Whether mining some of the year's best films, the world of gaming, TV, or in fact, the very real world around us, 2012 was quite the year indeed for gut-busting laughs. Viral videos and memes may have reached their critical mass this year; it seemed like every few days a hilarious new video was cracking us up about something or another, and a number of these have remained lodged firmly in the public consciousness even as we move forward in 2013. Whether it's a political faux pas, smart in-jokes to events from year's past, or simply some of those hilariously spur-of-the-moment things that stupid people do, here are the 10 funniest moments from pop culture in 2012.
10. Mark Wahlberg vs Ted - Ted
Ted was one of the funniest films of last year, and proved above all else that Seth MacFarlane can craft an amusing feature film outside of the Family Guy remit (even if using the Peter Griffin voice was more than a little lazy). The film features Mark Wahlberg as a man who, as a child, wished that his teddy bear would come to life, and as an adult, he continues to live with this deep-voiced, foul-mouthed best friend, who nevertheless still resembles the play-thing that he ostensibly is. A hilarious premise in of itself is highlighted by one brilliantly funny scene, in which Wahlberg says to Ted, "Sometimes I just think I should have got a Teddy Ruxpin!", kick-starting one of the most brilliantly ludicrous fight scenes ever filmed. What's great about it, as MacFarlane notes himself, is the realistic brutality of the fight; it's shot like The Bourne Ultimatum, but has a freaking teddy bear fighting a guy instead of a trained assassin. It's a testament to Wahlberg's performance that he manages to make it so convincing given that, of course, he was essentially fighting himself when they shot the scene.