41. Best Place To Buy Jeans
1) Sargent Blue Jeans
1136 Sargent Ave., 772-8145
Having been around longer than we can remember, this West End shop has become an institution in its own right. With stacks and stacks of (reasonably priced) jeans in every fashion, style and shade, Sargent Blue Jeans is sure to have at least one (if not five or 10) styles that appeal to you. You find a pair that makes your ass look great, but they're too long? The friendly staff of Sargent Blue Jeans will hem them for you. For free. Think about it - that's like the staff at Safeway coming home with you to cook the food you bought from them. For free. Awesome.

2) Warehouse One
Various Winnipeg locations
3) October
356-1120 Grant Ave., 452-0737; 101-264 McDermot Ave., 947-5114

43. Best Outdoor Gear Store
1) Mountain Equipment Co-op
303 Portage Ave., 943-4202
Ever since MEC converted three downtown buildings into one of the most eco-friendly structures in the country back in 2002, it has been providing some of the highest quality camping and outdoor gear around. Whether you're looking for a kayak or just a pair of Gore-Tex socks, MEC's friendly and helpful staff will hook you up. An annual co-op membership is just a paltry $5, and it allows you to make purchases and vote on how the store is run.

2) Cabela's
1300 Ellice Ave., 786-8966
3) Sport Chek
Several Winnipeg locations

44. Best Optical Store
1) Hakim Optical
Various Winnipeg locations
With 10 locations, and that "Your eyes can have it alllll..." jingle, Hakim Optical is easily one of the most visible (har, har) opticians in the city. But, absurdly catchy jingles aside, Hakim Optical features the largest selection of frames in Canada, so if you can't find at least one style you like, you may be the problem, not Hakim.

2) Osborne Spectacle Centre
134 Osborne St., 477-1636
3) Shoppers Optical
Several Winnipeg locations

45. Best Skateboard/Snowboard Shop
1) Kings Skate, Snow & Surf
750 Pembina Hwy., 453-7434; 1769 Portage Ave., 897-5464
For anything and everything board-related, Kings is the place to stop in for the most totally tubular skate snow and surf gear. Now with two locations, Kings offers all the skate, snow and surf (yes, even in the middle of the Prairies, surf gear sells) accessories you could ever ask for. From the most basic decks to elaborate snowboarding rigs, Kings will hook you up.

2) SK8 Inc.
225-1 Forks Market Rd., 452-4802
3) Royal Sports
Several Winnipeg locations

46. Best Bicycle Shop
1) Olympia Cycle and Ski
326 St. Mary's Rd., 237-8909
In retrospect, you shouldn't have left your bike chained to the fence outside your apartment over the winter. If you're looking to replace your old two-wheeler, or just need a few new replacement parts to get the old girl up and running again, Olympia Cycle and Ski is where you need to go. Everything from bike parts to bike trailers to enough spandex bikewear to make you so aerodynamic you'll approach the speed of sound adorns the walls of this shop.

2) Gord's Ski and Bike
Various Winnipeg locations
3) Gooch's Bicycle and Hobby Shops
185 Sherbrook St., 956-6570

47. Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlour
1) Soul Survivors Body Art
118B Osborne St., 284-1173
Back from the great water main break of 2008, which likely cost this place its status as perennial title winner in last year's BOW, Soul Survivors everything a budding body modifier could want. From the simplest earring to the name of your significant other tattooed directly across your chest, Soul Survivors will have you covered in some of the best body art money can buy. And hey, if things ever go south with that significant other, then the talented tattoo artists at Soul Survivors can probably cover that guy/girl/goat's name with something else.

2) Kapala Tattoo
71 St. Anne's Rd., 255-8897
3) Blaze Ink
109 Regent Ave., 222-6668

48. Best Fetish/Sex Toy Shop
1) Discreet Boutique
340 Donald St., 947-1307
Whips ahoy! When you're looking to scrape the barnacles off your dinghy with that special someone (or someone you just met at The Ball), Discreet Boutique will have all the accessories to make your experience a special one. Whether you're looking for a tube of lube or just the right studded codpiece, the Boutique's friendly and helpful staff will help you find just what you need. So get ready to batten down the hatches, me hearties!

2) Love Nest Boutique
Various Winnipeg locations
3) Lady Godiva Boutique
1475 Pembina Hwy., 452-1100

49. Best Independent Video Store
1) Movie Village
57 Osborne St., 477-5566
Get this: Movie Village has, like, five copies of Drainiac. Five. Try finding that at Rogers Video. Whether you're looking for Spartacus or a copy of Clint Howard's 1995 tour-de-force Ice Cream Man, Movie Village is sure to have a copy. Or five.

2) Planet Of Sound
201-1109 Henderson Hwy., 667-6863
3) Blockbuster
Various Winnipeg Locations

50. Best Independent CD Store
1) Into The Music
B-245 McDermot Ave., 287-8279
Whether you're looking to find a copy of the soundtrack to Mariah Carey's 2001 'film' Glitter, or Stack Waddy's 1970 single Roadrunner, Into The Music is your best bet. From gently used classics to the ultra-obscure, Into The Music's knowledgeable staff will be able to help you hunt down any and everything you're looking for.

2) Music Trader
97 Osborne St., 475-0077
3) Planet Of Sound
201-1109 Henderson Hwy., 667-6863

51. Best Used Bookstore
1) Red River Books
92 Arthur St., 943-9788
We can assure you that the trepidation you feel when walking in to Red River Books is completely unwarranted. While the giant pyramids of books which litter the store look unstable, there is almost no chance that one will collapse on you. Almost no chance. The fact it looks like a bookmobile exploded inside the store only serves to highlight the varied and wide selection Red River Books offers. From Tom Clancy to Derrida, this little book shop is sure to have something for everyone.

2) Aqua Books
274 Garry St., 943-7555
3) Burton Lysecki Books
527 Osborne St., 284-4546

52. Best Local Bookstore
1) McNally Robinson Booksellers
120 Grant Ave., 475-0483; 1485 Portage Ave., 943-8376
Over the last 30 years or so, McNally Robinson has grown from a small Winnipeg bookstore into an international book-selling powerhouse. With stores from Toronto to New York City, Winnipeggers can take pride in knowing that it all started here - and that the folks at McNally haven't forgotten about us, either. The Polo Park location is one of the most impressive bookstores we've ever seen. It's easy to accidentally spend an hour (or six) browsing through the shelves before realizing you forgot to pick up your aunt at the airport (true story).

2) Chapters
Several Winnipeg Locations
3) Aqua Books
274 Garry St., 943-7555

53. Best Music Equipment Store
1) Long & McQuade
Stafford and Pembina, 284-8992
You've talked to all your 'bandmates' and you've decided to write and record a rock opera based on The Communist Manifesto under the sweet name of Freddy Engels and The Party. Now just one last thing: instruments. It's at this point in the 'creative process' that you should be heading down to Long & McQuade to get outfitted with everything you need, from drumsticks to the best new audio equipment money can buy. Or rent, depending on how long you see the band lasting.

2) Mother's Music
661 Wall St., 783-6045
3) Quest Musique
Several Winnipeg locations

54. Best Natural Food Store
1) Vita Health
Several Winnipeg Locations
If you're interested in eating a meal that doesn't come with a generous serving of pesticides and growth hormones, check out Vita Health's Fresh Markets. Vita Health, which is more well-known for its vitamins and natural health supplements, also offers a wide range of organic and chemical-free options for healthy dining at their Fresh Market locations around the city.

2) Organza
230 Osborne St., at Confusion Corner, 453-6266
3) Organic Planet
877 Westminster Ave., 772-8771

55. Best Antiques/Old Stuff
1) Antiques & Funk
474 Main St., 943-4782
Located in the Exchange District, Antiques & Funk boasts over 2,000 square feet packed with all kinds of cool stuff, including antiques, collectibles, home décor and furniture. With so much to look at, it's the kind of place you could spend the day in - not to mention a fortune. Trust us, you'll want to trick out your apartment with all kinds of funky finds.

2) Ragpickers Antifashion Emporium
216 McDermot Ave., 942-7992
3) Hoopers Bazaar
70 Albert St., 943-5240

56. Best Tailor
1) Garnet Tailoring
42 Albert St., 947-9306
Garnet François has been altering Winnipeggers' clothes in his Exchange District shop since 1987. Need a pair of pants hemmed? A sleeve shortened? A shirt taken in? A fly fixed? Garnet can handle most projects you throw his way - unless it's making those leather pants from your headbanger days fit again (he's a tailor, not a magician). Garnet Tailoring is a one-man operation, but you can expect pieces back within a week - and you can expect them to be done right.

2) Tam Custom Tailor Shop
802 Ellice Ave., 775-1160
3) Ralph's Custom Tailors Inc.
1108 Corydon Ave., 453-8533

57. Best Hat & Bag Store
1) The Haberdashery
84 Albert St., 256-3758
The Haberdashery may have new Albert- Street digs, but the former Corydon Avenue haunt is still your connection for cool accessories. Hats are what the boutique is best known for, but it's also home to an ever-changing assortment of trendy pieces for guys and girls, including bags, scarves, ties, belts and shoes. Thanks to The Haberdashery, even the jeans-and-T-shirt faithful can be fashion-forward.

2) October
356-1120 Grant Ave., 452-0737; 101-264 McDermot Ave., 947-5114
3) Lids
St. Vital Shopping Centre, 257-7621

58. Best Place to Buy a Fancy Dress
1) Frockstar
304-99 Osborne St., 477-6489
The sister store of Osborne Village mainstay Out of the Blue, Frockstar is the place to go if you're looking for a dress. Whether your tastes skew sexy and sophisticated or demure and girlie, this beautiful boutique has got you covered (or not, depending on the look you're going for). And with a wide selection of jewelry, bags and shoes, Frockstar has everything you need to create the perfect outfit.

2) Para Mix
108-100 Osborne St., 453-8626
3) Cake Clothing
264 McDermot Ave., 415-0712

59. Best Neighbourhood to Live In
1) Osborne Village
Bars, restaurants, hip clothing stores, a head shop, tattoo parlours, salons and one of the best music stores in the city - all located within the same block. It's no wonder Uptown readers rate Osborne Village as the best neighbourhood to live in year after year. But it's not just the places that make the Village great - it's the people. A haven for creative types, hipsters, punks, hippies, students and fashionistas, Osborne Village is one of the coolest 'hoods in the city.

2) Wolseley
3) TIE: River Heights & Transcona

60. Best Free Event
1) Canada Day
Everybody knows Winnipeggers like a deal - and there ain't no better deal than free, which is why it should come as no surprise that Canada Day top took honours in this category. Whether you choose to celebrate our nation's birthday at The Forks - a full day of family-friendly activities capped off by a spectacular fireworks display - or at Osborne Street Fest (this year's third-place winner), where one of the city's busiest streets becomes a wild-and crazy-mess of musicians, artisans and revellers dressed in their red-and-white finest, you're pretty much guaranteed a good time, no money required.

2) Fringe
3) Osborne Street Fest

61. Best Cultural Event
1) Folklorama
For two weeks every August, Winnipeg's ethnic diversity is showcased in what has become the largest, longest-running multicultural festival of its kind in the world. Made possible by the hard work of a legion of volunteers, Folklorama is part educational opportunity, part Manitoba social (see: rows of long tables at which groups of strangers become friends, usually over a few beers) - a chance to sample authentic cuisine from around the globe while being entertained by everything from limbo to yodelling to hoop dancing, all without leaving town. Meet your neighbours, meet the world.

2) Folk Fest
3) Fringe

62. Best Sports Complex
1) MTS Centre
300 Portage Ave., 987-7825
The Phone Booth currently ranks 19th on PollStar Magazine's list of the Top 100 Entertainment Venues in the world in terms of tickets sold (in Canada, it's sitting at third), which just goes to show that if you build a top-notch sports and entertainment facility - that is, a place with excellent sight lines, excellent acoustics and no trough in sight - you will be rewarded with the loyal patronage of hundreds of thousands of hockey fans and music lovers. In fact, more than 4 million people have passed through the MTS Centre's door since it opened in 2004. Go Moose go!

2) Canwest Global Park
3) Roland Michener Arena

63. Best Place to People-Watch
1) The Forks
For centuries, The Forks has been known as a meeting place - nowadays, it's also known as a pretty cool spot to sit back and watch other people meet. There's always a variety to behold: You've got your cute kids, your sexy women, your hot guys, your boaters, your buskers, your cyclists, your skateboarders, your hippies, and your yuppies. You've also got tourists with cameras, street punks with dogs, couples in love - and in the winter, you've got that one guy with the beard who does pirouettes on the ice rink for hours on end. Fascinating stuff.

2) Osborne Village
3) Corydon Avenue

64. Best Toboggan Hill
1) Garbage Hill
It's an enormous mound of garbage covered with a thin veneer of grass! It's a park! It's Garbage Hill - the beloved and aptly named Winnipeg landmark! Located just northeast of Polo Park, this former landfill has been maiming children and adults alike for years. (Go ahead - try and find a Winnipegger who doesn't have at least one story about careening down the hill at breakneck speed, dodging trees, fellow tobogganers and the occasional piece of trash poking through the snow.) Offering both an officially sanctioned "safe side" and a far more dangerous side (the dark side?) for the foolish and reckless, Garbage Hill is the place for winter enthusiasts looking to get their sled on. Might we suggest a helmet?

2) Kimberly Hill
3) Spring Hill

65. Best Place to Walk the Dog
1) Assiniboine Park
A jaunt through Assiniboine Park - one of North America's largest urban greenspaces - will undoubtedly be a pleasing experience for both you and your canine BFF. All dogs on leashes are welcomed here, and your furry friend can run through sunny fields, explore the riverbank, chase ducks and sniff other dogs' butts (does life get any better?). All you have to do is keep up - and remember to smile and say thank you when you're complimented on how cute, well-behaved or otherwise awesome he or she is.

2) Forks
3) St. Vital Park

66. Coolest Washroom
1) Moxie's Classic Grill
Several Winnipeg locations
For some, a washroom is merely a place to pee. What these folks don't realize is that a beautifully designed loo is actually a reflection of the business that houses it. Moxie's understands that some people crave more than just a functional space in which to answer nature's call: Its washrooms are impeccably clean, über-modern and esthetically pleasing. Hey - if you've got to pee, you might as well do it in style.

2) Earls
Several Winnipeg locations
3) Tony Roma's
Several Winnipeg locations

67. Best Graffiti
1) Graffiti Gallery
109 Higgins Ave., 667-9960
For the third year in a row, Graffiti Art Programming Inc. has claimed victory in this category - and why shouldn't it? The artists nurtured within the walls of this not-for-profit inner-city community art school and gallery have consistently proven that, done right, graffiti is not a blight on society but a legitimate urban art form that deserves to be recognized as such. Consider props given.

2) Downtown
3) Osborne Village/Gas Station Theatre

68. Best Place to Go on a Date
1) The Forks
With so much to see and do, a memorable date at The Forks is practically a sure thing, if you know what we mean... Weather permitting, you can start with a drink on the patio, then take a walk along the river or check out what's happening at the skateboard park. Freezing cold outside? No problem - you can still have a great time wandering through the shops or eating at any one of the great restaurants. Then, once you've gotten to know each other, you can spend the rest of the date licking mini-donut powder off each other's fingers...

2) Assiniboine Park
3) Red Lobster

69. Best Festival
1) Winnipeg Folk Festival
Why do so many people love the Winnipeg Folk Festival? Easy - in addition to an eclectic and always amazing musical lineup (which includes over 200 artists performing day and night on seven different stages), this annual outdoor event at Birds Hill Park also offers unique crafts, delicious food, great people-watching opportunities and, unforgettable campground experiences - if you've ever stood naked on Pope's Hill at 3 a.m. you know what we're talking about. And, of course, there are those spectacular Prairie sunsets. Enough said.

2) Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival
3) Festival du Voyageur

70. Best Place to Forget You're in Winnipeg
1) The Forks
It's more than a tad ironic that such a quintessential Winnipeg location has won this category on more than one occasion, but we know where people are coming from. The Forks is a place that always feels slightly exotic - in part because of all the culturally diverse food and merchandise on sale, but also because at any given time you're likely to stumble upon a reggae music festival, a Taiko drumming performance or a highland dance competition. It's hard to complain about mosquitoes and/or the weather when you're having this much fun.

2) Assiniboine Park
3) Grand Beach

71. Best Wi-Fi Hotspot
1) Starbucks
Several Winnipeg locations
Starbucks claims to offer the world's best coffee, and now it can also boast Winnipeg's Best Wi-Fi service. Coffee and computers, lattés and laptops, java and Java, however you wish to say it, Starbucks makes it easy. Purchase a Starbucks Card and get two hours of Bell Internet Wi-Fi access every day. Think of all the caffeine-fuelled hardcore web surfing you can do in two hours. Well, maybe not too hardcore - remember, you're not the only one in the store.

2) Cyber Café
118 Osborne St., 452-4716
3) Café de Sol
2037 Portage Ave., 897-7622

72. Best Bike Trail
1) Assiniboine Park
It's not easy being a cyclist in Winnipeg. First off, nobody likes biking in a blizzard and in this city we get more than our fair share. Mainly, though, there just aren't enough bicycle lanes or good trails in the 'Peg. Luckily, there's Assiniboine Park. With several kilometers of trails that provide a fast, fun and reasonably challenging ride, Ass Park is the best place to pedal. Oh, and when we say reasonably challenging, that just means a few bumps along the road. Not as many as St. James Street, mind you.

2) The Forks
3) Bird's Hill Provincial Park

73. Best Building
1) Manitoba Legislative Building
They sure don't make them like this anymore. Designed by Frank Worthington Simon in 1911 and officially opened post-war in 1920, the Manitoba Legislative Building's imposing columns, glorious grand staircase and striking Tyndall stone exterior make it the most impressive architectural achievement in the province, and an irreplaceable one at that. Nowadays, the cost (and lack of) skilled masonry would make a project of this magnitude impossible. Almost more remarkable than the building is the significant planning put into it. Whether it's the numerological measurements, symbolic statues or the acoustics in the Pool of the Black Star, the presence of mind the Legislature's architects had is astonishing.

2) Manitoba Hydro Tower
3) Millennium Library

74. Favourite Local Musician
1) Rusty Matyas
Rusty Matyas is the vocalist/guitarist/trumpeter in The Waking Eyes Since 2001, The Eyes - which also includes Joey Penner, Matt Peters and Steve Senkiw - have rocked Winnipeg (and the rest of Canada, too) with their poparockarolla. When not playing with TWE, Matyas keeps busy with his side project Terrier, in addition to his sound tech duties at The Cavern. Earlier this year, Matyas also handled keys, trumpet and guitar for fellow Peg City rockers The Weakerthans. One great musician from one great city!

2) Joe Warkentin
3) Neil Young

75. Favourite Local Actor
1) Adam Beach
Since his much heralded supporting role in the Clint Eastwood directed Flags of our Fathers, Adam Beach has become a fairly hot commodity in the film and TV business. Most recently, the Salteaux First Nation actor starred alongside Ice-T in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and in the mini-series Comanche Moon, a prequel to the popular Lonesome Dove series. Not too shabby for a guy from Dog Creek Indian Reserve, who at eight years old lost both his parents in separate accidents. Hey, perseverance pays off, just look at Beach's acting resumé: JAG, Third Watch, Windtalkers, Joe Dirt, Mystery Alaska, North of 60 and perhaps best of all, Beach as Frank Fencepost in the Canadian classic Dance Me Outside.

2) Brent Hirose
3) Steve McIntyre

76. Favourite Local Actress
1) Anna Paquin
Is Anna Paquin a Winnipegger? Well, that's debatable. Yes, the actress was born in Winnipeg but moved to New Zealand at the age of four. She's also said she considers herself more Kiwi than Canuck. But, here you are voting her No. 1 anyways. Well, they say the early years are critical to one's development, so Winnipeg, maybe you're right. And why wouldn't we want to call her our own? In 1994, Paquin won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her work in The Piano - and she was only 11 years old. Now, at only 26, the young actress already boasts an impressive resumé that includes Almost Famous, The Squid and the Whale and the popular X-Men movies.

2) Chelsea Rankin
3) Shannon Jacques

77. Favourite Local Visual Artist
1) Po Mo Project
Po Mo Project is the brainchild of Meghan Athavale, a projection show she manages in collaboration with various bands and musicians. It's visual art to accompany music, either by a live band or a club DJ. A musician herself, Athavale also goes by Meggity Rabbit, the vocalist/pianist/guitarist in local group Pound the Valley. Using a multidisciplinary method, a Po Mo Project performance uses manipulation of live video feeds, flash animation and beat detection software. Seeing she's No. 1, obviously many of you are already in this video loop, but the unacquainted can check it all out at pomoproject.com.

2) Kerri Lynn Reeves
3) Marcus Bauer

78. Hottest Man
1) Mykola Hedrich
We have no idea who Mykola Hedrich is. OK, that's not true. In the age of Google, it's almost impossible to come up with no traces of a person on the Interweb. That said, we're not cyberstalkers, either, so now that our attempts to contact Mr. Hedrich have been politely ignored we have only one thing to say to Mykola: Surprise!

2) Jeremy Blais
3) Harley Watt/Adam Jennings

79. Hottest Woman
1) Leanna Issak
Like Mykola, Leanna Issak exists. We also know she lives in Winnipeg. But that's all we know. We can only surmise that, since this category became a target of groups of prankster friends a few years back, Leanna has been 'gotten' by her pals.

2) Cara Pryce
3) Katie Scuse/Courtney McLean

80. Favourite Local Club/Party DJ
1) Marissa Boss
Who's the Boss? Well, it took some real digging to rope this one in, but we found out that Marissa Boss is the resident DJ at Cowboy's Roadhouse. The 21 year old spins Strait-up country at the club, supplying twang and Twain to urban cowboys. When not providing the soundtrack to a wild wild west party, Boss loves to play baseball, knit and dance. In fact, she's been Ukrainian dancing for 14 years now and also teaches the traditional folk dance. In addition to her DJ duties, Boss works at a drug store but hopes someday to have a career in the music industry, either as a promoter or talent manager. In the meantime, this cowgirl will have to be content with being Winnipeg's favourite club DJ.

2) DJ Hunnicutt
3) DJ Co-op

81. Favourite Local Photographer
1) Jesse Robinson
Jesse won this category last year, but it took him a while to come out of the woodwork. It wasn't until July that he called us and let us know who he is. We're glad he did, because this food services worker and amateur photography enthusiast ended up being profiled by Uptown and provided us some samples of his work. Congrats once again, Mr. Robinson.

2) Chris Connelly
3) Cory Walby

82. Favourite Radio Personality
1) Ace Burpee
Mornings suck. I know a few of you go-getters won't agree with me, but I'm speaking to normal people right now. Luckily, we've got Ace Burpee. Every weekday morning on Hot 103, the Ace Burpee Show with Chrissy Troy cheers Winnipeggers up, making another day of working for the man seem not so bad. With his unpolished delivery and everyman kind of humour, Burpee has the unique ability to make the businessman driving the BMW laugh just as hard as the guy driving the rusty pick-up truck. A big booster of this city, Burpee likes to get the listener on board, encouraging call-ins. And we mean funny story call-ins, not the maddeningly stupid swill that Charlie Adler conjures up with such ease.
2) Hal Anderson
3) Wheeler

83. Favourite Radio Station
1) Power 97
Power 97 rules the airwaves. Seriously, everything sounds big on Power 97, from the host's deep voices to the hard rock they spin. Even the name Power 97 just exudes rock 'n' roll radio supremacy. The station even boasts the biggest DJ in the business, Mr. Hal Anderson. Every day, the 34th Greatest Canadian, along with his co-host Wheeler, keeps Winnipeg in stitches with his early morning monkey business. Another real treat Power delivers is some seriously superior syndicated shows. On Sunday nights there's The Strombo Show, hosted by The Hour's George Strombopulous, followed by The Ongoing History of New Music with the incredibly informative Alan Cross. To cap it all off, Miami Steve Van Zandt of the E-Street Band hosts Little Steven's Underground Garage, the best damn rock 'n' roll show around.

2) Hot 103
3) Curve FM

84. Favourite Local Journalist
1) Leah Hextall
Leah Hextall joined CTV News in 2005 and has since made quite the name for herself as a superior sports reporter and anchor. Quick-witted, a Hextall sportscast is always entertaining, as she's got sports lingo and humour down to science. Check out her not-quite-as-sports-savvy news anchor, who looks bewildered every time Hextall passes it back. Sure, some might not get it, but for beer-and-chips-fuelled sports addicts, Hextall has got it goin' on.

2) Gord Leclerc
3) Doug Speirs

85. Favourite TV Station
1) CTV
CTV Winnipeg has been on the air for almost 50 years, 35 of those with Sylvia Kuzyk. With the spotlight already on Sylvia, let's start with CTV News. Locally, Gord Leclerc and Maralee Caruso get 'er done, and, on the national level, Lloyd Robertson tells us what kind of day it's been. From Maralee to David Caruso, CSI Miami means CTV rules Monday nights. Then there's police drama Flashpoint, in which former Headstones frontman Hugh Dillon stars in the first Canadian TV series since Due South to air in primetime on a U.S. network (CBS). But restless Winnipeggers know CTV's real shining moment begins at midnight, when The Daily Show and The Colbert Report make people glad they can't sleep.

2) Global
3) CBC

86. Favourite TV Sportscast
1) TSN
OK, this is a Best of Winnipeg compilation, not a Best of Canada. Oh, well. We'll make do. First off, the station does a damn good job of covering the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In fact, TSN will broadcast every game the Blue and Gold play this year. Also, much of the talent on TSN was born, has lived in or has worked in Winnipeg. Rod Black, Cory Woron, Darren Dreger, Darren Dutchyshen, Matt Dunigan, John Lu - 'Peggers will probably recognize a few of those names. Still, even though we at Uptown strongly support democracy, next time we might have to bring in some authoritarian rule on a few of these categories.

2) Rogers
3) CTV

87. Favourite Local Athlete
1) Layne Smikles
Cindy Klassen, Olympic queen. Jonathan Toews, youngest man to be named captain of the Chicago Black Hawks, Stanley Cup semi-finalist this year. Whoever Layne Smikles is, for she is another who resisted our efforts to find her, she has one hell of an athletic future coming up, and we wish her all the best.

2) Cindy Klassen
3) Jonathan Toews

88. Favourite Citizen
1) Chris Kinsley
See category 90. Two guys named Kinsley winning two of the citizenship categories in the 2009 Best of Winnipeg. Do you, like us, suspect that some people might be up to something? Whatever that is, we're not sure. But we do know that Dancing Gabe is a fine, upstanding young fellow and we're glad he finished second here.

2) Dancing Gabe
3) Chris Connelly

89. Most Outrageous Winnipegger
1) Melissa Pilzer
Melissa Pilzer is yet another of those you've been pranked, write-in category winners. Different, too, in that there are practically no references to her on the 'net. The only thing we can possibly do to spook this girl out of her hiding place is to dare to come on down to Uptown and show us just how outrageous she is. Up for it, Melissa?

2) Dancing Gabe
3) Kelly Hughes

90. Favourite Politician
1) Dave Kinsley
According to results of the 2006 civic election, a fellow named Dave Kinsley ran in Ward 1 of the Pembina Trails School Division trustee race. He was not one of the three successful candidates. Which tells us two things. One, that Dave probably has more friends than people who voted for him in '06, and two, that Mayor Sam and Premier Gary may have something to worry about.

2) Sam Katz
3) Gary Doer