the buzz log

Instead of that Dr. Sanjay Gupta guy, maybe the president should've considered Dr. Mehmet Oz as the celebrity medical correspondent candidate for surgeon general. Then again, the temptation to leave "Oprah" for the White House would have been a tough decision for the frequent talk show guest.

Except now Dr. Oz is leaving after five years and 55 episodes for his own program, produced by, yes, Oprah.

The solo TV gig (he has an XM satellite program) is a first NYC-based program for Harpo Productions: "The Dr. Oz Show" may be far from the Chicago mother ship, but convenient for the doc who's a heart surgeon for New York Presybterian Hospital.

But in these hard times, could an Oprah-anointed venture succeed? Dr. Oz has sent his core of female followers packing to Search for the latest things to put in their medicine cabinets or kitchen pantries. A few notable moments in the "Oz" Timeline in Buzz:

• November 2006: Touting his new weight-control book "You: On a Diet," the good doc sparks searches for "steel cut oatmeal," "psyllium husks" and "omentum," just in time for Thanksgiving. Hope that oatmeal turkey stuffing was delicious.
• May 2007: Not once, but twice did Dr. Oz recommend the equivalent of a colonic irrigation for the sinuses: the Neti pot. Desperate allergy sufferers fall for it. He also tried out "rolfing." Please don't do both at the same time.
• February 2008: To reverse the affects of aging, he stimulated a youthful sprint to the Web, and surging searches for "acai juice," "resveratrol," "real age test" and "chia." The seeds, not the pet.

Oz himself weighs in on his segments in his post, "What I Learned on The Oprah Show." His biggest insight: Health advice has to be delivered in a way that hits the "dopamine jackpot of the brain," and that it's more important to listen than try and fix everything.

Judging from past history to predict future sucess may not be good scientific method, but Dr. Oz's powers of Buzz has proven strong indeed. His September 14 debut may be an appointment that fans will keep.

Filed under: Health, TV, Oprah, Medicine

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

Few celebrities are worshipped like Oprah Winfrey. And yet, according to the New York Times, Oprah's influence may be on the decline.

The Times reports that "the average audience for 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' has fallen nearly 7 percent this year." The article goes on to explain that her magazine, O, is losing subscribers, and some of her longtime fans are upset with her endorsement of Barack Obama. All that may be true, but there is another factor to consider—Oprah's hold over Search. Is it waning as well?

In a word, no. Searches for "oprah" are 19% higher in the first five months of 2008 than they were during the last five months of 2007. In early April, when Oprah interviewed the pregnant man, queries on the media mogul soared 68% and related searches on "pregnant man oprah" and "oprah interviews pregnant man" spiked enormously.

But that famous chat wasn't the only topic that drew searches. When Valerie Bertinelli talked about weight loss, folks looked up "walkvest," her not-so-secret weapon. Ditto for Dr. Oz and Bob Greene. When these health gurus come on the show, viewers turn to the Web for more information and advice. And when David Cassidy stopped by, searches on the former teen idol went through the roof. Think that level of interest would have happened without Oprah?

It's also worth noting that it's not just about the TV show. Oprah's online seminar on Eckhart Tolle and "A New Earth" inspired a huge following in Search. Queries on "oprah.com" and "oprah.com a new earth" roared throughout the 10 week webinar.

Oprah's viewership may be slipping, but we'd be hard-pressed to come up with another public figure who inspires searches like the queen of daytime TV. Oprah, we see no need to panic—you're still the biggest influencer in town.

Filed under: Oprah