Fifteen Fearless Predictions For 2015

What's looming for the new year?
Where are things headed?
Who will rise and who will fall?
Here are 15 fearless predictions for the new year:

1) Philadelphia will win the dubious honor of hosting the Democratic National Convention. The Dems will chose Philly as NYC fades under the destructive leadership of dingy de Blasio. It will be heavy lifting for Philly after hosting Pope Francis in 2015.

2) Possible protests and upheaval in Philadelphia will threaten the Pope's fall, 2015 visit to the city as the town will have its hand full with radicals and malcontents. Sadly, Philadelphia has become a haven for these types as the city administration has often not acted quickly enough or forcefully enough. These are the wages of decades of left-wing control of a great city.

3) 2015 will be the year of the hacker and hack attacks with more companies and organizations subject to these kinds of cyber-terrorism activities. Indeed, cyber-terrorism will become the new watchword and the roots of a new kind of world war may take hold in these types of insidious activities.

4) Best picture Oscar nominees will include Selma, The Imitation Game, Boyhood, Birdman, Into the Woods and St. Vincent.

5) None of Philadelphia's sports teams will win the championship in their respective sports this year. No World Series trophy; no Super Bowl rings; no Stanley Cup and few if any wins at all by the Sixers.

6) Voters will become discontented and rebellious in both parties as the prospect of a Bush vs. Clinton contest looms. Both Jeb and Hillary will become battered during the year and by the end of the year their candidacies may not seem as viable as they are now.

7) Increasingly, presidential speculation on the Republican side will focus on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker while on the Democratic side alternative to Hillary (such as Elizabeth Warren) will make more than their share of mischief. Things may get messy.

8) Long-awaited revivals of old-fashioned musicals such as Gigi and Can-Can will turn back the clock on Broadway as New York seeks comfort amidst continued racial strife and turbulence in the city. The musical version of the film Honeymoon in Vegas will make Tony Danza a Broadway star and he will become the toast of the town.

9) Joe Piscopo may shake up the political landscape in New Jersey once again with renewed talk that he may run for governor as voters become increasingly disenchanted with both political parties in the Garden State. But this won't necessarily stop Democrats from retaining a hammer lock on the state's residents who actually seem to like runaway government and higher and higher taxes. Look for the early signs of a Dem deal that will set the stage for a Sweeney nomination.

10) Louisville will become one of America's new hot cites as it gains a reputation for being hip, exceptionally-liveable and affordable.

11) Viral fund-raising and viral marketing will become all the rage and it will be increasingly difficult to decipher pitches between advertising and social media.

12) The Washington Nationals will win the World Series and Seattle will win the Super Bowl once again.

13) Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac (who are actually pals) will emerge as Very Big Hollywood Stars on the heels of their film A Most Violent Year. These two are sizzlers who also happen to be eminently likable.

14) Increasing numbers of persons both inside and outside the Catholic Church will begin to question the direction that Pope Francis is taking as he steers Catholicism into what he hopes to be a new era. The Pope will be criticized for what appear to be his own political views, his off-the-cuff remarks, his various pronouncement on social issues and his apparent lack of focus on core teachings and doctrine. There will be grumblings and even the media may begin to raise questions.

15) Here in the east we will have a relatively mild winter but various parts of the world (and even parts of our own country) will be plagued with water shortages.

Happy New Year, everybody!