the buzz log
What's the Buzz: School, Republicans, and Trash TV
…So long, summer. It's not like anyone needs a reminder, but summer's coming to a close. In Search, the easy, lazy days of summer are switching to more dire terms like "last day of summer" and "first day of school activities." Sorry, kids. Put away your swimsuits and pick up your backpacks.
… Hello, Republicans. The Republican National Convention is under way, albeit in a bracing-for-disaster, hurricane-appropriate way. Still, that didn't stop the searches on "2008 republican national convention schedule," (which has changed due to weather in the Gulf) and "RNC welcoming committee."
John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, inspired amateur sleuths to run to the Internet when he announced virtual unknown Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Searches for "alaska newspaper," "john mccain's running mate" and "sarah palin's family" all soared.
…Greetings, couch. Time to fire up Tivo. The start of the school year is traditionally the kick-off for the new TV season. Searches for "cw tv," "one tree hill spoilers," "gossip girl cast," and, incongruously, "monday night football schedule" are just a few of the selections in Search. We see battles for the remote control in your future.
Olympic Training for Couch Potatoes
Can you handle more than 3,600 hours of Games of the XXIX Olympiad? You don't even have to cut caffeine and get pedicures, as some Olympiad hopefuls have done. Instead, oil up the remote control and the mouse, and try these sit-down techniques instead.
Learn your numbers. Not just the stats: XXIX means 29, but 8/8/8 means luck tripled in Chinese (the number 8 is a homonyn for the word "prosperity").Practice staring. Don't miss the action. The difference between gold and silver can be measured by a 1,000th of a second, which How Stuff Works says says is 40 times faster than an eye blink.
Visualize the surroundings. Understanding an event's setting may give you an advantage. Try scanning the BBC Sport map.
Tune in. Pump yourself up by listening to the Olympic songs... all of them.
Memorize all 596 American athletes. From the track-and-field competitors to the team members of soccer, volleyball, and B-ball.
Focus on lesser sports. Everyone else will be watching to see if swimmer Natalie Coughlin gets her fifth gold medal, or if gymnast Morgan Hamm will keep clean. Instead, look for underdogs in events like kayaking, table tennis, or fencing.Learn to talk big. If you can't memorize the athletes, talk about grand visions, like the boxing's great reform, America's immigrant athletes, Olympic artistry, environmental algae monsters, and if a Chinese tactical force can possibly look intimidating riding Segways.
Dress the part. What's the point of being a capitalist if you can't buy Olympic spirit? Pay $2,000 for an official torch, or $38.20 for a Speedo Team USA brief. If you get the swim trunks, don't forget to make that Brazilian wax appointment.
Sunscreen Under the Microscope
Anybody who's ever had a mom knows what it's like to wear gobs and gobs of sunscreen: Sticky but (we're told) necessary. However, a new study reveals that many sunscreens fail to work as advertised. Was Mom wrong all along?
An article from LiveScience breaks it down. According to the Enviormental Working Group (EWG), 80% of the roughly one thousand sunscreens analyzed provide "inadequate protection from the sun or contain harmful chemicals." Uh, oh. Furthermore, the biggest names in sunscreen (Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena) are allegedly the biggest offenders.
Of course, not everyone agrees with the findings. LiveScience explains that some dermatologists find the report full of hyperbole. Still the article acknowledges that there are some core truths that everyone (not just worried moms) should be aware of. Fortunately, people are paying attention. Not only is the LiveScience article a hit in Buzz, we've also noticed surges in lookups for "sunblock spf definition," "uva vs uvb rays" and "highest spf available."
That last query is easy enough to answer. As the buzzing exposé notes, if you want true sun protection with a "SPF of 1 zillion," just wear clothing. It's simple, effective, and mom would definitely approve.
Summer Musical Tours of Duty
Aside from the people who waited for Kanye West's Bonnaroo gig, everyone loves a music festival. True, with all the comebacks, reunions, and geezers onstage, some summer concerts look more like golden oldies variety shows—but you know what, baby boomers and family events are in.
Slather on the sunblock, take out a small loan to gas up the van, and get on a musical trip with the top 10 searched summer music festivals of '08. Appropriately, the Warped Tour, which started Friday, kicks off this list. Oh, and West fans, you get a second chance at Essence. Bring an alarm clock.
Alternate Realities: The Shows of Summer
Every time the death of the reality show is predicted, a writer goes on strike and 20 more reality monsters grow. This summer, New York Magazine might have a point in predicting an apocalypse. Denise Richards wants her 30 minutes every week, product placement gets a soundtrack in "Jingles," and competitive food eaters star in a show called "Hurl." 'Nuf said on that topic.
Surely among this surreal toxic heap, there must be shows that are good and shows that are so bad they're good. Oh yeah.
Working Stiffs: Best Show
"Black Gold" (TruTV). Will crabbiness at the gas pump drive people to or away from a show about oil rig workers? Mined from the same blue collar vein as wildly popular "Ice Truckers" and "The Deadliest Catch," this crude bubbles rich in searches, up 585% this week. Check out the Houston Chronicle's interview with a top oilman.
We Like Spies Like Us: Best Return
"The Mole" (ABC). While this show debuted in Belgium back in 1999, its premise of spotting the competition saboteur seems fresh in a field of reality shows that reward backstabbers. While not all revivals are a good idea, this fan favorite is so far living up to its nostalgic buzz.
CSI: Most Painful Celebrity Scenes Investigation
"Living Lohan" (E!) and "Brooke Hogan Knows Best" (VH1). Does Dina Lohan have the best PR person ever or does she know mass hypnosis? Either way, the mom of a loose cannon bares her parenting skills with guinea pig number two. Meanwhile, Brooke Hogan puts on her game face as her brother sits in jail, her father gets his public persona torn to shreds, and her mother dates a guy who was in the grade behind her.
What other realities have audiences been checking out? Here are some of the most searched new summer reality programs of the past seven days.
| 1. | "Black Gold" (TruTV) |
| 2. | "The Mole" (ABC) |
| 3. | "Celebrity Circus" (NBC) |
| 4. | "She's Got the Look" (TV Land) |
| 5. | "Wipeout" (ABC) |
| 6. | "Flipping Out" (Bravo) |
| 7. | "Living Lohan" (E!) |
| 8. | "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood" (Oxygen) |
| 9. | "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" (ABC) |
| 10. | "Celebrity Family Feud" (NBC) |
Filed under: TV, Reality TV, Summer
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oddest Jobs | Breakout! |
| 2 | Vivienne Marcheline And Knox Leon | Breakout! |
| 3 | Shwayze Song | Breakout! |
| 4 | Cell Phone Etiquette | Breakout! |
| 5 | Your Home Page | 17280% |
| 6 | W Magazine | 8647% |
| 7 | Christie Brinkley | 8361% |
| 8 | Selma Blair | 5953% |
| 9 | Nashville Star | 2758% |
| 10 | Neiman Marcus Christmas Book | 1365% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leryn Franco | +244 | 456 |
| 2 | Holly Madison | +288 | 351 |
| 3 | Halloween Costumes | -17 | 222 |
| 4 | Hi-5 | +8 | 220 |
| 5 | Kellie Pickler | +101 | 200 |
| 6 | Jamie Lynn Spears | +80 | 180 |
| 7 | NFL | +0 | 136 |
| 8 | Barack Obama | -1 | 119 |
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.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.