the buzz log
March 2008 Buzz
Madness doesn't even begin to describe the buzz in March. The tale of the apparent do-gooder brought down by his own wire transfers thrilled gossip-seekers, political newshounds, and calcified "Law & Order" scribes. However, it was Ashley Alexandra Dupre—alternatively know by searchers as "kristen" and "spitzer prostitute"—who burned up computer networks.
The "miss bimbo" query wasn't another Dupre alter ego, though you'd be forgiven for thinking so. Instead it refers to a U.K. website that lets kids play with a virtual doll... including buying her breast implants. And, in a month given over to the Beatles on reality TV shows and iTunes rumors, John Lennon's ex released a book about her arranged mistress-dom.
March wasn't all lust... It was also about basketball, politics and a Bear Stearns market. Celebrity babies came due, and while most people checked to see how mama was doing, a rare papa (Gabriel Aubry) got some online attention as well. Here are just some of the other searches that moved fast in this mad, mad, mad, mad month.
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Filed under: Monthly Wrapup, Basketball, Recaps, Scandals, Wrap Up
Where the Heck Is Davidson College?
During 2006's college hoops tourney, the role of Cinderella was played by George Mason University. In 2008, Davidson College has stepped into the glass slipper. Searchers are clearly digging their performance.
The liberal arts school with a student population of 1,700 is in the Sweet 16 and drawing searches by the thousands. Lookups on "davidson college," "davidson basketball" and "davidson wildcats" have all posted tremendous gains.
Fairweather fans looking to jump on the bandwagon pushed queries on "davison wildcats tshirts" and "davidson gear" to new heights. Other folks are more curious about where Davidson College is located. Queries on "where is davidson" and "davidson college location" are on the rise (answer: North Carolina).
While Davidson may not boast a marquee program, the sharp shooting Stephen Curry is making a name for himself. The son of ex-NBA star Dell Curry is on fire both on the court and in Buzz. Queries on the scoring machine are up 343% and will likely climb higher should Davidson pull off another upset over Wisconsin.
If you asked 100 people why they love March Madness, we'd guess at least 90 would say (in their best Dickie V voice), "it's the upsets, baby!" We'd have to agree. Seeing Davidson buck the odds has us excited enough to forgive 'em for busting our bracket.
Filed under: Basketball, March Madness
Michael Jordan, Back on the Buzz Court
According to The Times of London, basketball great Michael Jordan has settled divorce proceedings with his ex-wife, Juanita. The final deal? A record $168 million, a slam dunk of celebrity splits.
Some Windy City writers seized the moment to rhapsodize about the legendary Bulls star. But not everyone was buying it. At least one sports columnist rejected the claim—and felt a little miffed that a Brit broke the news, too.
Regardless of the statement's truthiness, the story alone was enough to boost buzz on "His Airness." Over the past week, searches for his pictures leapt 1,597%. Demand for his ever-popular shoes jumped. And queries for his name more than doubled.
A mammoth amount of money isn't the only thing passing the NBA champ up the Search chart. Before the divorce news hit, Jordan's son Jeffrey made his college debut on the court. Just the idea of another Jordan playing hoops scored "jeffrey jordan" a 2,051% rise. Demand for his brother Marcus and his mom also surged. For that moment, the entire family hung in the upper reaches of Buzz, in true Air Jordan style.
Filed under: Basketball, NBA, Divorce
Whiny Bryant Scores Big Buzz
The NBA season isn't even a week old and hoops buzz is off to a perfectly pouty start. Thanks to petulant superstar Kobe Bryant, searchers are curious about the soap opera surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant's whole trade-me-no-wait-don't act has worn thin in SoCal, but hoop heads have sent searches on the mopey malcontent up 10%.
However, Kobe's buzz isn't measured by searches on his name alone. Related queries on "kobe trade rumors," "kobe bryant chicago bulls trade," and "kobe bryant trade" give a big assist to buzz on the talented ballhog. The Lakers star also contributed to a recent rebound in searches on "nba rumors" and "lakers rumors." So will the temperamental titan of the court be traded? Data offers us no real insight, but we can predict this ongoing saga will continue to slam the Search box...
Filed under: Sports, Basketball, NBA
Oden's Out But Not Down
You gotta feel for the Portland Trail Blazers. Greg Oden, their top draft pick and the man many feel is destined to return the franchise to glory, will likely miss the entire 07-08 season with an injury.
Searches on the big man jumped big time, up 1,216% once the news hit. Related lookups on "greg oden blog," "blazers season," and "microfracture surgery" (the injury that will keep him on the bench) also spiked.
Grieving fans in Portland and Columbus, Ohio (where Oden attended college) accounted for the two biggest slices of the Search pie. We can't say that was much of a surprise, but we did find it interesting that Oden's NBA rival, Kevin Durant, experienced a 218% jump in the Buzz. It seems fans can't hear about one rookie getting injured without checking to make sure the other's OK.
Filed under: Sports, Basketball, NBA, Injuries
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.