the buzz log

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

Sarah Palin must be kicking herself. The former Republican vice-presidential candidate made Levi Johnston the poster child of teen fatherhood (He is the baby daddy of her grandchild): Palin paraded him before the world when she accepted her party's nomination. Had he been under the radar, the ex-boyfriend of Bristol Palin might have just disappeared. 

But now he's running his mouth about the Palin fam — and says he's got way more dirt to dish out, and promises a book. The 19-year-old squared off against the ex-governor of Alaska with all kinds of tales that must make Palin crazy. She called her baby retarded! She left her office for money! She and Todd talked divorce! The future presidential contender chose to engage by sniping back at the snarky stories, calling them "mean-spirited, malicious, and untrue," and calling Johnston "desperate." Me-ouch.

Truth or lies, the back-and-forth has caused major interest in Web searches: One-day Yahoo! lookups for "Levi Johnston" soared a whopping 1,992%. Popular queries also included "sarah and levi," and "sarah palin book tour."

Pace yourselves. Johnston made clear on the CBS "Early Show" he is just warming up to this "he said, she said" business. The smooth talking teen let loose this juicy gem: "I have things that can, you know — that would get her in trouble, and could hurt her." But for now, this guy's lips are sealed. Kind of. His handler says he's working on a book, and the bombs he dropped in his recent Vanity Fair piece were nothing compared to what could come out.

That's not all that's being revealed. Johnston confirmed he will pose for Playgirl (on the same day Palin will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," natch), which will show off Levi's "Johnston," as Gawker put it. We have to admit, this guy knows how to get his sort of ex-mother-in-law's attention, and not in a good way. Who's gone rogue now?

Filed under: Politics, Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is looking for a second act. Her memoir's turned in, and it's already a hit. Now that she's no longer in office, she could be your next motivational speaker. Maybe.

The ex-gov first wowed the American public when she was plucked from Alaska to run as John McCain's VP back in 2008. But wow quickly turned to "ow" as the troubles piled on, from wardrobe-gate to media hate to Tina Fey's dead-on mockery on "Saturday Night Live." So will things go her way, or awry?

First, the ex-gov wanted a clean slate. So she started by writing her own story. Sort of. Although she gets extra credit for turning her memoirs in early, and a mere two months after stepping down from office, the first-person account has signs of "ghostwriter" written all over it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

But just because the book might not have been written by her doesn't mean the masses don't want to see it. Pre-sale orders have shot it up to number one on Amazon, overtaking Dan "Da Vinci Code" Brown. And yes, making it a bestseller way before it hits bookshelves on Nov. 17. HarperCollins must have figured as much, since they ordered an initial print run of a whopping 1.5 million books.

The folksy-talking hockey mom's latest gig is to get out on the lecture circuit. But her dance card is embarrassingly empty. Perhaps the reportedly way-high asking price of $100,000 is to blame. To add insult to the underwhelming response, the New York Post's gossipy Page Six turned to an industry insider who said talent bookers are scared to secure her because "they think she is a blithering idiot." Yikes.

Still, signs are good she could turn it all around. Marketwatch bets that if Palin can whip up a buying frenzy along with good reviews for her book, it could lead to major media offers — and the chance to show the world she's still got it. Heck, America loves a comeback. You betchya.

Filed under: Politics