2017 Winners & Losers plus Big predictions for 2018

Winners and Losers of 2017 

Places listening: Top City this week Bagong Kalsada in the Philippines, crushing it. Mountain View, CA #2 and Los Angeles #3

Dubai of the United Arab Emirates cracked the top 5 for the first time as well. 

First time places — Laos, Vietnam, Luxembourg - over 27 countries listened last week — THANK YOU TO ALL, please leave a review on iTunes and please keep spreading the word

Bud light and Game of Thrones were both winners in 2017 and you need to look no further than the “Dilly Dilly” ad campaign to prove that both were winners

Losers - in some ways Micro Brews — for about 10 years the hipsters fave been leading the “Marco Brew” renaissance with Pabst Blue Ribbon — but in 2017 it felt like commercials started poking major fun at Micro Brews. 

Example one — the Honey Mead Wine guy getting sent to the pit of misery in the Dilly Dilly ads

Example two - Actor Danny Trejo is in a series of Sling TV commercials - there’s one in which he’s a bartender and some yuppie guy is like i’m looking for a microbrew no, a nano brew… and he carries on, and then Danny says, I made this one in my bathtub. And the customers takes it but says something like “That’s so gross”. 

HBO is a loser in some ways too — Peak Game of Thrones only highlights the following - they’ve got nothing ready to replace GOT, people are likely going to turn on GOT during it’s final season, because at least 50% of audience won’t like how it ends

Puerto Rico  is a loser of 2017— the commonwealth of Puerto Rico was decimated and so little has been done about it, that they should have the option to pick a new country to become a territory of. Or better yet, Yankee Swap style — they should get to swap “aid packages” with another part of the country that go aid this year

Also fun fact — Yankee Swaps are called “White Elephant” gift exchanges in North Carolina — and when I was in Philly it was called a pollyanna  

Lavar Ball - despite how many people don’t like him — is a winner — since he came from obscurity. With that said, I’ll be shocked if he’s a winner in 2018 — i think he’s slated to be one of 2018’s biggest losers. 

Winners: Rose McGowan and everybody associated with the #MeToo movement who came forward

Losers: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey Jerry Richardson and dozens of others who clearly were abusing their powerful places in entertainment, sports, and business

This clearly goes much deeper - but from a media standpoint - does this keep going? Who goes down next? I feel like this could absolutely destroy washington is we let it

ESPN got trounced and the NFL got trounced — post peak front runners getting dismantled is a theme i think will continue in 2018

Gender Reveals and Gender Reveal / Guy in American Flag Jorts in Southie

Possible winners in 2018

Possible losers in 2018 - The Tea Party / radical right — I’m not sure if I can ever bet against republicans wholesale again — but i feel pretty good about “establishment republicans”, independents and left leaning democrats mobilizing en masse in the midterms against the Tea Party. 

Joe Biden Mania — 2018 — I only hope that it doesn’t peak too early

Onesie Christmas Pajamas — the cast of Premier league on NBC are all wearing them today — the amount of matching onesie pajamas on instagram, facebook, snapchat is off the charts — i think the backlash is coming

Jimmy G and the San Francisco 49ers — if this guys stays healthy and they can sign him — as long as he stays healthy and can avoid the “Johnny Manziel pitfalls of fame” — they are going to the playoffs in 2018 and likely for most of the next 7 to 10 seasons 

The best and most frustrating christmas traditions of all time

The 5 Best and 5 Most Frustrating Christmas Traditions of all-time

Places listening - US wins - but an emphatic Silver medal to the nation of Spain followed by a bronze medal performance from the Philippines

Top 5 cities listening this week - NYC, Los Angeles, Barcelona, & Walpole, MA - but Ashburn, VA listened a lot again — thoughts on this Anne? fans? 

So we put out a vote/ poll to the Filibuster Freestyle pundits / guests/ experts

The question was, “what are your least favorite Christmas traditions?” We through a few out there and others were allowed to add their own and vote.

Creepy Claymation Christmas Kids’ movies - zero votes

People who literally still try to kiss you under the mistletoe - zero votes

Fruit Cake!!!   3% of the vote

Yams! Why do we still east Yams at Xmas dinner!?!?!?  5.3% of the vote

Radio Stations that only play xmas songs for the 6 weeks between xmas and t’giving - 8% of the vote  (there was one affirmative vote in defense of this)

People who have outlandish Xmas setups in their yards - 3 votes including Anne8% of the vote— and to the people who leave their lights and yard displays up until January 27th - I dislike your actions the most. Let it go!

The Build up to New Year’s Eve, that ultimately ends in a crescendo of whiskey, junk food and watching the ball drop by yourself on your couch - 3 vote 8% of the vote

Buying presents for people solely because you’re afraid they’re going to get you something 5 votes 13% of the vote (Anne and I both voted for this one)

Anyone who uses the phrase “Tis the season” - 5 votes 13% of the vote

People who bring their pets to the pet stores for a picture with Santa 5 votes 13% of the vote

This one was the winner - but its’ written ambiguously - People who talk about how saying “Merry Christmas” isn’t politically correct like they’re a complete renegade - 10 votes26% of the vote

Favorite traditions - 

Pic at the top of the stairs. pets have come and gone, a couple of lady friends have come and gone, but we always do it, and then my dad makes some CASH MONEY OMLETS. We also may or may not still be using the original pink advent wreathe candle from when we made advent wreathes in kindergarten in like 1984

We’ve got a bottle of peach schnapps in our family “yankee swap” that keep making appearances as the “official booby prize” — i think it’s showed up for 8-10 years in a row at this point

I tend to not “get into Christmas carols until about 2pm on the afternoon of Christmas — so I tend to reach peak Christmas song mode in my head, on New Year’s eve

New Traditions - I’m going to a New Year’s eve wedding this year - and this might be an awesome way to spend new years. Friends, Free booze, don’t have to drive, music, and a high probability of either shrimp cocktail or scallops wrapped in bacon at the cocktail hour. In fact, Freestyle listeners, if you’re getting married next year, if you book it for New Year’s eve and invite me, I will not only come and get you a sweet present, I will podcast live from your wedding. 

in fact, to any listeners getting married, I’m fascinated with the idea of podcasting someone’s wedding - if you’re up for being my test subjects — holler at me