The inaugural Pitchcoach Awards for 2008, post before this, were received, given their highly subjective nature,  with surprising  levels of agreement.  Which was nice.  There were, however, several interesting and imaginative alternative nominations  from readers. Here are some of them.

A entirely new category was suggested, BEST PERFORMANCE BY A CRIMINAL.  Here O.J.Simpson put up a persuasive tearful defence but not as effective as the first time around. The winner, who hoodwinked police and media for weeks with an awsome, appalling performance as grieving mother, was Sharon Matthews.

A nomination for POLITICAL PERFORMER  was the articulate French Minister of Finance, Christine Legarde.  Like my winner, Boris Johnson, she has a way with words.  For example, ” France is a country that thinks too much and such obsessive thinking prevents reforms being implemented.” Vraiment!

Two names were suggested for best PERFORMANCE IN SPORT.  Both are Scots, both performing so brilliantly at their sport they don’t need to persuade us of anything.  Chris Hoy is more comfortable with bike than mike.  Andy Murray’s  sublime tennis is now simply too good for words. Or for Federer.

Ant and Dec were put forward under ENTERTAINMENT for their relaxed self-aware  personas but  these are negated  by appearances in the dismal, to me,  cockroach-crunching Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.  Another suggestion was Amy Winehouse, for unrivalled headline grabbing.  Who else in the same month in one poll was voted second “greatest ultimate heroine” and in another second “most hated”?  Already an icon.

Finally, a word  of caution.  President Bush  was not considered as the GLOBAL PERFORMER and is already best forgotten.  79% of Americans will not miss him.  However in power,  he managed for much of the time to ‘pitch’ his decisions, many of them terrible and get away with it.  As Frank Rich in the Observer says “The one indisputable talent of his White House was its ability to create and sell propaganda  both to the public and the press.”