We’re ready! Background is here.
– Duplicate names:
Yo-Yo Ma (1)
Joseph Heller (2)
Vladimir Putin (3)
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (4)
Ai Weiwei
Kris Kristofferson
Lisa Lisa
Li Wenwen
– Alleged tax cheats:
Martha Stewart (1)
Pete Rose (2)
Al Capone (3)
Lauryn Hill (4)
Willie Nelson
Leona Helmsley
Shakira
Wesley Snipes
– People known by initials:
J. R. R. Tolkien (1)
J. K. Rowling (2)
Malcolm X (3)
Larry Hagman (4)
T. S. Eliot
A. A. Milne
A. J. Foyt
K. D. Lang
– Cool people:
Miles Davis (1)
James Dean (2)
Diana Rigg (3)
Bob Dylan (4)
Banksy
Henry Winkler
Joan Didion
Frida Kahlo
– Namesakes:
David Bowie (1)
Michael Keaton (2)
J. Robert Lennon (3)
Steve McQueen (4)
John Paul Jones
Elizabeth Taylor
John Adams
Michael B. Jordan
– Children’s book authors:
Dr. Seuss (1)
Beverly Cleary (2)
Lewis Carroll (3)
Laura Ingalls Wilder (4)
Roald Dahl
Margaret Wise Brown
Mo Willems
Maurice Sendak
– Creators of laws or rules:
Hammurabi (1)
James Naismith (2)
Vladimir Chvátil (3)
Alison Bechdel (4)
E. Gary Gygax
Isaac Newton
Isaac Asimov
Steve Stigler
– Traitors:
Judas (1)
Brutus (2)
Kim Philby (3)
Jane Fonda (4)
Vidkun Quisling
Guy Fawkes
Benedict Arnold
Ethel Rosenberg
We could only include 64 people for the tournament. Here are the best choices we weren’t able to make room for:
George R. R. Martin
Lionel Messi
Philippe Pétain
E. Nesbit (fits into 2 categories!)
Francis Bacon
Albert Brooks (couldn’t use him because he was in an earlier competition; we’ll have to save him, Veronica Geng, and some others for the Tournament of Champions in a few years)
Richard Pryor (“Jo Jo Dancer” but couldn’t use him because he was in an earlier competition; he’ll go in the ToC too)
Arthur C. Clarke
R. A. Fisher (sorry but our quota of fascist sympathizers is full up; maybe we can include him in a future competition in the “cigarette shills” category)
The matchups will start next week.
The X in Malcom X isn’t an initial. He adopted it (to replace his surname “Little”) as a representation of his unknown African ancestry.
I don’t think Henry Winkler was particularly considered to be cool, it was “the Fonz^ who was cool.
And in itself, that’s certainly a sign of how times have changed.
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How are Joseph Heller and Vladimir Putin duplicate names.
Would have helped if they included Putin’s patronym, Vladimirovich.
For Joseph Heller, I’m guessing his middle name is either “Joseph” or “Heller”. Or maybe he gets an honorary spot for creating Major Major Major Major.
That tells you that Putin’s name is the same as his father’s name.
Is Bill Gates a duplicate name because his father’s name is also William?
Even a triplicate!
William Henry Gates III
Michael:
Sure, but they don’t call him Bill Billovich Gates.
Part of the fun is figuring out the categories, e.g. Heller’s inclusion being based on his character’s names.
Jane Fonda a traitor? Seriously? That slot should have gone to Petain.
Clyde:
I thought of including Pétain but Fonda just seems like she’d be a much better speaker. Listening to some sanctimonious retired general talking about God, family, and country for an hour . . . that I can do without!
Kris Kristofferson’s grandson was in my kid’s class for a while, but the grandfather never showed up to any school events.
If the fascist sympathisers category is full, can we have an “antisemites” category for Roald Dahl?
I would have put Winston S Churchill in the namesakes group.
And JK Rowling’s commencement speech at Harvard in 2008 is worth a listen to hear more about her life and views then being a children’s author. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHGqp8lz36c