the buzz log

Malakar-mania continues to dominate all conversations about "American Idol." Most armchair analysts are wondering why Sanjaya's still involved, and yet others are speculating about a possible victory.

Sanjaya's rough performance of a Kinks tune didn't slow down search activity. Searches on "sanjaya malakar" jumped another 169% this week and queries on "sanjaya malakar sucks" and "sanjaya malakar gay" haven't hurt his momentum.

His sister's bodacious appearance in the audience didn't go unnoticed either. Searches on "shyamali malakar" jumped 968% after the broadcast featured the curvy cutie rooting for her brother. Related queries on "shyamali malakar pics" and "shyamali malakar hooters" also made their presence felt.

However, Shyamali wasn't the only hottie heating up "Idol" searches. Haley hinted at her budding sex appeal during Diana Ross week with a low-cut dress that caused a minor stir. But the full-blown sex kitten get-up she busted out for British Invasion week caused folks to wipe the drool from their keyboards.

Searches on the leggy beauty jumped 259% this week and queries on "haley scarnato pictures" jumped an astonishing 1,249% the day after she boogied around in her hot pants and barely-there top. It's obvious she's taking a page from the Katharine McPhee sultry-brunette playbook, but her pipes are no match for Miss McPhee.

We stacked up the top 10 remaining contestants according to Search. Sing along with us...

A few final "Idol" notes and numbers...

—Searches on the presumptive final two are sliding. Both LaKisha (-57%) and Melinda (-33%) are slipping in interest. For all the talk about LaKisha's amazing ability, she's barely squeezing by Phil for the #9 spot on our list.

—Jordin Sparks jumped 48% and has momentum behind her after two strong weeks. She was also responsible for a search surge on "I Who Have Nothing" after her bravura performance on Tuesday.

—Peter Noone and Lulu both experienced Idol's halo effect with big spikes in Search. Herman's Hermits, the Kinks, and Dusty Springfield also received their due in Buzz.

—It wasn't a huge surprise that Stephanie Edwards got axed. She never moved out of last place in terms of Search interest. The big question is...who's next?