Everyone Loves a Countdown...

It's Saturday afternoon and it's time to relax. You grab a beer, settle into that big, comfy sofa, and pick up the remote... As usual, despite the 300 channels at your fingertips, there is nothing worth watching on TV. A rerun of some cop drama on channel 231, a cooking show on 232, another cop drama on 233, oh look - professional bowling on 234. Wait a minute, what's this? Now this is what you've been searching for... it's a countdown of the ten best middle linebackers that ever played football. Cue up the DVR- this is a keeper!

The funny thing is - I'm not being sarcastic... this is what you will stop to watch! But why? It's simple - everyone loves a countdown. It doesn't really matter what the content is, it's the format that we love. I, for one, have watched everything from a the world's most venomous creatures to the 101 trashiest celebrities of all time, and have loved all the shows the same. I must not be alone in this - if I was, there wouldn't be 15 countdown shows on TV at any given time.

So what's the allure? Is it that we actually care which kind of spider could kill a family of four with one drop of venom? No, the actual facts seem to mean very little - particularly since a lot of countdowns are extremely subjective. Then what is it that makes us pause to watch a countdown? Of course, everyone has their own reasons, but I've narrowed it down to a list of five big factors - which, interestingly, is a countdown all on it's own!

1) We love to try to guess what will make the list, and in particular what will be number one. When we are right, it's a satisfying moment (sadly enough). You might even catch yourself smirking while uttering, "Ha - I knew it!" Or, if your top choice doesn't make the list, you simply find yourself questioning the intelligence of the show's producers - which brings me to the next reason on the top-five-reasons-why-we-love-countdowns countdown...

2) We think about what items would make the countdown if we were to compile the list ourselves. We all have opinions when it comes to countdowns! In our minds, some bonehead added something to the list that had no right being there, in lieu of what absolutely should have been number one! You are confident that if YOU were just making the list, it would be soooooo much better.

3) The material is endless... seriously - endless... there is no possible way to run out of countdowns, because as time passes, new countdowns can be created... the best of 2009, 2010, and so on.

4) Countdowns provide good conversation - you can just sit around and discuss your favorite movies, songs, etc. In fact, we often do this as a way to get to know someone new, "so what are your top five favorite songs?" "who are your favorite movie stars of all time?" The answers can sometimes tell us something about the person we're talking to. Do we have common opinions, or are we completely different?

5) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we love nostalgia. Countdowns often ask us to reflect back on the events, songs, movies, whatever, of our past, and remember what made us love or hate them. You often find yourself saying, "Oh, that's right! I forgot all about that!" or maybe, "Man, that's true - that was really great." Let's face it - countdowns often bring smiles to our faces simply because they make us "remember when."

So what's the point of this blog? I don't know - what's the point of any blog? Just my way of starting a site where I AM the one who gets to put together the countdown lists. AND I will be the one who gets to choose the subject of the countdown based on my daily personal experiences. Everyone also loves to be the boss - but that's a different subject entirely.