the buzz log

In this week's three most-searched premieres, crowd-pleasing producer/directors like Judd Apatow and Tyler Perry are the ones getting their names on the Buzz marquee. Normally all other comers should just bow down and hope for matinee attendance with Perry around, but surprise buzz for an immigration tale of a boy in search of his mother has been challenging his dominance.

1. "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" (PG-13). A single dad got another shot at love in Perry's last celluloid outing. This time around, delicious Angela Bassett (+41%) plays a single mom meeting her paternal kin for the first time. Perry built the film specifically around Bassett, and also brought back his grandma Madea character. While Perry outdraws Basset in online popularity, neither can match cast member Sofia Vergara's appeal. The family movie of the week should see lines forming largely in the Eastern half of the United States.

2. "Under the Same Moon" (PG-13, limited release). This small sentimental film about a 9-year-old Mexican boy who gets himself smuggled into the U.S. to find his mother carries huge political undercurrents. That—and a cameo by America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty")—may explain the surprisingly hefty online attention. The film is up nearly 200% and trails "Meet the Browns" by just a few hundred searches. The limited release has drawn interest from all over, with California, Texas, Illinois, Nevada, and Arizona leading the state searches. Another surprise: While ages 13-54 have been interested, teens make up nearly a quarter of the film's lookups.

3. "Drillbit Taylor" (PG-13). The first film to roll off the Judd Apatow-Seth Rogen production powerhouse may fall with a thud into the DVD bin, given the search stupor. Three hounded high school freshmen employ a homeless, self-proclaimed vet as their bodyguard, played by Owen Wilson. The kinder, gentler MPAA rating may let teen searchers (11%) buy tickets, but scrubbing out what MTV calls Apatow/Rogen's signature "avant vulgarity" might've dampened overall interest.

Filed under: Movies, Owen Wilson, Tyler Perry

Our co-workers are well aware of the fact that we have long admired a certain sly-voiced, broken-nosed movie star slash screenwriter—the "Butterscotch Stallion" himself, Owen Wilson. Just the other day, we confided a Wilson-related concern with a close colleague. Namely, was our beloved Owen somehow involved in the Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson breakup that brought in so much buzz? Turns out US Weekly has been asking the same question, and their answer doesn't bode well for our romantic aspirations.

The Hudson/Wilson rumors will fuel the type of Buzz arc we could outline in our sleep. Come tomorrow, we'll find their names paired together again and again in a regular drumbeat of (heartbreaking!) searches including "kate hudson owen wilson" and "kate hudson rumors." The queries on Chris Robinson and Black Crowes we can take. Spikes on Goldie Hawn? Also not a problem. However, with searches rising on "kate hudson split," we swim into more treacherous waters.

And this blow to our psyche on a day when we should be kicking back, enjoying the news that Owen will pair up with Adrien Brody to star in Wes Anderson's next flick, "The Darjeeling Limited." Outrageous!

But if the rumors prove true, we have years of Buzz experience to offer us some solace when it comes to the subject of celebrity coupledom. Remember the spikes on "Renee Zellweger and Jack White"? And then "Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney"? And finally, "Renee Zellweger divorce" and the still-mysterious and titillating "Kenny Chesney fraud"? Come to think of it, it's pretty difficult to maintain a relationship in Hollywood. With that in mind, we say—Butterscotch Stallion, come on down.

Filed under: Celebrity Couples, Owen Wilson