the buzz log
The Buzz on Morena Baccarin
The remake of the sci-fi show "V" that premiered on ABC raised many a mystery. One of the biggest: Who is that woman?
Even if you didn't watch the season opener, you may recognize Morena Baccarin from the promos for the show: She's the enormous serene head projected on a space ship with a message to earthlings: "We mean no harm."
But don't you believe it. What you can believe is this: The actress is scoring out-of-this-world searches on the Web. Lookups on the rising star soared an astronomic 4,580% increase in one-day searches on Yahoo!, making the "V" star one of the top five searches on the Web. TV ratings show that a whopping 13.9 million viewers tuned in, making it one of the highest-rated new shows this season.
The very buzzy actress is the head of the V (for visitor) alien invasion, a reptilian race masquerading as human that brings health care (of all things) and technology to planet Earth. (You can catch up with the show and the characters courtesy of the L.A. Times round-up.)
The original "V" miniseries from the 1980s imagined if fascism overtook America. The beautiful but evil leader in this version was played by Jane Badler. In the remake, the beautiful but evil leader channels a corporate executive in her sleek business suit and aims to take over Earth with a PR campaign Enron would have envied. The leggy star is probably best known for her role in the 2002 Joss Whedon space western series "Firefly."
Here's the opening of "V." stick around through the end to catch a look at Baccarin's enormous head floating over the city.
Filed under: TV, Science Fiction
Tina Fey Is Back
It's been a long, unfunny spell without Tina Fey. OK, maybe it hasn't been so long, but when it comes to this hilarious actress, comedy is like dog years without our Fey fix.
Think about it: She channeled Sarah Palin's odd quirks in a way that actually seemed to effect the 2008 election, gave us a self-mocking frumpster alter ego on the TV sitcom "30 Rock," and when she wasn't writing, directing, or appearing on "SNL," she found time to star in the movie "Baby Mama." We'll see her again on the big screen in her upcoming flick "Date Night," with Steve Carell.
Bottom line, our national nightmare of life without Tina is finally over. With "30 Rock" back for this season, the comedy cut-up was back on the media circuit cracking jokes. She admitted to David Letterman that she lost her virginity at the ripe old age of 24, saying she "couldn't give it away." She gossiped with the women of "The View," hinting that she might be willing to don the Palin bouffant once again.
The funny gal is also the cover gal for the November issue of Harper's Bazaar. And we will go on record to say she sure cleans up nice. Fey, on the other hand, attributes the high-fashion photo shoot to stuff like "gay magic" and "fans" (the blowing kind).
If the season opener of "30 Rock" was any indication, seems it was worth the wait.
Filed under: TV
"Law and Order": Casting Intent
Here's a mystery. What is "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" without stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe and Eric Bogosian?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, all three will exit during the upcoming ninth season. (Yes, it's been that long. But really, who's counting?)
Insiders say that despite the popularity of the actors, they're being dumped to make room for Jeff Goldblum to be lead detective. D'Onofrio and Erbe have been cracking cases since the series first aired in 2001. (Bogosian joined in 2006.) While the show is an offshoot of the "Law and Order" machine, it's got a lighter tone than the original, which suits Goldblum more than the current leads. Rumors also pair Goldblum with Saffron Burrows as a possible replacement for Julianne Nicholson, who left the show earlier in the year.
While D'Onofrio is departing the show, viewers may be comforted to know that there could be room for him to return as a guest. We know, we know. It won't be the same.
But it's not like this hasn't happened before. Over the last decade, the cast has seen a lot of upheaval: Chris Noth left last year after being on the show for three seasons. Still, it's a lot of change for one show. Deals have yet to be inked, insiders on the show say, so stay tuned for more clues.
Filed under: TV
Lights Dim for Daytime Soaps
You can't feel too sorry for a show that's had a 72-year run. Before reality TV, before the CW teen dramas, before even shows like “Dallas” and “Melrose Place," there was "Guiding Light." After Friday, its gap will be filled by that other daytime staple, the game show (in this case “Let’s Make a Deal”).
First light
Being at the beginning means you create many firsts. NPR notes that creator Ima Phillips (also the person behind "As the World Turns" and "Days of Our Lives") loved cliffhangers and used organ music to transition scenes. Plots didn't just twist and turn, they contorted. Behind the scenes, soap operas were the training grounds for new actors (Sun-Sentinel has a slideshow of those who became famous faces), and those that remained but cultivated a loyal following.
Fade to black?
Not surprisingly, online attention has swelled for the CBS stalwart—searches on Yahoo! for "guiding light" have more than doubled compared to last month. Does the end portend well for other soaps, which might absorb "Guiding Light"'s traffic? Or will they too fall by the wayside?
The answer is: yes and no. CNN points out that ratings have dwindled over the years. Cable programming has provided competition, and reality TV has filled the urge for drawn-out dramas.
Getting soap fixes
Interestingly, though, the fans maintain their fix by tracking their favorites online. (Yes, they're mostly female, but men make up anywhere from 20% to 26% of soap-opera lookups). For instance, during the 2008-2009 season, searches for “Young and the Restless” increased 32% compared to the previous season. Some are holding steady: “As the World Turns,” "The Bold and the Beautiful," and “One Life to Live.”
Losing Web steam are shows like "Days of Our Lives" (-14% compared to last season) and "General Hospital" (-6%), and "All My Children" (-4%) like
Where the remaining fans are
Will soaps survive, or will these daytime dinosaurs fade away? Time and plot twists will tell. Meanwhile, here's a ranking of the soaps, and the top three regions from where their Search fans hail.
Most Popular Soaps and their Biggest Fans
- “Young and the Restless” (Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans)
- “General Hospital” (Cleveland, Philadelphia, Wilkes Barre-Scranton)
- “Days of Our Lives” (Sioux City, Lexington, Jackson Miss.)
- “Guiding Light” (Savannah, Hartford & New Haven, Charlotte)
- “The Bold and the Beautiful” (New Orleans, Raleigh-Durham, Columbus Ohio)
- “All My Children” (Chicago, Houston, NYC)
- “One Life to Live” (Boston, Chicago, Cleveland)
- “As the World Turns” (St. Louis, Houston, Atlanta)
Filed under: TV, Soap Operas
Wigged Out over Kate Gosselin
Through the tears, heartache, Octomom spats, and hosting gigs, one thing has remained a constant in Kate Gosselin's life: her hair.
As rubberneckers gathered at the wreck of a reality-TV marriage, ladies the world over wondered how to get their locks cut like hers. When Gosselin was busy pounding out the dents in her perfect-mom image, lookups on Yahoo! for "kate gosselin hair" soared past fashionistas like Rihanna or Victoria Beckham. US Magazine, in an abuse of Photoshop, even re-imagined a world where celebrities sported the defiant, in-your-face pixie bob.
Well, for those who don't have what it takes to make that cut, fake it. Her spikes are, well, spiking online. Searches for "kate gosselin wigs" have outstripped queries for "mullet wigs" and "lady gaga wigs." However, they still trail "beehive wigs," so favored by the likes of Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse.
US magazine once again has been leading the charge for Gosselin's can-do-her-'do attitude: It predicted earlier this month that she would be this Halloween's Sarah Palin craze, and the constant Search trickle might just bear them out.
But, if you want to stand out from all those other Gosselin wannabes, here's a style tip: Snip some flouncy spikes out of a blonde beehive, for that outraaaageous commando-mom look. Don't forget the oversized hanky, for those vulnerable moments.
Filed under: TV, Reality TV
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Countries With Negative Population Growth | Breakout! |
| 2 | Kal Penn | Breakout! |
| 3 | Maine Election Results | Breakout! |
| 4 | Virginia Election Results | Breakout! |
| 5 | Claude Levi-Strauss | Breakout! |
| 6 | Madeleine Mccann | 11147% |
| 7 | 21 Gun Salute | 8855% |
| 8 | Morena Baccarin | 8048% |
| 9 | 2009 Election Results | 3472% |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | 1982% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFL | +24 | 278 |
| 2 | Morena Baccarin | +246 | 249 |
| 3 | Carrie Underwood | +135 | 158 |
| 4 | +4 | 152 | |
| 5 | World Series | +42 | 137 |
| 6 | Dancing With the Stars | +95 | 134 |
| 7 | Hulu | +8 | 132 |
| 8 | Drudge Report | +23 | 125 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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