the buzz log
Transition! The President-Elect Musical
A note to Broadway fans: Our apologies for taking liberties with the Broadway classic, "Fiddler on the Roof.")
A president in waiting...sounds crazy, no? But here in our little country of America, you might say every one of us is in waiting, looking to the future and change, hoping not to collapse into debt.
It isn't easy. You may ask, how can we stand waiting for the next few weeks, when things are so tough all over right now? Well, we stand it because America is our home.
And there is something to keep our hopes up, something that I can encapsulate in one word: transition!
Because of the presidential transition, people have been conducting many related searches. As Barack Obama builds his team, there are transition searches for:
• "barack obama economic team" (off the charts)
• "obama appointments" (+554%)
• "barack obama's cabinet" (+229%)
• "obama's cabinet picks" (+225%)
• "biden transition team" (+128%)
Not all appointed Cabinet members will be new. For instance, Robert Gates will likely continue as defense secretary. And of course, many Cabinet appointments will be throwbacks from a previous era.
You may ask, when will these appointments be announced? I'll tell you: I don't know. But to keep track of Obama's predicted picks (again, with apologies to "Fiddler on the Roof"), we've set four of the Cabinet positions to the tune of "Tradition," so that every one of us knows who they might be, and what Obama expects them to do.
(Why these four? Because they fit the revised lyrics the best.)
Transition
What chief of staff must manage the agenda,
Put a staff together, run interference,
And who has to serve master of the White House
Who has the final word of all?
The Rahmbo, the Rahmbo! Transition!
The Rahmbo, the Rahmbo! Transition!
Who must know the way to make a secure home,
A border safe, a FEMA work?
Who must keep the citizens from any harm
Obama's guard against emergencies.
Janet Napolitano! Transition!
Janet Napolitano! Transition!
'93, she was a first lady, and then was senator.
She missed on the presidency, got top diplomat.
Hillary Clinton! Transition!
Clinton! Clinton! Transition!
And who does press outreach, to mend and tend and spin
Delivering the message, and take it on the chin?
Robert Gibbs! Robert Gibbs! Transition!
Robert Gibbs! Robert Gibbs! Transition!
Filed under: Politics, Broadway, Government, Barack Obama
Spider-Man: From Comic to Broadway
Just when you thought it was all about Batman, Spider-Man comes swooping back into the Buzz. The web-slinger is slated to star in a new videogame, appear in a comic book with Stephen Colbert, and make his Broadway musical debut. Seriously.
First up, the videogame. Kotaku reports that "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" will feature Tricia Helfer as the voice of the smart and sensual Black Cat. For all you non-geeks, Helfer is best known as playing "Number Six," the sexiest robot this side of C-3PO, on "Battlestar Galactica." The game has yet to hit store shelves, but searches are already moving for "web of shadows reviews" and "spider-man web of shadows characters."
Less obvious than a videogame is a comic book team up with America's number one freedom fighter, Stephen Colbert. Still, that's exactly what will happen in Amazing Spider-Man #573. In the eight page tongue-in-cheek story, Colbert becomes disillusioned with New York politics, only to have his faith restored (unintentionally) by Spidey. For more on the unlikely pair, check out this blog from Newsarama.
Finally, showing that even sanity must step aside in the face of Spidey-mania, a Broadway musical based on the superhero will hit stages in 2009. According to multiple articles within the Buzz, including this one from io9, Jim Sturgess will star as the man in the red and blue leotard and Evan Rachel Wood will tackle the role of Mary Jane Watson. If this seems like a completely insane idea, remember that the theater has a long history of bizarre musicals based on movies. And some of them have even been huge successes. "Legally Blonde," anyone?
Filed under: Broadway, Spider-Man, Stephen Colbert, Comic Books
Rain Man Goes to London
"Rain Man" was an Oscar-winning film about an autistic man and his self-absorbed brother getting to know each other. Now, in an acknowledgement that the theatrical community is just as starved for ideas as Hollywood, the film is being adapted for an on-stage production at London's West End.
Near as we can tell, it's not a musical. So, you needn't worry about a ballad dedicated to Judge Wapner or a rousing refrain on "excellent drivers." Phew! Here's what we do know: Entertainment Weekly reports that former "it-boy" Josh Hartnett will play Tom Cruise's role. The part of Raymond (aka Rain Man) will be tackled by Adam Godley best known for his work in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and the upcoming "X-Files" film. The curtain goes up this September.
For many, the 1988 movie with Cruise and Dustin Hoffman marked the first time they'd ever heard of autism. The disability is still very much in the news due to concerns that childhood vaccines may somehow cause autism. Could that anxiety have played a part in bringing the film to the stage? We're not sure, but terms like "autism causes," "what is autism," and "autism symptoms" continue to be big in Search.
Filed under: Celebrities, Broadway
Hollywood Strike Song-and-Dance
A Hollywood writer goes on strike, and summer television overflows with the stench of reality TV. Who knows then what horrors await should the Screen Actors Guild strike in July.
The New York Times reports that while the writers' strike actually helped some TV shows get ahead, major film projects may be endangered. We can imagine: Would director Ridley Scott be forced to defy Hollywood tradition and hire an actual Englishman to play Robin Hood for his film "Nottingham"? Will all comic-book ensemble movies end once and for all if the Justice League project dies? The upside: A delay could help knock Judd Apatow off the Farrelly and Wachowski brothers' creative downward spiral.
Slate doesn't believe any walkoffs will happen, but in the event they do, Tinseltown talent could take up a summer project: Follow the Weinsteins down the Great White Way. The movie producers plan to make Broadway shows, including "Finding Neverland," "Shakespeare in Love," and "Chocolat." Check off-Broadway for Michael Myers for his chainsaw serenade in "Phantom of the Opera: Halloween Special."
One Way to Broadway
Break out your Broadway best -- several new shows are set to open in Search. But before we offer "bravo," let's take a backstage look at their Buzz.
Julia Roberts is getting ready to unleash Three Days of Rain. Searches on the life-loving Oscar winner are down 8% this month, but searches on her show, which previews next week, are starting to accumulate. Julia Roberts on stage? How Nicole Kidman of her.
Switching gears from toothy actresses to shows with bite, Lestat is also sucking up its share of searches. Based on the Anne Rice books and with music by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Lestat hopes for a bloody good opening when it premieres this week. Goths get in for half price on Tuesdays.
If you think Anne Rice and Broadway is a strange combination, wait until you get a load of The Wedding Singer. The show mixes the Adam Sandler comedy with singing and dancing. Here's a frightening thought -- if it works, more of Sandler's greatest hits might make it to Broadway. Rodgers and Hammerstein, we know you're dead, but your country needs you.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
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.