AOL today announced the year’s top searches based on the topics that received the highest volume of online queries on AOL Search and AOL Video Search. The rise in online video this year unveiled a new wave of results dominated by music and entertainment.

"This annual list is always a fun way to look back at the year and see what sparked interest,” said Timothy Tuttle, Ph.D., Vice President, AOL® Video. “One of the biggest trends online in 2006 was video and millions of people turned to AOL to find everything from music videos and concerts, to TV, movies and sports highlights, to the most popular viral videos."

“Weather” was the most popular word searched on AOL Search, while AOL® Video Search was used most to find videos and information about things and people in the entertainment world, leading with the iPod (no. 1), 50 Cent (no. 2), BMW (no. 3), and Jessica Simpson (no. 4). Cars (no. 5) and movies (no. 6) were also popular on AOL Video Search, while the rest of the list was dominated by musical artists, including Ashlee Simpson (no. 7), Paris Hilton (no. 8), Chris Brown (no. 9) and Britney Spears (no. 10).

In addition, a number of newsmaking and newsbreaking videos such as Weird Al Yankovic's "White and Nerdy" rap parody and Michael Richards' infamous comedy club performance experienced significant activity on AOL Video Search, creating an online buzz that spilled over into mainstream media.

As professional talent took over the AOL Video Search Top 10 list, amateur musicians gained popularity on AOL Search. “American Idol” was one of the most common search terms (no. 4) on AOL Search this year, becoming even more popular than “horoscopes” (which dropped from no. 2 in 2005 to no. 9 in 2006).