Social media, the defining phenomenon of our time, has given rise to a new breed of celebrities. Known as “influencers,” their names may be unfamiliar to you, but ask your kids: They will have heard of them.

Often found on YouTube, TikTok, and even Facebook, these influencers are taking hold of their own personal brands and using them to engage, inspire, and reach out to a new generation of audiences who are just as cyber-savvy as they are themselves. It’s a feedback loop of good vibes — a community of content that breaks down barriers while keeping it real. And as far as “influence” goes, these online stars can wear a sweater or dress that instantly becomes a must-have item for their fans. They can also support important causes or charities with a single tweet or “signal boost,” alerting their followers to new activities. The hottest shoes are also quite popular in the world of influencers.

Of course, influencers have been impacted by the events of 2020 just like everyone else. Some of them rose to the moment, while others fell by the wayside during the sad occasion of 2020. But one thing is for sure: The influencers can do many things.

So as the year draws to a close, let’s look back at some of the influencers who served up drama, laughter, and even more in 2020. Here are the TOP TEN INFLUENCERS OF 2020:

10. Instagram models

9. YouTube comedians

8. Facebook moms with interesting ideas

7. Dirty boys with filthy minds

6. DJs and record producers who kept the party going

5. Many rappers are influencers who we like

4. Could a popular animal be an influencer? We’ll know more in 2021 but let’s celebrate 2020 for now

3. (TIE) 2020 influencers who are glamorous / 2020 influencers who make us chortle and snortle(sp?)

2. Influencers who succeeded in changing our behavior

1. Persuasive influencers

When the real world is just too much, sometimes it feels good to dip into the fantasy world of celebrity gossip. Gossip is an ancient human impulse; it’s as old as a roaring campfire around which our caveman ancestors would gather to talk about things like, “Glub-Glub is eating too many dinosaur tails, he looks fat” or “They say Bog-Flab and Kruk-Mub were kissing under the caveman mistletoe after yesterday’s hunt at Christmastime.” What I mean to convey with this example is that gossip is a very human impulse: A way to bond with our community about behavior we may not agree with, but can all agree is fun to talk about.

The unique thing about celebrity gossip is that celebrities capture the public imagination, and so their gossip is very exciting to all who know of it. Have you ever seen a celebrity magazine at the grocery store checkout line? You may have noticed a headline that took you by surprise: “I never suspected SHE would go out with HIM, she’s a big celebrity and he’s only a C-list celebrity!” That’s the power of celebrity gossip. And if you don’t believe that celebrity gossip could still be relevant in a year like 2020, just go online — you’ll find hundreds of web sites devoted to celebrity gossip, and if a celebrity is on Instagram people will talk (gossip) about them in the comments section of their Instagram account. It’s all a part of the “celebrity gossip lifestyle.”

So get ready for some juicy reading! Keep this on the hush-hush, and tell the paparazzi to look the other way, because here are the TOP TEN CELEBRITY GOSSIP STORIES OF 2020:

10. Huge actors getting in trouble

9. Bad behavior at the highest levels

8. Engagement rings for beloved celebrities … could wedding bells be far behind?

7. “They starred in a movie together … now they star in MAKING LOVE together.”

6. (TIE) Actresses yelling at people who bring them coffee / The famous man was taking a walk

5. Industry gossip about showbiz contracts

4. So-and-so from TV eats diarrhea and voted for Trump

3. Drug and alcohol problems … the dark side of being a celebrity (“getting high in showbiz city”)

2. Hollywood dirt and secrets

1. Movies

2020 was, it must be said, an extraordinary year for food. Food has been a constant source of nutrition and inspiration in our human story, but this year was quite different, and food was also impacted by these differences. As many Americans found themselves not going to restaurants as much in 2020, their “food focus” shifted to their own kitchens, and cooking became the “main course” when it came to the grand meal of making food.

Keep in mind that when we think of food in 2020, we must also think of take-out and delivery services, because these were also factors. As well as: grocery shopping. In short, this was a year in which we were forced to adapt to changing circumstances … and our food adapted with us.

2020 was a year unlike any other. But food remained beside us (and inside us!) all the while, providing comfort and sustenance as we struggled through this year while also enjoying ourselves during pleasant moments.

So let’s enjoy a final feast! Pull up a chair and join me in celebrating the best of 2020 when it comes to food by gorging on this supper of THE TOP TEN FOODS OF 2020:

10. Refreshing foods

9. Gotta make more fucking food

8. Buy food, eat food, go to sleep, wake up, take a piss, eat food, roll over, die

7. (TIE) Fine gourmet meals prepared at home / Candy bars

6. Supporting your favorite local restaurants by buying their foods

5. Surprising foods

4. Foods that make you laugh or smile

3. Foreign foods

2. Midnight snacks because why not

1. Perfection: A single bay leaf on a piece of fish, seasoned “just so”

If there’s one thing we saw a lot of in 2020, it was controversy. “Controversy” is defined as “arguments” or “fights,” but really it’s something much more serious: It’s a schism between what one person believes to be right and what his or her neighbor believes to be correct, but they disagree about those things, and therefore they have what is “a controversy.”

From politics to religion, from culture to science, controversy rose to new heights in 2020. It pitted brother against brother, friend against man, and the lonely truth-teller against the roaring crowd of a brainwashed populace. Of course, controversies are as old as society itself. As Julius Caesar once proclaimed: “Friends, Roman, countrymen … lend me your ears. Controversy must be defeated or our Republic will fall. Heed my words throughout the Roman Empire.” Will America be strong enough, bold enough, to rebuild after such a year of controversies as we witnessed in 2020? Only time will tell. For now, let us take stock of the controversies that defined this extraordinary year.

Here are the TOP TEN CONTROVERSIES OF 2020:

10. Passionate arguments

9. “I was just making a joke!”

8. Could anything be bigger than these controversies?

7. “Go to hell or I’ll spit in your face!” (Said in a controversial tone)

6. Election controversies

5. Sports controversies, instant reply is required!

4. To err is human … err upon deez nuts (controversies 2020)

3.  Differing notions of what is or isn’t appropriate as we analyze high-stakes controversies

2. Who knows what is best, and how do we know if that’s the case?

1. 2 + 2 = 5.9

As a wise man once said: “2020 … a year to remember.” As this year draws to a close, we must all agree it was one for the history books. We saw wonderful triumphs as well as unfortunate tragedies, and sometimes it felt like a struggle just to keep up. Let’s not mince words: In many ways 2020 was a challenging year. 

Now that the year is drawing to a close, some people wrestled with the question: How could anyone summarize this extraordinary year? Could it be done? How could someone make sense of the last twelve months — the highs and lows, the historical moments, the catastrophes and celebrations that marked 2020 as a year not soon to be forgotten?

Fortunately, no matter how chaotic our times may be, when it comes to looking back on the year, we have the concept of “lists” to help us make sense of what has happened. There are many year-end lists online — the trend has only grown in recent years — but there is only one person who can make the very best year-end lists, and that person is me. And I have yet to see a year that will not bow down and be humbled by my lists. It’s true: even 2020, one of the worst recent years, must ultimately succumb to the power of my lists, the most powerful force on earth, and say “Thank you for summarizing me with these lists, master, for in the end I am but another year of time.”

So let us celebrate the best of 2020 with an annual tradition unlike any other, the one tradition that must surely stand the test of time: It’s a wonderful tradition, and it’s the tradition known simply as “My Lists.”

Our first cause for celebration via my lists is TELEVISION. And surely there’s never been a better reason! For, as Americans found themselves spending more time at home in 2020, they turned to television to comfort and entertain them. And television — thank goodness — was more than happy to step up. From psychological dramas to premium cable comedies, 2020 will be remembered for many things, but one of them will be that it was the year America had a passionate love affair with the best of TV and TV truly became part of the family.

Here are the TOP TEN TELEVISION SHOWS OF 2020:

10. Shows that make you barf

9. Pretty good television shows

8. Well-crafted television shows

7. Television shows of a high caliber with multiple factors of enjoyment

6. Shows with extremely strong characters and writing

5. More than one television show can be seen

4. Streaming quality

3. Television shows that are almost as fun as real life

2. Fast-paced television shows

1. Exquisite stuff! This is television at its finest!

2019 saw an abundance of world-class palindromes, and for that we are grateful. As I have made clear in earlier posts, a palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forwards and backwards. Famous examples of palindromes include: “Madam, my name’s Adam” and “Was it a cat that I just saw? I hope so, I like cats.”

It should come as no surprise that some are calling 2019 “The Year Of The Palindrome” and “A Most Wonderful Year For Palindromes.” After all, what other recent year has gifted us with so many words or phrases that read the same whether perceived going forwards or backwards?

Let’s close out this year’s installment of my lists (my wonderful lists, that is) with a celebration — and a remembrance — of “the year in palindromes.” Here are the TOP TEN PALINDROMES OF 2019:

10. Mayo man on a yam

9. Is it Star Wars? A la Saran Wrap, ’tis I.

8. Pelosi is eloping!!!

7. He got a toga, eh?

6. Manafort’s on an ant farm

5. 024: Reefer referees see reefer! (420)

4. Impeachment? “To each his own”

3. (TIE) Dallas, Texas is a sexy salad / Sexy salads in Dallas, Texas

2. Eels sleep in peepee

1. Wow in 2019

And with that, we take our leave of my year-end lists! I wish you a happy new year and look forward to seeing you again next year with my lists on this web site.

Podcasts are where the art of conversation meets the art of podcasting. This revolutionary new form of entertainment and information (podcasts) has never been hotter, and 2019 is the proof. There were more podcasts made and listened to in 2019 than ever before … and some say podcasts are better than ever!

Here are the TOP TEN PODCASTS OF 2019:

10. Pop-culture podcasts that inform and entertain

9. True-crime podcasts that draw us into a web of intrigue

8. Entertainment podcasts that talk about pop culture

7. Sports podcasts that entertain

6. Comedy podcasts that make us laugh

5. “Hennnry!” “Yes, dear?” “Did you listen to the new episode of my podcast yet???” “Ummm”

4. (TIE) Podcasts with sponsors / Controversial podcasts

3. You can upload your podcast to iTunes

2. Listening to podcasts in 2019

1. The best podcasts one has ever heard in this life or the next

We will, perhaps, never know what inspires Man to travel. To go from one place to another using a plane, boat, or simple old-fashioned feet (walking) is an impulse as old as time itself. Perhaps it arises from the ancient history of traveling to market in order to sell grains and to buy a new ox and hear the news from distant provinces and/or lands. In any event, travel expands our horizons and makes our world just a little bit smaller — and quite a bit more interesting.

2019 was a great year for travel. From the castles of Europe to the architecture of Asia and even America (skyscrapers), this was the year we traveled as never before. Many languages were spoken and many new cultures were appreciated as we set off on our various journeys: Vacations, work trips, and explorations too numerous to mention can all be attributed to “the travel bug of 2019.”

In honor of that insatiable wanderlust, I am happy to present the TOP TEN TRAVELS OF 2019:

10. Foreign travels

9. Travels close to home

8. Family vacations

7. Extreme tourism for only the toughest of all men

6. Safaris

5. Travel TV shows

4. “May I have the pleasure of this travel”

3. When you travel to Thailand and see a monkey in 2019

2. Pilgrimages of all sorts

1. The greatest travels, always to be remembered

Imagine … you enter a restaurant in 2019 … the ambience is wonderful, the music is perfectly inviting … you have a hunger inside you, and only one thing can satisfy that hunger: FOOD. 

Or, instead, imagine this … you stand in your kitchen, finally home after a long day at work … you’re hungry for a meal, but you don’t feel nervous or worried … because you went grocery shopping earlier in the week … which means your cabinets and your fridge are full of exactly what you crave: FOOD.

Finally, imagine this … you are walking down the street in 2019 … it’s a sunny weekend afternoon … you feel a pang in your stomach that can only mean one thing … (that you are hungry for food to eat) … you see a figure approaching … you are so distracted by hunger it takes a moment to realize the person is your friend … “Hey there man,” your friend says … “You look hungry, wanna take a look in my bag?” … your friend opens their bag, and what do you see inside but exactly what you desire: FOOD. 

Food is a constant of our human experience, but let’s face it: When it comes to food, some years are better than others. Fortunately this year (2019, which is almost behind us) was a memorable and significant year for food. From trendy restaurants to must-have fruits and vegetables, sometimes it seemed that everyone was eating good food in 2019. This is a fact worth celebrating — a fact worth feasting upon in the mighty dinner party of my lists!

So let’s cook up a royal dinner and sup heartily upon this list, a celebration of all things food. Here are the TOP TEN FOODS OF 2019:

10. Organic produce

9. Artisan meats

8. Modern smoothies

7. (TIE) Dairy products / Phenomenal salads

6. New rice

5. The most talked-about dishes in town

4. Delectable desserts to tempt one’s palette … and one’s naughty side

3. Food that kept us satisfied in 2019

2. Delicious forms of nutrition

1. Perfection (food)

Toilets are everywhere. Every American bathroom has at least one … and when you run the numbers, you quickly realize those numbers add up to a huge number (of toilets). Indeed, when it comes to using the bathroom (or, more delicately, “going to the bathroom”) toilets will always be “front of mind” — ready to work, and sometimes, ready to be cleaned. Every year is a great year for toilets, and 2019 was no different. Indeed, this year saw multiple innovations in C.T.T. (Contemporary Toilet Technology.) Never heard of C.T.T.? Get your head in the game: THE TOILET GAME.

Here are the TOP TEN TOILETS OF 2019:

10. Filthy toilets

9. Porcelain toilets

8. Potty

7. Using the toilet perfectly in 2019

6. “I’m on the toilet. Call me later.”

5. Well-engineered toilets

4. Innovative toilets that inspire and excite

3. Some of the best toilets

2. Cutting-edge toilets

1. Award-winning toilets, a testament to the perfection of toilets