the buzz log

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...

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.