the buzz log
Palin vs. Johnston: Snark Fest!
Sarah Palin must be kicking herself. The former Republican vice-presidential candidate made Levi Johnston the poster child of teen fatherhood (He is the baby daddy of her grandchild): Palin paraded him before the world when she accepted her party's nomination. Had he been under the radar, the ex-boyfriend of Bristol Palin might have just disappeared.
But now he's running his mouth about the Palin fam — and says he's got way more dirt to dish out, and promises a book. The 19-year-old squared off against the ex-governor of Alaska with all kinds of tales that must make Palin crazy. She called her baby retarded! She left her office for money! She and Todd talked divorce! The future presidential contender chose to engage by sniping back at the snarky stories, calling them "mean-spirited, malicious, and untrue," and calling Johnston "desperate." Me-ouch.
Truth or lies, the back-and-forth has caused major interest in Web searches: One-day Yahoo! lookups for "Levi Johnston" soared a whopping 1,992%. Popular queries also included "sarah and levi," and "sarah palin book tour."
Pace yourselves. Johnston made clear on the CBS "Early Show" he is just warming up to this "he said, she said" business. The smooth talking teen let loose this juicy gem: "I have things that can, you know — that would get her in trouble, and could hurt her." But for now, this guy's lips are sealed. Kind of. His handler says he's working on a book, and the bombs he dropped in his recent Vanity Fair piece were nothing compared to what could come out.
That's not all that's being revealed. Johnston confirmed he will pose for Playgirl (on the same day Palin will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," natch), which will show off Levi's "Johnston," as Gawker put it. We have to admit, this guy knows how to get his sort of ex-mother-in-law's attention, and not in a good way. Who's gone rogue now?
Filed under: Politics, Sarah Palin
He Said, She Said: Levi Johnston Vents to Vanity Fair
To be fair, Levi Johnston didn't exactly ask for the public spotlight. He just happened to be the boyfriend of Bristol Palin, whose mom was tapped to be the Republican vice presidential running mate back in 2008. Bristol Palin's teen pregnancy then became the subject of a full-on media frenzy.
That's all in the past now. The Republicans lost, Bristol and Levi broke up, and Sarah Palin stepped down as governor of Alaska. But the urge to dish just won't die.
A story in Vanity Fair claims to be a behind-the-scenes tell-all about life with the Palin family. Johnston moved in for a couple months post-election, and had a two-and-a-half-year relationship with Bristol. Which naturally makes him a total expert — and kind of a bad house guest.
In the snippets teased by the magazine, the Palinologist lobs several bombs: Sarah Palin wanted to adopt Bristol's baby to hide the pregnancy and protect the governor's political career. The 19-year-old also gripes that the parenting at the chateau Palin was minimal: Neither Sarah nor Todd did much cooking. There's much more: The hands-off mom of Johnston's description never hunted or fished, did not share a bedroom with Todd, and thought being governor was "hard." Read highlights of the article, "Me and Mrs. Palin."
Perhaps enjoying the sympathy coming her way from this latest media blow-up, Sarah Palin had no comment, according to CNN.
The aspiring actor/model may be willing to do more than expose the Palins. He could bare all. In a video of the Vanity Fair photoshoot, Levi and his handler discuss doing a possible "Playgirl" spread. The blog Gawker is reporting that the talk may become reality, and that the former hockey player and the magazine are in final negotiations.
That's one way to change the conversation.
Filed under: Magazines, Sarah Palin
Letterman vs. Palin: It's On!
It all started on Monday when David Letterman told some off-color jokes about Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and her daughter. Dave made some cracks about one of the Palin girls having to fend off Eliot Spitzer and getting knocked up by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during a recent trip to the Big Apple.
Shockingly, Gov. Palin didn't find the jokes very funny. On the governor's website, Palin and her very riled-up husband Todd fired back at the CBS comedian. She called Letterman a sexually perverted 62-year-old celebrity and chided him for making inappropriate jokes about her 14-year-old daughter, Willow.
Here's where it gets confusing. Letterman's jokes were about Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol. However, it was Willow who was traveling with the governor in New York. Facing the family's wrath, last night Letterman addressed the controversy and apologized. Well, kind of.
Dave said he regretted the bits about Spitzer and Rodriguez courting the younger Palin, but went on to say that he regrets thousands of jokes he's made. He said that of course he doesn't condone inappropriate behavior with underage girls. However, he did admit that he found his jab about Sarah Palin wearing outfits reminiscent of a sexually adventurous flight attendant pretty funny. In a final show of his semi-sincerity, he invited Palin on as a guest.
Want to see the "apology" for yourself? Check out the video below.
Filed under: Comedians, David Letterman, Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin in 2012?
The 2008 presidential election is less than two weeks away. But that's old news. Let's talk about who's going to run in 2012, shall we?
Andrew Romano of Newsweek speculates that Gov. Sarah Palin may be gearing up for a run at the White House in four short years. The blogger acknowledges that the idea might seem a bit wacky at first glance. However, he cites several examples of Palin disagreeing with her running mate, John McCain, that support his theory. To name but a few, Gov. Palin has publicly disagreed with Sen. McCain on North Korea, gay marriage, and those oh-so-irritating robo-calls. Romano writes that it's almost as if Palin is putting herself in a position where she can say, "It wasn't my fault," should the Obama-Biden ticket prevail.
But that's not all. According to several sources within the Buzz, various Republicans are "considering" Palin as a 2012 presidential candidate. The Daily Telegraph speculates that "Ms Palin seems to be positioning herself for a long future on the national scene." The Washington Post writes: "Like her or hate her, Palin remains VERY much in the mix as a 2012 candidate."
Of course, there hasn't been any official announcement. Still, it's worth noting that searches on a possible Palin presidency are already picking up steam. We're not sure if the lookups are sincere or ironic, but "palin 2012," "sarah palin for president," and "palin for president stickers" are all making noise.
In short, 2012 may be four years away, but it's already looking like Caribou Barbie has enough buzz to make another play, should she and McCain fall short in '08.
Filed under: Elections, Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin: Without Her, We'd Have Nothing to Say
Move over baseball—scrutinizing Sarah Palin has become the new national pastime. Here's a roundup of what people are talking about today...
Elementary-gate!
When asked by a third grader to describe the job of vice president, Palin said she would be "in charge of the Senate." It's a tremendous oversimplification of her potential duties, and many were quick to point this out. Some even insinuated that perhaps Gov. Palin doesn't even know what a VP does. Others pointed out that these were third graders, not a room of political science majors. A panel of experts wonders: Is the media being sexist?
A free pass for Joe? Say it ain't so!
Gov. Palin is doing her best to point out that she is bearing the lion's share of the bad press. In an interview with CNN, the governor mentioned that Sen. Biden, her vice-presidential rival, once remarked there would be an international crisis during an Obama presidency. Palin said during the interview that had she made that remark, she would be "held accountable," but that Sen. Biden got a free pass. Points go to Palin since the interviewer agreed.
The lion, the moose, and the wardrobe
And then there are the clothes—we're sure you've heard of them by now. The governor has apparently been wearing a wardrobe bought and paid for by GOP backers. How much did the fancy duds cost? $150,000. Clearly this hockey mom doesn't shop at Wal-Mart. Searches spiked on "palin wardrobe," "palin shoes," and "palin clothing allowance." Still, in fairness to the well-dressed governor, she has said that she plans to donate her swanky threads to charity. Good news for Goodwill.
Filed under: Sarah Palin
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
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.