WP Site Creation Checklist ?? -(of sorts)-

Ok basically I'm fishing for some opinions, more or less, simply because I'm confused as to which wp theme would be best overall in correlation with what I'm looking to accomplish online. Once I choose a theme I'd like to set it in stone so I don't have to go through this process again and instead be able to move on to other sites.

I intend on creating a wp micro-niche site promoting related affiliate programs for my particular mini-niche. I'm going to be creating unique posts/articles for this blog daily plus utilize google adsense, perhaps have a 'sponsored by' section with my affiliate programs, and so on with what I've listed above;

Based off of that criteria would it be best to go with a site that looks similar to these:

Accent Clean WP for Business Corporate Portfolio Preview - ThemeForest

- DreamTemplate

and,
TheProfessional Theme | Just another WordPress site

(All of which look utterly amazing, but I'm not sure if I can then incorporate everything that I am looking to have on my site, is that possible to do with a bunc of plugins I'd assume?)

Orrr..., based off of what I'm seeking, should I aim for something that looks more like something below;

New WP Themes

New WP Themes

and,
New WP Themes




Thanks for any replies, suggestions and advice on which I should think of going with. Price isn't so much an issue I'd just like to go with a theme that is well off for both the visitors and the search engines and I'm not sure if there is a major difference between the two here...

Thanks much!!

Problem is, the features you're looking for are already free...

featured content gallery is a free plugin -- many premium themes include it, but it's not something you need to pay for. It's a free download.

paste your aweber (or other) code into a widget. Voila, done.

categories and archives are part of WP by default no matter which theme you use and whether it's free or paid.

Tons of plugins to include ads, too. Again, free, so this isn't part of what you should be looking for in a paid theme. All themes (free or not) can run ads.

also part of WP by default no matter which theme you use and whether it's free or paid.

So, it's hard to make any recommendations when the things you're looking for are available in every theme, including the most basic free ones. Sure, premium and paid themes offer those - but that's not what the money is for, because those features are in free themes, too.

Really? What I'd suggest is that you start with a nice basic free theme that has a layout you like. Work with WP a while so you get to know what's part of the basic wordpress. Learn how to add a plugin to get more functionality. Then you'll know what WP does and doesn't offer so you know which features you should be paying for and which you don't need to pay for.

Ok, well - I've looked all over the internet for some really awesome themes I'd like to get, but now I'm stuck because I can't choose - haha! For example there are 14 that I like best and what figures is that I really like one section of one blog, I like the header of another, the footer of another, the sidebar of another - haha. What should I do in this scenario... I'm really not sure. =/ I can share some links if anyone would like me too to share my top choices. =P