Top Viral Videos of 2008

By: Kelly Outram and Caitlin Dewey

Posted: 1/13/09

1. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin SNL Skit

Congratulations to Tina Fey for simultaneously making the iconic viral video of 2008 and saving Saturday Night Live from the throes of mediocrity. Fey's hilarious portrayal of Sarah Palin shaped many Americans' views on the Republican vice presidential candidate, and the line "I can see Russia from my house!" will doubtlessly live in infamy. It's no surprise that clips from the skit got over 10 million hits on YouTube.

2. Iraqi Shoe Thrower

Internet superstardom was probably not Muntader al-Zaidi's goal when he took aim at President Bush last December, but that's definitely what he got. Millions watched the minute-long clip that shows al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist, throwing his shoes at Bush's head and shouting insults in Arabic. Al-Zaidi ended up in jail, but major props to him for choosing such a gutsy and hilarious form of protest.

3. Yes We Can (will.i.am)

A flood of political videos were released last year, but will.i.am's heart-wrenching "Yes We Can" succeeded in differentiating itself from the 3 trillion mindless memes and cheap satires floating around the Internet. The video put Obama's iconic "Yes We Can" speech to music and featured more guest appearances than a hip-hop album. The result was a viral video with meaning -- almost an oxymoron in the YouTube world.

4. Paris Hilton's Campaign Video

This wasn't Paris Hilton's first viral video -- God knows her sex tapes have been making the rounds for years -- but it was certainly her first funny, clever and (dare I say it?) intelligent one. Hilton's response to John McCain's controversial "celebrity" ads undoubtedly got a few campaign ad designers fired, and her announcement of her own "candidacy" was nothing short of satirical genius.

5. Hamster on a Piano (Eating Popcorn)

Who knew watching a fluffy white hamster eat popcorn on a piano was so entertaining? The high-pitched and encouraging song about the hamster that should never give up touched the hearts of many. That part where he flails and falls off the piano but gets back on is just the encouraging stuff that should be in movies.

6. Star Wars According to a 3-year-old

There are a lot of videos of cute little kids on the Internet. There are not many videos of cute little kids who can analyze the plot of George Lucas' masterpiece with all the wit and wisdom of a 40-year-old sci-fi geek. This girl has movie deals in her future, mark my words.

7. "I Like to do Hood Rat Stuff"

Seven-year-old steals grandma's car: Oh, Latarian Milton. How can one 7-year-old be so bad to the bone is beyond many. The video from the South Florida news about the boy who "likes to do hood rat things with his friends," surprised and humored people when he stole his grandma's car and took a joy ride, destroying his neighborhood. The second installment of Milton's adventures when his grandmother wouldn't buy him chicken at Wal-Mart is an even better laugh.

8. Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise: Scientologist

I really wonder how much money Tom Cruise has made for YouTube during his long and increasingly insane career. First he flipped out on Oprah. Then he made a series of really far-out (and vaguely frightening) public commentaries on psychology. Finally, the icing on the proverbial cake: Tom Cruise made a super-creepy, top-secret Scientology video, and it inevitably leaked to the Internet. The Daily Telegraph called it "manic." I call it Internet gold.

9. Where the hell is Matt?

You have to envy Matthew Harding. The 32-year-old video game designer, through some stroke of amazing luck or chance, basically gets paid to travel the world and dance ridiculously in front of famous landmarks. He's going to need a new gimmick pretty soon though, begging the question -- what the hell will Matt do next?

10. "I'm *ucking Matt Damon"

I've never been a big Sarah Silverman fan, but it was admittedly pretty hilarious to see how many times (and in how many awkward circumstances) she could say the phrase "I'm *ucking Matt Damon" in one four-minute "music" video. Oh, and Matt Damon was in it, obviously... that has to count for something.

cedewey@syr.edu

kaoutram@syr.edu