the buzz log
Swine Flu in Cats, Bigfoot Sightings, T. Rex Ancestor: Buzz Week in Review
Interspecies swine flu, the buzz on Bigfoot, and a really, really old fossil. All these stories and more for your Buzz Week in Review.
Please don't sneeze on your pet
It's enough that you have to worry about you and your kids catching swine flu this season. But now you also have to be concerned for … your cat. That's right. Your furry friend can catch it, from you. At least that's the case for a 13-year-old feline in Iowa diagnosed with H1N1 after its two owners both came down with the flu. The cat was treated at a veterinary hospital after appearing lethargic, losing its appetite and having trouble breathing. All three have recovered. Although this is the first documented case, consider it a cautionary tale. While searches on "swine flu symptoms" were up this week almost 400%, lookups on "swine flu in cats" also increased. (Read up on how to protect pets from the swine flu.)
Bigfoot gets big buzz
Bigfoot: It's a riddle wrapped in a mystery, or something like that. But is it an enigma because it doesn't exist (say it isn't so!) or because we haven't had the technology to properly document the evidence? Members of Sasquatch Watch are definitely in the latter camp. And a group of intrepid Bigfoot hunters were on the move in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, armed with all the gee-whiz gadgets needed to prove, for sure, without ambiguity, definitely, that Bigfoot exists. Maybe.
Although some suspicious footprints were preserved with plaster of Paris in areas where there have been previous so-called sightings of the beast, un-fun skeptics are unsure if this is the real deal. But enthusiasts of the furry biped have already helped launch big buzz on the Web. Searches on "latest bigfoot sightings" shot up over 100%. Amateur sleuths also sought out "real bigfoot pictures," "bigfoot evidence," and "bigfoot research organization."
Tyrannosaurus Rex has ancestors
We knew T. rex was old and big, but that he had family? This comes as a surprise. Here's the story: Thanks to CT scans, a newly identified dinosaur Proceratosaurus has been named as the oldest known T. rex. That dates the tyrannosauroid group back
to 170 million years, older than any other known fossil, according to Scientific American. But here's the thing: While the bigger, badder T. rex lived 65 to 99 million years ago, the Jursassic-Era cousin was still a meat eater, but way smaller, measuring just 10 feet. But it was just as ferocious, with four knife-like teeth and a pointy horn jutting from its nose. Of course, all these gigunda-saurs were the earliest ancestors of birds, like the ones we eat. Take that, dinos.
Also buzzing…
•Sarah Palin's book spawned a publishing bonanza.
•The movie "Precious" opened to rave reviews and lots of buzz.
•Jon Stewart takes on Glenn Beck.
Filed under: Week in Review
"Paranormal Activity" -- and Goats
Those with movies coming out with odd names (say, "The Men Who Stare at Goats") have perhaps gotten a little envious of the mega-hit "Paranormal Activity," which went from unknown to big time through a wildly successful word-of-mouth campaign.
Well, we can't all be $11,000 movies that top the box office. But the makers of the satire starring George Clooney have done the next-best thing: a spoof of the "Paranormal Activity" ad. It's a clever mash-up of the horror-thriller ad you've seen — with goats.
Watch and enjoy.
The Buzz Around Gabourey Sidibe
In stepping into the lead role of "Precious," newcomer actor Gabourey Sidibe had to take on some monumental tasks.
- The 26-year-old had to play an abused, obese 16-year-old, convincingly.
- She had to be good enough to satisfy fans of a modern literary classic, the 1996 novel "Push," by Sapphire.
- She needed to hold her own with a stand-out cast that includes mega-stars like Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz.
- She had to portray a character, Precious Jones, who weighs in at more than 300 pounds in a Hollywood that tends to slim down its leading ladies.
Well, mission very accomplished. The movie became a Sundance Festival favorite, building massive buzz on the Web and off. California and New York audiences talked up the film, directed by Lee Daniels (who produced "Monster's Ball"), and opening weekend searches came from about two-thirds of the nation, led by Southern states.
Monumental Buzz
Turned out Sidibe, a psychology student and receptionist, couldn't have been more perfect for the role. The New York native wasn't unfamiliar with bright lights, hanging out at the performances of her gospel-singer mom. But that hard lifestyle of constantly trying to get gigs was exactly why Sidibe aimed for a steady desk job. Her best friend convinced her to audition, and so Sidibe competed with 1,000 others testing for the part.
As The New York Times puts it, "she blew everyone away." The director fell in love ("with all my soul"). Since then, others have fallen in line. She has already received one prestigious award. Rolling Stones critic Peter Travers calls her "glorious," and her talk-show appearances literally leave people cheering.
Far From Precious
While Brooklyn-born and Harlem-raised, Sidibe's similarities to the character Precious ends there. Sidibe is one of six kids, and her mother Alice Tan Ridley is a loving teacher as well as a gospel singer—known by NYC locals as the godmother of soul of the Times Square subway station. To understand the horribly abused Precious, the college student fell into familiar academic mode and delved into research about abuse. Given all the Oscar talk around her performance, Sidibe's studying more than paid off.
Level-Headed Grownup
In a Huffington Post interview, Sidibe said she felt "immense responsibility" to do Precious justice, and that her confidence came from age (24, when she auditioned): "I know Precious because I know who I am." Sidibe keeps it real. She also said that a role model doesn't come "because I'm in a movie. My first responsibility is to my family and to myself."
Fame isn't over yet, although Sidibe understands that her background and build, atypical for Hollywood, means people make snap judgments. “I think people look at me and don’t expect much," she told an Indiewire reporter, "even though, I expect a whole lot." In her new career as an actor, Sidibe sees her new life as "an office job...and my office happens to be a red carpet or a room full of interviewers." Now that's a grownup attitude.
Yankees, Health Care Bill, No Doubt: What's the Buzz
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- 2009 health care bill (Searches increased by 781%). Republicans organized a "kill the bill" rally in D.C.
- No Doubt (+558%). The band sued a video game maker for its depiction in "Band Hero."
- New York Yankees parade (+436%). The World Series champs were treated to a ticker tape parade.
- Chelsea Clinton (+363%). The book of the secret Clinton tapes reveals the president to be a good father.
- Lisa Kudrow (+259%). The "Friends" star will reunite with her former cast mate Courtney Cox on "Cougar Town."
Buzz Multiplex Charts: Better Based on Fiction Than Fact
Top Three Movies of the Week, as ranked by Yahoo! searches
1. "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (R, limited release). A film adaptation of the 1996 award-winning novel took 13 years, so little wonder that pent-up anticipation has exploded online. The searches have been phenomenal, partly helped by the directorial creds (Lee Daniels produced "Monster's Ball") and an eclectic cast (Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz). Plaudits are already being loaded on star Gabourey Sidibe, who takes on the unspeakable role of horribly abused, obese 16 year old. Despite the R rating, expect the females to queue up (they make up 77% of searches) where they can.
2. "The Fourth Kind" (PG-13). Milla Jovovich has carved a niche of sorts in vanquishing 15th-century English colonialists, corporate-created zombies, and the occasional evil police force. Who better (well, besides the recently departed guv) to lead a "fact-based" drama about UFOs mixing it up with Alaskans. The film has hoax written all over it, but viral marketing helps it snag the No. 2 slot (and inspire searches like "nome alaska abductions" and "alien abduction"). Now let's see if the 13-44 year olds crowd will actually pay for a ticket. Except in Alaska: The movie's evidently not showing there.
3. "The Men Who Stare At Goats" (R). Even more fact-based than Nome abductions, the spoof checks out elite psychics practicing their skills on behalf of military intelligence (so to speak). Ewan McGregor plays the reporter checking out mind-reading warrior George Clooney. Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges add to the over-40 powerhouse crew (well, McGregor's 38). Quirky title aside, the critics aren't just mostly unimpressed—they're making bleating noises. Well, at least fainting goats are getting some online love.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nidal Malik Hasan | Breakout! |
| 2 | Fort Hood Shooting | Breakout! |
| 3 | Tyrannosaurus Rex | Breakout! |
| 4 | Fort Hood | 43518% |
| 5 | Tropical Storm Ida | 4377% |
| 6 | Willie Aames | 3325% |
| 7 | Shannon Dedrick | 3299% |
| 8 | Gretchen Rossi | 2702% |
| 9 | Epic Mickey | 2583% |
| 10 | Lee Harvey Oswald | 1907% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danica Patrick | +194 | 207 |
| 2 | Fort Hood | +185 | 185 |
| 3 | Angelina Jolie | +114 | 164 |
| 4 | Rihanna | +39 | 157 |
| 5 | New York Yankees | +54 | 154 |
| 6 | Alicia Keys | +139 | 153 |
| 7 | +1 | 153 | |
| 8 | NFL | +6 | 138 |
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.