Actually, it’s not. It could of course be a Worst of ‘06 List, the usual contrarian alternative. But it’s not that either, because I really hate those kind of lists regardless of their focus: our industry, entertainment or dogfights.

Here’s why:

1) They always miss something of value that hasn’t been in the spotlight in the last quarter of the year.
2) They always include something truly ephemeral, that has already absorbed too much of our attention.
3) They always include something unpleasant about a celebrity, competitor, business or personality.
4) They are non-predictive and historically useless as they are outdated before January 15th.
5) They foster the trend to base analysis on the short term rather than a broader, more reliable context.
6) In an effort to reach the number 10 or 20 or 100, they include less important or lesser entries that dilute the value of the entire list.

Lists are great to figure out what to do or not to do. They aren’t so hot for celebrating the accomplishments (good or bad) of a year. But they are all we’ve got.

Last night on TBS, a new show aired showing us that being single is cool. But before you start breaking up a 24-year marriage, being single is only cool if you are on TV. “My Boys,” a new TBS comedy about a single girl trying to find love in Chicago, is being sponsored by Match.com and will feature the service in all 13 episodes.

The New York Times has called this an “example of an advertising technique that is being revived.” Branded entertainment, they say, is making a come back. I disagree about it being revived, but a failed series comes to mind called “Viper.” Yes I remember it; everyone drove a Dodge vehicle in it. Chrysler assumed that even crooks drove a Dodge Caravan. Using that as an example, one thing that I have learned is excess in advertising is a bad thing. The best example is Myspace, where a popular idea became a bad thing. Allowing advertisers to turn 30 second commercials into 30 minute ones can be okay if it’s done in moderation. If these new hybrid shows stray away from long, unnecessary close-ups of sponsored products or the brand, and the sitcom are a perfect fit, it won’t turn into another “Viper” series. As long as the branding is necessary you will have one happy consumer. Remember, always in moderation, and that goes with every kind of advertising.

Now the next question is, did Match.com pay for a second season?