the buzz log
Of The Boss, Beasts, and Buzz
Bruce Springsteen has made his contribution to the Halloween Buzz by posting a free musical treat on his web site. His new “A Night with the Jersey Devil” video features The Boss re-enacting to a grinding blues beat the origins of the creature occasionally spotted in The Pine Barrens, 1 million acres of forest in southern New Jersey. (Remember that “Sopranos” episode where Paulie and Christopher get lost in the woods? That’s The Pine Barrens.)
Not every cryptozoological beastie has both a song and a hockey team named after it. But that doesn’t mean that on a day like today we shouldn’t pay them homage. Since many creatures that may or may not exist have at least been spotted at the search box, here are the recent top 10:
- Yeti/Abominable Snowman
- Bigfoot/Sasquatch
- Chupacabra
- Loch Ness Monster
- Mothman
- Jersey Devil
- Jackalope
- Skunk Ape
- Wendigo
- Lake Worth Monster
Filed under: Music, Cryptozoology
August 2008 Buzz Wrap Up: Political Pomp and Olympian Pageantry
August really began on 08-08-08, and made up for the doldrums of summer with political pomp and Olympian pageantry. Yet even as firsts were made on both fronts, the Search buzz was assaulted with the specter of Cold War, shocking passings, and natural disasters. Take a look back at what captivated the Web over the past 31 rushed days of summer.
Olympian Records, Herculean Efforts, and Chinese Aesthetics
Environmentalists watched the skies and activists watched the streets, but Olympic fans were out in phenomenal force to watch the Beijing opening ceremony (+19,435% in searches) unroll with cinematic precision. The amateur contest engaged millions, many who wondered about rules and gamesmanship, and asked an awful lot of questions.
Of all the spectacular athletes, Michael Phelps dominated screentime, medals and searches. Paraguayan model Leryn Franco placed 51st in the javelin contest but second in Web searches, thanks to her pairing of beauty and sharp sticks. Gymnasts Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone, and Nastia Liukin rounded up the top five. In sports queries, everything from the badminton to judo to marathon buzzed, but redemption vaulted "olympic basketball" to the top, followed by gymnastics and volleyball (beach, naturally). Ending after a mere two weeks, fans looked forward to the next fix, winter in 2010 and summers 2012 and 2016.
Unconventional Politics
The medal count had barely been tallied up before the Democrats started mugging for the cameras from sweltering Denver. Barack Obama secured the top politico spot in searches, as people researched his platforms ("obama tax plan," "obama gun control"), sought out jokes (yes, as in "So Barack Obama walks into a stadium..."), and to find his speech.
The royal families Kennedy and Clinton captured the buzz, but a Republican did manage to snare some Search light: Republican vice presidential pick Sarah Palin (+13,527%) gallivanted into history and into the top 100 search terms. Next up, RNC in the Twin Cities.
Gone Too Soon, Others Sticking Around
Comedian Bernie Mac and singer Isaac Hayes died within a day of one another. The shock of Hayes' passing made the influential singer the fastest moving search this month. People poured over the details of his life: music, his contribution to the film "Shaft," his wives, and his time with "South Park."
Yet it was the Mac's premature death from sarcoidosis that hit mourners much harder, almost seven times harder. His show had established him as a family man, and his death at 50 drew people to seek out his survivors and family photos, as well as his creative history.
Bad news also came with the death of Dr. Dre's son, Andre, and Dave Freeman, author of "100 Things to Do Before You Die." Fortunately, another Freeman—actor Morgan Freeman—survived his August 3 car crash, although people monitored his condition for days. And despite the odd swell of rumors claiming their demise, Dolly Parton and Lil Wayne's daughter are just fine.
Here below, a couple lists of what captivated searches this busy, busy month.
August 2008 Fastest Movers in Search
Searches with the Biggest Percentage Changes
- Isaac Hayes (+96,545%)
- Real Bigfoot (+86,563%. Georgians—of the state, not the invaded nation—presented "evidence" of the mythical creature.)
- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (+71,770%)
- Michael Phelps Girlfriend (+71,481%. No, not as far as anyone knows.)
- Luciana Barroso (+52,657%. Actor Matt Damon's wife gave birth to a second daughter)
- Goblin Shark (+43,173%. Footage of the deep-sea crawler buoyed its buzz.)
- Laurence Fishburne (+41,176%. Actor will head "CSI.")
- Melissa Lawson (+33,116%. Won "Nasville Star.")
- Tuatara (+27,607%. An 111-year-old dinosaur descendent successfully mates after decades of abstinence.
- Tom Cruise Tropic Thunder (+27,596%. The actor's cameo held up in the comical film.)
August 2008 Top 10 Personalities
Sentient Beings with the Most Searches Overall
- Miley Cyrus (-40%)
- Bernie Mac (+2,943%)
- Michael Phelps (+2,759%)
- Britney Spears (-20%)
- Sarah Palin (+13,527%)
- Lindsay Lohan (-15%)
- Bigfoot (+2,672%)
- Leryn Franco (off the charts)
- Shelley Malil (off the charts)
- Paris Hilton (+15%)
Filed under: Movies, Politics, Music, Celebrities, Monthly Wrapup, Cryptozoology, Hillary Clinton, Presidents, Barack Obama, Olympics, Wrap Up, John McCain
Desperately Seeking Sasquatch... Outfits
So, it was all a fake. The so-called Bigfoot hunters of the north Georgia woods cobbled together bogus DNA samples and stuffed an oversized gorilla suit into a freezer. Nice going, guys.
However, not all was lost on this bum hoax of a tale. A lot of people got their Halloween costume ideas early this year.
Since word hit that the Bigfoot discovery was a big fat lie, demands for "bigfoot costume" and "deluxe sasquatch costume" have hoofed it up the Buzz. Even "gorilla costumes" has enjoyed a swing across the Search box. Extra candy to anyone who incorporates the ice box into their hairy get-up.
Of course, Sasquatch-seekers aren’t the only ones thinking ahead to October. Over the past seven days, lookups have spiked for costumes depicting fairies, Lara Croft, Tinkerbell, and the Joker. But no Caped Cruasader. Apparently, Bigfoot beats Batman at this point in the game.
Filed under: Cryptozoology, Costumes
The Buzz Week in Review
The world's greatest athletes may have tussled and triumphed in Beijing this week, but here at the Buzz, far more mysterious creatures held sway. A vampire dog galloped past, the body of a seven-foot hairy legend surfaced in a north Georgia woods, and an invisibility cloak cast its spell over readers. Read on for more of the week's buzziest tales...
A Chupa- what?
Early in the week, video footage emerged of a supposed Chupacabra, the mythological beast said to feast on the blood of farm animals and haunt parts of the U.S. and Latin America. Captured on tape by a Texas sheriff's deputy, the four-legged creature lopes ahead of the police vehicle, at one point turning its face to flash a long, bulbous snout.
Real? Who knows? Some investigators say the animal is possibly a coyote-fox mix; a biologist says it's a pit bull. Regardless, searches for "chupacabra texas" rose 13,424% over the past week, while the deputy's video clip ascended to the #1 spot in the week's top buzzing stories.
A Big- who?
Within days of the Chupacabra video, news broke that two men in northern Georgia had found the corpse of a Bigfoot—or so they claimed. Though the press conference to present the "evidence" wouldn't happen until the end of the week, the buzz around the revelation quickly reached a fevered pitch.
In just one day, more than 100 distinct searches related to the hairy monster besieged the Search box. In Buzz, a CNET article on the fervor topped the week's most popular science stories. Regrettably, the Friday press event left many questions unanswered.
An invisibility- huh?
Not to be outdone by vampire dogs or gigantic bipeds, researchers at UC Berkeley announced this week that they had crafted an artificial fabric that "can bend light around 3D objects." As NPR explains: "If they're able to expand the work to a wider range of wavelengths, the material could provide an unprecedented level of control over the way light moves, perhaps even making a "cloak of invisibility" possible."
The "perhaps" in that statement didn't stop anybody. Articles on the possibilities of superhero attire glided up the Buzz charts. In Search, lookups for "invisibility cloak" leapt, followed closely by the even more optimistic "invisibility cloaks." Why seek just one when you could have multiple copies?
Filed under: Cryptozoology, Week in Review
All A-Buzz About Bigfoot
Unfortunately for those who really, really want to believe, the wait continues.
Researchers presented evidence today of a large, shaggy (and dead) creature they claim is Bigfoot. Two of the men say they found the mysterious beast in the north Georgia woods and stashed it in a freezer. Though the bold duo had claimed they would present DNA evidence, photographs, and video to prove they did indeed nab the big guy, early reports say the hunters "didn't reveal much."
Even before the press conference convened, experts and bloggers alike expressed their doubts about the evidence. In a cheeky post on CNET, one writer described the "soupcon of skepticism" surrounding the find. Scientific American acted more, well, scientific and called up a noted Bigfoot investigator. He left no doubt that he thinks the whole story stinks.
LiveScience.com, meanwhile, quickly pointed out that this isn't the first time that Tom Biscardi, a researcher brought in to verify the alleged beast, has claimed to possess incontrovertible evidence of the furtive goliath.
Skepticism aside, it's been awhile since we've seen a story ignite on the Web like this one. Searches for "latest bigfoot sightings" rose more than 6,000% over the last two days alone. Interest in "bigfoot" soared 1,630%, landing the query at the top of our fastest movers. Searchers with a more suspicious bend propelled queries for "real bigfoot pictures" (+2,589%) and "real bigfoot" (+2,853%) skyward. And that's just the beginning.
More than 115 distinct queries bombarded the Search box yesterday, each hoping to uncover some fresh look at the Bigfoot conundrum. Among the lookups sniffing for clues: Bigfoot body, body photo, capture, captured, carcass, caught, corpse, dead, discovery, dna, find, freezer, hoax, killed, news, photos, remains, shot, sighting, tracker, and video. Whew.
If nothing else, these Georgia hunters know how to whip up buzz. Whether there's a real body behind the hubbub—or just an elaborately tricked-out ape costume—remains to be seen.
Filed under: Cryptozoology
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worst Airports For Delays 2009 | Breakout! |
| 2 | How To Survive A Recession | Breakout! |
| 3 | Ice Cream Calorie Counter | Breakout! |
| 4 | Jayson Williams | Breakout! |
| 5 | Alexandra Kerry | Breakout! |
| 6 | Chaz Bono | 10707% |
| 7 | Kelly Osbourne | 3298% |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | 3218% |
| 9 | Nicole Richie | 2075% |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | 1125% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +413 | 1016 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Lambert | -677 | 263 |
| 3 | NFL | +66 | 235 |
| 4 | New Moon | +74 | 213 |
| 5 | Bing | +83 | 209 |
| 6 | Kelly Osbourne | +193 | 199 |
| 7 | Hulu | +7 | 139 |
| 8 | Nicole Richie | +124 | 130 |
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.
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