the buzz log
Blackouts, Eruptions, and Amendments: What's the Buzz
Our picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Brazil Blackout (+3,067%). A storm left 60 million in the dark,and now the government's busy defending its grid as the country preps for a good economy and the 2014 World Cup.
- Carl Sagan (+1,199%). His 75th birthday on Monday prompted a Stephen Hawking musical salute, and now people are surfacing up the astronomer's own musical talents.
- Mayon Volcano (+903%). Philippine's most active volcano is spewing again.
- Stupak Amendment (+563%). The US Conference of Catholic Bishops got the anti-abortion amendment into the health care bill, prompting concerns about its constitutionality and viability.
- Route 66 (+99%). The Santa Monica Pier got formal cred as the Western Terminus of the historic highway's 83rd anniversary.
Filed under: Health, Travel, Politics, Music, Weather, Science, Astronomy
Rick Roll, Poker Face, Mind Game: What's the Buzz
Our picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Rick Astley virus (breakout). An Aussie designer has inflicted the Rickroll on unlocked iPhones.
- Joe Cada (+1,021%). It's a numbers game: The youngest ever World Series of Poker winner, the 21 year old won $8.5 million. Now he can legally celebrate with a drink.
- Leukemia (+298). The cancer's getting a closer look after news of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's diagnosis. His rare chronic myeloid leukemia is "treatable."
- Artificial Christmas Trees (+130%). The spirit may be festive, but beware the environmental costs in faking.
- Mind Flex Game (+120%). The Mattel game that requires brainwaves to play debuted at CES in January, and went on sale October. Looks like a hot holiday item, price tag aside.
Filed under: Viral, Music, Poker, Trees, Christmas, Cancer, iPhone
Buzz Multiplex: This Is It
This, indeed, is it. The Buzz Multiplex has been cleared of all wide releases, as Michael Jackson's posthumous concert film continues to gain momentum. The massive online attention supports predictions that "Michael Jackson's This Is It" will be the "highest-grossing music documentary" to date and may even have Oscar potential.
The Wednesday premiere drew in more than $20 million around the world, and the film title continues to be entrenched in the top 700 searches on Yahoo!.
While some observers think Halloween might dampen box-office numbers, holiday celebrants will be paying their tribute to the late singer in many ways: "michael jackson costumes" have topped October costume searches on Yahoo!. That's not all: Expect weekend parties to pass out "michael jackson pumpkin pattern" for carving, play "michael jackson games," and practice the "michael jackson moonwalk."
Below, the online preparations that have been underway for a Jackson tribute:
Top 10 Michael Jackson Searches of the Week, as ranked by Yahoo! searches
- Michael Jackson This Is It
- Michael Jackson Videos
- Michael Jackson Songs
- Michael Jackson Thriller
- Michael Jackson This Is It Song
- Jackson 5
- Michael Jackson Lyrics
- Michael Jackson Thriller Video
- Michael Jackson Billie Jean
- Michael Jackson Beat It
Filed under: Movies, Music, Holidays, Celebrities, Halloween, Dead Celebrities, Michael Jackson
Crossbows, a New Drill, and the Sisterhood: Buzz Week in Review
Outbursts, rebukes, and undercover videos made for a raucous week, but the Buzz sat up and took notice of some tough femmes going on the offensive this week.
Prey Tell
In their maiden alligator hunts, two females armed with crossbows bagged some mighty big prey.
New mom Arianne Prevost, 23, took a break from diaper duty and snagged an 11-footer in Florida. Over in South Carolina, 16-year-old Cammie Colin was better known for being a softball player and a junior varsity cheerleader, until she went out in the dead of night with her male kin and brought down a gator measuring 10' 5" and 353 pounds. Their beginner's luck have
made them Fox News darlings
for being straight shooters. Both Florida and South Carolina issue limited hunting permits for alligators as part of state programs to control their reptile populations.
Drill Major Drill
Teresa King—or Command Sgt. Maj. to you—will be the first female top honcho of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School in Fort Jackson. The daughter of a sharecropper, King learned about strict discipline from the get-go with her dad being a strict disciplinarian to his 12 kids. A 28-year army vet who has served in South Korea and Europe, she'll start her new job Sept. 22.
Telling West Where to Go
The celeb sisterhood rallied around singer Taylor Swift after Kanye West lost his mind and his manners at the MTV Video Music Awards. West, who has a long history of speaking out, interrupted the 19-year-old's acceptance speech for Best Female Video. His behavior got a chorus of boos and even two presidential vetos, but the firmest slap-downs came from Pink, Katie Perry, Kellie Pickler, and Kelly Clarkson, who used firm and decidedly unladylike language in angry tweets and blog posts. Since the Sunday outburst, West apologized on "Jay Leno," his website, and finally to Swift herself after she appeared on the ultimate sisterhood cocoon, "The View."
Also buzzing this week...
- A passing of three entertainment eras with the deaths of Henry Gibson; Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Patrick Swayze...
- Dan Brown's instant bestseller's out, but don't forget Jane Austen's sea monsters...
- One year after Lehman Brothers falls, the recession's over...
Filed under: Music, Hunting, Military, Women, Week in Review, Scandals, Wrap Up
Number 9, Hot Bands, Birther Bickering: What's the Buzz
Our picks from the day's hottest searches.
- 09-09-09 (+2,347%). It's today. Live it up.
- Bee Gees Songs (+432%). Nostalgia spikes after news of a possible Bee Gees tour with the two surviving brothers.
- Dead by Sunrise (+314%). The new band, with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, is getting notice with its hot debut song.
- Annie Leibovitz Photography (+296%). Back off, vultures. The celeb photographer's still negotiating her loan, even though the deadline was yesterday.
- Orly Taitz (+236%). The Russian immigrant/dentist/lawyer and a key voice in the so-called birther movement had her day in court, but not without bickering with fellow supporters.
Filed under: Music, Calendars, Law, Photographers
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.