the buzz log

Serena and Venus Williams, you heard it here first: Watch your backs.

Because Melanie Oudin is the one to watch. She's a very eager teen with nothing to lose. In fact, she's winning at Wimbledon. The 17-year-old is a native of Marietta, Georgia. But those are no peaches she's smashing across the net. The 124th ranked player beat out 74th ranked Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan to place in the third round of her Wimbledon deubt.

News of the victory gave the up-and-comer a shot of buzz, as tennis fans searched for "melanie oudin," a name that soon, we're guessing, everyone will know.

ESPN marvels that the 5-foot-5 stand-out went pro only a year ago. Not surprisingly, the tennis champ has had a laser focus on tennis for most of her young life. The WTA website relates that the athlete, who has a twin sister, was homeschooled so she had more time to pick up a racket. Her grandmother introduced her to the sport at the age of seven.

But this isn't her grandma's game anymore. SI.com points out that this latest Wimbledon win makes the tennis player one of three Americans to remain at the Grand Slam. The other two: the Williams sisters. Like we said: They better watch their sixes.

Filed under: Sports, Tennis

"New Moon" footage arises, a (almost) huggable car hits the road, politicians squabble more than usual, and mixed martial arts fans get angry.... From a busy seven days, take a look at the latest in the Buzz Week in Review.

Adorable Car or iPod Accessory?
A car so cute, people would pinch its cheeks if it had any. Chrysler may be hurtling towards salvation or oblivion, but the automaker pushed out the Peapod in time for Earth Day. The itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, electric four-seater is made from recycled materials, measures 56.5 by 70.5 inches, and goes about 25 mph. The big selling point may be its iPod/iPhone compatibility: Dock the Apple product to start up the engine and navigate. The car should hit lots this fall with a $12,500 sticker price, but let's talk to the manager first.

Moonlight Madness
About the only thing that could inflate "Twilight" hysteria anymore would be to have Susan Boyle sing in a film. But while we pondered such possibilities, the Buzz went into a froth over fresh news over "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (due out Nov. 20). That included latest pics of the buffed-up, vampire-fighting Wolf Pack (whose regimen may be the new "300" workout for actors) and a visit to the set. And the cup truly runneth over: "30 Days of Night" director David Slade takes the helm of the third film, set for release on June 30, 2010.

Mixed Martial Reviews
Middleweight Anderson Silva scored his ninth consecutive victory in the Octagon, but the UFC first instead left spectators booing about the lackluster dominance over loser Thales Leites. Even UFC president Dana White said he was "embarrassed." Fellow fighter Chuck "Iceman" Lidell blamed a lame opponent, but the masses had paid $4.9 million for blood—or at least a good knockout. Silva so far remains unrepentant about his "technical" professionalism, but the fix could be in to send Silva to Canada and fight champ Georges St. Pierre. Or just to exile.

Political Backtalk
Exchanges among world leaders turned particularly testy this week, starting with former veep Dick Cheney when he defended interrogations outlined in newly released CIA memos. In Geneva, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments about Israel prompted diplomats to walk out of a U.N. conference against racism. Then, Fidel Castro published an essay declaring President Barack Obama had "misinterpreted" his brother Raul's statements at the Summit of the Americas. All this, of course, engendered more backtalk amongst parties involved, but perhaps the most cutting came from maverick-in-training Meghan McCain, who told Cheney to "go away." At least she didn't call him creepy.

Also buzzing this week...

• The World Digital Library launched Tuesday, and the culture's free...
• Rosetta Stone closed its IPO, priced at $18 and ending at $25 on day one...
• Madlyn Primoff, the exasperated mom who made her bickering kids get out of the car, pled not guilty to child endangerment.

 

Filed under: Sports, Movies, Politics, Autos, UFC, Recaps, Week in Review, Barack Obama, Wrap Up