Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

If you ask me, “Happy Birthday” might be one of the greatest songs ever composed. Not only are the lyrics simple and customizable, but the song also ensures that we wash our hands for an adequate amount of time (hummed twice from beginning to end, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). That sets the bar high for songwriters interested in entering a new contest by WFMU and the Free Music Archive to find a copyright-free substitute—licensed under Creative Commons—to the mundane birthday ditty. Submissions are due Jan. 13.

Social Media Today suggests we find a substitute for the word “influential”—in fact, the website wants us to banish it from our vernacular, particularly when we mean “popular” instead. According to Douglas Karr: “Popular people or brands have a lot of people that like them. Influential people or brands have people who trust them.”

I imagine online reviews are a great tool for brands looking to build that trust with consumers. Unfortunately for McDonald’s, its Yelp reviews are more laughable than they are helpful. The Huffington Post shares 13 of the most ridiculous ones.

It was this ridiculous review of the new film adaptation of “Les Miserable” that went viral over the holidays thanks in large part to Reddit. The brief synopsis from Sam Richardson—featuring Wolverine, Catwoman, the Gladiator, Borat, and others—is almost more entertaining than the musical. If only I’d had popcorn while reading it.

RELATED: A Reddit cheat sheet for PR and marketing pros

Certainly less entertaining for members of the Bush family to read was an obituary for George H.W. Bush published mistakenly by German magazine Der Spiegel. The obit was released on Sunday, just hours after a family spokesman had announced that the 88-year-old former president was recovering from illness.

Sadly, death was a brutal reality for far too many members of the media in 2012. According to The Guardian, there were 121 deaths last year, up 13 percent from 2011 (107 deaths) and 22 percent from 2010 (94 deaths), based on data from the International Federation of Journalists.

Meanwhile, Korean pop sensation Psy announced he’s starting a new year by lying to rest his signature hit, “Gangnam Style.” MTV News explains.

RELATED: 4 media relations tips from YouTube’s most popular video ever

Speaking of a new year, Wired looks back on predictions for 2013 it published in 2003. See what the magazine got right and got (terribly) wrong, as well as its forecast for the next 10 years.

Richard Branson’s forecast is for companies to give their employees the same freedoms they reserve for upper management. In a story for Entrepreneur, the Virgin Group founder explains how the policy not only shaped his company, but also helped his employees succeed as they pursued their passions.

One of my passions is cheap champagne, and let me tell you, I paid for my pursuit of that passion after this New Year’s Eve. I’ll assume I wasn’t alone, however, given BuzzFeed’s gallery of seven humorous hangover ads.

Is there something you think we should include in our next edition of #TheDailySpin? Tweet me @iquotesometimes with your suggestions. Thanks in advance.

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