the buzz log
Sex and the Sopranos
HBO, giddy over the success of its "Sex and the City: The Movie," may be going back for another dose of Carrie and company. But, wait, that's not all! There are also rumors "The Sopranos" might be getting "made" for the big screen. Bada bing, indeed!
We'd love to tell you HBO is planning a cross-over flick where characters from the two iconic shows meet up ("Samantha, meet Paulie Walnuts..."), but the alleged plans actually involve two separate movies. And, please note, we said "alleged." These are just rumors, albeit juicy ones that have launched a slew of blog postings and articles in the Buzz.
Access Hollywood reports that HBO execs have expressed public interest in doing another “Sex and The City” movie as well as a “Sopranos” flick. Meanwhile, Huffington Post notes that the fate of a Sopranos film would ultimately rest with the show's creator, David Chase. And, according to this video from Fox News, Mr. Chase ain't that interested. On a brighter note, the New York Post writes that there is currently "a lot of energy" about another "Sex" movie. A return to glittery Manhattan appears far more likely than another ticket to seedy Jersey.
For what it's worth, searches on both shows are still high, despite their being off the air. And, remember its called "show business" for a reason. If producers throw enough money on the table, we wouldn't be surprised if Tony came out of retirement for one more hit.
Persistence of Rumor
In politics, there may be no high road on the Internet superhighway.
The Web has been the way to galvanize the populace. However, that same strength and speed have been co-opted by strategists in order to hijack the political conversation. Celebrities have long had to deal with the stubborn stain of rumors, but innuendo about presidential candidates has a far more corrosive effect.
So it seemed inevitable that Democratic contender Barack Obama would use the Internet again, and dedicate a new site www.fightthesmears.com to address rumors fueled by email, bloggers, and online outlets. Originally, his campaign site allowed visitors to "fact check" a rumor, but a Time magazine report said that feature somehow inflated even crazier variations.
The rumor-fighting site apparently arose when a McClatchy Newspapers reporter got on the nominee's last nerve, after he asked about an alleged tape of his wife using the word "whitey." In the post Swift-Boat world, the Obama camp apparently decided the risks in calling attention to a lie outweighed letting a rumor became malignant.
When the smears site debuted June 11, searches for the alleged Michelle Obama remark—which first registered in mid-May—were already on the decline. The site's launch has done no further harm, even though it addresses that rumor front and center. That particular search remains on the downslide, although the woman who would be First Lady remains under intense online scrutiny. On the upside, queries have risen exponentially for "fight the smears," "obama smears" and "obama smear campaign."
The site faces a long slog. Many of the same questions and rumors that plagued the candidates at the start of the primary season still persists six months later. As noted in a January politics Buzz Log, the question marks about Obama revolved around religion and patriotism... and that was before the flag-pin flap and Reverend Jeremiah Wright fall-out.
The preponderance of Obama's searches has been neutral, positive or just plain goofy. In the past seven days, benign curiousity has centered on "obama running mate," "obama tax plans" and obama parrot." Yet there are those who continue to seek out his birth certificate and religious connections.
Counterintuitively, online searches for rumors may be a good thing, as they should expose people to as many debunkers (like the Fight the Smears site) as the mongerers.
However the race evolves or devolves, the Internet's role will rank up there alongside the first viable female candidate and biracial nominee in 2008 presidential campaign firsts.
Filed under: Politics, Rumors, Email, Internet, Elections, Presidents
Charlotte Did What?!
Maybe it's a sex tape. Or maybe they're steamy photos. Maybe they're from 1992. Or maybe they're current. Maybe they reveal an "actress" who resembles "Sex and the City" star Kristin Davis. Or maybe they feature the brunette cutie herself.
On Monday, rumors began percolating that images of Kristin Davis doing unprintable things to an unidentified man were available on the Web. The reaction in Search was swift and overpowering.
Queries for "kristin davis photos" leapt 1,128%. People who couldn't take the time to spell out "pictures" boosted "kristin davis pics" 744%. Subscribers to the video theory drove "kristen davis video" up more than 930%. Demand is running so hot and heavy that the one-time "Melrose Place" co-star is currently the most popular actress in Search.
Davis' agent continues to assert that there are no, repeat no, racy images of the brown-eyed brunette on the Web. Whether or not that's true, the scandalous possibility doesn't seem to have hurt her upcoming flick. Though searches for "sex and the city movie" registered a 32% uptick yesterday, co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker (+155%), Cynthia Nixon (+194%),and Kim Cattrall (+173%) have all enjoyed triple digit gains. Thanks for taking one for the team, Charlotte.
Rumor Has It... or Does It?
Supporters don T-shirts bearing their favored candidate's slogans. In this superheated primary season, the candidates themselves might want to re-craft this fashion tradition and wear T-shirts responding to ongoing rumors, suggestive insinuations, and outright lies.
Name-calling (and worse) is inevitable in politics, as a recent book on dirty politics pointed out: Being called a "hideous hermaphroditical character" was an insult indirectly funded by the gent who authored the Declaration of Independence.
In the Web age, the Internet's 'virality' is both an asset and a danger. The good news is, most political searches focus upon platforms and positions. Moreover, as quickly as rumors spread, searchers busy themselves ferreting out the truth: Besides the Search box, citizens consult urban legend investigators Snopes and online encyclopedia Wikipedia for their own truth squad.
The chart below looks at which candidate buzz won't die, and which should. Why bring more attention to rumors, you may ask? Turns out, a close look at political falsehoods can expose rumormongerers' own issues, rather than those of the candidates.
| Buzz rank | In the running | Buzz % change past 30 days | Rumors | The Real Story |
| 1 | Barack Obama (D) | +318% | religion, pledge of allegiance, church | His mixed heritage and international upbringing have brought challenges to his patriotism. Email falsehoods about his religion have mutated into Obama as a radical Muslim who won't recite the pledge. Expect puppy kicking in the next iteration. |
| 2 | Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) | +183% | mystery marriage, gay, man | Shades of "hermaphroditic" slurs: The bizarre aspersion about manhood comes from a country song by one Rusty Shackleford (a name suspiciously reminiscent of the "Family Guy" character). |
| 3 | Mike Huckabee (R) | +53% | Chuck Norris, Christmas ad, fat | The former Arkansas governor has largely escaped mudslinging, with curiosity raised only about his religious holiday ads, the famous 110-plus pound weight loss that inspired his book, and a endorsement by a middling celeb who can put the hurt on you. |
| 4 | Mitt Romney (R) | +94% | real name, astrology | The former Massachusetts guv revealed last year on Jay Leno that his first name is Willard, which continues to titillate the blogosphere. Astrology hasn't been associated with the presidential process since Ronald Reagan, so the truth behind this search lies in the stars. |
| 5 | John McCain (R) | +404% | Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain, age, daughter | According to the NYT, the "veterans" comprise one man who doubts the senator's war record. While McCain easily addresses concerns about his age (he's 71), searches about his adopted daughter usually are prompted by the lie that he fathered a child out of wedlock. |
| 6 | Ron Paul (R) | +208% | racist newsletter, civil war, ufo sightings | The renewed claims of racism stem from his 1990s ghostwritten newsletter, which used inflammatory language. Paul says he didn't read the articles. At his much-searched "Meet the Press" appearance, he opined that the American Civil War was senseless. Regarding the UFO, searchers may either be confusing him with Dennis Kucinich (D), or find his blimp otherworldly. |
Look at All These Rumors
Celebrity rumors are responsible for two-thirds of all Web searches. At least that's what we heard from the uncle of a friend's cousin. Perhaps our not-so-reliable source inflated the number of rumor searches, but the shock of a fantabulous rumor is what makes the salacious tidbits so darn irresistible.
So, is the oh-so-adorable Christina Aguilera pregnant? Why did Vanessa Anne Hudgens take those infamous pictures? And does Britney actually own underwear? We have no answers on those delicious morsels, but we do know the top 20 entertainment-related rumors circulating through Search this week...
A few more whispers about rumor searches...
—Lindsay Lohan's rumored affection for ladies topped the list easily, drawing 25% more searches than the #2 item on our list.
—Wishful thinking contributed to the hopeful rumor searches on a new Star Wars flick and a Sopranos big-screen adventure.
—What are people saying about our favorite super-duper movie star Vin Diesel? We hear that's not his real name. Anything else?
Filed under: Celebrities, Rumors
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.