the buzz log

Despite a three-day weekend, the Buzz was buffeted by hurricanes, the Republican National Convention, and slap shots over Sarah Palin. Still, life slogged on, football season started, and zucchinis went to great lengths. Let's put political differences aside and take a look back at what else got readers abuzz with the most popular and (mostly) apolitical stories this week.

In a World Where Farewells Are Hard to Say
Three men known best for their voices passed on this week: movie-trailer basso profundo Don LaFontaine, good ol' boy country-singer Jerry Reed, and "Peanuts" animator Bill Melendez. Besides numerous queries for LaFontaine's soundboards, voice clips, and salary, the Minnesotan was remembered for his rare on-camera work in a Geico ad. Mourners reminisced about Atlanta-born Reed's music, recurring "Smokey and the Bandit" role, and defining hit "Amos Moses." Last but not least, Mexican-born Melendez worked closely with Charles M. Schulz to bring his "Peanuts" comic strip to TV, and notably provided the barks and chirps of Snoopy and Woodstock. To all, a fond sendoff.

Two Who Didn't Get Away ... and One Who Did
After months of sordid investigations, angry denials, and a roughed-up process server, searches soared again after Kwame Kilpatrick ended his reign as Detroit's "Hip-Hop Mayor" with a plea deal for obstructing justice. The Detroit Free Press chronicled his glory days and explained how his flaws symbolized the Motor City itself.

While he got four months, former D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff got four years, and was quite poetic at his sentencing. He declared himself a "broken man" whose "name is the butt of a joke, the source of a laugh and the title of a scandal." Yes, a book is coming. Meanwhile, the FBI doubled the reward for the capture of elusive Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, age 79 but still on the run.

Power Through Body Language and Napping
All the talk about leading the country may have helped InsideCRM get those approving votes for its meticulous leadership training on how to command respect through body language. The blog gives do's ("spread weight evenly on both feet") and don'ts (excessive blinking), explaining what impressions each gives off.  Readers perhaps tuckered out by the exercises went for power napping and this dreamy roundup of sleeping pods.

Finally, Fatherhood in the Buzz ...
• Tiger Woods had to bow out after the U.S. Open, but the break gives the golfer time to prepare for his second child. Wife Elin Nordegren is due in late winter.
• David Spade proved his surname wrong, after news emerged he was the father of a Playboy Playmate's daughter. Impressed searchers vaulted the comedian's buzz up 650%.

Filed under: Politics, Celebrities, Crime, Scandals

As soon as audiences see the words—"Based on a true story"—they sprint to the Search box for confirmation. It's the one disclaimer no moviegoer can resist.

"The Strangers" is the latest flick to spark a run on "true story" lookups. The horror film opens with an ominious voiceover stating that the carnage you are about to witness is based on actual events. Filmgoers, perhaps wise to Hollywood's tendency to stretch the truth like taffy, looked up "the strangers true story," "did the strangers really happen," as well as the film's main characters "kristen mckay and james hoyt."

And what did these searching sleuths discover? Surprisingly, the film is in fact loosely based on a 1981 homicide at the Keddie Cabins in Plumas County, California. That revelation sparked a boom of buzz on "keddie cabins," "where are the keddie cabins," and "unsolved keddie deaths." That's right, kids—the case was never solved.

But as much as "The Strangers" has infected the minds of searchers, it's not the only so-called "true story" to boom in Buzz. Here are a list of the biggest "true story" terms from curious filmbuffs and truth seekers.

Filed under: Movies, Crime

Emotions ran high on Tuesday, as political brouhahas came to a head, a video game challenged business as usual, and an incomprehensible crime stunned a nation.

Righting Wright
Was Reverend Jeremiah Wright defending the black church? Repairing his reputation? Taking revenge against a former follower? Whatever his motivations, Buzz readers picked up on AP's criticism of the pastor's timing, Salon's assessment of his narcissism, and one Huffington Post writer's thank-you for bringing race talks into the 21st century. Wright provoked a 600% rise in online searches for his sermons, speeches, and weekend appearances, and prompted Barack Obama to deliver what the Dallas Morning News characterized as their "divorce papers."

Gaming Systems
Put aside for a moment that Grand Theft Auto is, at its essence, just an R-rated game. Reviews from USA Today and Salon are rapturous, and record sales are predicted. Its release has lifted its troubled publisher's stock price and may strengthen the company's takeover defenses. Reviewers are raving about GTA's newfound conscience and sense of consequences, both of which were notably absent in its formerly insouciant approach to body counts and ... er ... human relations. This could be a case of a game for adults that's finally all growed up. 

Searching Souls
As family members, authorities, and fellow countrymen try to make sense of the ongoing, soul-sickening investigation into the Austrian incest case, the AP story reported on a family reunion of the victimized daughter and her children. Readers sought to comprehend the crime with an AP follow-up looking into possible psychiatric disorders that led to the crime, while a Time.com story examined how Austrians are trying to make sense of how such crimes could happen among them.

Other stories spiking in Buzz

• The father of former Saturday Night Live cast member Cheri Oteri was killed by his roommate Saturday night. The tragedy prompted a search upswell of more than 3,000%. Although she has yet to release a public statement, People quoted her brother as calling their father a "man of peace."

• Being groomed this week: mint sprigs, ostentatious hats, and thoroughbred horses. The Kentucky Derby debuts this Saturday, but NPR dares to ding some of its traditions. The Daily Herald reports one shall hold: The racetrack will remain honest-to-goodness dirt rather than synthetic materials.

• As the population ages, Medicare costs may balloon. According to HealthDay, a U.S. National Cancer Institute study predicts cancer treatment for elderly patients—currently $21.1 billion over 5 years—will increase significantly.

Filed under: Video Games, Politics, Crime, Daily Recap