12.08.09 - 12:00AM
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Urlesque Staff

Blogger's Choice -- 2009 Urlies

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2009 Urlies

2009 Urlies MEME | VIRAL VIDEO | REMIX | PHOTOBOMB/PHOTOSHOP | SINGLE-TOPIC BLOG | BEST BUYS | TWITTER TREND | COOLEST KID | VIRAL CAMPAIGN | WORST OF '09 | SITE | BLOGGER'S CHOICE | LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT | SEE ALL WINNERS

The Urlesque bloggers (or Urlbots, for short) typically get along very well ... that is until it's time to argue over what should be nominated for the year's Urlies. Since we can never agree 100 percent on which videos, memes and trends deserve the spotlight, we allow each blogger to show their undying love for one underappreciated nugget a year via the Blogger's Choice category.

And this year's Blogger's Choice picks are...

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day

Chosen By Jordan Breindel

I could spend all day looking at pictures of outer space, and with NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day, sometimes I do. It's the perfect combination of amazing, I can't believe these are real images and explanations so simple and comprehensive that even someone who's never even eaten a Milky Way can understand them. Honorable mention to Space Porn, a Tumblr that uses many of the same pictures.

Diana Campanella

Chosen By Eliot Glazer

They say laughter is contagious, but so is the joy elicited from watching an adult woman glisten from chest sweat inside her Arizona condominium all because of the power of Michael Jackson. Of Diana Campanella's performance of "Beat It," she writes, "It was time to just go for it and forget the consequences." And here's the thing: When an attractive, middle-aged woman loves to shake her booty, so much so that she films nearly 400 videos of herself performing "improvisational, spontaneous, informal, interpretive, freestyle dancing," my job is done. Thank you, Diana Campanella, for making 2009 the Net's best yet.

'The Wire' -- 100 Greatest Quotes (Language NSFW)

Chosen By Alex Moaba

This video compilation of 100 quotes from HBO's "The Wire" was one of my favorite things to hit the Internet this year. It's not a remix or a mash-up, because whoever spent hours and hours ordering and editing the thing (YouTube user hh1edits) was smart enough to let the brilliant material from the show's five-season run speak for itself. It swept through the entirety of the blogosphere in a matter of hours when it hit YouTube on Nov. 13, probably due to the target-rich environment of cultural connoisseurs who've spent the two years since the show wrapped searching for something to fill the gaping void of awesomeness it left. The highlight reel is an example of Web content at its finest: a video that brings die-hard fans of a particular niche classic together, allowing them to relive its glory and pass it along to other junkies or the as-yet-uninitiated. Not unlike a good garbage-can fire, it's worth huddling around for warmth and light.

Surprised Kitty

Chosen By Kelly Reeves

As one of the last truly viral clips to make the rounds this year, Surprised Kitty quickly overtook any candidates as my cat-lady blogger's choice. To me it's the perfect video: It's quick (17 seconds!), it features a kitten and it's ZOMG adorable. Betcha can't watch it just once.

The TJ's Song

Chosen By Lindsey Weber

From the hundreds of videos I'm forced to sit through each week there are very few that manage to not only elicit LOLs, but also stick in my mind as bona fide Web junk GOLD. With its catchy jingle, sublime rhymes, low-fi camera and relate-able subject (TJ's! <3), Carl Willat's "If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe's" might actually be a commercial (we're not completely sure) but still manages to win my heart with every play. Seriously, Trader Joe's: If this isn't some sort of super-top-secret viral TJ's ad, it needs to be. From "the apple juice that's addictive as crack" to "dried bull penises done up in a braid," this short vid proves that not only does TJ's truly have it all (PLUG!), but more actual advertisements need to be as good as this non-one is.

All 2009 Urlies Winners