From Paris to South Beach to Boston: Newcastle Brown Ale Year-End Survey Sheds Light on the Most Memorable Moments of 2004.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Newcastle Brown Ale, one of America's fastest growing imported beers, today announced the results of its "Year-End" survey, which reveals what more than 1,000 people think about the most memorable news of 2004. Covering everything from pop culture to sports and politics, the survey illustrates the nation's perception of Paris Hilton, the South Beach diet, and Boston Red Sox Johnny Damon, among other things, according to Bill Wetmore, marketing director of Scottish & Newcastle Importers Co.

"As 2004 winds down and people enjoy reflecting on the outgoing year, we thought it would be the perfect time to collect consumers' opinions on the bounty of memorable events that occurred this year," said Wetmore. "While 2004 proved a tough year for many - from Kobe to Kerry - Newcastle was fortunate enough to see a nearly 10% increase in a flat beer market, thanks in great part to our growing success in chain grocery stores, where we moved ahead of both Bass and Guinness."

Results from the Newcastle Brown Ale "Year-End" survey include:

POP CULTURE

--Can't She Just Stay Home? - Media maven Paris Hilton pulled down the most votes when it came to which celeb survey respondents were most sick of hearing about. The star of "The Simple Life 2" reality show garnered 27.3 percent of the vote, finishing just ahead of liberal activist and filmmaker Michael Moore, who took home 25.2 percent.

--The Even Simpler Life - Building upon the growing insanity of zany reality show subjects, our survey participants thought that "being homeless for a week" would be the most likely plot of the next reality show (74.3%). Finishing a distant second was a show involving a Buddhist monk becoming an adult film producer...no comments, please.

--Oh Yeah, There Was That Presidential Election, Too... - A large majority of survey respondents (45.3%) said that the presidential election was what they would most remember about 2004. The runner-up was the shattering of the curse of the Bambino (29.2%). Funny enough, less than one percent of respondents said they'd most remember Britney Spears' wedding--Oops, she did it again!

--What'd I'd Say? Ray the Best Movie of the Year? - The movie "Ray," chronicling the life of legendary musician Ray Charles, was voted the best movie of 2004, piling up 24.8 percent of the vote. Raising the barometer was "Fahrenheit 9/11," which recorded 20.5 percent.

--Say Goodbye To These Flash-in-the-Pans - Not to be mistaken with the movie "Dodgeball," the actual sport that it reignited has been named the trend that will be the quickest to die off in 2005. And though dodgeball leagues were tagged with 40.7 percent of the vote, a sizable percentage of respondents (32.1%) said that low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach would quickly lose their appeal.

SPORTS

--Another Boston Championship? - The New England Patriots were picked to win the Super Bowl, according to our crack group of respondents. The Patsies, last year's Super Bowl champs, received 30.7 percent of the vote, narrowly edging out the up-and-coming Pittsburgh Steelers and their super rookie, Ben Roethlisberger.

--Back-to-Back Titles in La-La Land - Forty percent of those surveyed said the University of Southern California Trojans would win the upcoming College Football National Championship. Their Orange Bowl opponent, the University of Oklahoma, received 17.5 percent of the vote.

--Move Over, Grizzly Adams - Symbolic of the media attention he's gained because of his long locks and stellar World Series play, Boston Red Sox Johnny Damon's "Mountain Man Look" was voted the athlete with the best hair in 2004. Ben Wallace of the NBA's Detroit Pistons finished second with his ginormous afro.

--Ron Artest Makes News Again - And no, we're not referring to another melee in a crowd. This time the former NBA All-Star was recognized for his unmatched pursuit of individual needs as the most selfish athlete of 2004. Crazy Ron finished with 35 percent of the vote, ahead of NFL dropout Ricky Williams (21.7%) and Kobe Bryant (20.7%), who broke up the Lakers dynasty.

--Olympics Don't Finish in the Medal Race - The 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece was given the title of "most disappointing sporting event of the year" due to the games' lack of overall excitement. Finishing second was the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals; not due to a lack of action, but because a bunch of hosers from the Sunshine State took down icy Canucks.

Media interested in scheduling an interview or acquiring the complete Newcastle "Year-End" survey findings can contact Formula at 310-578-7050.

ABOUT NEWCASTLE BROWN ALE

Newcastle Brown Ale hails from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, home of Britain's first official brewery, Johan Barras & Company of Gateshead, which was established in 1770. In 1927, Colonel Jim Porter created a premium, bottled ale with its own unique colour, taste and character that quickly became a local favorite. Best served cool, Newcastle Brown Ale has since become a world favorite. Scottish & Newcastle Importers, Co. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle plc, the world's 7th largest brewer. Based in San Rafael, CA, S&NI imports a range of premium beers, including Newcastle Brown Ale, the #13 imported beer in America, and Kronenbourg 1664, the #4 beer of Europe. To learn more about Newcastle Brown Ale, please visit www.newcastlebrown.com.