the buzz log

Celebrity sex tapes create a perfect storm in Buzz. They mix elements of scandal, secrecy, surprise, and of course, sex. Queries on "celebrity sex tapes" are up 27% over the past month thanks to a surfeit of sexy news bubbling up from the Web's underground.

After a video clip featuring a nude woman who looks a lot like White Stripes drummer Meg White hit the Web, searches on the skins pounder surged 1,373% for the week. Related queries on "meg white sex tape," "meg white video," and "meg white nude" also took off as searchers angled for a glimpse of the forbidden vid. Save the Icky Thump jokes, 'cause the footage was nothing more than a not-so-elaborate hoax perpetrated by a bored perv.

Gorgeous Eva Longoria is also caught up in a supposed sex tape storm. Queries on the "Desperate Housewives" star ticked up 40% after rumors of a sex tape starring the tiny starlet and hubby Tony Parker wended their way around the Web. We found no evidence of the tape's existence, but maybe we didn't look hard enough. Other searchers didn't give up so easy, as evidenced by the volume of queries on "eva longoria sex tape" and "eva longoria sex video."

As for stars of sex tapes past, celeb leech Rick Solomon has latched on to a new host. The man who helped catapult Paris Hilton to superstardom through his amateur cinematography is set to marry Pam Anderson. Searches on Solomon went from zero into the thousands, which offers a prime motive for his marriage proposal. As for the bosomy serial bride, searches were remarkably flat. However, queries on "rick solomon pam anderson" and "rick solomon pics" both blossomed. Let's just keep the lens cap on this time, guys.

Filed under: Celebrities, Sex Tapes

Enough! Enough already. Celebrity sex tapes have become an honest-to-goodness cliche. We wish we could ignore them, but new ones keep cropping up. Whenever they do, folks search, and whenever folks search, we have to write. It's a vicious cycle.

The latest rumored tape belongs to Lauren Conrad, also known as "LC." After 20 seconds of research, we learned she's one of the stars of MTV's "The Hills" and "Laguna Beach." Searches on Ms. Conrad, who denies the tape's existence, are up 188%. Not surprisingly, many related unsavory searches surged as well.

We realize celebrities are our bread and butter, and it's never wise to bite the hand the feeds. Still, we're fed up with these pathetic cries for attention. So, celebs, we beg of you, try some other ill-advised publicity stunts for a change. Say something culturally insensitive. Write a self-serving autobiography. Marry one of your backup dancers. We really don't care, so long as you turn the camera off.

Filed under: Sex Tapes, Lauren Conrad

Following in the infamous footsteps of Paris Hilton and Tommy Lee, former "Saved by the Bell" star Dustin Diamond seems to be trying to worm his way back into relevance with a sex tape.

Diamond stepped into the Search limelight back in June when he appeared on Howard Stern talking about his dire financial straits and how he's struggled since the cancellation of the cheesy "Bell." Of more interest to Stern's listeners were his boasts about his prodigious manhood. Stern suggested that Diamond try making adult films for a quick buck, but the actor formerly known as Screech pooh-poohed the idea at the time.

Dustin returned to the Buzz in August when he was accused of lying about the imminent foreclosure of his house. Following that news item, he then claimed he was attacked in an Omaha hotel room. These shady stories led to a handful of searches.

Then this week, searches on all variations of Dustin Diamond and "sex tape" spiked after word of the tape filtered out across the gossip blogs. Sure, Dustin got a temporary boost in buzz, but we're confident that he'll end up treading down the same worn path as other celebrities who "leak" these tapes only to nab some buzz for a week or so and then return to waiting for a casting call from "The Surreal Life." 

Filed under: Celebrities, Sex Tapes, Dustin Diamond