The A.P. has released its list of the Top 10 viral videos of 2008, because they were sick and tired of getting all those emails and letters from people saying “Hey, when is the Associated Press going to announce what they think are the Top 10 viral videos of the year, this is getting ridiculous!”

1. Tina Fey As Sarah Palin
2. The Real Palin
3. Christian the Lion
4. Will.i.am’s “Yes We Can”
5. “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”
6. Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad
7. Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon (that’s A.P. talk for “I’m Fucking Matt Damon”)
8. Puppy Cam
9. Frozen Grand Central
10. Late-night Hosts Brawl

Now I don’t want to come to the A.P.’s work and slap the dick out of its mouth, but hey, A.P., get that dick out of your mouth! For one thing, half of these aren’t even viral videos. As far as I’m concerned, just because a clip from TV goes viral doesn’t make it a viral video, it makes it a clip from TV but on the internet. Not to be Professor Computer or anything, but Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impression got enough attention in the press, surely we could use this one destined-to-be-ignored news item for the recognition of things that were actually produced for the internet. And while I understand that this list is based on viewership more than editorial opinion, that doesn’t make it not lazy and incorrect. “Sarah Palin” is not a viral video. And the article doesn’t even link to any of the videos. Why is this making me so mad??!

Not that it even matters, since the inclusion of Wii.i.am in a list of Top anything other than Top Inmates In Hologram Jail renders the whole list conceptually bankrupt.