Check out the winners of this year's best / worst polls for 2008.

• 

  jupiterimages / AOL

  Best and Worst of 2008

  AOL readers voted and after over 2 million votes we reveal the best and worst winners of 2008 in 16 different categories.
  
  Click forward to see this year's company of the year, celebrity who will cash in, dumbest business move, the biggest fall from grace, the hottest entertainment phenomenon, and more.

• Wal-Mart

  ROBYN BECK, AFP/Getty Images

  Company of the Year

  WINNER: Wal-Mart (56%)
  
  WMT stock was up 14% through Dec. 3, making it one of the few blue chip companies to have returns in the black. Obviously, low prices are in vogue this year.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  McDonald's (21%)
  Wells Fargo (11%)
  Family Dollar (10%)
  Amgen (2%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Company of the Year

• Thrift store

  Carolyn Kaster, AP

  Breakout Product

  WINNER: Thrift Store Shopping (48%)
  
  Shoppers of all income levels, having become comfortable with buying used goods on eBay, have now embraced hunting for bargains in real life.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  As-Seen-on-TV Products (23%)
  Amazon Kindle (18%)
  Twitter (11%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Breakout Product

• GM and Ford

  AP

  Struggling Company We're Rooting for Most

  WINNER: American Automakers (44%)
  
  As many a pundit has pointed out, nearly every town in America has one or more car dealers and auto mechanics. Many of those towns also have factories related in some way to the auto industry.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Sears (28%)
  Circuit City (12%)
  Citigroup (9%)
  Sirius XM (7%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Struggling Company

  Hot Brands Predictions

• Sarah Palin

  David Rogowski, AOL

  Broke Out in 2008 and
  Will Cash in the Most

  WINNER (TIE): Sarah Palin and Michael Phelps (32% each)
  
  Since her failed vice presidential bid Palin has become one hot celebrity. She signed a multi-million dollar book deal. Phelps is taking his record 8 gold medals and cashing in on his own with endorsement deals and speaking engagements for starters.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Tina Fey (18%)
  Stephenie Meyer ('Twilight' author) (12%)
  Neel Kashkari (Leading $700B bailout) (6%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Breakouts of 2008

• Business Party

  Dumbest Business Move

  WINNER: AIG Throwing Parties While Accepting Bailout Cash (50%)
  
  After the bailouts, AIG held a fun-in-the-sun getaway to a resort in California, only days after the $85 billion bailout went through. Recently, it was disclosed that another junket was held in Arizona.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Wall Street firms for giving big bonuses during crisis (31%)
  Yahoo rejecting Microsoft's acquisition offer (13%)
  Dick Fuld failing to sell Lehman Brothers before it collapsed (6%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Dumbest Business Move

  Hot Brands Predictions

• IRA

  Most Disturbing Consumer Trend

  WINNER: Plunging Retirement Accounts (38%)
  
  Many people lost 30 percent or more in their retirement accounts in 2008. With many AAA rated investments gone bust, such as Lehman bonds, few escaped the carnage wrought by the 2008 financial collapse of Wall Street.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  People's homes becoming worth less than what's owed (36%)
  Soaring food prices (14%)
  Those with good credit struggling to get loans at favorable rates (12%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Most Disturbing Consumer Trend

• Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

  AP

  Most Shocking Financial Collapse

  WINNER: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (48%)
  
  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could not be allowed to fall. They own or guarantee about half of the $12 trillion U.S. mortgage market.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Merrill Lynch (24%)
  Lehman Brothers (13%)
  Country of Iceland (9%)
  Bear Stearns (6%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Most Shocking Financial Collapse

  Hot Brands Predictions

• Barack Obama

  David Guttenfelder, AP

  Hottest in Entertainment

  WINNER: Presidential Election TV Coverage/Parodies (39%)
  
  You truly could not hide from the media blast surrounding the campaign battles between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. From the fetching Obama Girl to the comedic Jon Stewart, you knew there was an election going on.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Beijing Olympics (25%)
  'The Dark Knight' (Batman) (21%)
  Video Games like World Warcraft, Guitar Hero & others (8%)
  Jonas Bros. and other Disney teen stars (7%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Hottest in Entertainment

  Hot Brands Predictions

• Sam Wurzelbach

  J.D. Pooley, Getty Images

  Most Notable 15 Minutes of Fame

  WINNER: Joe the Plumber (57%)
  
  "Joe the Plumber" (a.k.a. Sam Wurzelbach) was a "representative of the middle class" frequently referenced by Senator McCain late in the 2008 presidential campaign.
  
  Nominee Results:
  Reverend Jeremiah Wright (19%)
  Ashley Alexandra Dupre (Spitzer scandal) (14%)
  Katy Perry ('I Kissed a Girl') (7%)
  Vince Offer (Shamwow pitchman) (3%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Most Notable 15 Minutes of Fame

  Hot Brands Predictions

• Linens N Things

  ZUMA Press

  Retailer You'll Miss the Most

  WINNER: Linens 'n Things (44%)
  
  Linens 'n Things filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2008, but in October said it would liquidate all remaining stores.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Sharper Image (22%)
  Steve & Barry's (18%)
  Mervyn's (16%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Retailer You'll Miss the Most

  Hot Brands Predictions

• Wall Street

  Timothy A. Clary, AFP / Getty Images

  Most in Need of a Makeover

  WINNER: Wall Street (44%)
  
  For 2008, Wall Street's narrative read more like an account of a running gun battle than an overview on capital investment. In reality, it's probably not Wall Street that needs the makeover. It is the minds of several thousand business-sense-challenged, capitalists that really need a good working over.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Kmart (42%)
  Playboy (10%)
  Starbucks (4%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Most in Need of a Makeover

• Gas prices

  AP

  Best Silver Lining to the Recession

  WINNER: Falling Gas Prices (61%)
  
  As demand dropped, gas prices plummeted. And plummeted.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Lower Interest Rates (15%)
  Bigger Sales for Everything -- From Clothing to Cars (14%)
  Cheaper Homes (10%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for the Best Silver Lining to the Recession
  
  

• Warren Buffett

  David Silverman, Getty Images

  Best CEO for Troubled Times

  WINNER: Warren Buffett (46%)
  
  In these troubled times, there is only one CEO who operates with the best interests of investors in mind. Of course, that executive is Warren Buffett.
  
  Nominee Results:
  Lee Scott (Wal-Mart) (30%)
  Jeff Bezos (Amazon) (12%)
  Kenneth Lewis (Bank of America) (12%)
  
  Get More Info on the Best CEOs for Troubled Times
  
  

• GE

  David McNew, Getty Images

  Most Unexpected Brand Castoff

  WINNER: GE Selling 100-Year-Old Appliance Division (46%)
  
  Appliances have long been a core business for GE, which traces its lineage back to inventor Thomas Edison and was one of the first companies on the Dow.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Exxon selling its gas stations (26%)
  Wrigley being sold to M&M Mars (18%)
  FedEx dropping Kinko's name (10%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Most Unexpected Brand Castoff
  
  

• Eliot Spitzer

  AP

  Biggest Fall from Grace

  WINNER: Eliot Spitzer (56%)
  
  Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer destroyed his once promising political career by spending time with at least one woman other than his wife.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Richard Fuld, Lehman Brothers (23%)
  Jerry Yang, Yahoo (9%)
  Jimmy Cayne, Bear Stearns (9%)
  Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands (3%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for the Biggest Fall from Grace
  
  

• Frustrated stock broker

  Money Story of the Year

  WINNER: Collapse of Wall Street (49%)
  
  Everyone took a hit from the crisis on Wall Street. It jeopardized jobs, slowed consumer spending, and tightened belts the world over.
  
  Other Nominee Results:
  Falling home values and subprime mess (28%)
  Struggling Americans (13%)
  Rise and fall of gas prices (10%)
  
  Get More Info on the Nominees for Money Story of the Year
  
  

• 

   

  More on AOL:
  Best of the Best in 2008
  
  The past year had its share of lows, but there were also plenty of high points, too. From hot products like Acai berries to new state quarters, we can't keep our eyes off this year's highlights. Some of which include the best high school which is in Virginia, best college(Massachusetts), best bathroom(Tennessee), best places to live(Minnesota) and more.
  
  Click forward to see the best of the best of 2008.
  
  Start Next Gallery:
  Best of the Best in 2008