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'Friday' tops 2011 YouTube most-watched list

YouTube's list of the most-watched videos of the year tips its hat to the likes of Rebecca Black, a talking dog, and a pint-size Darth Vader.

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Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
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Amanda Kooser
Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black is the reigning queen of YouTube. Fun, fun, fun, fun. Rebecca Black

I have to confess that I'm not among the nearly 200 million viewers who have indulged in YouTube's most-watched video of 2011: Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video.

Hold on a sec, I'm going to go check it out... OK, I'm back. Someone, please get it out of my head. It hurts.

Ultimate Dog Tease video
This poor pooch was short a few treats, but had plenty of YouTube views. Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

According to YouTube's list of the most-watched videos of 2011, the runner-up for most-watched vid of belongs to a four-legged creature. "Ultimate Dog Tease" features a talking pooch being teased by an owner listing a variety of tantalizing meats. That one racked up almost 75 million views.

The rest of the list includes viral hits like "Saturday Night Live" music videos, Nyan cat, a "Star Wars"-themed Volkswagen ad, and a momma cat hugging a kitten.

YouTube also revealed its list of fastest-rising search terms. Ted Williams, the homeless man with the golden radio voice, took the top spot for January. More recently, Skyrim buzzed up a storm in November.

Many years in the future, cultural anthropologists will look back at the 2011 YouTube list and come to the conclusion that we were a "Star Wars"-obsessed, tone-deaf society with a penchant for anthropomorphic animals. Sounds pretty accurate to me.