AOL Reveals Top Stories & Searches for 2010

Plus, Top Weekly Videos & Local Content Highlights

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AOL Inc. today revealed top AOL stories and searches of 2010, the most popular AOL videos of the week and leading local articles and events on City's Best and Patch.

“This year Americans were also clamoring for credible content on everything from bedbugs to BP oil spill updates. Betty White emerged as a top trend and controversy fuels online traffic, making Tiger Woods the year's top celebrity”

"The top ten stories of the year on AOL reflect the diverse interests of our audience and the broad range of coverage our network provides on everything from breaking news and military family reunions to celebrity break ups and local heroes," said David Eun, President of AOL Media & Studios. "With 110mm UVs/month¹ on 'America Online', we have our fingers on the pulse of America, online. We strive to put our finger on the pulse of what America cares about and what content is really resonating."

The 2010 year-to-date top stories on AOL based on click-through ratio (CTR) are as follows:

TOP 2010 STORIES ON AOL

1. Fossils in Backyard (AOL News) – Prehistoric fossils, believed to be anywhere from 30,000 years old to 2 million years old found in family’s backyard
2. Father Surprises Teen (AOL News) – A soldier away on active duty in the Middle East surprises his graduating daughter by appearing on a pre-recording video during graduation
3. Coleman's Ex Breaks Silence on His Death – Gary Coleman’s estranged wife defends taking him off life support
4. Jenna Lord's Body Found (AOL News) – Body of missing mother, who vanished over the Fourth of July weekend, was recovered in Camden, NJ
5. 2 Killed, Dozens Injured in Highway Collision (AOL News) – Two Missouri school buses packed with students on their way to an amusement park involved in a deadly freeway crash
6. Kathy Griffin Banned from CNN (PopEater) – Comedienne banned after dropping the f-bomb during a New Year’s Eve hosting gig
7. Al & Tipper Gore Separate (AOL News) – The political couple separates after 40 years of marriage
8. 'Frugal' Woman Leaves City $4.5M (AOL News) – After 98 years as a cheapskate, Verna Oller left millions to her hometown, Long Beach, Wash
9. Voluptuous Blonde (AOL News) – Wikileaks story about sultan of Oman Moammar Gadhafi’s mistress
10. Little League Coach Rescue (Fanhouse) – Little league baseball coach Darin McGahey drowned after saving some of his players

"This year Americans were also clamoring for credible content on everything from bedbugs to BP oil spill updates. Betty White emerged as a top trend and controversy fuels online traffic, making Tiger Woods the year's top celebrity," added Jon Brod, President AOL Ventures & Local who oversees the company's search business.

Top 2010 AOL Searches

Based on millions of search inquiries on AOL, here are the people, places and things Americans wanted to know most about:

Bedbugs -- Top Health
Tiger Woods -- Top Celebrity
BP Oil Spill -- Top News
Betty White -- Top Trend
iPad -- Top Shopping
Alice in Wonderland -- Top Movie

Celebrities

1. Tiger Woods
2. Justin Bieber
3. Lady GaGa
4. Sandra Bullock
5. Kate Gosselin
6. Robert Pattinson
7. Kim Kardashian
8. Heidi Montag
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Bret Michaels

News

1. BP Oil Spill
2. Unemployment
3. Haiti Earthquake
4. Toyota Recall
5. Tea Party
6. Kyron Horman
7. Chilean Miners
8. Anna Chapman
9. Chelsea Clinton Wedding
10. Wikileaks

A complete list of TOP 2010 AOL Search Terms can be found at http://hot.aol.com/

AOL.com and content properties across AOL feature an increasing amount of video. This week, some of the most popular videos on AOL were:

TOP WEEKLY AOL VIDEOS

1. This Lovely Scene Won't End Well - Compilation of wedding cake disasters
2. Matt Lauer Can't Stop Laughing – TODAY Show Anchor Matt Lauer laughs uncontrollably
3. They Didn't See Those Glass Doors Coming – Compilation of people running into glass doors
4. You’ve Got Joan Rivers – The comedienne and E! Fashion police riffs on fashion
5. Mom's Makeover Makes Son Cry – A young son who nominated his mom for Stylelist.com’s Makeover My Mom cries when her makeover is revealed

AOL.com's popular new "You've Got" video franchise featured recent appearances by Pete Wentz, Glenn Beck, Joan Rivers and Paula Deen. Upcoming talent includes David Hasselhoff, Sheryl Crow, Santa and his Reindeer, Rainne Wilson. The new AOL.com home page also features an AOL Cause Module. AOL launched its first tandem "You've Got" with Matt Damon and Water.org, helping drive 6X more site traffic than Water.org than on any other day. Overall, the new AOL Cause Module has generated over 611 million impressions for non-profit partners since launch. The most popular non-profit to date is the Shelter Pet Project.

MOST POPULAR LOCAL EVENTS ON PATCH

1. Arclight Cinemas Beach Cities Grand Opening (Redondo Beach Patch)
2. Christmas Tree Lighting and Visit from Santa Claus (Northport Patch)
3. Memorial Service and Celebration for Sam Raushenbush (Piedmont Patch)

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES ON CITY'S BEST

1. Let it Snow -- The Best Bars for Warm Holiday Parties (City's Best New York City)
2. Cool Corner -- Broadway & 29th Street (City's Best New York City)
3. Kandi Gets Real About Her Favorite Places (City's Best Atlanta)
4. Philadelphia Named Best City for Holidays (City's Best Philadelphia)
5. Underground Food Crafters Emerge for Holidays (City's Best Detroit)

Americans are running gift-buying errands this holiday season. The top holiday shopping searches on MapQuest are:

TOP HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEARCHES ON MAPQUEST

1. Walmart
2. Target
3. Best Buy
4. JC Penney
5. Toys R Us

AOL.com (www.AOL.com) links users directly to AOL’s “family of brands” including: AOL Autos (www.aolautos.com), Black Voices (www.blackvoices.com), Celebrity News (www.popeater.com), City’s Best (www.citysbest.com), Daily Finance (www.dailyfinance.com), Engadget (www.engadget.com), AOL Family (www.parentdish.com), Games.com (www.games.com), AOL Health & Diet (www.aolhealth.com), Horoscopes (www.horoscopes.aol.com), AOL Jobs (www.jobs.aol.com), Latino (www.latino.aol.com), MapQuest (www.mapquest.com), Moviefone (www.moviefone.com), AOL Music (www.music.aol.com), AOL News (www.aolnews.com), AOL Radio (www.radio.aol.com), AOL Real Estate (www.realestate.aol.com), FanHouse (www.fanhouse.com), StyleList (www.stylelist.com), Television (www.television.aol.com), Travel (www.travel.aol.com), AOL Video (www.video.aol.com), Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.aol.com); and services including: Downloads, Free Email, Lifestream, Mobile, PC Optimizers, and Toolbar.

About AOL

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a leading global Web services company with an extensive suite of brands and offerings and a substantial worldwide audience. AOL’s business spans online content, products and services that the company offers to consumers, publishers and advertisers. AOL is focused on attracting and engaging consumers and providing valuable online advertising services on both AOL’s owned and operated properties and third-party websites. In addition, AOL operates one of the largest Internet subscription access services in the United States, which serves as a valuable distribution channel for AOL’s consumer offerings.

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¹ November 2010 comScore Media Metrix