the buzz log
The Force Is Not With Him: Anakin Skywalker 10 Years Later
The plucky kid with the pod racer from "Star Wars: Episode I" is not a kid anymore. And Jake Lloyd wants you to know that having a major role in a George Lucas film really put a damper on things when he was growing up.
OK, fine: The guy doesn't really deserve our pity, but think of it from his point of view. Ten years old, getting blamed for ruining the Star Wars series. (Well, that was mainly the fault of George Lucas, but the kid was there, wasn't he?) And people just won't let it go.
The Sci-Fi Australia blog caught up with the glum "Stars Wars" alum Down Under, who sounds more Eeyore than "Episode One."
While every word drips with sarcasm (he is 20, after all) the Anakin actor also can still speak geek. On college: "You'll never find more intelligent, charming people than the drunk students of the college world." 'Nuff said.
Hey, Jake, don't worry: We know how you feel. Jar Jar Binks pretty much ruined the whole Star Wars thing for us, too.
Here's the video of the interview.
Star Wars Day Holiday Spirit
Today is Star Wars Day. You may already have received greetings in the order of, "May the Fourth be With You."
Should this greeting comes from anyone under the age of, let's say, 12 (the borderline of cuteness), then smile and accept the Star Wars Lego playdate. Anyone else, feel free to nip this glee in the bud with four words. No, not "Prequels undermined the saga." The words: "Star Wars Holiday Special."
Indeed, amidst all the "Star Wars" searches for games, the Cartoon Network show and Lego sets, bubbles up the infamy that is the 1978 CBS holiday special. Oh yes, two cringing hours that revolved around a thin plot of Chewbacca trying to shake pesky Galactic Empire agents so that he can celebrate Life Day with his family—but really, that was a feeble excuse for a variety show that included song, dance, comic routines and cameos from the likes of Jefferson Starship and the late Bea Arthur.
The humiliation of a young George Lucas was so great, the director has tried since to seek and destroy copies. Dark-hearted journalists have revived the topic over the years: The Sunday Telegraph called it "The Worst TV Special Ever," Entertainment Weekly called the one-time airing "exactly once too often" and UPI back in 2004 quote a LucasFilms source that "The Holiday Special was the biggest (expletive) up ever. The Force was definitely not with Mr. Lucas the day that doozy was born."
But, with the advent of cyberspace, rebels who love kitsch so far have been evading his holiday special death star and posting delicious snippets online. Yes, there's a website devoted to the special. And oh...may the Fourth be with you.
The Top Darths
Darth Vader didn't run the galaxy all by himself. But with his mind tricks, neck snaps, and formidable combat skills, he sure made it look easy. Still, such a workload had to be exhausting. Perhaps that's why the heavy breather hired an apprentice in "The Force Unleashed."
The game, which places you in the shoes of Vader's special helper, is garnering mixed reviews. But that hasn't slowed its buzz. Like a father determined to slice off his son's hand, gamers are tracking down reviews, cheats, and videos for the latest Star Wars adventure. Disciples seem particularly interested in whether the iPhone version is worthy of their cash.
In honor of Vader's contributions to the field of intimidation and destruction, we thought it appropriate to track down the most popular Darths in the Search galaxy. Who knew Darth Bane and Darth Talon even existed let alone had groupies? The surprising number of searches on "darth sidious childhood" implies some folks have a Freudian view of the dark side of the Force. And searches on "plus size darth vader costumes" are sure to expand as Halloween draws closer.
Mr. Vader, you may lack interpersonal skills, but you're still everybody's favorite Darth. Just look below for proof. And, please, don't choke us.
| 1. | Darth Vader | 6. | Darth Bane | |
| 2. | Darth Maul | 7. | Darth Plagueis | |
| 3. | Darth Reven | 8. | Darth Talon | |
| 4. | Darth Nihilus | 9. | Darth Krayt | |
| 5. | Darth Sidious | 10. | Darth Sion | |
Filed under: Video Games, Star Wars
A 'Star Wars' Wedding
The bride wore white. The groom wore a brown plastic mask with yellow googly eyes. And the officiant looked wrinkly and green. In July, a Portland-area couple joined in matrimony in a full-on "Star Wars" wedding, and everyone was united in the force—and the outfits.
This wasn't the first time that people sympathetic to the ways of the Jedi walked the aisle together. Another couple recently tied the knot while clutching Boba Fett-like helmets, and a search for "star wars wedding" reveals numerous other such nuptials. However, the Oregon ritual sparked a round of attention in Buzz.
Neatorama was one of the first on the scene, running a gleeful post that came complete with an image of the frosted Imperial Walker wedding cake. Blog posts from pop culture site TrendHunter ("May the force unite you") and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ("Yoda marries Portland couple") soon followed.
Then, as fast as you can whip out your light saber and take a few swipes at the air, such U.K. sources as the Telegraph and the Sun celebrated the intergalactic ritual. Whether this buzz success came from the fidelity of the costumes or the exuberance with which the guests joined in, we can't say. But we wish the newlyweds the spark of Han and Leia and the long-time relationship skills of C-3PO and R2-D2.
Buzz Multiplex: Strong Bets
Can you deal with the truth? Mebbe so: The Buzz Multiplex heads into a strong spring weekend, with one film based on a true story, a drama inspired by a military policy, and a fantasy spoof that nearly got a reality check in the form of a boycott.
1. "Superhero Movie" (PG-13). Its Tom Cruise scientology spoof has already attracted searches to the parody that stars Drake Bell as a dragonfly bite-induced superhero. But, a threatened boycott nearly made this movie an unlikely political pawn in a battle to get the Weinstein producers to release an unaltered version of "Fanboys," a "Star Wars"-inspired comedy. Now that the Weinsteins have buckled, pre-teens and teens won't have to worry about crossing a picket line to see Pamela Anderson.
2. "Stop-Loss" (R). Although not based on a true story, the film takes a look at the real military policy which extends the service time of soldiers due to be discharged. The MySpace pages have already drawn comments from military rank-and-file and their families. Ryan Phillippe stars, but acting mate Channing Tatum pulls in nearly double the searches (largely fueled by female teens). The appealing cast may help the drama go against the trend of low-performing Iraqi war movies.
3. "21" (PG-13). MIT students making millions by counting cards at casino blackjack tables may have been a true story, but anytime you mix Hollywood with Las Vegas, all reality goes out the plate-glass windows. The film has drawn controversy for changing the group's racial make-up (although the main inspiration doesn't object). Still, the numbers game has drawn passing interest from ages 13-44, as have stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey and, most importantly, Kate Bosworth.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worst Airports For Delays 2009 | Breakout! |
| 2 | How To Survive A Recession | Breakout! |
| 3 | Ice Cream Calorie Counter | Breakout! |
| 4 | Jayson Williams | Breakout! |
| 5 | Alexandra Kerry | Breakout! |
| 6 | Chaz Bono | 10707% |
| 7 | Kelly Osbourne | 3298% |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | 3218% |
| 9 | Nicole Richie | 2075% |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | 1125% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +413 | 1016 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Lambert | -677 | 263 |
| 3 | NFL | +66 | 235 |
| 4 | New Moon | +74 | 213 |
| 5 | Bing | +83 | 209 |
| 6 | Kelly Osbourne | +193 | 199 |
| 7 | Hulu | +7 | 139 |
| 8 | Nicole Richie | +124 | 130 |
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.