the buzz log

Outbursts, rebukes, and undercover videos made for a raucous week, but the Buzz sat up and took notice of some tough femmes going on the offensive this week.

Prey Tell
In their maiden alligator hunts, two females armed with crossbows bagged some mighty big prey. New mom Arianne Prevost, 23, took a break from diaper duty and snagged an 11-footer in Florida. Over in South Carolina, 16-year-old Cammie Colin was better known for being a softball player and a junior varsity cheerleader, until she went out in the dead of night with her male kin and brought down a gator measuring 10' 5" and 353 pounds. Their beginner's luck have made them Fox News darlings for being straight shooters. Both Florida and South Carolina issue limited hunting permits for alligators as part of state programs to control their reptile populations.

Drill Major Drill
Teresa King—or Command Sgt. Maj. to you—will be the first female top honcho of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School in Fort Jackson. The daughter of a sharecropper, King learned about strict discipline from the get-go with her dad being a strict disciplinarian to his 12 kids. A 28-year army vet who has served in South Korea and Europe, she'll start her new job Sept. 22.

Telling West Where to Go
The celeb sisterhood rallied around singer Taylor Swift after Kanye West lost his mind and his manners at the MTV Video Music Awards. West, who has a long history of speaking out, interrupted the 19-year-old's acceptance speech for Best Female Video. His behavior got a chorus of boos and even two presidential vetos, but the firmest slap-downs came from Pink, Katie Perry, Kellie Pickler, and Kelly Clarkson, who used firm and decidedly unladylike language in angry tweets and blog posts. Since the Sunday outburst, West apologized on "Jay Leno," his website, and finally to Swift herself after she appeared on the ultimate sisterhood cocoon, "The View."

Also buzzing this week...

• A passing of three entertainment eras with the deaths of Henry Gibson; Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Patrick Swayze...
• Dan Brown's instant bestseller's out, but don't forget Jane Austen's sea monsters...
• One year after Lehman Brothers falls, the recession's over...

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Filed under: Music, Hunting, Military, Women, Week in Review, Scandals, Wrap Up

This holiday season, many big-game hunters, fly fishermen, and cable sports enthusiasts will be whispering fervent thanks for ESPN2.

Every Sunday morning, the Deuce airs a hunting show called "Get Wild! with Cindy Garrison." The star of this weekly series is not your average TV host—or hunter. She's 5'8". She's blond. She has a penchant for very short shorts. She stalks alligators, reels in swordfish, and knocks back a fistful of fried bugs without blinking an eye. Then she throws back her head and whoops with laughter. Did we mention she looks like Elle MacPherson?

In the last few weeks, searches spiked into the hundreds of thousands each time Cindy strutted across the screen. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the queries came from middle-aged guys. The fisherman among them probably rushed to the Web with their waders still on. It's certainly the first time in Buzz history that a blond bombshell has inspired as many "fly fisher" searches as "photos." Or almost as many. For that, anglers of the world may say thanks.

Filed under: Hunting, Cindy Garrison, ESPN

It's official. If they ever make a movie about Dick Cheney, Chuck Norris has to play him. No one else will do. Consider the similarities. Both men enjoy nature. Both have sneers that make lesser men wilt. And here's the clincher, both know how to handle firearms. Just give Chuck a skullcap and some lifts and the Oscar practically wins itself.

Unfortunately, such casting decisions are probably years away. In the here and now, Cheney's all over Search, thanks to his aim or apparent lack thereof. The vice president accidentally shot fellow hunter Harry Whittington while the pair were traversing the Texas wilderness on Saturday afternoon. News of the unfortunate incident sent searches on Mr. Cheney shooting skyward, up 2,815%. Interest in "dick cheney hunting," "dick cheney jokes," and "aaron burr" (the last vice president to be involved in a shooting) also echoed through the Buzz.

Whittington suffered a minor heart attack on Tuesday. The well-known Republican attorney will likely stay in the hospital for another week, say administrators, but he's expected to recover.

Between former FEMA chief Michael Brown pointing fingers at the White House over Katrina and the veep putting lawyers in the hospital, this has been a tough week for the Bush administration. Perhaps this coming President's Day will help to restore a bit of luster to the highest office in the land. After all, searches on past presidents Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln are already on the rise. Will Dubya make a President's Day speech aligning himself with Mount Rushmore's finest, or will he spend the day fearing his second-in-command might mistake him for a pheasant? On Monday, all your questions will be answered.

Filed under: Politics, Dick Cheney, Hunting