Yes I have seen those too but still most WordPress newbies have issues with just the basics. The point is trying to keep it simple to start and not get overwhelmed with extra steps when making posts.

Throwing a blanket statement out there like "Newspaper Style themes are more SEO friendly" is just plain wrong. You optimize your WP blog with a few basic tweaks and maybe one plugin. It has absolutely nothing to do with the theme. No matter what theme you choose..

Not sure what you mean by having themes according to categories?

I like the new list, thanks for adding WordPress Max!