the buzz log

The inner workings of Indiana and North Carolina voters became national focus on the day after the primaries. As pundits and citizens rushed to make sense of these latest poll numbers, a dairy icon made his final farewell, a state benefited from crude behavior, and readers wondered if an "Idol" contestant may have plotted his own undoing.

Ice Cream Legacies ... Lasting?
Did ice cream explain Irvine Robbin's longevity? The second half of confectionary giant Baskin-Robbins died at age 90, nearly 63 years after opening his first store. According to the New York Times, a coin toss between him and brother-in-law Burton Baskin decided the order of their names in an enterprise that involved more than 1,000 flavors and nearly 6,000 stores.

Crude Oil Profits ... Excessive?
Texas has a reputation for flouting convention by doing things big. The Houston Chronicle's story on the Lone Star State's possible $10.7 billion surplus (billion with a "b") earned Buzz (Buzz with a "b") for the flabbergasting budgetary numbers. The state's largess, or what could be called in political parlance a windfall profit, stems from "record oil prices." Texas also managed to evade the housing debacle that has hobbled economies in California (which is carrying as much as $20 billion in debt) and Florida. Another state to benefit from crude oil and natural gas is New Mexico. In contrast, Connecticut may be staring at a shortfall of $67 million, Delaware $69 million, and Illinois anywhere from $395 to $750 million. Mebbe Texas should consider opening up a lending service.

"American Idol" Flubs ... Deliberate?
A dispiriting night among the four finalists had critics crabbing, but it was the readers who introduced the latest conspiracy theory: Did Jason Castro commit the well-known capital offense of forgetting his lines to get booted? Last week, the Texas competitor told Entertainment Weekly he was ready to go home because the price of fame was getting "weird." Readers commenting on EW's and Buzz Sugar's Tuesday recaps asked, "No mention of Jason mouthing 'DON'T VOTE' while Ryan was giving out his numbers?" and "Am I crazy or did Jason mouth, 'Don't vote' when his number went up?" Ultimately, Buzz eyerolling over lackadaisical performances and comparisons between "Idol" competition and the civil rights movement boiled down to blaming the Fox show's producers for running a musical "sweatshop."

Other news spiking in the Buzz ...

• Southwest Airlines unleashed the beast this week by selling energy drinks on flights, according to the Dallas Morning News, thereby creating a questionable airborne situation involving jittery passengers in an enclosed space.
• After a troubling past including two government investigations and condemnation for its sex mini-games, video game publisher Take-Two may have been tempted to say "take that" after publicizing a record $500 million in first-week sales of Grand Theft Auto IV. 
• Two studies presented during a recent American Society of Breast Surgeons gathering reiterated that the genetic test Oncotype DX could evaluate a cancer's recurrence rate to spare unnecessary chemotherapy treatments.

Filed under: American Idol, Recaps, Ice Cream, Economics, Daily Recap

Monday's Buzz followed up on the disaster that forced Myanmar to reach out for help, the virus that pushed China to utter reassurances, and the refunds that compelled financial experts to administer common sense.

Requests for Disaster Aid
The death-toll numbers coming in from Myanmar were already mind-numbing at nearly 4,000, but Cyclone Nargis—which the AP described as having turned the "country's largest city into a pre-modern state of existence"—may claim up to 10,000 lives. The situation prompted the country's isolationist government to reach out for help, and other nations' governments and celebrities to lend their aid. Early reports of the disaster prompted searches for Asian tsunami of 2004, but the follow-up coverage generated Buzz revolving around two Laura Bush stories: one about The First Lady scolding the country (referring to it by its old name, Burma) for not warning its own citizens in time, and another about her press conference going off on a tangent about an upcoming wedding.

Assurances of Health Safety
A virus has sickened hundreds and killed 25 children so far in China's southern provinces. Although the World Health Organization has said the contagion will not affect the thousands expected to converge in Beijing for the upcoming Olympics, the enterovirus 71 (aka EV71 virus) has not yet run its course and has spread to the capital. The intestinal virus is a regular occurrence among children, but Time.com reported that this season's atypical symptoms are preventing proper diagnoses.

Advice for Tax Rebates
Retailers may be flying like buzzards around your tax rebate check, but a Yahoo! Finance story suggests investing that chump change in its list of the 10 best mutual funds. U.S. News & World Report also recommends five low-entry investment funds to earn the bragging rights to say, "Yeah, I got me a port-fol-io." In case the advice sounds way too sensible, New York Magazine's suggestions run the gamut from retirement accounts to custom-made fake ponytails.

Other stories spiking in Buzz ...

• At the 161st convention of the American Psychiatric Association, attendees talked about how about 1 in 5 soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression, and the need for public care to address this long-term issue.

• You'd have to pool a bunch of tax rebates to get 50 Cent to perform at a bar mitzvah. TheStreet.com breaks down how much the talent costs, including a one-nighter with Madonna (no, not that kind of a one-nighter), or having J.Lo at your wife's 30th birthday party. How much for the opportunity to say, "You're much hotter than J.Lo?" Priceless.

• With more primaries looming, the Democratic contenders' gas-tax ads have undergone critical scrutiny worthy of a quickie dissertation. The Washington Post posits gas, already laden with environmental baggage, as political shorthand for class issues—working stiff vs. elitist effete. Meanwhile, Salon delves into accuracy and a bit on just what the federal gas tax is, which may help those searchers looking up "federal gas tax" and "federal gas tax holiday" online. In case that holiday never comes, Mashables has pulled together an online list of cheap-gas trackers.

Filed under: Health, Taxes, Disaster, Recaps, Daily Recap