TelevisionWeek is trawling video-sharing Web sites to find the hottest clips spreading on the Internet.



The setup: Let this be a reminder to all on-air talent: Check your mike before engaging in casual bathroom cellphone chatter. During CNN’s coverage of President Bush’s live speech Aug. 29, the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, CNN anchor Kyra Phillips’ chit-chat with a girlfriend inadvertently played on-air over the president’s words. After dispensing man advice to the pal on the other end and pointing out that her own husband is a “really passionate, compassionate, great, great human being,” Ms. Phillips dissed her brother’s wife as a “control freak.” That surely earned points with the hubby, but probably not with the in-laws. In an official statement, CNN said, “It was a technical malfunction with the audio board. We are addressing how this happened and why it was not more promptly corrected on-air.” And lest we think she was on a potty break, that zipper sound came from her makeup bag, insiders said, not from, ahem, an article of clothing.

The source: Viral video fiends leapt on the CNN clip, posting it to YouTube, Break.com and several blogs shortly after the speech.

The hits: By Sept. 1, the clip had generated about 1 million views on YouTube and 232,000 on Break. Kyra Phillips was also the most-searched-for blog term Aug. 30, according to Blog tracker Technorati.



VIDEO: Bathroom Banter