VOTE: What's Trending Top Topics Of 2014
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - It is that time of the year for us to look back and reflect on the best and worst moments of the past 12 months.
Everyday on CBS 11 News at 4 and (sometimes on CBS 11 News at 11), it is my pleasure to bring you "What's Trending" online. If you've caught the segment, we chat about what everyone is sharing, tweeting, liking and favoriting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and any other social media site out there.
I've put together a list of some of this year's top trending stories, but I want you to narrow it down for me. There are a couple of things I want you to know about this list. Of course, things like Robin Williams death, the Ebola outbreak, and Maylasian Flight 307 were huge trending topics this year. However you won't find them on this list. I have tried to include those funny, heartwarming, and inspiring stories that dominated social media this year. Also, I have added a few of our homegrown viral stars to the list, but you will have final say about whether they make the cut.
There are 15 choices, and you can vote for 5. We'll reveal the most popular picks New Year's Eve on CBS 11's countdown to 2015 special, starting at 11:30 p.m. on 12/31! Scroll below if you need a recap of the stories.
All By Myself LipDub in Airport
When Richard Dunn found himself all alone in a Las Vegas airport, he made a lip dub for Celine Dion's hit "All By Myself."
Millions watched it within the first few days, including Celine herself. She invited Dunn to see her show the next time he was in town.
Paul McCartney & Warren Buffett Selfie
A teen's photo of himself and two guys sitting on a bench captured worldwide attention.
16-year-old Tom White played it cool, as he snapped a selfie worth more than 60 billion dollars.
Not the picture itself -- but the people in it, including billionaire Warren Buffett sitting next to Beatle Sir Paul McCartney on a bench in Omaha.
The pair had just finished eating dinner and ice cream, according to Omaha.com, when white saw them and took this picture.
The pic was the night before McCartney's concert in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Ellen's Oscar Selfie
It's the selfie that literally shut down Twitter, the most retweeted photo ever on twitter with nearly three million tweets since last night.
It started with Ellen DeGeneres, as the host of the Oscars, who asked to take a selfie with Meryl Streep and she kept inviting more of the surrounding celebrities into the photo, like Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts and Kevin Spacey, Lupita Nyong'o and half of Jared Leto.
First Kiss With Strangers
It was a strange experiment with total strangers.
An amateur photographer divided twenty people who had never met before into couples and then asked them to kiss each other within seconds of saying hello. Nearly 100 million people have watched the video.
Budweiser Puppy Love Commercial (Super Bowl)
Even before the Super Bowl, the nation got to experience Puppy Love.
The commercial showing a special friendship between a puppy and a Clydesdale captured the hearts of football fans and everyone else.
Kim Kardashian Butt Picture
Remember that one day when Kim Kardashian broke the internet?
Paper Magazine posted its two very revealing winter edition covers online and one shot in particular was circulated everywhere. It showed off one of her most famous assets and had everybody talking.
Young Rangers Fan Gives Girl Foul Ball
A young Texas Rangers fan got national attention for what he did after he caught a foul ball.
Austin Cheney was seen giving a baseball to an older, pretty girl sitting behind him after he caught a foul ball.
He visited the CBS 11 studio with his mom and explained there was an innocent explanation for why he gave her the ball.
"Well, we were at the rangers game... she was the first person I saw," he said.
iPhone Bend Gate
Shortly after the release of the iPhone 6 Plus, some users said they've found a problem with Apple's newest gadget.
Many people reported their phones bent after they sat or bent over with the phone in their front pocket.
One user posted video of him bending his phone using his hands to YouTube.
Let It Go (Anything & Everything)
The song of the year had to be "Let It Go" from Disney's Frozen. From parodies to sing-a-longs, adults and kids got their fill of the inspirational song. One of our favorites comes from DBU student Brian Hull, who sang the song with the voice of 21 different Disney and Pixar characters.
The video of the original is inching close to 400 million views on YouTube and it got so bad that Frozen's director apologized to parents who had to listen to the song over and over again.
Between Two Ferns With Zack Galifinakis
In between starring in comedies, Zack Galifinakis showcased his interviewing skills in 2014, holding sit down conversations with President Barack Obama and Brad Pitt. The interviews are filled with awkward, laugh out loud moments and have racked up about 10 million YouTube views combined.
Devil Baby
Hidden cameras captured some hilarious reactions earlier this year, when some New Yorkers took it upon themselves to try to soothe a crying, unattended baby.
But instead of a sweet innocent infant, they found themselves face to face with "Devil Baby," a robotic baby, in a remote controlled stroller that pops up and scares the pants off unsuspecting people.
The baby screamed, vomited, and made inappropriate hand gestures. It was all part of a promotion to get people talking about a new film, and it worked. The video had 10 million views in one day.
Reporter Who Quit On Live TV
A former Alaska television reporter had a couple of surprises for the audience and her boss as she filed a report on a medical marijuana group.
"I, the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, f*** it, I quit," said Charlo Greene during a live broadcast of the news.
Greene, who is a UTA grad, apologized for using foul language and said she did it to bring attention to the fight to legalize marijuana.
The station also apologized and confirmed Greene had been fired.
World Cup (Anything & Everything)
For one month this summer, the globe was captivated by the World Cup.
The competition finished second on Google's most searched list for the year, and Facebook named it the top trending topic worldwide for the year.
In America, soccer fans celebrated watching Team USA make it to the Round of 16, only to lose a heart-breaker to Belgium 2-1.
Goalie Tim Howard's memorable performance in that final game made him a trending topic and instant American hero.
Football Players Motivational Speech
A high school football player may have a future career as a motivational speaker.
Apollos Hester is a wide receiver for a Georgetown, Texas high school.
His post-game interview with a television reporter went viral when she asked about the team's slow start to the game.
"If you fall down, just get up. if you can't get up your friends are there to help you up, your momma's there, your daddy's there, god's there, hey I'm there to help you up! you're there! it's gonna be all right," he said enthusiastically.
Click here to watch the whole speech.
Ice Bucket Challenge
If you dumped a bucket of ice cold water over your head and posted the video on Facebook, you were part of one of the year's biggest online trends.
More than 17 million Ice Bucket videos were shared on Facebook from June to September. Everyone from former President George W. Bush (who had the most widely watched video with 39 million views) to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg got in on the fundraising effort, which helped raise more than $100 million for the ALS Association.
