Filed under: Rants and raves, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Exxon Mobil (XOM), McDonald’s (MCD), JetBlue Airways (JBLU)
BloggingStocks readers and AOL Money & Finance visitors have spoken, and below are the Best & Worst of 2007. (See the individual posts for full results.)
Company of the Year: Google, internet search provider turned diversified services giant, received 51% of the vote, beating such strong contenders as Apple and Coca-Cola.
Hottest Gadget of the Year: After all the hoopla surrounding the launch of the iPhone, it’s no big surprise that it tops this category, with 47% of the vote, besting second place finisher the Nintendo Wii.
Dumbest Celebrity Feud: Rosie O’Donnell’s squabbles with Donald Trump (and also with Elizabeth Hasselbeck) garnered 66% of the vote, easily beating out the back-and-forth between Britney Spears and her ex, Kevin Federline.
Hottest Car of the Year: The Cadillac CTS led with 43% of the vote, easily beating the BMW M3 and others in this category.
Dumbest Moment in Business: JetBlue’s stranding of passengers on a cramped, grounded airliner for hours netted 51% of the vote.
Most Shameless Attempt at Cashing in on ‘15 Minutes’ of Fame: American Idol’s Sanjaya Malakar received 39% of the vote, giving him the edge over Anna Nicole Smith hangers on Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead.
Breakout City of the Year: Dubai, UAE, has the largest freestanding hotel and the largest man-made harbor in the world, making it the “City Built for Tourism” and earning it 49% of the vote.
Most Overused Buzzword: “Globalization” is overwhelming reviled, judging by its 60% of the vote.
The Money Story of the Year: Fifty-six percent of voters chose the combination of high oil and gold prices with the weak dollar, over such other big stories as the housing slump/mortgage meltdown and the toy and food recalls.
Hottest Chain Restaurant: McDonald’s received 37% percent of the vote for revitalizing its menu and providing investors with great returns.
Celebrity Most Likely to Lose It All: Britney Spears’s continuing downward spiral garnered her 42% of the vote, keeping her ahead of second place finisher and former NFL star Michael Vick.
Best CEO Departure of the Year: It’s a photo finish for Citigroup’s former CEO, Chuck Prince, and Bill Ford Jr. of Ford Motor Co., both with 30% of the vote, but Prince wins by a nose with about 300 more votes. Did somebody ask for a recount?
Most Overpaid Celebrity: Oprah Winfrey’s 53% percent of the vote earns her top honors in this category, this after losing out to Paris Hilton in 2006.
The Most Hated Company: In what was clearly the most contentious category, with more comments and more votes than any other, ExxonMobil tops the list with 41% percent of the vote, beating Wal-Mart in second place.
Most Annoying Money Personality: Domestic diva, ex-con, and media magnate, Martha Stewart received 54% of the vote, easily beating second place finisher Mark Cuban.
Most Worrisome Consumer Trend: Rising fuel prices topped this category, with 55% of the vote, while the subprime mortgage mess came in a distant second.
Yes, it was a very good (or bad) year for these winners and runners up. Here’s looking forward to whatever may arise as the Best & Worst of 2008.
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