the buzz log

Amidst the frantic April searches into tax filings and rebate anticipation, people paused to search for tales of sports superstitions and scientific oddities.

Digging Up the Past
One of the month's fastest rising searches involved a tattered Red Sox jersey. A plotting contractor Gino Castignoli planted the offending David Ortiz No. 34 in the new Yankee Stadium. Alas, his telltale heart and lips revealed the plot to the New York Post, and the Steinbrenners had four feet of concrete drilled to remove the jersey. An inspired eBay auction fetched more than $175,000 for charity, and dissolved the Yankees' threat to prosecute Castignoli on criminal mischief charges.

Running back Hershel Walker went on the media circuit to promote his book and reveal that he suffered from "dissociative identity disorder," once called multiple personality disorder. His revelations sparked huge news interest and searches on the condition.

Tiger Woods didn't summon up past luck to win another Masters tournament. Instead, Trevor Immelman of South Africa snagged the $1.35 million purse.

Birth Miracles
Last month, a pregnant man became one of the biggest news stories in Search. While the tale of Thomas Beattie—biologically a woman who is taking male hormones to become a man—continued to attract searches in April, another birth story delivered big with the Indian girl born with two faces.

Other newsmakers among the fastest moving searches in April…

…The death of singer Sean Levert continued to ripple through Search as people sought out the cause. His passing came a few months after that of his brother, Gerald Levert. Gerald's death was among the 10 most searched celebrity deaths in 2007.

…The Texas raid of a fundamentalist Mormon compound sparked interest in the religion as well as the concept of polygamy.

…More than a year after New York resident Sean Bell died in a fusillade of bullets hours before his wedding, a judge acquitted the undercover police who shot the unarmed groom. The case will not rest, as protests continue and the House Judiciary Committee chairman promises a federal follow-up.

….did they or didn't they? Few celebrity weddings have been as anticipated as Jay Z and Beyonce. A private ceremony at the rapper's apartment may have involved an exchange of rings. Meanwhile, tennis player Andy Roddick got engaged, but fianceé and model Brooklyn Decker got the Search glory.