the buzz log

An Obama nominee withdraws, but are we ready for another Bush? And the death of John Travolta's son hits the Web hard ... just a few of the stories that engaged Buzz users this weekend.

Death of Jett Travolta
By a wide margin, the death of John Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett created the most buzz Saturday and Sunday. Today, the family posted on John Travolta's website a statement thanking the public for its support. Yesterday, two Travolta attorneys told the website TMZ that it appears Jett Travolta died after hitting his head on the "bathtub, toilet seat, or both." The two said Jett Travolta had a history of seizures, and searches on "Kawasaki disease" skyrocketed as Web users picked up on reports that Jett had suffered from the malady when younger. One Travolta lawyer called the family's pain "unimaginable and unquantifiable."

Trouble in paradise
One would have liked to see the new administration at least make it through exhibition season before suffering a scandal. But here it is, two weeks before President Obama actually takes office, and already a Cabinet appointee has been forced to withdraw. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, tapped by the president-elect to be secretary of commerce, removed his name from consideration due to a grand jury investigation of state contracts granted to political donors. A spokesman for Richardson said the governor decided to withdraw when it became clear the investigation would take longer than originally believed.

Uh-oh
While the Obama administration might not have gotten off to a picture-perfect start, that doesn't mean, necessarily, that the country is ready for another President Bush yet. But down the road? Perhaps, according to George H.W. Bush, the father of the current president. Speaking of his No. 2 son — former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush — the ex-president said on FOX News Sunday, "I'd like to see him be president some day." Pressed further, Bush backtracked a little: "Right now is probably a bad time, because we've had enough Bushes in there." 

Also buzzing this weekend ...

• Israeli tanks, troops, and helicopter gunships have poured into Gaza. For up-to-the-minute coverage, follow events on Yahoo! News.
• Baltimore, Philadelphia, Arizona, and San Diego have all moved on to the next round in the NFL playoffs.
• "Dancing With the Stars" pros Karina Smirnoff and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are engaged.