Regis Philbin, aka “Big Daddy,” Winner of the 2005 PR.com “Best Celebrity Nickname” Award

What's in a nickname? Well, a lot! Nicknames can have a tremendous impact on business, entertainment, celebrity, relationships, marketing and societal trends in general. They can completely ruin a career or serve as an explosive catalyst to stardom. How much of an impact have nicknames of friends, entertainers, family members, or relationships had on you? Have they actually affected or altered your opinion or thoughts about a person? "Nah, that couldn't be," you're thinking, right? Well, maybe it can.

Nicknames have long been used as terms of endearment in close relationships with friends, family members, and couples. When celebrities gain recognition with their fans through a nickname, it often connotes a closer bond between a celebrity and his or her fans. Therefore, PR.com runs the "Best Celebrity Nickname" Award to recognize the best celebrity nicknames. Qualities that we look for in a great celebrity nickname? Creativity, a sense of irony, genuine affection for that celebrity, and a name that suits the celebrity's personality are all considered in choosing the winner of PR.com's "Best Celebrity Nickname" Award.

Regis Philbin, aka "Big Daddy," epitomizes the traits that make a great nickname. That's why Regis Philbin is the winner of the 2005 PR.com Award for "Best Celebrity Nickname." There was stiff competition this year among many creative, interesting, weird and wild nicknames of celebrities, but "Big Daddy" pulled ahead of the pack when all was said and done.

With much public anticipation for this year's winner, PR.com has taken extremely careful measures to avoid any leaks of information, whether about the guarded list of nominees or the ultimate winner. So, here it finally is, the list of the top fifty nominees, the best celebrity nicknames of 2005:

1. Regis Philbin Big Daddy 2. Arnold Schwarzenegger The Governator 3. Sean Combs Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy 4. Madonna The Material Girl, Madge 5. Dwayne Johnson The Rock, The Great One 6. Britney Spears Pinkey 7. Jennifer Lopez J.Lo, La Lopez 8. Michael Jackson Wacko Jacko, King Of Pop 9. Donald Trump The Donald, The Don 10. Kelly Ripa Brown Sugar, Pipa 11. Howard Stern King of All Media 12. Oprah Winfrey Deepak Oprah, O 13. Randy Jackson The Dawg, The Emperor 14. Charles Barkley Sir Charles 15. Steven Tyler Demon Of Screamin 16. Mark Wahlberg Marky Mark 17. Bette Midler The Divine Miss M 18. Sylvester Stallone Italian Stallion, Sly 19. Mariah Carey Mimi 20. Simon Cowell Judge Dread 21. George W. Bush Dubya, Junior 22. Marshall Mathers Eminem, Slim Shady 23. Bill Clinton Bubba 24. Will Smith Fresh Prince 25. Shaquille O'Neal Superman, The Big Aristotle

26. Whoopi Goldberg Da Whoop 27. Michael Jordan Air Jordan, His Airness, MJ 28. Cedric Kyles Cedric the Entertainer 29. Usher Raymond Big Ush, Big Tyme, Usher 30. Calvin Broadus Snoop Doggy Dogg 31. James Smith LL Cool J 32. O'Shea Jackson Ice Cube 33. Don Rickles The Merchant of Venom 34. Joan Rivers Queen of the Barbed 1-liners 35. Curtis Jackson 50 Cent 36. Charlie Sheen The Masheen 37. Penelope Cruz Madonna of Madrid 38. Jerry Seinfeld Little Jerry 39. Justin Timberlake Curly Spice, Shot, Bounce 40. Jerry Lewis Le Roi du Crazy 41. Al Pacino Sonny 42. Kelly Clarkson Kellbelle 43. Michael Clarke Duncan Big Mike, Hollywood 44. Courteney Cox CeCe 45. Liv Tyler Liver 46. Gwen Stefani G-loc, Sunshine 47. Renee Zellweger Zelly 48. David Hasselhoff The Hoff 49. Teri Hatcher Hatch 50. Warren Beatty Pro