the buzz log

In this interregnum between presidential administrations, the Web’s experiencing a drop-off in the fever-pitch political buzz so prevalent during the campaign. So this weekend, it was goodbye Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber, hello UFC and Paul McCartney.

Yay!

The Fight Stuff
What a month! First we get a new president, and now a new Ultimate Fighting champ. If you think McCain and Obama went at it hard, you didn’t see Brock Lesnar manhandle reigning heavyweight king Randy Couture at UFC 91 on Saturday night. Lesnar used his 57-pound weight advantage to pound Couture into submission in just the second round. “Those were some big ham hocks coming at me,” said Couture of Lesnar’s flying fists. Indeed.

Beatle Buzz
Who's the exact opposite of new UFC champ Brock Lesnar? That’s right, it’s former Beatle Paul McCartney, and he’s beating the buzz, too. The Observer of Britain reported Sunday that McCartney wants to release the “holy grail of Beatles obsessives,” a 14-minute improvised track called “Carnival of Light, which the paper calls “a jumble of shrieks and psychedelic effects.”

It’s amazing how much buzz Sir Paul still generates. Just this week, we learned that he may write the soundtrack for “Shrek 4,” that he wrote the song “Yesterday” from a dream, and that his Eleanor Rigby song character is “totally fictitious.” 

Fine, but how about a little something on Ringo? 

When Black Friday comes
Does anyone have any money left? That $64,000 question may be subject to a price reduction the day after Thanksgiving. The unofficial opening of the holiday shopping season is commonly known as “Black Friday,” "black" for turning a profit. But this year the word may actually represent the spreading economic gloom. Retail sales recently suffered the worst monthly drop on record, and the entire world wants to know whether American consumers will shake loose those remaining dollars to spend on gifts. The Web will certainly help, with sneak peeks on bargains, rumors about deals, and leaks on sales abounding.

Also buzzing this weekend…

• Southern Californians and their loved ones looked to the Web for information on the state’s cataclysmic wildfires, which have destroyed almost 1,000 homes and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
• Comedienne Wanda Sykes, who stars in the TV show “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” announced she's a lesbian at a Las Vegas gay rights rally on Saturday. Sykes spoke out against the passage of California’s Proposition 8, which makes gay marriage in the state illegal.
• Watch Justin Timberlake dance in leotard and high heels as a backup dancer to Beyoncé on “SNL.” But only if you want.