The 2018 CZ Year-End Pop Culture Survey

ANNOUNCING: THE 2018 CZ YEAR-END POP CULTURE SURVEY!


At this point, I'm sure you folks already know the rules. This is the seventh year in a row in which this poll is taking place, after all, and it's one of the few traditions this group has left. There's likely gonna be no more newcomers (although the one or two lurkers still around can gladly participate if they so wish!), so here is just more of a reminder of what you gotta do to participate.


For the year 2018, you can send best-of lists for the following pop culture categories:

-Albums
-Songs
-TV Shows/Miniseries
-TV Episodes
-Films
-*NEW* Podcasts


Each of these categories should be a separate list. So, don't worry about creating lists comparing albums to movies, or whatever other combination you can think of.

Everyone is allowed to create a list. When you complete your lists, please e-mail them to me. My e-mail address in mj1599@aol.com. You may also list them here in the comments, as long as you follow instructions stated below. The deadline for submitting your lists is FEBRUARY 15, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

The maximum number of items you can rank for each category is 20. The minimum you need to include in a category for your rankings to be counted is 5.

You have an average of 15 points to distribute for each show/episode/album/comic/song/film you rank. So if you rank 10 albums, you have 150 points to give out among those albums. Or, if you have 15 shows, then your spread is increased to 225 points. Also, the maximum number of points you can give to any one item is 30. The minimum is, of course, 1 (please do whole numbers; no half points).

Please do not distribute points strategically. For instance, let's say you're confident FIRST REFORMED is going to be near the top of the list and you're concerned ZAMA isn't going to make the cut. You like FIRST REFORMED more and you would rank it higher but you give ZAMA more points because you want it to make the cut. Again, please don't do that. Distribute your points purely on how much you like something.

Also, make sure they are ranked. And make sure that as you go down your list, each subsequent show (or episode or whatever) has less points (or it can have the same - just make sure they don't have more) than the one above it.

Within each category, the following criteria should be met:

-TV Shows/Miniseries: A show must have either released at least 7 episodes to American audiences during the 2018 calendar year, or released at least 50% of its season in 2018. So a series like A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL is allowed to be on the list despite having only aired three episodes in the past year.

Now, due to the increasing presence of content available online, we are allowing web series to be included in this category. However, the series must a) have episode lengths of at-least 11 minutes and b) air episodes on a well-known streaming platform (this includes YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Vimeo, HBO GO, MUBI, VRV, Facebook Watch, and well...probably anything else that you can think of).

-TV Episodes: Must have premiered for American audiences (whether on-the-air or on an Internet streaming platform) between January 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2018. One-off specials (such as Hannah Gatsby's NANETTE) are also eligible for this category.

-Albums: Must have been released between January 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2018. This category does not include any 2019 albums that were leaked in 2018, such as the leaked set of "Queen Carter" songs from Beyonce.

-Songs: Preferably, I would like for you to only add songs that were released on or after January 1, 2018. However, I will be flexible in this category by saying that you could add a 2017 song on your list as well, if that song was more well-known and prominent in the zeitgeist during 2018 than in 2017. For example: Sheck Wes' "Mo Bamba" came out in summer 2017, but didn't become a major hit until fall 2018 (going as high as #6 in the Billboard Hot 100) so it's eligible. That being said, we will NOT count a song if it already appeared in the top 20 of our 2017 poll. So something like Camilla Cabello's "Havana" is also eligible, as it was only #23 in the 2017 poll.

-Films: Must have premiered for commercial release in North America during the 2018 calendar year. So, if you watched a film through either the festival circuit or a private screening and that film will not be commercially released in North America until 2019 (like Olivier Assayas' NON-FICTION), then that film cannot be included. Short films, made-for-TV movies and films that premiered for North American audiences on a streaming service (like Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA) are also allowed in this category.

For a decent guide as to which films are eligible, here is a list of all 2018 commercial releases in New York City by Mike D'Angelo:

www.panix.com/~dangelo/nymaster18.html

-NEW CATEGORY: Podcasts: As recommended by jmunney and backed by popular demand, we're gonna take the time this year to also honor the growing mediums of podcasts and all the quality stuff that's come out of that realm. If participation in this category this year is solid, we will likely continue doing it. If not, then we'll likely dump this poll like we did with our Video Games and Comics polls. So what stuff is allowed to be counted? Well, for starters, a podcast must have released at least six episodes between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018. The podcast must have also been intended for radio or Internet streaming audiences only. Podcasts that are just audio clips of stuff from others mediums like television shows (such as the Pardon the Interruption podcast or The Rachel Maddow Show) are not eligible.

If you want an example of how these lists turn out (minus the podcast category), then here's a link to the 2017 installments from February:

avclubcommunists.freeforums.net/thread/425/2017-year-end-culture-survey


As I do every year, I will be posting consistent reminders about this poll leading up to the deadline and encouraging as many people to participate as possible. So don't be shy: join in on the fun and submit your lists within the next eight weeks!