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Although they not be the “best” videos of the year, or even the most culturally significant, below are the videos [in no particular order] that I had the most fun watching and thinking/writing about for NewTeeVee in 2007.

Next to Heaven

Then: “I’ve watched about ten Next to Heaven episodes, and my favorite so far is probably episode 41, in which an ex-junkie describes replacing his addiction to heroin with an addiction to anti-drug education films –- particularly those narrated by Paul Newman.”

Now: In September, Rob Parrish’s series won the big prize at NewTeeVee’s NYC Pier Screening. That same month, Parrish wrapped up NtH’s first, year-long season, with the promise of new episodes in 2008.

Filipino Prison Thriller

Then: “The sheer visceral experience of watching actual criminals enact some kind of zombie prison rape in homage to Western culture? That tops any experience I’ve had on YouTube…this week.”

Now: Still my favorite “accidental” hit video of 2007, and a common pick on other year-end Top Tens, this is one YouTube phenom that could have lasting repercussions –- as Craig Rubens learned back in August, the clip may stand as evidence “in an ongoing prisoner rights abuse case.”

Midwest Teen Sex Show

Then: “I love Midwest Teen Sex Show…as a non-condescending, bona fide piece of sex education, MTSS is clearly on the cutting edge, of both online video and popular culture as a whole.”

Now: Not everyone is so enamored — Townhall.com’s Mary Graber, for example, has devoted two columns to slamming MTSS. But that kind of criticism makes me like it even more. Apparently I’m not alone; as of this writing, MTSS is #3 on iTunes’ Health/Sexuality podcast chart.

Jake & Julia

Then: “Practicing what she snarks against, [Julia] Allison seems to prioritize the gaze of the camera to that of her boyfriend. She’s far from clueless about the contradiction: all of that studying has taught her the importance of creating the conditions of celebrity all around her. It’s, like, a Horatio Alger story for our times.”

Now: Jake & Julia are, as of early December, no more. Jakob Lodwick infamously left/was fired from Vimeo, the site he co-founded; he is currently dropping hints about his next venture on his blog. Julia Allison is still posting clips at Vimeo, but disappointingly, she’s eased up on the professional/personal self-reflexivity. Her last video was about her dog.

Hillary’s Sopranos Spoof

Then: “I would never describe myself as a fan of Hillary Clinton, but I admit that I LOLed three or four times watching this clip. I still wouldn’t vote for Mrs. Clinton, but I might subscribe to her YouTube channel.”

Now: I don’t know if it’s the clips or the candidate, but I haven’t watched a Hillary video since. Have you?

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Predictions — like a fatty snack at a New Year’s Eve party, or that last glass of champagne in the wee hours of the morning, you are almost sure to regret them, yet sometimes you just can’t help yourself.

So although I can do without the trans-fat and am willing to forgo the bubbly, this year I can’t pass up a few lingering minutes at the crystal ball. To that end, I’ve taken seven of the more interesting stocks of 2007 and ranked them according to how I think they’ll perform in 2008. They are all stocks that inspired a good deal of passionate discussion and, for the most part, a good deal of capital gains.

First, listed in order of their 2007 price gains, the seven stocks I’ll look at are:

• Research In Motion (RIMM), up 166.3 percent
• Amazon.com (AMZN), up 134.8 percent
• Apple (AAPL), up 134.7 percent
• Google (GOOG), up 50.2 percent
• Microsoft (MSFT), up 20.9 percent
• eBay (EBAY), up 10.4 percent
• Yahoo (YHOO), down 8.9 percent

Before I make my forecast, the usual disclosure: As investment advice, this list is worth exactly as much as the money I’m putting in them: zero dollars and zero cents. The only advice implied here is not to confuse a year-end parlor game with trading ideas. And as always, feel free to leave your own list or your thoughts in the comments.

1. Google. Time and again, it’s been a mistake to bet against this stock. It may have an off quarter now and then and it may draw bad press, but the company still rules search. A slow economy would dry up ad dollars in general, but search ads might benefit as advertisers seek out the cheapest way to get their message to consumers. And if Google Apps make an impact, 2008 could be the year when Google brings in non-search revenue.

2. Yahoo. Yes, good ole black-and-blue Yahoo. 2008 will be a make-or-break year for the company, but 2007 was so hard on the stock that even a moderate recovery in profits could propel it higher. Like Google, it could benefit if weakness in print and television ads end up driving more ad dollars online.

3. Apple. The only thing standing in the way of this company’s path to even more fortune are its own potential missteps. Notably, William Safire predicted today a “pod push-back” that could damage Apple. I don’t see it, but it is interesting to note the meme of an Apple backlash is drawing mainstream mention.

4. Amazon.com. The stock has always been on a rollercoaster: $5 in 2002, $60 in 2003, $25 in 2006 and $95 just last week. The pendulum-like pattern suggests a selloff in 2008, but I think it’s more likely to see a merely moderate year. For a compelling longer-term argument in favor of Amazon, see this post from Fred Wilson.

5. eBay. Another flat-ish year for the company, I suspect, with growing investor impatience if it continues to merely tread water. Bears have been grumbling for some time that eBay would be better off split into three. That idea could gain steam if earnings start to disappoint.

6. Research In Motion. I don’t have anything against the company or its outlook, but I think this is a case of solid financials distorted by speculative enthusiasm. The stock’s 3 percent drop on the last day of the year could signal that investors are ready for a pullback.

7. Microsoft. Despite Steve Ballmer’s success in turning around this battleship, Microsoft remains most vulnerable to a slowdown in corporate IT spending. Beyond 2008, the company will do fine, but I think there’s a risk of a setback before then.

The wild card in all this is the overall economic forecast, which is as uncertain and hard to call as it’s been in a long time. Still, even though nobody knows how bad or how long the credit crunch will hurt, so far it hasn’t come close to curbing consumer appetite for innovative tech gadgets, which is good news for companies like Apple. And as long as it doesn’t slow overseas growth, that’s good news for companies like Google.

So there’s my list. Now to make it even more interesting, I created an entirely random list to compare to my own. Similar to tossing darts at a newspaper’s stock pages, I assigned each of these seven stocks a random integer, then ranked them (as I did the two lists above) in descending order. Here’s the outcome:

1. eBay
2. Research In Motion
3. Yahoo
4. Apple
5. Google
6. Microsoft
7. Amazon.com

As much thought as I put into my own list, I have to say the contrarian in me is rooting for the randomizer.

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