the buzz log

It was a week of hellos and goodbyes in the Buzz. A beloved actor passed away, the biggest moon of the year entranced sky-watchers, and a new judge on "Idol" sent searchers into a tizzy. Join us as we revisit these stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.

Ricardo Montalban dies at 88
Actor, pitchman, and all-around smooth customer Ricardo Montalban passed away at the age of 88. Best known for his work on the long-running "Fantasy Island," Mr. Montalban also played Captain Kirk's diabolical nemesis in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn." Searches surged on the man and his work, as did lookups for Ricardo's favorite automobile, the Chrysler Cordoba. In the '70s, Montalban did a series of commercials for the car and always made a point to gush over the "fine Corinthian leather." Years later, folks are still trying to figure out what Corinthian leather really is. Searches boomed on the mysterious luxury.

The biggest moon of the year
Anyone who happened to be outdoors and gazing upwards last Saturday night saw the biggest and brightest moon of 2009. A popular article from SPACE.com explains that the moon's orbit is not a perfect circle, and on Saturday the moon was at its closest point to Earth. According to NASA, the moon appeared "about 14 percent bigger in our sky and 30 percent brighter than some other full moons during 2009." If you caught the display, congratulations. But we don't recommend you look at the sky for the rest of the year. You will no doubt be disappointed. When outdoors, best to stare at your shoes.

If it ain't broke... fix it?
Even though its ratings dipped last season, "American Idol" was still the biggest show on TV. Some folks were quite surprised when the runaway hit announced that it would be making significant changes to its format. Would Seacreast finally be shown the door?! Sadly, no. Instead, producers brought in a fourth judge, Kara Dioguardi. Amazingly (to us, anyway), fan reaction was quite positive. Searches on Ms. Dioguardi jumped 5,421% over the week, and are likely to stay hot as "Idol" picks up steam. Related queries on "kara dioguardi pictures" and "who is kara dioguardi" also hit a high note. Think of her as younger, non-insane Paula Abdul.

Also buzzing this week...
• What looked like a sure tragedy ended up being an inspirational story. A U.S. Airways flight leaving New York crashed into the Hudson River, but everyone survived. Pilot Chesley Sullenberger III became a hero and hugely popular in Search.
• The no-longer-annoying Ben Affleck and his wife, Jennifer Garner revealed the name of their new child. Welcome to the world, Seraphina Affleck.