the buzz log
The Buzz on Bonnie Wright
She was only 10 when she joined the "Harry Potter" cast. The shy kid in the background has been there the whole time, in "Harry Potter" movies one through five. She plays Ron Weasley's little sister, Ginny. Who's that girl? That would be the pretty actress Bonnie Wright, who finally has a breakout role in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
That's right: Little sis is all grown up. And Potterheads have definitely noticed. Searches on the 18-year-old have skyrocketed. One day lookups soared 898%. In the last week, queries on the young star have grown over 600%. Lookups also include "bonnie wright pictures" and "daniel radcliffe bonnie wright."
Fans weren't the only ones causing a stir on the Web over the redhead. MTV called Ginny Weasley's character in the latest picture "vitally important to the overall arc of the story." Time's Nerd World blog ogled, "She's more sweet and real-looking than the waspish, glacially pretty Emma Watson."
In the latest movie in the series, the newly mature Ginny Weasley moves from sideline to front and center. She catches Harry Potter's eye, and they share an onscreen smooch, which the star admitted was "weird."
The London native may soon be graduating from Hogwarts Academy. (Well, sort of. There are two more movies to go.) But she'll start actual film school in the fall, at University of the Arts London. With her flaming hair and breakout buzz, we expect she won't be hidden in the background any longer.
Filed under: Movies, Harry Potter
Buzz Multiplex: Potterheads vs. Twilighters
The boy wizard's almost a man now—but he's no vampire slayer. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will shape actor Daniel Radcliffe into a romantic lead. Even as love comes to Harry in the form of his best pal's little sis, Ginny Weasley, is it too late for fickle fans pining for a toothier antihero?
Ever since "Twilight" slipped into the winter void that Potter left behind (when Warner Brothers opted for a summer release date), brooding vampires in body glitter have made wizards playing with wands and brooms look so, well, childish. Plenty of Potterheads have been going through hormonal changes since the first J.K. Rowling book debuted in 1997, and the movie in 2001. They may—as The Wall Street Journal puts it—"prefer the angsty teen romances and cooler, edgier characters."
Teen vampire angst scored a third-place in advance ticket sales and went on to earn $382 million globally. Not that Harry will go begging at his premiere: A Fandango press release reports that Potter No. 6 should pass the "Twilight" record, and Time magazine is calling this latest entry as "darker, richer and all grown up."
But the constant comparisons to the teen vampire series mean that people are seeing "Twilight" as the alpha franchise. Even Twilighters of the studio executive variety feel the need for professional courtesy: They're politely lying low while Harry's around since the "fans cross over so much" (Fandango's survey points to a 45% crossover).
The Potter-mania stirring up searches on Yahoo! shows much of the interest coming from kids under 18. Still, there's a lot of activity, as fans have been refreshing their Potter memories with searches like "list of harry potter books," "harry potter cast,""harry potter characters," "harry potter quiz," "harry potter wands," "harry potter lexicon," and the big question: "how many more potter films." Yet recent online searches for "New Moon"—which won't be released for another four months—almost rivals that of Wednesday's premiere.
Some more Search factoids:
- "Twilighters" tend to be female (85%), with a much bigger age range compared to Potter's youthful appeal.
- Robert Pattinson, a Potter alum who plays the dangerous Edward Cullen, scores nearly triple Radcliffe's online buzz. You can't blame the 18-month cinematic absence: Add up Search buzz from the past 3 years, and Pattinson's still more popular. (Then again, even Radcliffe says Pattinson's the genuine sex symbol.)
- The only person Pattinson has to look out for: Emma Watson, who reaps in more attention than both actors combined.
- Bonnie Wright, the actress who plays Potter's love interest, hasn't had a chance to make an impression. Her searches are up more than 800%, but don't compare to Kristen Stewart.
- Online queries for the "Twilight" cast (thanks to Taylor Lautner) would've beat out the entire Potter cast except for Watson.
With the next "Twilight" movie not due until November 20, moviegoers don't have to choose one over the other. Potter just better be sure to steer clear of Edward Cullen for No. 7.
Filed under: Movies, Harry Potter
Harry Potter's Secrets Revealed?
We haven't had a Harry Potter flick since 2007. Has the world forgotten the Boy who Lived? Not bloody likely! With the sixth movie about to swoop into theaters, the wizard's buzz is back in a big way.
Lookups on "harry potter 6 movie" and "harry potter and the half blood prince movie" are conjuring up tremendous gains in Search. But that's not all. A recent blog from the LA Times revealed some details on the following flicks, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts I and II.
Fans have long known that the final book will be split in two for the silver screen. However, hardcore Muggles were left to wonder where Part I would end and Part II would begin.
Has that question now been answered? Director David Yates explained a bit on what filmgoers might expect from Part I's finale. Those with a fear of spoilers are advised to... not... click... here.
Filed under: Harry Potter
Harry Potter: Delayed but not Forgotten
Think Harry Potter is over the hill? Think the boy wizard no longer garners fanaticism among his fans? Think again, muggle!
Upon hearing that Warner Bros. would delay the release of the sixth film from November to June, fans turned to the Web to voice their displeasure in ALL CAPS. Warner Bros., eager to keep the herd of angry nerds from storming its gates, quickly responded.
The president of the studio, Alan Horn, released a statement explaining that the decision was not taken lightly, and even pointed out a silver lining. With the sixth film, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," pushed back until June, fans won't have to wait as long between it and the seventh (and final) flick, scheduled for a November 2010 release.
As far as silver linings go, this one is stretching it, especially if the last film gets delayed as well. But the fact that a studio president responded to online grumbling is, in and of itself, news.
Various stories focusing on the delay cast a spell over the Buzz, including this cheeky item from Defamer. For anyone who wants to read Mr. Horn's full letter, MovieWeb has a copy of the entire missive. And, for the hardcore Harry worshipers, CNET reports that Scholastic will sponsor an all-day read-a-thon of the boy wizard's first adventure. The event will be broadcast live on the Web on September 23 (barring any delays).
Filed under: Movies, Harry Potter
Dumbledore Pride
Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, was recently outed by "Harry Potter" scribe J.K. Rowling. The announcement sent shocked muggles rushing to the Search box for orientation confirmation.
Queries blossomed on "dumbledore homosexual," "dumbledore gay," and "dumbledore fan fiction." Some searchers were suspicious and looked up "dumbledore is gay?" with a question mark. Others were either incredulous or overjoyed. They entered "dumbledore is gay!" with an emphatic exclamation point.
Additionally, the object of Dumbldore's alleged affection, Gellert Grindelwald, experienced a surge. Even folks who wouldn't know a Weasley from a Malfoy sensed something epic was happening—searches on "who is albus dumbledore?" flew upwards. Abracadabra, indeed!
Filed under: Harry Potter
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.