the buzz log

If you've ever wanted to claim that sitting on a couch flipping TV channels was an act involving skill, now's your chance. The Kymera Magic Wand has developed a tool that only a Harry-Potter tube head could love. It's a wand that acts as a universal remote. Muggles, rejoice: Your road to a land of magical TV viewing is close at hand.

The wand comes with 13 moves to impress your TV-watching friends. Volume too high? A twist of your wand turns it down. Need the channel changed? Abracadabra, and flick the wand up or down. Sure, you can do all those things with a standard universal remote with button controls. But does that remote come in a silk-lined box? We thought not.

A note of caution from Gizmodo: While the magic remote does have certain powers, attracting the opposite sex is probably not one of them. Don't say we didn't warn you.

To add a little spell-casting to your couch surfing agenda, the wand can be had for under $100 (batteries included). You can pre-order yours now, with the help of a little credit card magic.

Filed under: Magic

Mentalist Criss Angel and psychic Uri Geller joined forces Wednesday in the debut performance of NBC's newest reality spectacle, "Phenomenon." The two entertainers play masters of the ceremony and judges as 10 contestants compete to prove themselves the "next great mentalist." Simon Cowell, eat your heart out.

TV Tracker dubbed the show's ratings "disappointing," but buzz revealed something else. After the episode aired, searches for the program flashed upwards 432%. Uri Geller, enemy to spoons everywhere, saw a 170% surge in Search. But the aging trickster lacks clanking neckwear, highlighted tresses, and any popularity with the kids. His buzz was nothing compared to his co-host's.

Driven almost entirely by females under the age of 17, lookups for the "mystifier" Angel, his pictures, and his solo show on A&E surged. Other queries—for his videos, his magic secrets, his MySpace pictures, and his biography—also picked up. Our favorite: "how to levitate like criss angel." Don't try that at home, girls.

One commenter on the NBC message boards predicted that the ratings will drop off after the first episode. Maybe the buzz will, too. But even if "Phenomenon" proves a bust, we have a hunch that Mr. Angel will always be in searchers' good graces.

Filed under: Magic, Criss Angel

What is David Blaine exactly? He doesn't make objects disappear, so he can't be called a "magician." And he's certainly not an "entertainer." Watching a man live inside a plastic box for 44 days isn't entertaining to anyone. Whatever Blaine's job title, his stunts have a way of inspiring searches—especially for his videos and secrets. To wit—Blaine's buzz surged 1,536% following news that he's set out to live underwater.

Blaine, who was once buried alive (on purpose), will now live the life aquatic for a week in a specially made aquarium. How will he eat? Through a tube. How will he go to the bathroom? Hopefully through a different tube. What's the point of the exercise? Aside from being a new way to meet girls, it gives Blaine another way to show off the endurance that he's so proud of.

But the fun doesn't stop there. During the televised two-hour finale, Blaine will attempt to break the record (8 minutes 58 seconds) for holding one's breath underwater. Can Blaine pull it off, or will he float to the surface like a neglected goldfish? We'll catch the last 30 seconds and let you know.

Filed under: David Blaine, Magic