the buzz log

Are tattoos private?

The obvious answer is: Depends on where you ink them. In-your-face skin art tends to be on one's face, neck, or arms. Fashionable marks show up on the ankle, and peekaboo tats get lower-back placement. Anywhere else, well, only bikini season can tell.

But with so many celebrities baring their latest ink art to anyone who'll ogle, tattoos don't seem like a hidden message ... unless you're Brad Pitt, abashed by an inquisitive Oprah Winfrey fan. His refusal to answer what tattoos he had where during an "Oprah" episode has inadvertently launched a Search probe for "brad pitt tattoos."

Even though the show aired Nov. 19, people are still trying to uncover his alleged skin modifications of "otzi the iceman" and a quote from the late journalist Daniel Pearl, who inspired the movie "A Mighty Heart," starring Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie.

So far, no mainstream source verifies the Pearl quote, but reports of Pitt's tattoo of 5,000-year-old mummy Otzi, who bore at least 57 tattoos, are more than a year old (and had inspired comedian Stephen Colbert to accuse Pitt of being involved in Otzi's demise). The latest Web reaction to Pitt's bashfulness about baring his "personal and special" tattoos has been either flabbergasted or charmed (as well as the usual "who cares"). With more people getting skin modification these days and reality shows on the whole business, tats have sort of lost the exotic tribalism or counter-cultural edge of days past.

Plus, of course, Jolie is notorious for using her body as a canvas, as searchers knew back in 2006. In fact, she still ranks among the top 5 most-searched celebrities inked in the past 7 days. (Oh, Pitt would be no. 6.)

Most-Searched Celeb Ink

1. Megan Fox Tattoo
2. Angelina Jolie Tattoo
3. Scarlett Johansson Tattoo
4. Rihanna Tattoo
5. Heidi Klum Jolie Tattoo

Incidentally, since the holidays are nigh upon us, if all this inspires you to give the gift that keeps on giving, consult the below list for tattoo design searches that have jumped in popularity. And if you don't want to commit, consider the faux tattoo sleeve, which has perked up 7% in the past 7 days. No fuss, no muss. 

Fastest Moving Tattoo Design Searches

1. Celtic Tattoo (off the charts)
2. Wings Tattoo (+90%)
3. Tribal Tattoo Designs (+16%)
4. Heart Tattoo (+3%)
5. Cherry Blossom Tattoo (+1%)

Filed under: Oprah, Celebrities, Science, Art, Tattoos, Brad Pitt

Three tepid openings made for a five-year box-office low last weekend, but the All-Stars have returned. Will the Coen Brothers set the Buzz Multiplex afire with criminal quirk? Can Tyler Perry bring out the faithful? Or will Meg Ryan and her all-female posse show that 2008 is truly the year of the woman... at least on the big screen?

1. "The Women" (PG-13). Nearly 70 years separates the original 1939 vehicle and this remake, yet an all-female cast still seems bold in 21st-century Hollywood. While the comedy doesn't pull in superhero numbers, it is among the top 5,000 searches this week buoyed by a 82% female majority. Lead Meg Ryan reprises the Norma Shearer role as a happily married, successful woman ... until she finds out her husband may have a distraction in the form of Eva Mendes (taking the role played by, oh yes, Joan Crawford). Mendes has more than her fair share of Web interest, but Ryan as well as Annette Bening, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Debra Messing, Candice Bergen, and Cloris Leachman are getting a nice online embrace, as well.

2. "Burn After Reading" (R). Brad Pitt's joy in doing a Coen Brothers project dampened a bit after finding his tailored character was an idjit, but a CB movie is still a CB movie. "Burn," with only slightly fewer searches than "The Women," actually has wider geographic appeal. The comedy pairs Pitt with "Fargo" favorite Frances McDormand as dumb-jock fitness trainers blackmailing former CIA analyst John Malkovich. George Clooney pulls in some Search love as a philanderer noodling with Tilda Swinton as the analyst's wife. This is the kind of film that people actually seek out reviews for, and so far the New York Observer critic (admittedly only favoring two CB movies) calls it "willfully awful," whereas Rolling Stone calls the post-"No Country" release as "wildly funny, but just as wildly uneven." NYT identifies the problem as a heartlessly comic landscape, in which Pitt proves one of the "saving graces."

3. "Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys" (PG-13). Another auteur project, the melodrama with the horror-film title looks at the respective families of best pals, played by Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard. The buzz, though, circulates around Sanaa Lathan, with Cole Hauser providing the male eye candy. "Family" may be the first Perry effort to feature a white lead, but the real story—as TimeOut New York reveals—is his continued emphasis on strong women. The strategy works, as Web interest breaks down along the same gender lines as "The Women."

Others sought out on the Buzz Marquee... "Righteous Kill" (R) generates Search sparks with nuclear powerhouses Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, but bad reviews could do them in, even with 50 Cent in the mix... The coming-of-age tale of an Arab-American teen has launched search buzz up 665% Limited release for "Towelhead" ... Sundance prize-winner documentary "Flow" takes its investigation about the nation's water supplies only to New York and Los Angeles this week, but its buzz is strong.

Filed under: Movies, Women, Brad Pitt, Tyler Perry

Most of the time, the Oscars noms make sense. But this year we were wondering—did Brad Pitt get the shaft? His movie "Babel" received Best Picture consideration (not to mention a Buzz lead), but bupkus for the leading man.

His omission didn't go by unnoticed by pundits or the people—searches on Brad ratcheted up 306% after the awards were announced. Then again, he might've spurred interest for admitting to the sin of envy over best actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and his macho roles, the kind Pitt used to do back in the day.

Does the green monster need to rear its mug between these two golden boys? Based on searches, perhaps Brad can afford to be the munificent elder statesman.

Filed under: Actors, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio