2019 Awards

The envelopes, please...

Story Of The Year:  The relentless attack on Trump.  You might have thought when the Mueller Report crapped out that would be it.  But the Dems, now in charge of the House, didn't give up and managed to find a new reason to impeach him.  Imagine a world where we simply attacked Trump because we disagreed with his policies--wouldn't that be something?

Person Of The Year: Boris Johnson.  I'm not sure exactly what he did, but he sure did it.

Winner Of The Year:  Nancy Pelosi.  Even if impeachment ends up not being a great strategy, her base wanted it and she delivered.

Loser Of The Year:  Kamala Harris.  You might think she'd be the perfect candidate, but her campaign never took off and she was finished before the race even began.

Biggest Future Story:  The next Supreme Court pick.

Biggest Non-Story Story:  The race to pick the Democratic presidential nominee. Yes, it matters, but for all its domination of the news, nothing has happened yet.  Once the voting starts, then it'll be real.

Joke Of The Year:  Rudy Giuliani seems to have become everyone's favorite punch line.

Ol' Man River Award:  Joe Biden. He just keeps rolling along.  Runner Up: Tom Brady.

The Neverending Story:  Brexit (though maybe we'll find a way out in 2020)

Stealth Story Of The Year:  The economy seems to be doing pretty well, yet doesn't seem to get that much attention (except when politicians say things are going bad).

Fifteen Minutes Award:  Remember when Beto O'Rourke was the Great White Hope of the Democrats?  Ultimately he was just a bright, shiny object his party lost interest in.

Best Fake News Story:  Jussie Smollett.  What fascinated me most was how many people initially believed such a fantastic tale.  If it hadn't collapsed they'd still believe it today.

Weirdest Story:  Fights break out across the nation over Popeyes new chicken sandwich.  Is it that good?  And that hard to get?

Silliest Controversy:  I'm going to go with this Peloton ad, which for some reason drove everyone crazy:



Worst Trend (still):  Over the last few years, the average American lifespan seems to be going down slightly. There are a number of possible reasons for this, but no matter how you slice it, it's not good.  Runner Up: People who say the wrong things politically fear for their safety and jobs.

Phrase Of The Year:  A late entry takes the ribbon--"wine cave."

Biggest Pop Culture Disappointment:  The final season of Game Of Thrones destroyed its legacy by making one wrong move after another.  The previous two seasons had shown signs of weakness, but there was still hope a strong finale would make it all come together.  Runner Up: The final Star Wars film of the third trilogy.

Top Child:  Runner Up--Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.  Winner--Baby Yoda.

Give It The Old College Try Award:  Celebrities and others get caught in the college admissions scam. (And prosecutors are ready to overcharge them because it's high profile?)

Celebrity Meltdown Of The Year: Kanye West for just about everything he did.

Scariest Moment Award:  The trailer of  Cats (followed by its release).