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Michael Phelps, Poster Boy

By Molly McCall
Mon, August 18, 2008, 4:31 pm PDT

There are many ways to gauge popularity. Here's a new one: posters. Taped to bedroom walls, tacked over college desks, and pinned to the walls of first apartments, these oversized sheets of glossy paper chart some of the most gaped-at and sought-after celebrities of our time.

Judging by yesterday's most popular "posters" searches, you can expect to see America's favorite swimmer scowling from dorm rooms this year. Michael Phelps dominates the top lookups for the rectangular prints. Intriguingly, Phelps' record-breaking performance in Beijing drew Mark Spitz along in his wake. The '70s-era medalist rose from obscurity to the #2 slot for the most popular posters with online shoppers. Mark the Shark, back in the pin-up game.

Read on for the other notables who sparked postermania yesterday...

1.Michael Phelps Posters  11.Eric Clapton Posters
2.Mark Spitz Posters  12.Rev. Jay Posters
3.Amanda Beard PETA Poster  13.Bob Marley Posters
4.Heath Ledger Movie Posters  14.John Mayer Posters
5.Jonas Brothers Posters  15.Coldplay Posters
6.Lil Wayne Posters  16.Angelina Jolie Posters
7.Selena Gomez Posters  17.R. Kelly Posters
8.David Beckham Posters  18.Farrah Fawcett Poster
9.Dara Torres Poster  19.Shawn Johnson Poster
10.Ryan Lochte Posters  20.Joe Jonas Posters

Some notes...

–Olympic swimmers rule. Besides Phelps and Spitz, Amanda Beard, Dara Torres, and Ryan Lochte plunged into the poster top 10. The only land athlete to crack yesterday's top 20 was gymnast Shawn Johnson.

–Who the heck is Rev. Jay? This self-defined "spiritual humorist" preaches his own brand of religion.

–When it comes to long-term poster popularity, our hats are off to Bob Marley and Farrah Fawcett. These two are the reigning champs of wall decoration. Note that when it comes to the Charlie's Angel, searchers seek "farrah fawcett poster" in the singular. There is only one.

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Filed under: Celebrities, Olympics

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