"Galactica" Gains in Buzz
Wednesday March 15, 2006 11:00AM PT
Battlestar Galactica
|
About a week ago, in a galaxy not so far away, a giant cluster of science fiction fans tuned in to the season two finale of Battlestar Galactica. We discovered, once we crawled out from under the Third Rock From the Sun, that the SciFi Channel's original series is pretty popular. Searches on the show rank in the top 2,000, and its buzz was up 59% this week.
Hailed by critics as an expertly crafted drama series -- not just science fiction -- this new version of the '70s franchise is making cosmic waves with fans and searchers. All in spite of a definite lack of Lorne Greene, snazzy silver Cylons, and Muffit, the teddy bear wonder robot.
What's so stellar about Battlestar Galactica? Critics jeered the original as a blatant, campy Star Wars rip-off. But more than 25 years after the show signed off, legions of fans are still devoted to Galactica, and the new vision of the universe is seriously edgy. With women playing such key roles as the former president, a kick-ass star fighter named Starbuck, and a fearsome blonde robot who kills babies, the show has taken off on TV and in Search. Other popular Battlestar Galactica queries include searches for spoilers, an episode guide, and the cast.
Though we missed out on the season finale, we plan to catch up on DVD. But with Galactica's success, we still can't suppress a shudder thinking about which other short-lived series may end up getting the 21st-century makeover. My Mother the Car, maybe?
Big Buzz on Bettie
Wednesday March 15, 2006 3:00AM PT
Notorious Bettie Page
|
The 1950s was the era of Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, and the Beav, but it was also the age of Bettie. Throughout much of that decade, cult model Bettie Page steamed up photographers' cameras posing as a queen of the jungle, dominatrix, and oh-hello-there girl at the beach. To see Bettie grinning from beneath her trademark bangs and brandishing her gorgeous gams was to glimpse a little slice of heaven -- if heaven could ever be naughty, too.
When Bettie disappeared from the scene, she left her fans scrounging through thrift store bins for back issues of cheesecake mags emblazoned with her image. But then came the Web. And what better use for the Internet than tracking down vintage photos of a buxom girl in a peekaboo pose? Searches for Bettie Page pictures, wallpaper, tattoos, and hair have been popular ever since. Our favorite queries illustrate Bettie's sweet-to-saucy range: Her mermaid, devil, and Christmas poses have all pouted and preened online.
Now, with bio-pic The Notorious Bettie Page (starring Vanity Fair "It" girl Gretchen Mol) set for release in April, buzz on Bettie couldn't be hotter. She spiked 862% in Search yesterday, and sashayed into our top 155 movers. And her va-va-voom seems to appeal to both genders -- almost 40% of the searches for the "Girl with the Perfect Figure" come from the ladies. May the age of Bettie live on.
Answering Search Questions
Tuesday March 14, 2006 5:00PM PT
Christy Romano
|
Who: Christy Carlson Romano
What: Up 379%
Where: Stone cold chillin' at the neighborhood ice rink
Why: The spunky actress stars in the direct-to-video Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold. Imagine Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights without the cameo from Patrick Swayze. Whether that makes it better or worse is up to you.
Who: Isaac Hayes
What: On the rise? You damn right!
Where: No longer in South Park, that's for sure
Why: The actor who voiced South Park's Chef quit the show, explaining he's sick of the program's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion. Co-creator Matt Stone claims Hayes' departure is really a response to the infamous Scientology episode. Goodbye, children!
Who: Buddha Boy
What: Buddha Boy's a Buzz Breakout! Contemplate that five times fast.
Where: Nobody knows. The master of meditation, believed by many to be the reincarnation of the Buddha, has disappeared.
Why: Authorities believe 16-year-old Ram Bahadur Bomjan, who allegedly had been meditating since last May, left voluntarily after being bothered by one too many devotees. A massive search is under way.
Who: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
What: Up 95%
Where: Back on the tube, getting another shot at prime-time glory
Why: Best known as Elaine from Seinfeld, the actress is receiving a bunch of buzz thanks to The New Adventures of Old Christine. Get out!
Who: Katie Couric
What: Up a perky 86%
Where: Will Katie stay at NBC or will she make a break for CBS?
Why: The master of morning info-tainment has been rumored to be a flight risk for the Peacock Network. We're not sure audiences will buy the sad clown as an evening news anchor, but, hey, stranger things have happened (the slimming of Al Roker, for example).
Forever Young
Tuesday March 14, 2006 11:00AM PT
Young Jeezy
|
What's the upside to being young? Well, there's no mortgage to pay and no boss to hide from. And the mature can blame any past misdeeds on "youthful indiscretions" -- making age, or lack thereof, the perfect out for any skeletons looming in your closet. In a society where youth and the appearance of it are valued above all, the cranky old fogeys of Buzz wondered what childlike searches were blossoming in Search. Here are the top searches for the young-at-heart...
Who knew that rap placed such import on the innocence of youth? Eight of our top ten "young" searches are rappers attempting to keep it real by staying in a state of suspended adolescence. To flip the script on the rap game, we investigated immature searches where "young" wasn't the first word we saw. Here are our alternative top 10 youngsters...
Contagious Viral Videos
Tuesday March 14, 2006 3:00AM PT
Natalie Portman
|
Viral videos continue to infect
the Buzz, passing from inbox to inbox. Fevered searches on "viral
video" jumped 51% this week, and productivity went down the tubes as searchers sought out the next funny forward.
This week's roundup of viral highlights kicks off with the goofball rap phenomenon started by SNL's Lazy
Sunday clip. Attempting like mad to cash in on its newfound cred, Live
has increasingly given way to pre-taped digital shorts. A spot featuring actress Natalie
Portman doing a goofball rap of her very own triggered searches on "natalie
portman snl" and "natalie
portman rap," while boosting Buzz on the brunette beauty 27%. NBC later spoiled the party for YouTube fans when it demanded
that the clip be pulled
from the video repository and posted it to their own "official NBC viral site," taking the vitality
out of the viral.
An amazingly detailed live action re-enactment of the opening sequence of Buzz fave The
Simpsons also proved popular with searchers. Queries on "live
action simpsons" jumped 128% on Sunday as the video spread person to person across the nation.
Finally, a timely clip from the wilds of March
Madness slammed onto the Buzz this weekend.
It wasn't an outrageous dunk but a horrific injury. Searches on "allan ray video" and "allan ray eye video" jumped after the Villanova
guard was poked
in the eyeball during the Big East tourney.
Thankfully, Ray will
probably be able to play in the NCAA tournament, while the images of his poor eye getting smushed will live on forever on the Net.
Madness Encircles Buzz
Monday March 13, 2006 5:00PM PT
J.J. Redick
|
Interest in the NCAA Basketball Tournament just continues to grow, year over year. Without the Web and your insatiable thirst for college
hoops, we would likely be in the dark ages of bracketology, simply guessing at what would take place when brackets were announced. Even the once-staid boardroom boredom of "selection
sunday" (+472%) has become a capital 'E' Event on the sporting calendar.
With Sunday's enormous hoops hoopla and the blossom of millions of office
pools, we were inundated with college basketball search spikes. Here's a sampling of the madness...
Seeing Double in Search
Monday March 13, 2006 11:00AM PT
Ying Yang Twins
|
Dizygotic or monozygotic -- that's fraternal or identical twins to you and me. Whatever you call them, twosomes who've shared a womb hold a fascination for people. Are they more psychic? Do they share a secret language? And if they exhibit that certain babe quality, will they pose for Maxim? Not all twins have centerfold potential, but they mesmerize searchers nevertheless, in this order...
1. Ying Yang Twins. Half of the Atlanta rappers' crunk Search party is the teen set. Any crew who kicks it with Britney without burning up cred...well, we tip our hat to you.
2. Minnesota Twins. The team suffered a sad loss recently with the death of alum and Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett.
3. Olsen twins. The richest twins in America, if not the world, showed up at the Independent Spirit Awards and found a roast instead. Having passed the legal age of consent a couple years back, their Search constituents are trending boy heavy, at 6 out of 10.
4. Brewer twins. Studs Derek and Keith inspire lascivious searches with their runway modeling, enough to earn them fourth place. Brawn, beauty, and even some brains� extra credit to the cum laude model students.
5. Black and white twins. These little Nottingham darlings are fraternal sisters born to mixed-race parents. One inherited the black genes and the other the white, in million-to-one odds. Now that's what we call Yin Yang twins.
X-Men X-tracting Buzz
Monday March 13, 2006 3:00AM PT
X-Men 3
|
Making a superhero movie isn't easy. Diehard fans want to be entertained, but they also demand accuracy. The last thing a filmmaker wants to hear is: "Eh, it was OK, but they got Wolverine's claws wrong." Of course, comic adaptations must also be accessible. Not everyone knows the difference between Jean Grey and Dark Phoenix (count us among the confused), and filmmakers want everyone to enjoy (and pay for) their creations.
X-Men 3 hopes to satisfy everyone. Interest in the film rose 22% this week, and is currently in our top 700 searches. Signs indicate the flick will be a success, but there are causes for concern. For one, Brett Ratner, who counts Rush Hour as his chief contribution to American cinema, is directing. Secondly, Kelsey Grammer of Frasier fame plays Beast. From an uppity shrink to a ferocious mutant? Kelsey must have incredible range. And lastly, does X-Men 3 throw too many of these mutants into the fracas? We know sequels have to add new characters, but this is getting ridiculous.
Here are 10 of these characters in order of their Search popularity. Not surprisingly, Wolverine still rules the roost, but he'd be well advised to keep his claws sharp lest his power be usurped by the comely Mystique.
Weird Science?
Saturday March 11, 2006 9:00PM PT
Hairy Lobster
|
Would you believe us if we told you someone encountered a Yeti this week? Or met humans that walk only on their hands and feet? Welcome to Buzz Believe It or Not, where Search meets science, and everyone comes away amazed.
We begin with the most astounding story of all: the family that walks on all fours. On March 17, the BBC will air a documentary about five Turkish siblings that move naturally only on both hands and feet. These human quadrupeds may or may not suffer from a genetic abnormality that causes them to shuffle hunched over; experts aren't sure. Regardless, their story offers a startling look at human evolution, and it sparked intrigue in Buzz. Searches on "quadrupeds," "human quadrupeds," "bbc documentary," and "the family that walks on all fours" soared.
Next, we travel through the forests of Laos, where a whiskered little fellow with a head like a rat and a tail like a squirrel gave some humans a real shock last spring. At the time, scientists thought this "rat squirrel" was a brand new species. But real men know when to say they're wrong about taxonomy. Now, the authorities declare he's a member of a species they thought died off 11 million years ago. Yet there he is today, twitching and sniffing and going about his day -- and rustling up a few million years worth of buzz.
Finally, we descend into the dark realms of the South Pacific, where we find a creature so unusual that it demands an entirely new family of animal just to classify it. Now nicknamed "the Yeti crab," this beast is entirely white, blind, and coated in bristles. "Fine, hairlike filaments" cover its powerful front arms and tiny back legs. Pictures of the crustacean crawled out of obscurity into our most-popular news photos, and the story pushed "furry lobster," "hairy lobster," "yeti crab," "kiwa hirsuta" (its official name), and "new lobster" to the surface of Buzz. If the white crab met the Red Lobster, would they make pretty pink babies? Now that takes us beyond the realm of the believable.
Return of the Family
Friday March 10, 2006 5:00PM PT
The Sopranos
|
Twenty-one months in lockdown. Almost two friggin' years of cable reruns and DVD rentals. It was a sentence of cruel and unusual punishment, but now we're all up for parole. Long-suffering fans of The Sopranos will bust free of solitary when crime boss Tony Soprano returns to the air this Sunday night. So bring on the ziti. Dust off the track suit. Alert the New Jersey tourism board. The Sopranos are back.
Last Sunday, at seven days and counting down, the Buzz sensors picked up the first stirrings of Sopranos-related activity. Searches on the show muscled into our top 700 movers. Interest in "hbo sopranos," "sopranos season 6," and "sopranos new season" spiked. And the formidable James Gandolfini, followed by costars Michael Imperioli, Edie Falco, and Lorraine Bracco, kicked up some buzz.
Since then, interest in the cast, theme song, episode guides, soundtrack, and spoilers have all shown the proper respect, pulling out cigars and forking over their due. To help you kill time until the big moment, we're serving up a further sampling of some of our favorite Sopranos searches. Feast on this gabagool, and see you at the Bing Sunday night...
What's Hot in NYC?
Friday March 10, 2006 11:00AM PT
New York City
|
There's been a lot of talk lately about Hollywood being out of touch with the rest of the country. Who can say if Kansas truly agrees with George Clooney or not? But when it comes to cultural capitals that will never be in step with flyover land, there is one undisputed champion -- yep, we're talking about New York City.
The Big Apple seems to proudly and loudly defy logic and leanings. Where else can a vehemently Democratic electorate embrace a bevy of Republican mayors? Where else can $12 million buy you a studio apartment overlooking an alley? Where else can you get a really good knish? We could go on and on endlessly, but let's just hurry up and look at New York's top Buzz terms right now. Here's where the city stands with respect to the rest of this great nation...
Rounding the Bases
Friday March 10, 2006 3:00AM PT
Derek Jeter
|
Baseball's back, and we're covering all the bases in Buzz. First up, the World
Baseball Classic. While many predicted that the inaugural event would be a dud, searches on the World
Cup-style baseball tourney have been red hot. The Classic landed in
our top 5 sports searches for the past week, and queries on it jumped a whopping
375%. Related searches on "world baseball classic rosters," "world baseball classic schedule," and "
world baseball classic scores" all doubled over the past week.
Those looking for info on the tournament tend to hail from the warm-weather markets
where it's taking place -- San Diego, Phoenix, and L.A. top the list of
metros searching for the all-star event.
But the Classic isn't the only baseball item stealing sports buzz. Searches
on Giants outfielder Barry Bonds
jumped 102% this week after excerpts from a tell-all book detailing his steroid intake
appeared in the latest issue of Sports
Illustrated. What will happen to the tarnished legend? Fans seeking
answers sent searches for his team, the San
Francisco Giants, up 22%. Surprisingly, queries on the only two men who top Bonds in terms of home runs -- Babe Ruth (-10%)
and Hank
Aaron (-51%) are both on the decline -- exactly opposite the trend
we'd expect with the home-run record clouded by so many
steroid-fueled questions. The damning tome on Bonds is set to hit store shelves later
this month and provoked searches on "barry
bonds scandal," "barry bonds
stats," and "barry
bonds steroids."
Another sad story set against the backdrop of the diamond was the death of Hall of Famer Kirby
Puckett. His infectious smile and love for the game translated into an
outpouring of searches on the baseball great who passed away far
too soon. Queries went from zero into the tens of thousands following news
of the 45-year-old's death. Related searches on "kirby
puckett stats" and "kirby
puckett pictures" also spiked as fans sought out info on the Minnesota
Twins icon.
Polarizing Buzz
Thursday March 09, 2006 5:00PM PT
Michael Moore
|
Close your eyes and think of the last man in the world you'd ever take a road trip with. Depending on your political leanings, you likely said either Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore. Their views are as different as night and day, but the two bloated blowhards actually have a lot in common. Both are bestselling authors. Both have as many enemies as they do fans. And each boasts huge numbers in Buzz.
Of course, Rush's disciples and Moore's minions would probably rather watch the two play Twister than hear about their shared traits. So, instead of pointing out their mutual talent for never being wrong, we'll take a Search-based look at where the differences lie. As if that weren't obvious already...
Large Men, Larger Searches |
|
Rush Limbaugh |
Michael Moore |
| Rank in Buzz |
Top 2,500 Searches |
Top 7,000 Searches |
| Primary Means of Influence |
Blustery talk radio and books. |
Street-corner harassment and documentaries (like the upcoming Sicko). |
| Looks a Bit Like |
Karl Rove, but covered in sweat. |
Orson Welles -- the later years. |
| Most Embarrassing Moment |
The Pat Sajak Show incident. |
Every time he dresses himself. |
| Most Popular In |
Detroit, Dallas-Ft. Worth, St. Louis |
New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco Bay Area |
| Related Search Worth Pondering |
Rush Limbaugh lies |
Michael Moore lies |
Fake Presidents
Thursday March 09, 2006 11:00AM PT
Commander in Chief
|
Natural disasters, nuclear explosions, ninja attacks -- TV presidents deal with catastrophes every week (at 9/8 Central). We applaud their grace under fire, 'cause Lord knows we could never fake such heroics. Perhaps that's why we've never been elected to any office. Or maybe it's because three pretend presidents of prime time are already seeking your votes in Search.
The West Wing, 24, and Commander in Chief all feature rule-bending residents of the White House. But who's the most beloved by the voting public? Only one way to find out -- count the searches one by one...
| Three Presidents of Prime Time |
|
24 |
The West Wing |
Commander in Chief |
| Show's Rank in Buzz |
Top 500 Searches |
Top 3,000 Searches |
Top 10,000 Searches |
| President's Name (and possible inspiration) |
Charles Logan (Charles Bronson) |
Josiah "Jed" Bartlet (Jed Clampett) |
MacKenzie Allen (Spuds MacKenzie) |
| Political Party |
Ambiguous |
Democrat |
Libertarian. Just kidding, she's Independent. |
| Played By |
Gregory Itzin |
Martin Sheen |
Geena Davis |
| Character Best Described As... |
Dimwitted and spineless. |
A well-intentioned intellectual. |
Tough and unconventional. |
| Odds of Another Term... |
With the body count mounting on 24, it's far from a sure thing. |
No coup needed. This is The West Wing's last season. |
Provided ABC keeps the faith, Commander in Chief won't be vacating 1600 Pennsylvania any time soon. |
A Big Deal
Thursday March 09, 2006 3:00AM PT
Howie Mandel
|
How exactly did Howie Mandel worm his way back into our lives? The comic best known for inflating rubber gloves with his nose has gone from failed movie star to failed talk show host and finally back into the limelight with his hosting gig on Deal or No Deal. Searches on the shiny-headed master of ceremonies jumped 161% over the past week as the show plugged holes in NBC's sagging prime-time lineup.
The game show had a successful but limited run in late December, sparking searches in the middle of a dead holiday period on the tube. But now it's back, and while the network is resisting the temptation of massively overexposing it, a la ABC's
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, searches show that fans' appetite for the show is insatiable right now. Following its return to the airwaves, Buzz on it jumped 192% over the last week. Like Millionaire before it, Deal attracts an audience that skews older -- almost half of all queries come from the 35-54 age bracket.
Fans wanting in on the action are also heading to the Web. Searches on "deal or no deal online game" (+362%), "dealornodeal.
com" (+217%), and "dond.com" (+95%) have all gone bonkers as potential contestants look to play along from the comfort of their couch. And NBC might be happy to learn that the fictional home of hit show The
Office, Scranton, Pennsylvania, leads all metro markets in searches on Deal. Makes sense -- we can totally see Dwight Schrute as a big Howie fan.
Meet Matisyahu
Wednesday March 08, 2006 5:00PM PT
Matisyahu
|
Although most folks who plastered Bob Marley posters in their college dorms have since moved on to other genres, we've been true fans of reggae for a while. So when we heard a certain up-and-coming reggae artist was getting the big up, bwoy in Search, our ears perked up -- Matisyahu is no typical reggae singer.
Some time after being born Matthew Miller in 1979 and spending his teen years as a Deadhead (and Phish--head?), Matisyahu settled down in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and adopted the Lubavitch Hasidic practices of Judaism. During his religious awakening, Miller also immersed himself in reggae and hip-hop.
Fast-forward to March 2006. With the release of his new album, "Youth," Matisyahu's buzz climbed 71% this week, and the world's only Hasidic reggae singer took center stage in the Buzz, ranking in the top 500 search terms. Two songs from "Youth" also got major play in Search this week: "King Without a Crown" rose up 28%, and the title track, "Youth," grew 190%.
Matisyahu's brand of reggae mixes in beat-boxing, hip-hop and rock styles. Reggae purists may not approve, nor appreciate the fact that Matisyahu will probably never be mistaken for Jamaican, but the energy and positive message of his music seem to be rising to new heights in Search.
The Hotness of King George
Wednesday March 08, 2006 11:00AM PT
George Clooney
|
If Sunday night's coverage of the Academy Awards was any indication, Hollywood has a new king. Never mind that this triple threat (actor, director, producer) only won one Oscar, George Clooney was the life of the party. Everyone wanted to chat with him, and even his new tuxedo was a topic of conversation.
George's star is also buzzing fiercely. In the week leading up to the Oscars, he rocketed up the Buzz charts to shine in our top 600 searches. On award day alone, 90% more people were searching on him than the day before. Don't assume it's all ladies checking up on ol' George either. A whopping 40% of searches for the Hollywood hunk came from the gentlemen. And it looks like Clooney is hottest with his age bracket (35- to 44-year-olds), but the next bracket up (45- to 54-year-olds) is trailing closely behind. Good thing too, because George turns 45 this May. Maybe he's doing some advanced marketing?
Related searches for King George run from the serious ("george clooney movies," "george clooney biography," and "george clooney pictures") to the fun ("george clooney lake como," "george clooney shirtless," and "george clooney dating"). Clooney-watchers in Cincinnati, New York City, and Buffalo are the most fanatical about staying on top of their man's every move, while those in La-La Land lag a few paces behind - not unlike those pesky photogs who trail King George everywhere, much to his dismay.
Darling Dolly
Wednesday March 08, 2006 3:00AM PT
Dolly Parton
|
When Dolly Parton took the stage at the Academy Awards Sunday night, we couldn't help but gape once again at her two most-talked-about wonders. We were also awed by her impossibly small waist, impossibly large lips, and impossibly blonde tresses. And then, as she belted out her Oscar-nominated tune, we ventured the impossible-not-to-ask question: How old is Dolly, anyway?
We weren't the only ones. From the moment Dollywood met Hollywood on the red carpet last weekend, curious fans pushed searches on the singer's birthday and age up the Buzz charts, while more straightforward searchers blatantly wondered "how old is dolly parton"? It's so rude to ask, but here's the answer: She's an astounding 60 years old, more than some of it neatly tucked, lifted, and enhanced inside that sparkly white cowgirl outfit.
Moving past the (alleged) 40DD proportions and 365 platinum wigs, it's impossible not to love Dolly. Reese loves her. Naomi loves her. Gay men love her. And the Buzz loves her, too. General searches on the country queen, her biography, and her photos also spiked Sunday, pushing her into our top 200 movers and scoring as big with women as with men. Even "dolly parton hot" winked an eye. Not bad for a 60-year-old lady.
As for you cynical New Yorkers who wouldn't be caught dead humming along, prepare yourselves for a little bit of "Hello, Dolly." A stage version of 9 to 5 will reportedly hit Broadway next fall. What a way to make a living.
