Around the World: Most Viewed Videos of 2011

December 27, 2011

Continuing our 2011 retrospective, let's look back at what some of the most viewed videos in other countries were this year. (See the rest at YouTube Rewind.)

JAPAN:

Fun-loving residents celebrate the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen high speed rail line in Japan.



ISRAEL:

"Dip Your Apple" is a Rosh Hashanah-themed song parody of Shakira's "Waka Waka."



FRANCE:

French comedian Max Boublil created this year's hit video with his passionate tribute to "ugly" women.

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Top 10 Holiday Videos of 2011

December 24, 2011

Happy Holidays from YouTube Trends!

Today we look back at the past month and the top trends and videos of 2011 holiday season. Perhaps the most popular Trend of the season was that of the ambitious electrician/decorator crowd which produced a seemingly endless array of very impressive synchronized light shows that varied from pure spectacle to working video game! Check out a bunch in this playlist:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)



The most-viewed non-music video of December and top trending video of the holiday season was Jimmy Kimmel's "YouTube Challenge - I Gave My Kids a Terrible Present." The prank, which followed a very successful Halloween version, inspired hundreds of other videos to be posted in which parents played the practical joke on their unhappy children.

There are lots of popular videos and trends that didn't make our top 10 (see: Manta Claus) and we didn't include any of the popular major music videos (see: this).

The full list of the ones that did make it is below or you can watch them in a playlist here.



(May take a moment to load.)

See last year's top 10 here!
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The Best of the Rest: Top Videos by Categories

December 23, 2011

Earlier this week, we announced Rewind 2011 and the most-viewed videos of 2011. We also pulled together top 5 lists of the most-watched videos in some more specific categories.

Watch the #1 videos below and click the category name to see the full top 5:

SPORTS:
Mountain Biker Taken Out by Buck		PETS:
Guilty Dog (This one is actually #2)

BEAUTY:
I'm Sexy & I Know It Inspired Makeup Tutorial		FASHION:
25 Ways to Wear a Scarf in 4.5 Minutes!

SCIENCE:
What does it feel like to fly over planet Earth?		TECH REVIEW:
iPhone 5 Concept Features

FOOD:
TurBaconEpic Thanksgiving		WEDDING PROPOSALS:
Greatest Marriage Proposal EVER!!!

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The Stories behind YouTube's Most Viewed Videos of 2011

December 20, 2011

Over the course of 2011, we at Trends have been tracking popular YouTube phenomenon each and every day. So now that YouTube has released its list of the year's most-viewed videos, we went back to the archives to see how these clips became popular in the first place:


1. "Friday" - Rebecca Black


2. Ultimate Dog Tease


3. Jack Sparrow (feat. Michael Bolton)


4. Talking Twin Babies


5. Nyan Cat


6. Look At Me Now - Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes


7. The Creep (feat. Nicki Minaj & John Waters)

8. Maria Aragon - "Born This Way"


9. "The Force"


10. Cat Mom Hugs Baby Kitten


And what about everything else?

Want more 2011 nostalgia? Check out YouTube.com/Rewind and the timeline below to dive in to some of the unique and interesting stories that played out on YouTube this year:
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The Top Political Videos of 2011

From candidate ads to pundit debates, speeches from the White House to impassioned pleas from the American heartland, this year’s most-viewed political videos show us that a message that resonates can come from anywhere -- and anyone.

Surpassing the President and various presidential hopefuls in views, the #1 video on our list comes from a young man in Iowa speaking candidly to his government. Zach Wahls’ 3 minute speech defending gay marriage has been viewed more than 18 million times.



Three candidates for 2012 made the most-viewed political videos list. Gov. Rick Perry's highly-covered "Strong" ad was uploaded just this month, but has already racked up 7 million views (another one of his ads, “Proven Leadership” is also on the list). Herman Cain, who recently suspended his bid for President, showed that quirky gets views. President Obama reached an audience of millions on YouTube as both commander in chief, and stand up comedian.

Here’s the full list of the most-viewed political videos from the YouTube News and Politics category:

1. Zach Wahls speaks about family
2. President Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
3. Strong [Rick Perry ad]
4. President Obama on death of Osama bin Laden
5. Brother, can you spare a trillion? Government gone wild!
6. Seth Meyers remarks at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner
7. Rick Perry - Proven Leadership
8. Jon Stewart Goes Head-to-Head Bill O'Reilly
9. Now is the time for action! [Herman Cain ad]
10. President Barack Obama's First Ad of 2012 [NRSC Ad]

In all, the videos on this list account for over 50 million views, demonstrating that there is significant interest in political video on YouTube before the primaries have even begun. For all the key moments in online political video during the coming election, visit YouTube.com/Politics. For more of YouTube’s most-viewed videos of 2011, visit YouTube.com/Rewind.
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Latest Trending Videos: The Week of Dec 17

December 18, 2011

Presents, bears, lizards, and jukes: here are 10 of this week's top trending videos from YouTube Trends:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Hot Music Videos from Africa

December 16, 2011

This week we added 7 new countries to our Trends Dashboard and, not unlike many other countries, music videos are among the most-shared and most-viewed in many of those regions. Today we wanted to take a look at the African continent where we've now added viewing data in Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria.

KENYA:



NIGERIA:



UGANDA:

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YouTube Trends: One Year Later

December 14, 2011

Happy Birthday, YouTube Trends. Today marks the one-year anniversary of our launch and what better way to celebrate than to look at some of the trends behind the Trends.

In 2011, we featured over 2,000 Trending videos which went on to be seen over 5 billion times. Those videos were spread pretty evenly between all our categories with Music, Comedy, News, Sports, and Entertainment among the most popular.

And now it's time for YouTube Trends most-viewed posts of ALL-TIME:
  1. Top 10 Most Shared Videos of 2010

  2. Rick Perry’s 'Oops': The Morning After on YouTube

  3. Why Rebecca Black Might Be Around Longer Than Other Viral Stars

  4. What Will the Biggest March Trend Be?

  5. Top 10 'People' Videos of 2010

  6. Charlie Sheen 'Winning' YouTube

  7. Osama bin Laden News Draws YouTube Reaction from Across the Country

  8. Rebecca Black Hits 100 Million Views

  9. The 10 Most Viewed Flash Mobs of All Time

  10. South Korea's Susan Boyle?

Honorable Mention goes to 'Cone-ing' or: How to Will a Trend into Popularity.

And remember...

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Christmas Invasion: SantaCon 2011

December 12, 2011

Over 400 videos have already been uploaded from the various "SantaCon" activities this weekend across the United States. (SantaCon is a mass gathering/parade/bar crawl that's become increasingly popular each holiday season.)

The majority of the videos so far come from New York City's festivities, but we've also seen them from San Francisco, Canada, and the UK. Check them all out in the playlist below. Of particular note are the scores of Santa's singing "We are the Champions" in New York's Grand Central Terminal:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Latest Trending Videos: The Week of Dec 10

December 11, 2011

Sailors, Skittles, cellos, and Ferraris: here are 10 of this week's top trending videos from YouTube Trends:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Bieber for the Holidays

December 09, 2011

We're only days into December, but Justin Bieber has already found a big audience for the holidays.

This fall/winter, Bieber has released a series of music videos tied to the holiday season -- some of which helped push him over 2 billion overall views on YouTube. That number continues to rise.

Below you can see a chart of the videos he's released and the number of views they've received since Thanksgiving. So far they've been seen over 30 million times.

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Perry’s 'Strong' Ad Spawns Parodies and Reactions

December 08, 2011

In under 48 hours, Rick Perry’s latest ad, “Strong,” has racked up close to 750,000 views and is the most-shared and most-viewed video on YouTube in the United States today. Earlier in the day "rick perry strong" was one of our top rising search terms.



The video has also incited significant conversation on the site -- dozens of YouTube users have uploaded parody and response videos to Perry’s original ad.

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On the Scene: Windstorm in Scotland

A major storm in the United Kingdom resulted in hurricane-force winds whipping through parts of Scotland Thursday. A number of residents braved the sometimes 165mph winds to get some footage on the street of the effects of the wild storm:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Top Rising Search: 'Occupy Australia'

December 07, 2011

"Occupy" protests, which arguably began with Occupy Wall Street in NYC in September, have spread throughout the world, and this week there's increased attention in the Australian iteration that's playing out in Melbourne.

On Monday, this clip of the "Tent monsters" evading police drew over 100,000 views with its protester shenanigans.



Today, this clip, which shows Australian officers removing the tent from a protester -- leaving her in minimal clothes -- has become a trending video and the term "Occupy Australia" was a top rising search this afternoon. (Adult language.)

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Kids and Sports: There's No Crying in Baseball... But Football's Fair Game

December 06, 2011

This post was co-authored by Will Goodman, managing editor of CBSNews.com's The Feed, and Bailey Johnson, Editor of CBSNews.com's The Feed and Sports, for a YouTube Trends series exploring viral video phenomena.

Tom Hanks once famously said in the film A League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball!” And while it may be (mostly) true for baseball, it’s a whole different story when it comes to kids and football on YouTube. Football fans come in all shapes and sizes - and ages. These kids may not understand an onside kick or a Cover-2 defense, but they understand the one thing that counts the most: losing sucks. And then the tears start. For this week's trend, we're lining up at 1st-and-10 to look at pint-sized pigskin fans in tears.



Let's kick off with the most recent video to go viral in what has become a whole series of kids expressing their passion and disappointment when it comes to sports. There are plenty of fully-grown men who feel as passionately about Tom Brady as this tyke does. They just usually don't express themselves in quite the same octave. But like any major trend, this one is not just limited to the East Coast or boys crying over their team losing.



That’s right, this is a trend that covers all genders, coasts and ages (all the way from pre-school to middle school). This broken-hearted Vikings fan just can't believe what those mean ol' Packers did to her team. But at least she doesn't live on the West Coast, where there is a team that may very well feast on the tears of small children...
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Across the Country: College Spirit

December 05, 2011

We dug through data from cities across the U.S. today to find some of the current Most Shared and Most Viewed local clips:

MINNEAPOLIS:
Minnesota's management school organized a holiday flashmob		OKLAHOMA CITY:
OSU and OU bands unite for a stirring performance of "Amazing Grace" following the women's basketball tragedy

SAN FRANCISCO:
Another argument/angle on the UC Davis pepper-spray incident		NEW ORELANS:
The first LSU National Championship game song


See more of what's popular in different locations nationally and around the world with our Trends Dashboard.
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Latest Trending Videos: The Week of Dec 3

December 03, 2011

Frisbees, paint, bicycles, and dogs with hands: here are 12 of this week's top trending videos from YouTube Trends:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Speech by Son of Gay Parents Goes Viral Twice

December 02, 2011

Earlier this year, a college student named Zach Wahls delivered a touching speech in the Iowa legislature. The video was featured here on Trends and saw a small viral surge of just over half a million views.

But now it's gone viral again and, this time, the surge is not so small.

Another version of the clip suddenly skyrocketed in popularity, and it's been seen roughly 11 million times in the past 3 days. Here's a chart of combined views for the video:



So how'd it happen? It seems much of the attention was driven from a link on Reddit, and, even moreso, from a post on Moveon.org from Wednesday. The video drawing significant share traffic.
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Bye Bye Movember

December 01, 2011

Today marks the start of December, which means that everyone who grew facial hair for charities focusing on men's health.

We've been seeing hundreds of "Movember-ending" videos posted in the past 24 hours in which men of all ages have filmed themselves shaving off their 'staches, beards, and goatees:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)



Rather expectedly, we're also seeing mustache time-lapses from the more photographically dedicated:

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4 in the Afternoon: JetFrisbee

November 29, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Speed Boat Frisbee Catch Jetman with Jets Brush with Death Don't Say Gay
  1. Frisbee master Brodie Smith tells a boat to go long. As seen on CBS News.
  2. Yves "Jetman" Rossy flies with two jets above the Swiss Alps. As seen on Devour.
  3. A unique short film on our Most Viewed list from Corridor Digital.
  4. This 8th Grader's funny PSA was posted last year, but is just finding a new audience. As seen on HuffPost.
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Thrilling Videos of Unusual Coasters

There are plenty of popular roller coaster videos on YouTube; some are of the riders and some are of the rides themselves. Recently, a very specific kind of roller coaster, the single-rail alpine coaster, has become particularly widely-spread.

A little over a week ago, David Ellis posted a video of him riding one in Austria in which he decided not to touch the breaks. It's been seen roughly 3 million times since.



Meanwhile, this 3 year old video -- also from Mieders, Austria -- suddenly spiked in popularity as well:



Not all popular videos are of the single-rail variety, of course. Earlier this year, thrillseekers may recall this POV video going viral; it was a first look at Japan's Takabisha, the world's new steepest roller coaster:

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4 in the Morning: Liberty Photo

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Take a Photo Liberty Walk Bicycle Animations Magic Pizza Reheat
  1. A hidden camera social experiment. Among our Most Shared videos.
  2. Turning some heads, Miley Cyrus released a remix in support of the Occupy protests over the holiday. As seen on Rolling Stone.
  3. A unique animation study that plays out in the spokes of a bicycle wheel. As seen on HuffPost.
  4. This simple method for reheating leftover pizza is a small hit. As seen on Reddit.
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4 in the Afternoon: Last Amazed 9

November 28, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Dance For You Last Dictator Standing 9-9-9 the Movie Amazed Cat
  1. Beyoncé's new video is quickly rising the Most-Viewed chart.
  2. Nando's South Africa has a controversial new ad. As seen on Meme Machine.
  3. Herman Caine's new animated ad is getting some political buzz. As seen on HuffPost.
  4. From Ukraine comes this video of a cat riding in the car for the first time. As seen on BuzzFeed.
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Wildest Videos from Black Friday

As you may or may not have heard, things got a little dicey at some U.S. retailers on Friday as excited hordes of shoppers sought out big bargains on the busiest shopping day of the year. A number of heavily viewed videos emerged from the post-Thanksgiving chaos and made their way around the web.

This clip of a crowd rushing into an Urban Outfitters in California was seen over 600,000 times.



Meanwhile, this mayhem at a California Wal-Mart is said to have been shot moments after a woman reportedly used pepper-spray on the crowd as they devoured a pile of XBoxes. It's been seen several hundred thousand times.



At another Wal-Mart, this time in Texas, there were concerns about people getting crushed in the melee:



A much talked-about video from Arizona also spread that show's a man who was injured during an arrest (Warning: Adult language and content).

These are just a few of the crazy crowds captured on video this weekend.
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4 in the Morning: Paper Time

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
It's time. Old-Timer Football Stars Fight Open a Bottle with Paper Miley Cyrus Birthday Cake
  1. This emotional activism/non-profit video from Australia is one of the weekend's most-viewed videos.
  2. A fight breaks out at CFL luncheon between former players Angelo Mosca, 74, and Joe Kapp, 73, following a highlight of a controversial tackle.
  3. Woody of WoodysGamertag provides this most-shared household tip.
  4. A lot of conversation around the star's comments in this video, which was posted by The Daily. As seen on E!
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Latest Trending Videos: The Week of November 26

November 27, 2011

Naughty kids, walking octopuses, and FENTON!: here are 10 of this week's top trending videos from YouTube Trends:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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Thanksgiving Revenge: Turkey Attack Videos

November 24, 2011

In honor of Thanksgiving in the United States, we thought it appropriate to discuss a frightening trend that comes to mind during this holiday: turkey attack videos.

In October, this video of a news producer getting harassed by a wild turkey (with the camera rolling) became a viral hit, picking up over 450,000 views.



Meanwhile, these children decided to play bullfighter with a turkey, that is until the turkey got fed up. This clip from the Philippines just took off this week in time for the holiday:



Seriously, these turkeys are fearless. This one was captured on video in January going right after a mail truck:



If there was a whole holiday dedicated to your demise, you might be angry too. Angry enough to ruin a children's soccer game.

Happy Thanksgiving. And be safe out there.
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4 in the Afternoon: Gorilla Grandma

November 23, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Internet Love Story Address is Approximate Grandma Tries Pop Rocks Going Gorillas
  1. Joined by friends, YouTube stars Charles & Alli Trippy get married in this Most Shared video.
  2. Google Street View combines with stop-motion in this short film.
  3. Title says it all on this now popular 2009 video. As seen on Reddit.
  4. Popular clip from Australian comedy pranksters Hamish and Andy.
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Rising Search: Thanksgiving Traditions

Some of the top rising searches today on YouTube are tied to some Thanksgiving traditions both new and old. There are lots of searches (and newly uploaded videos) from Ohio State's famous annual Mirror Lake Jump.



You can see another video here.

Meanwhile, others search for info on Adam Sandler's Thanksgiving song -- you can learn to play it on guitar yourself here -- while others seek out clips from the classic Peanuts "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."

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4 in the Afternoon: MotorMario

November 22, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Guys Scream for Bieber Motorcycle All We Ever Wanted Was Everything Real Life Mario Karts
  1. The most shared video of the day, a Macy's Black Friday spot, features -- surprise, surprise -- Justin Bieber.
  2. The latest from Old Spice. As seen on High Definite.
  3. Animated take on MGMT's single by director Ned Wenlock. As seen on Devour.
  4. From the LA Auto Show 2011. As seen on BuzzFeed.
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Adventures Abroad: Oh, the Places You'll Go (on YouTube)

This post was authored by Will Goodman, managing editor of CBSNews.com's The Feed, for a YouTube Trends series exploring viral video phenomena.

It's a big wide world out there. So many sites to see and people to meet. While I would recommend everyone take some time to travel and experience it for himself or herself, let's be honest: we can't all drop everything and go to Morocco. Luckily, YouTube offers us all a unique modern opportunity to take in many of these sights and sounds vicariously.



We take a trip to Turkey for our first example of the globe-trotting travel videos. What really stands out about this first video is it takes something so seemingly common as a person purchasing ice cream and transforms it into a wondrous performance. And it’s far from the only one you can find on YouTube. Just type in“Turkish Ice Cream” and you will discover a whole genre of just this particular type of showmanship in action.



And where showmanship was on display in the previous video, now we get a display of pure skill. Take something as mundane as serving up cakes to customers and see what can happen when a certain level of speed and skill are applied. This time there is no real performance by the person on display, simply someone doing their job at a level of speed and skill that is amazing to behold. If for some reason they ever did create a cake serving competition in the Olympics, I would bet money this woman would take the gold.



So where we started with showmanship and then transitioned into skill, now we’re focusing on the subject of craftsmanship. There is something hypnotizing about watching the creation of a single chess piece by hand in this video.
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4 in the Morning: Flour Physics

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Flour House Slingshot Physics Baruch Students and Police FEN-TON
  1. With just a little lack of supervision, two children make the biggest mess you could possibly make with a bag of flour in this Most Shared video.
  2. Destin of Smarter Every Day travels to Germany to create this video with YouTube's slingshot master. As seen on Devour.
  3. The scene at New York City's Baruch College where protesting students clashed with police officers Monday.
  4. Labrador chasing red deer in Richmond park, London, much to the frustration of his owner. As seen on Daily Wh.at.
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4 in the Afternoon: Rollin Alpine

November 21, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Rolling in the Deep Family Cover Black Friday Commercial Blind Kitten's First Toys Alpine Coaster
  1. The Vazquez siblings' take on Adele's hit single is the biggest thing on YouTube in Mexico right now.
  2. Kohl's Black Friday spot, which features a certain well-known YouTube tune, is one of our top trending videos.
  3. Adorable video of a blind kitten named Oskar playing with his first toys. As seen on Reddit.
  4. A terrifying, single-pipe alpine coaster in Mieders, Austria. As seen on The Feed.
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Most-Viewed: Incident at UC-Davis

Some of the weekend's most-viewed videos came from the University of California at Davis where protesting students were involved in an incident with police officers wielding pepper spray.

Here's one of the most-shared of clips from the event, which has been seen over one million times in the past few days:



Another video, also with several hundred thousand views, captured the incident from an opposite angle.



Then, on Sunday, this video of students' silent protest as Chancellor Linda Katehi walked from her office became a top trending video:

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4 in the Morning: Sideline Have It

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Ella's Gotta Have It Students Pepper Sprayed Sideline Scream Egypt Riot Police
  1. From the post title on Reddit: "Wanted my brother to film my newborn with his DSLR camera, just for a simple home video. He made this instead..."
  2. This footage from UC Davis was one of the weekend's most-shared and most-viewed videos. More info here. The other angle.
  3. Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy's daughter and her foul-shooter-rattling scream are one of the weekend's top trending videos. As seen on CBS Sports.
  4. Footage from Cairo this weekend where protesters clashed with riot police forces.
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Latest Trending Videos: Week of November 19

November 20, 2011

Backflips, go-carts, and a shell: here are 10 of this week's top trending videos from YouTube Trends:

(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

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4 in the Afternoon: Robot Chef

November 18, 2011

Twice each day we scan our YouTube metrics as well as websites on the cutting edge of internet culture to discover the most buzzed about videos.
Drift Dubstep Robot Dance Cast Iron Cook Daughter Chose Dark Side
  1. Motorcyclist Jorian Ponomareff shows his skills in this clip that's very popular internationally.
  2. Impressive dancing from Denmark. As seen on Geekosystem.
  3. Jason Schwartzman hosts Super Chef on Sesame Street. As seen on Daily Wh.at.
  4. One little girl has one very evil little laugh. As seen on Videosift.
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