the buzz log

The upside to being indicted for corruption charges: People notice when it's your birthday.

The loose-lipped Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich started his 52nd year as a free, albeit indicted, man, and among the top 200 searches, thanks to a 20,106% surge. Fox News St. Louis embraced the obvious with its observation that the occasion may not be his "happiest birthday." The ironic well-wishers so far include his hometown NBC news station, which posted a video of him and his family in their morning ritual and and asked ""will he eat cake?" New York Magazine suggested "one final rager in the governor's mansion."

The Chicago Tribune, one of the entities that Blagojevich had allegedly tried to strongarm, took the theme that "birthdays are a time for self-examination," and helpfully offered verbal gifts like "delusional," "irrational," and "narcissistic." The guv, who had already complained about feeling the blunt end of the 10-foot pole between him and Barack Obama, got another jab today when the president-elect called for him to step down.

Blagojevich's ill-timed birthday follows that of former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens. The indicted senator spent his 85th birthday watching the votes come in for Democrat Mark Begich and seeing the end of 40 years of service.

So, what do the stars say for someone celebrating a turning point today? The astrology reading recommends, "Stop, look and listen! The uncertainty factor suddenly rises as the Sun in Sagittarius squares Uranus in Pisces ... shock, waves and surprises are more prevalent."

The advice is even more grim: "Putting your John Hancock on legal documents or making long-term commitments is not advised." Maybe it is time to eat cake now. Lots.