the buzz log

August really began on 08-08-08, and made up for the doldrums of summer with political pomp and Olympian pageantry. Yet even as firsts were made on both fronts, the Search buzz was assaulted with the specter of Cold War, shocking passings, and natural disasters. Take a look back at what captivated the Web over the past 31 rushed days of summer.

Olympian Records, Herculean Efforts, and Chinese Aesthetics
Environmentalists watched the skies and activists watched the streets, but Olympic fans were out in phenomenal force to watch the Beijing opening ceremony (+19,435% in searches) unroll with cinematic precision. The amateur contest engaged millions, many who wondered about rules and gamesmanship, and asked an awful lot of questions.

Of all the spectacular athletes, Michael Phelps dominated screentime, medals and searches. Paraguayan model Leryn Franco placed 51st in the javelin contest but second in Web searches, thanks to her pairing of beauty and sharp sticks. Gymnasts Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone, and Nastia Liukin rounded up the top five. In sports queries, everything from the badminton to judo to marathon buzzed, but redemption vaulted "olympic basketball" to the top, followed by gymnastics and volleyball (beach, naturally). Ending after a mere two weeks, fans looked forward to the next fix, winter in 2010 and summers 2012 and 2016.

Unconventional Politics
The medal count had barely been tallied up before the Democrats started mugging for the cameras from sweltering Denver. Barack Obama secured the top politico spot in searches, as people researched his platforms ("obama tax plan," "obama gun control"), sought out jokes (yes, as in "So Barack Obama walks into a stadium..."), and to find his speech.

The royal families Kennedy and Clinton captured the buzz, but a Republican did manage to snare some Search light: Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin (+13,527%) gallivanted into history and into the top 100 search terms. Next up, RNC in the Twin Cities.

Gone Too Soon, Others Sticking Around
Comedian Bernie Mac and singer Isaac Hayes died within a day of one another. The shock of Hayes' passing made the influential singer the fastest moving search this month. People poured over the details of his life: music, his contribution to the film "Shaft," his wives, and his time with "South Park."

Yet it was the Mac's premature death from sarcoidosis that hit mourners much harder, almost seven times harder. His show had established him as a family man, and his death at 50 drew people to seek out his survivors and family photos, as well as his creative history.

Bad news also came with the death of Dr. Dre's son, Andre, and Dave Freeman, author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die." Fortunately, another Freeman—actor Morgan Freeman—survived his August 3 car crash, although people monitored his condition for days. And despite the odd swell of rumors claiming their demise, Dolly Parton and Lil Wayne's daughter are just fine.

Here below, a couple lists of what captivated searches this busy, busy month.

August 2008 Fastest Movers in Search
Searches with the Biggest Percentage Changes

1. Isaac Hayes (+96,545%)
2. Real Bigfoot (+86,563%. Georgians—of the state, not the invaded nation—presented "evidence" of the mythical creature.)
3. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (+71,770%)
4. Michael Phelps Girlfriend (+71,481%. No, not as far as anyone knows.)
5. Luciana Barroso (+52,657%. Actor Matt Damon's wife gave birth to a second daughter)
6. Goblin Shark (+43,173%. Footage of the deep-sea crawler buoyed its buzz.)
7. Laurence Fishburne (+41,176%. Actor will head "CSI.")
8. Melissa Lawson (+33,116%. Won "Nasville Star.")
9. Tuatara (+27,607%. An 111-year-old dinosaur descendent successfully mates after decades of abstinence.
10. Tom Cruise Tropic Thunder (+27,596%. The actor's cameo held up in the comical film.)

August 2008 Top 10 Personalities
Sentient Beings with the Most Searches Overall

1. Miley Cyrus (-40%)
2. Bernie Mac (+2,943%)
3. Michael Phelps (+2,759%)
4. Britney Spears (-20%)
5. Sarah Palin (+13,527%)
6. Lindsay Lohan (-15%)
7. Bigfoot (+2,672%)
8. Leryn Franco (off the charts)
9. Shelley Malil (off the charts)
10. Paris Hilton (+15%)

Filed under: Movies, Politics, Music, Celebrities, Monthly Wrapup, Cryptozoology, Hillary Clinton, Presidents, Barack Obama, Olympics, Wrap Up, John McCain

Here's a fun fact: It's impossible to watch the Olympics without getting NBC's theme music lodged in your brain. Cutting to commercial? Cue the music! Coming back from commercial? Cue the music! No wonder people are turning to Yahoo! Search for more information on the song they can't escape.

Over the past week, we've noticed a 50% jump in searches on "olympic theme song." Lookups are also rising for "who wrote nbc olympic song" and "download olympic theme song." That last term strikes us as a bit crazy. Why download a song you can hear hundreds of times a day? And as for who wrote the tune, the honor goes to the great John Williams. It's called "Summon the Heroes," and according to the always accurate Wikipedia, Mr. Williams composed it for the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

Seeking to expose our readers to more themes than just the omnipresent Olympic tune, we went ahead and assembled the most searched-for theme songs from the past week. From the Olympics to the Jeffersons, from the WWE to the Golden Girls, they're all here and just waiting to get stuck in your head.

Filed under: Music, Olympics