the buzz log

Just when are voters supposed to buy their bumper stickers?

With the Democratic primaries at last concluded, the citizenry is now supposed to concentrate on the candidates' message... except they're distracted by the gaping hole where a vice president should be standing. Impatient toe-tapping over "obama vice president candidates" (+540%) and, less so, "mccain vice president" has reverberated throughout Search. 

You can probably hold off waxing the car bumper until after the Fourth of July weekend, though. The earliest that recent veepstake winners have been announced was July 6, when Democratic nominee John Kerry anointed then-Senator John Edwards as his political mate for the 2004 campaign. Twelve years before, Bill Clinton touted Al Gore on July 9. President George W. Bush made room on his 2000 presidential seat for Dick Cheney on July 25.

Moving even later into the season, Gore took until August 8 (2000) to present Joe Lieberman, and 1996 Republican nominee Robert Dole waited as long as August 16 to put Jack Kemp in the picture. Surely, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will wait until the dog days of summer to put constituents out of their misery... right?

In the meantime, the 2008 rumor mill runs on steroids, what with Internet speculation on top of the 24-7 news cycle. Names now being tossed about for the Democratic  ticket include "Wall Streeter" Bob Rubin as panacea for America's economic woes or Elizabeth Edwards as a likeable, female cancer survivor. House representative Nancy Pelosi has singled out Chet Edwards.

Some even want to revive an Al Gore ticket, a not unpopular recycling notion, but a distant second to Hillary Clinton among searchers. Gore barely aces out short-list candidate Senator Sam Nunn. (Speaking of former vice presidents, Dan Quayle isn't being suggested, but he's into heavy-set punditry now.)

Republican voters who feel a woman's place is in the White House consider three females as serious contenders, but Alaska governor Sarah Palin finds the most favor among searchers. However, hints are strong that McCain has already decided in favor of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

For the Democratic cult worshippers, however, a humorist proposes the dream of all dream tickets: Obama-Obama. No, not Michelle... Barack Obama, squared. While backroom strategists figure out that Constitutional amendment, below are the veep possibilities generating the most online curiosity.

Filed under: Politics, History, Elections, Presidents, Barack Obama

HBO's latest miniseries—the seven-part "John Adams," starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney—kicked off with a two-episode opener on Sunday night. We don't know yet how the ratings panned out, but the reaction in Search the next morning sounded like a standing ovation.

Lookups of "john adams miniseries" rose an astonishing 1,073%, climbing into our top 35 daily movers. As of Tuesday morning, the query continued to hold sway in the top hourly searches.

The advance buzz was equally impressive. Over the past 7 days, interest in "president john adams" surged nearly 1,300%. We might've credited the bump to middle schoolers desperately seeking homework help, but the bulk of the queries came flowing in from 35 to 64 year olds. Americans interested in American history, who woulda thought?

Besides the man himself, searchers have investigated the Founding Father's family. Queries are up nearly 300% for Abigail Adams, the country's second First Lady and astute adviser to her husband. Demand for cousin Samuel Adams, son John Quincy Adams, and "john adams children" has also spiked.

Though many critics have lauded the cable drama, some reviewers have not been so quick to jump on the celebratory bandwagon. Tim Goodman at The San Francisco Chronicle bemoaned the waste of Giamatti's talents in the role. If the buzz keeps up the way it's going now, though, this may prove a historic role for the actor.

Filed under: TV, HBO, History

On April 6, National Geographic announced the discovery of the lost Gospel of Judas. The 1,700-year-old document, believed to be from an early Gnostic Christian sect, not only tells the disgraced disciple's side of the story, but describes Jesus actually asking Judas to sell him out.

Many Biblical authorities say there's nothing new here, but everybody loves a good comeback story. Searches on the "gospel of judas" are up an astonishing 22,820% this month. "Book of judas," "evangelio de judas," "judus iscariot," and "national geographic judas" are also soaring.

With two new books, a National Geographic cover story, and an exhibition in the works, more Judas buzz is surely on the way. In the meantime, here's a sampling of the top related searches that have ascended over the past week...

One final note: Things may be looking up for the Benedict Arnold of the Biblical set, but what about heavy metal bands counting on the disciple's bad behavior? We can't promise that the two are related, but we noticed that searches on "judas priest" dropped 30% last week.

Filed under: Religion, History, The Bible