Can I move to wordpress.org and continue to be included as a wordpress.com favorite blog?

You can try by connecting your self-hosted WordPress.org blog to the WordPress.com network using the Jetpack plugin.

If that doesn’t work, hosting with WordPress.com VIP definitely will. Your site is still hosted on the WordPress.com network, only you have full access to it, just as if your were hosting on a different web host. It’s the best of both worlds. From their website:

As a WordPress.com VIP, you get all the benefits and features of WordPress’s continuously evolving platform and WordPress.com’s rock-solid infrastructure, without the burden of making sure the site is stable, maintained, and secure — that’s our job.

The only con with WordPress.com VIP is the cost – but if you can manage that, then it should be perfect for you.