Katherine Harris (Florida's Secretary of State during the infamous 2000 election), J. Fife Symington III (former Arizona Governor convicted of federal bank fraud charges), David Duke (racist comments/actions), John Rocker (racist/intolerant comments), Michael Richards (racist comments), Mel Gibson (anti-Semitic comments), or the current Prime Minister of Canada (dissolving Parliament).

Sure, the sex and drug scandals are the ones we remember best, sometimes even more than violent crimes (Hello Brett Myers! Hello Ray Lewis! Hello Rae Carruth! Hello Maurice Clarett!), but they are clearly not the only ones.

[crazylegs]

Richard Hammond

Barak Obama (just cos he wasn't taken yet)

George W. Bush (Just for reporting balance! )

[Lace Neil Singer]

I might as well have a bash; I'm useless at stuff like this, but might be fun.

Miley Cyrus

Liam Gallagher

Gordon Brown


(Wishful thinking on the third one; I just want the bastard to not be PM any more. XD I'd be willing to settle on bankruptcy and forced resignation, rather than the "caught in bed with two transvestites" scandel that usually hits politions. XD)

[Jester]

Excellent questions, Raps. I'll deal with each individually.

Hmm - do you get added points if you're personally involved in the scandal, or do you get automatic disqualification?

Neither. As long as the scandal is duly reported in some major media, and it does fit the definition of "scandal" (as defined by the Arbiter for the purposes of this game, of course), personal involvement does not disqualify you nor give you added points. Though I will personally congratulate anyone who actually orchestrates a celebrity's involvement in some kind of scandal, as that is just all kinds of awesome.

One exception: Arizona's Secretary of State is a woman named Jan Brewer. When/if Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano joins President-Elect Obama's team in DC, as is expected, Brewer will assume the governorship. Anyone who personally orchestrates the downfall and complete disgrace (and preferably removal from office) of Ms. Brewer automatically gets a share of the championship, even if they haven't picked her on their list.

My home state deserves better than That Woman, damn it. (We'll miss you, Janet!)

Is the limit of a choice of three celebs going to increase the chances of more people getting zero points?

It is certainly a possibility. Here's the deal: most death pools that I've seen have people picking ten celebrities, and overlap is allowed. I thought about going that route, but decided to go with three each, no overlap. With the amount of scandals celebrities get in in the average year, I feel safe that someone in this game will score a hit.

What constitutes a 'scandal'? Does it have to make a national newspaper?

The definition of scandal is nebulous, of course, but it has to be some kind of controversy or situation the celebrity finds themselves in that casts a negative image upon them. One thing, though...the celebrity has to be somewhat central to the scandal, or if tangential, they have to have done something within the scandal that casts a bad light on them. I have outlined some examples above, but will judge each scandal on a case to case basis.

As for the second question, obviously a truly good scandal will receive widespread publicity, but for our purposes, I will say that it has to be reported in at least two separate major media outlets, be it newspaper, magazine, internet, television, or whatever. Clint Eastwood running over a neighbor's dog and getting a scathing article in the local town newspaper is not a scandal. Clint Eastwood running over the band The Counting Crows and having it reported on CNN and TMZ.com, however, is. And would obviously be much cause for celebration. (At least for me....apparently I am the only one on the planet that recognizes the inescapable fact that they suck donkey eggs.)

[Rapscallion]

Hmm - do you get added points if you're personally involved in the scandal, or do you get automatic disqualification? Is the limit of a choice of three celebs going to increase the chances of more people getting zero points?

What constitutes a 'scandal'? Does it have to make a national newspaper?

Got me curious.

Rapscallion