Dulles, VA - December 12, 2007 -- AOL today announced the year's top searches in a variety of categories, based on the people, places and topics that received the largest volume of search queries on AOL Search (http://search.aol.com), on mobile devices (http://wap.aol.com), and the most searched for Viral Videos, Music Videos and Television Moments on Truveo.com (http://www.truveo.com), a one-stop destination where consumers can find millions of videos from across the Web.
"Search results provide a unique snapshot of what's on the minds of millions of people from around the world, over the course of a year," said John Kannapell, Senior Vice President, AOL Search http://search.aol.com/ . "This year's annual list of top searches from AOL offers an interesting take on what people found interesting in news, politics, entertainment and pop culture in 2007."
For the second straight year, weather was the most popular general term on AOL Search http://search.aol.com/, while WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, the Apple iPhone and Britney Spears appeared at the top of the News, Gadget and Celebrity search lists. American Idol showed no signs of slipping from the top of the most-searched TV shows list; and Hillary Clinton emerged as the front-runner on the Top Politicians list. The unique combination of online viral videos and editorial commentary from top Celebrity Blogs like TMZ created a breed of celebrities whose accidental online celebrity led to offline fame. Topping this year's inaugural most-searched for "Accidental Celebrity" list is socialite-turned-reality-TV-star, Kim Kardashian.
The most popular videos searched for on Truveo.com this year include a babbling beauty queen, a music video that taught the world a new dance, and a television blackout that left fans guessing. Miss Teen South Carolina's question and answer fumble ranked as the Top Viral Video, while the world clamored to learn how to "Crank Dat" (Soulja Boy), making it 2007's Top Music Video. The much anticipated finale of The Sopranos sent viewers searching the Web for answers, making it the Top Television Moment of 2007.
"There are some things that have to be seen to be believed," said Timothy Tuttle, CEO and CO-Founder of Truveo and Senior Vice President of AOL Video. "The explosion of video on the web combined with the ability to search for almost anything has given us a unique ability to view the public moments and performances that became some of the most popular, talked about or engaging topics throughout the year."
Other top searches (http://hot.aol.com/2007) on AOL Search during 2007 included:
Top News Stories: Chris Benoit
People looking for news on AOL were most interested in wrestler Chris Benoit's shocking death. It earned more searches than any other news item in 2007, including news on the weight-loss drug Phentermine (no. 2); the Pet Food Recall (no. 3) Global Warming (no. 4); and the Virginia Tech tragedy (no. 5).
Top TV Shows: Idol's not budging
Reality TV shows, "American Idol" (no. 1); "Dancing With the Stars" (no. 2); and "Deal or No Deal" (no. 3) snagged the top three positions for the second straight year, followed by "The View" (no.4); and "Hannah Montana" (no. 5).
Top Politicians: Hillary Clinton wins the race
Possibly foreshadowing the 2008 presidential primary, Hillary Clinton tops fellow Democrat Barack Obama (no. 2). Rounding out the top five are Fred Thompson (no. 3); Al Gore (no. 4) and John Edwards (no. 5).
Top Celebrities: Britney's downfall leads to a spike in her popularity online
America's obsession with Paris Hilton may be over, but its love affair with Britney Spears reached new heights in 2007. The infamous pop star rocketed from number six in 2006 to the top of the list this year. Next on the list were Martha Stewart (no. 2), Anna Nicole Smith (no. 3); Madonna (no. 4); and American Idol contestant Antonella Barba making a surprising debut at number five.
Top Accidental Celebrities: Keeping up with Kim Kardashian
Thanks in large part to the persistence and popularity of Celebrity Blogs, a crop of unlikely pseudo-celebrities emerged online in 2007. Former friend of Paris Hilton and all-around socialite Kim Kardashian, led the pack, while Shyamali Malakar (no. 2); Larry Birkhead (no. 3); Sanjaya Malakar (no. 4); and tattoo artist Kat Von D (no. 5) rounded out the top five.
Top Mobile Searches:
People used mobile devices to not only stay connected, but to also seek out information in 2007. Leading this year's mobile search list is Iraq, followed by MySpace (no. 2); iPhone (no.3); Games (no.4); and Mail (no. 5).
Following are highlights from 2007's Top Searches (http://hot.aol.com/2007) on AOL Search:
Top Search Terms: 1) Weather; 2) White Pages; 3) Games; 4) Dictionary; 5) Music; 6) CNN; 7) Maps; 8) American Idol; 9) ESPN; 10) WWE.
Top Movies: 1) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; 2) Transformers; 3) Spiderman 3; 4) 300; 5) Ghost Rider; 6) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End; 7) Shrek the Third; 8) Borat; 9) Hairspray; 10) Dreamgirls.
Top Athletes: 1) John Cena; 2) Tiger Woods; 3) David Beckham; 4) Serena Williams; 5) Michael Vick; 6) Michael Jordan; 7) Tom Brady; 8) Reggie Bush; 9) Derek Jeter; 10) Barbaro.
Top Gadgets: 1) iPhone; 2) iPod; 3) Wii; 4) Computers; 5) Cell Phones; 6) Tracfone; 7) XM Radio; 8) GPS; 9) PSP; 10) Xbox.
Top Musicians: 1) Chris Brown; 2) Akon; 3) Fergie; 4) Lil Wayne; 5) Justin Timberlake; 6) Ciara; 7) Avril Lavigne; 8) Carrie Underwood; 9) Rihanna; 10) Christina Aguilera.
Top Books: 1) The Secret; 2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; 3) You on a Diet; 4) Best Life Diet; 5) 5 Factor Diet; 6) The Kite Runner; 7) Into the Wild; 8) If I Did It; 9) New Moon; 10) Water for Elephants.
Top Gossip Blogs: 1) TMZ; 2) Perez Hilton; 3) Dlisted; 4) The Superficial; 5) Pink is the New Blog; 6) Celebrity Baby Blog; 7) Media Takeout; 8) Gawker; 9) Just Jared; 10) Popsugar.
Top Bands: 1) Coldplay; 2) Fall Out Boy; 3) My Chemical Romance; 4) Jonas Brothers; 5) Linkin Park; 6) Van Halen; 7) Nickelback; 8) Rascal Flatts; 9) U2; 10) Evanescence.
Top Shopping Brands: 1) Pottery Barn; 2) Victoria's Secret; 3) Coach; 4) Lane Bryant; 5) Harley Davidson; 6) Nike; 7) Lands End; 8) Crocs; 9) Banana Republic; 10) Talbots.
Following are highlights from the top video searches on Truveo http://www.truveo.com/hot2007:
Top Viral Videos: 1) Miss Teen South Carolina Answers Questions; 2) "Leave Britney Alone!"; 3) Prison Inmantes Perform "Thriller"; 4) Paris in Jail: The Music Video; 5) The Landlord, Featuring Will Ferrell; 6) Safari Animals Battle at Kruger; 7) Chocolate Rain by Tay Zonday; 8) "I Got a Crush on Obama" by Obama Girl; 9) Karl Rove's Rap Debut as MC Rove; 10) College Student Tasered at Kerry Forum.
Top TV Moment: 1) The Sopranos Finale; 2) Britney Spears' VMA Performance; 3) Sanjaya's Ponyhawk; 4) "High School Musical 2" Breaks Ratings Record; 5) Marie Osmond Faints; 6) "Heroes Returns: Four Months Later;" 7) "The Story of Anna Nicole Smith;" 8) Barry Bonds Hits No. 756; 9) Fox Censors Sally Fields' Anti-War Emmy Speech; 10) The Bachelor Remains Single.
Top Music Video: 1) "Crank Dat" (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy; 2) "Umbrella" - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z; 3) "The Way I Are" - Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson; 4) "Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance; 5) "No One" - Alicia Keys; 6) "Kiss Kiss" - Chris Brown featuring T-Pain; 7) "Gimme More" - Britney Spears; 8) "Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne; 9) "Ayo Technology" - 50 Cent featuring Justin Timberlake; 10) "What I've Done" - Linkin Park.
For a complete list of the most popular searches on AOL Search in 2007, go to http://hot.aol.com/2007 or http://www.truveo.com/hot2007 for links to the most searched for Viral Videos, TV Moments and Top Music Videos of 2007.
About AOL Search
AOL Search http://search.aol.com/ is a comprehensive online search service that delivers relevant Web results plus video and multimedia content all on one results page, making it easy for people to find what they are looking for, whether information, video and audio content, images, local resources, news, products, music and more all from one place.
About Truveo
Truveo is the search engine for video. Truveo was founded in 2004 by some of the industry's leading experts in video search technology. Over the past three years, Truveo has built one of the largest and most up-to-date indexes of high-quality video on the Web. As a result, Truveo enables users to find video that cannot be found in any other search engine. Truveo first launched its industry-leading search engine in the fall of 2005 and today, the Truveo search engine powers some of the most popular video destinations on the Web -- including Brightcove, CSTV, Search.com and Microsoft Corporation -- reaching an audience of almost 40 million users each month. For more information on Truveo, visit http://www.truveo.com/.
About AOL
AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.
Contacts:
Molly McMahon
AOL
703-265-0215
molly.mcmahon@corp.aol.com
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