Don't even think of arguing. This is not the first time Bill's been killed off. Some months ago a mock CNN.com report did the rounds and fooled people into believing that he was 'murdered at a Los Angeles charity event'.

Following that online prank came billgatesisdead.com, ' the ultimate portal to Bill Gates' life, death and legacy '. It has a message board with members suspending disbelief, discussing his death and offering condolences. Here you can find links to more mock news coverage on Bill's assassination.

Then came a rapid fire of similar sites. They form an amazing Web Ring and range from talking about 'postmortem Bill Gates sightings' to the 'last prophet of the 20th Century'.

But this wacky mythology in progress now seems to have come to a climax…

Nothingsostrange.com is not just another site. It is, in fact, the home for a full-length mock documentary on the assassination. The movie premieres Friday in the United States and is true to the weird details strewn around the assassination Web sites.

The movie will be shown at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah from January 11 to 19. Not surprisingly, the festival itself is a renegade alternative to the famous Sundance Film Festival.

Nothing So Strange's storyline is dramatic: 'When Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates was shot dead on December 2, 1999, it was a tragedy that resonated throughout the world. But as time wears on, that tragedy has developed into a mystery for many observers, who see police misconduct and a cover-up where others see an open-and-shut case. Nothing So Strange follows the efforts of an organised group of these sceptics, who call themselves Citizens for Truth, as they launch an aggressive independent investigation of the Gates assassination and in the process confront the Los Angeles Police Department, a hostile mainstream press, and the group's own internal squabbles.'

And oh yes! Citizens for Truth! That is another organisation as fantastical as the Gates assassination itself. Don't miss its site though. It is an amazing exercise in reality check ;-)

A clip on notsostrange.com shows Gates falling to the ground after being shot, an official making a statement and citizens protesting with chants of 'What are you afraid of?' The Gates look-alike in the movie, Steve Sires, has his own place on the Net too.

Since most of us are unlikely to see Nothing So Strange anytime soon, a set of media clips online may help.

The brainchild of Los Angeles director and playwright Brian Flemming, Nothing So Strange is being produced by Orlando based GMD Studios, whose collaborations have included The Blair Witch Project.

GMD Studios are perhaps attempting to repeat history. Nothing So Strange seems to be using the same Internet stunts that went into promoting The Blair Witch Project.

A small-budget film, The Blair Witch Project took just $60,000 to make. But a clever Web site promotion, acknowledged as a pioneering market campaign, won it the notice of the world and the superbly deserving $140 million at the box office!

Understandably, Microsoft and the LAPD are not happy with Flemming's latest venture. On the site, Flemming is quoted as saying that he has nothing personally against the billionaire: "This film isn't really about Bill Gates… His murder is simply used at the start of the film to launch a story about class, race and corrupt government institutions."

And what does Microsoft have to say about all these people who are trying to send Bill Gates to heaven? This report quotes a Microsoft spokesperson as saying that it is disappointing that a moviemaker would attempt such a theme.

Defending the movie's acceptance, Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter, says in this article that the movie is more about citizens trying to solve the murder.

If the alive and thriving Bill Gates ever gets to watch Nothing So Strange, he will have to decide if it was more amusing than South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut where a cartoon Gates is killed by a general when his PowerPoint presentation takes too long to load!