the buzz log
DWTS: A Woman Scorned, an Olympian Threat, and "Sex" Appeal
Normally, any man who starts off a season of "Dancing with the Stars" with groin tendinitis should have the automatic sympathy vote.
But Gilles Marini, who had graphically described his pain as like dancing "with a knife next to your thing," faces two great forces. Shawn Johnson pulls in the indestructible Olympic youth vote, while triple-threat Melissa Rycroft is a "Bachelor" woman scorned, as well as a former Dallas Cowboy cheerleader with ballerina training.
Dance-wise, no Olympian finalist has ever lost, although the watercooler bets are on Marini. Online sympathy could mean a victory for Rycroft, despite her pessimism: Her performance night lookups are 22 times more popular than her competitors combined.
The crazy-close results for this likable crew come Tuesday. As to what the winner can look forward to, read AP's alum round-up.
Filed under: TV, Reality TV, Dancing With the Stars, Dance
Buzz Multiplex: Stepping Up a Day Early
Hollywood continues its romantic spin cycle, as nearly all the movies premiere on Thursday for maximum date night advantage. Valentine haters, you can come out of hiding tomorrow for the premiere of George Romero's zombie redux (+109%).
1. "Step Up 2 the Streets" (PG-13). The 2006 original made Channing Tatum one of the buzziest stars of that summer. The passion for street dance crazes in music and television haven't let up since, which probably explains the sequel's spring into the top 1,500 searches this week. Queries for the soundtrack and cast help double its Search numbers over the action runner-up, and judging from her early buzz, Briana Evigan (daughter of "My Two Dads" Greg Evigan) could pull a Tatum.
2. "Jumper" (PG-13). Critics aren't exactly leaping out of their seats for the sci-fi thriller, but audiences might be willing to follow the story of a teleporting slacker (Hayden Christensen). However, casting directors, take note: The Search trail leapfrogs Hayden and focuses on girl interest Rachel Bilson and mom Diane Lane.
3. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" (PG). A newly single mom and her children move into a mansion, which isn't as abandoned as it seems. The literary adaptation is the family movie of the week, although surprisingly tepid buzz may see this one slip into DVD oblivion.
Filed under: Movies, Children's Literature, Dance, Zombies
Idol Talk: A Dance Spin
Record producer and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is taking aim at TV production. His latest project, "America's Best Dance Crew," moves classic dance battles off the streets and onto MTV beginning February 7.
A host (Mario Lopez) and a trio of judges (Lil Mama, JC Chasez, Shane Sparks) still rule and voting still matters, but the competition doesn't have that "Idol" middle-America vibe. Instead, a hip hop undercurrent powers the synchronized dance moves of 5- to 7-member crews, who boast names like BreakSk8, Fysh n Chicks, and Kaba Modern. The moves may be street, but the diversity cuts across region, race, and gender. Pre-premiere enthusiasm measured put the show in the top 60,000 searches, thanks to interest from a broad age range (13-44).
While TV observers warn of a footloose burnout, that hasn't been the case online: In the past 30 days, searches for ABC's latest reality competition "Dance Wars" stepped up nearly 450%. Auditions for FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" might explain an 11% spike even when the show's between seasons.
Incidentally, the Thursday premiere of "Dance Crew" coincided with the Lunar New Year, which has been sparking Search movement for “lion dance,” the acrobatic tradition with kung-fu overtones. Say, Jackson, doesn’t that give you an idea…?
Filed under: Reality TV, Television, Dance
Crazy for Dance Crazes
"Dancing With the Stars" and "So You Think You Dance" draw millions of viewers. But if you ask us, the fanciest footwork is out on the streets.
In France, the kids favor a wild dance style called techtonik. In Malaysia and Australia they shuffle dance to high-speed techno. Latin music circles are hot for the sensual bachata. Chicago gave birth to footworkin'. L.A. is home to the krump. And New York's concrete landscape gave rise to the Aunt Jackie and the chicken noodle soup dance, among others.
However, when it comes to current buzz, southern rapper Soulja Boy's crank dat dance is all the rage. His signature move called the "soulja boy superman dance" soared up 672% over the last 30 days, while "crank dat" queries are crunching up the top 3,000 searches of the week. The crank dat cranks ever onward.
Filed under: Dance
Can You Do the Aunt Jackie?
The Chicken Noodle Soup is now lukewarm. It's high time for a new set of steps to boogie through the Buzz. Thankfully, a new dance known as the "Aunt Jackie" (+88%) has been moving through Harlem, and now the phenomenon is hopping onto the Buzz charts.
From virtually no lookups in April to a position in the top 13,000 searches today, Aunt Jackie is currently the dancing queen of Search...
The original video of the old-school inspired dance was uploaded to YouTube back in January and has seen over a half-million views. Searchers have been hot on the trail of Jason Fox, the man behind the song and dance. Fox was recently signed by super-producer Jermaine Dupri and the mainstream media has also joined the dance.
For music fans tired of gangsta poses, it looks like the Aunt Jackie is fast becoming a welcome return to the old-school. Just don't ask us to show you the moves.
Filed under: Music, Dance, Aunt Jackie
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.