Welcome to the Best Darn Free Celebrity Deathpool on the Internet. You can join in on the fun and be like these two far-out chicks and three wacky guys. Enter anytime; unlike other Pools, the Ghoul Pool is open 365 days a year!

First, The Game.

This is basically a game of prognostication. We, the Major League members of the Ghoul Pool, each choose 20 different celebrities that we believe will shed this mortal coil in a calendar year. After the Majors Draft picks are posted, each Minor Leaguer then gets to choose 10 celebs that are still open for picking. First come, first serve! Yes, it's that easy.

Your entries of 10 PICKS plus ALTERNATES with their Claims to Fame will be accepted via a nifty SPIFFY ELECTRONIC ENTRY FORM, WOWIE!!! The Form will be activated on January 1st when the pool opens. The announcement will be made on the site and on the Forum. Yes, we know that 20 Alternates seems like a lot but it'll be dropped to 5 alts after the first week's rush of entries are posted, pinkie-swear.

And, of course, there are The Rules (updated 12/15/11):

STARTING IN 2010 AND ONWARD: WE REQUIRE A PUBLISHED OBITUARY FOR A CELEBRITY PICK TO COUNT AS A HIT. YES THIS IS NEW AND DIFFERENT BUT WE DO NOT FEAR CHANGE, WE EMBRACE IT. All qualified picks submitted will be accepted but if you want them to "Score" a Hit, they'll need their own dedicated obituary article page (NOT part of a multiple Obit "Round-Up" page) on at least ONE of the following sites (UPDATED 12/15/11):

CNN
MSNBC
FoxNews (ewww)
CBC (Canada)
The Globe & Mail (Canada)
BBC News (UK)
The Guardian (UK)
The Telegraph (UK)
The Daily Record (UK)
Sports Illustrated
ESPN
Variety
USA Today
The Economist

Celebrities can be from most any genre, as you can see from that list.

When you get a hit, you must send the Obit Link to E-Brake by email, or post it on the Ghoul Pool Forum. If not, you run the risk that your hit will be overlooked. With over 51,732 or so picks that populate the Master List, one hit might easily fly under the radar, so you need to notify us. Muchos grassy!

ALSO CONTINUING IN 2012: The Majors will only make A TOTAL OF 100 PICKS. This leaves more fish in the barrel for our beloved Minor Leaguers. Merry Christmas, you can thank us later.

The main rule that separates this glorious deathpool from all the knock-offs is that we all can't select the same darn celebrities. Sure, anyone can snap up 10 of the oldest, sickest celebrities that can be found in the pages of the National Enquirer. But with our pool, once a celeb is picked they're NOT up for grabs anymore. When Sydney Omarr was picked by E-Brake in 2003, no other player could take him.

Second Rule of Fight Club, er, I mean The Ghoul Pool: Entries are taken all year 'round. You can enter on January First, or wait until October First. Just make sure your awesome pick hasn't been snapped up already!

You MUST submit your 10 picks all at once, no trickling or hemming & hawing. And if by some weird chance more Alternate Picks are required from you, they must be submitted within one week of my request or else they are not entered. All lists will be considered Final one week from requesting an alternate.

(Note, sarcasm alert): Please ensure that you submit all required forms and documentation in triplicate to the proper authorities as required by law (except in Iowa, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles which are exempt) UNLESS the heretofore mentioned documentation has expired in which case please register with our third-party affiliate on sustainably-farmed locally-produced organic parchment using the tears of turtle doves born in May (but not March) and sealed with the stamp of In Bob Hope We Trust, et al. Thank you in advance for your cooperation; please submit any inquiries, legal or silly, to the Department Of Homeland Haberdashery (or, DHH) at PO Box 867-5309, Jenny-Jenny, CA.*
*(totes kidding, we're so funny).

But hey really, for pete's sake check the Master List to make sure your picks aren't already PICKED - and it's on YOU to make sure they're still alive! You're stuck with any pre-stiffed picks. Yes this means YOU, Gerald Ford! (Helpful hint: Do not pick Gerald Ford).

Be sure to spell your pick's name correctly please AND YOU MUST INCLUDE A "CLAIM TO FAME" FOR ALL PICKS INCLUDING ALTERNATES so we know which flippin' "Joe Smith" you're talking about - the amateur donkey wrestler or the televangelist? Don't make us choose which one (hint: donkeys always win).

The Nos-Nos: No Death Row hits, unless they die from some other means than a scheduled execution (i.e., Dahmer'd with a broom handle).

No Fame By Association! If Bob Hope's cousin Eldred's only "claim-to-fame" is that he's, um, Bob's cousin well then he ain't famous. (Helpful hint: Do not pick Eldred Hope).

Oh and none of this "World's Oldest Person" crapola! People have to be famous because of what they DO, not because they eat right, don't smoke and live to be a gazillion years old. Big whoop, heck even I could do that. *COUGH*

No kids! We discourage the picking of children (under 18, for those so inclined to ask); as E-Brake has been quoted as saying in a major publication, "That's just kinda mean". So please don't bother. And it should go without saying but...No animals! I'm glaring intently at YOU, Cheetah!

AS OF 2005: No War Hostages! They are victims, NOT "celebrities", and are only in the news because they might get de-noggined. Also, no war casualties who weren't already a celebrity before. Joe Soldier - no; Osama bin Laden, yes (please). If you have any questions, just send an email.

The Big Game starts on January First (Minor League entries will start after the Majors' Draft) and will be declared OVER at the stroke of midnight December 31st Eastern Time at year-end. No late-received obits will count as the new game MUST start on the First of the year. All winners and official hits known at that time are declared final and the game is officially over. Yes, there is a reason for this: In order to start the new game on the First, with a new Minors Champ drafted, we must finalize the game on 12/31.

New Members: You must include a short Biography and a Picture of yourself (not your pet but you; dressing in a wacky costume is OK and encouraged even). The new Entry Form requires this from all New Players.

Highest number of Hits wins! In the case of a TIE in the number of hits in either the Majors or the Minors, the Leader will be determined by the lowest mean average age of the player's "Hits".

E-Brake is the keeper of the lists and will be the final arbiter as to who picked what name first. No arguments or you will be put on waivers. This is a fun and free pool, not life and death. Please don't take any decisions personally, we love all of you weirdos equally.

THE POOL IS NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES!

Just head on over to the ENTRY FORM right now and Join Up! The Pool is open ALL YEAR ROUND and we look forward to seeing you jump on in.