the buzz log
Wigged Out over Kate Gosselin
Through the tears, heartache, Octomom spats, and hosting gigs, one thing has remained a constant in Kate Gosselin's life: her hair.
As rubberneckers gathered at the wreck of a reality-TV marriage, ladies the world over wondered how to get their locks cut like hers. When Gosselin was busy pounding out the dents in her perfect-mom image, lookups on Yahoo! for "kate gosselin hair" soared past fashionistas like Rihanna or Victoria Beckham. US Magazine, in an abuse of Photoshop, even re-imagined a world where celebrities sported the defiant, in-your-face pixie bob.
Well, for those who don't have what it takes to make that cut, fake it. Her spikes are, well, spiking online. Searches for "kate gosselin wigs" have outstripped queries for "mullet wigs" and "lady gaga wigs." However, they still trail "beehive wigs," so favored by the likes of Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse.
US magazine once again has been leading the charge for Gosselin's can-do-her-'do attitude: It predicted earlier this month that she would be this Halloween's Sarah Palin craze, and the constant Search trickle might just bear them out.
But, if you want to stand out from all those other Gosselin wannabes, here's a style tip: Snip some flouncy spikes out of a blonde beehive, for that outraaaageous commando-mom look. Don't forget the oversized hanky, for those vulnerable moments.
Filed under: TV, Reality TV
Law & Order: Special Fans Unit
In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.
Wait—add a third: the viewers, who track down criminals on their own. Here is one story: Justine Faeth saves a dirty cup and used tissue, and catches a thief.
These days, most people would be hauling out the Purell and Lysol to clear away the biohazards, but Faether's not most people. Not only is she a New Yorker savvy to the ways of the criminal element, but the assistant at the Manhattan production company faithfully watches "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." After a co-worker found her iPod, phone, and wallet stolen from her bag, Faeth suspected the stranger who came by to pitch a story idea and then kept hanging around, claiming to feel poorly and fetching himself a glass of water before he'd leave.
The Law part, though, almost got foiled when the police didn't seem too interested in taking the cup and tissue, brewing with DNA evidence and germs, for only a robbery. But, the cops had a change of heart after watching video surveillance tape: The next day, they retrieved the cup and tissue from the trash, and arrested ex-con Kevin Moore, allegedly responsible for a rash of robberies. The Order part kicked in when Moore was charged with burglary and larceny.
Of course, any good "L&O" story has a twist: Faeth's tale of forensic preservation and fandom got her on the Today Show, where she received a shout-out from "L&O" role model Mariska Hargitay, and a walk-on. So far, no such offer for Moore, who made this all possible. Maybe there's an opportunity at "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."
Filed under: TV, Law Enforcement, Crime
"Thirtysomething" Back 20something Years Later
Here's a concept: A TV show about youngish professionals in the suburbs whining about how hard it is to juggle love, life, career, and kids. Heard that before, right? Well, now you have, but back in 1987, the concept was groundbreaking thanks to "thirtysomething," the show about the everyday challenges of living.
The first season is finally out on DVD. Word of the release had fans flocking to the Web to look up "thirtysomething," "thirtysomething on dvd," and "thirtysomething reunion."
Here, a rundown of the main actors on the show, and where they are now.
Ken Olin (Michael Steadman) and Patricia Wettig
On the show, Steadman was married to Hope. But in real life, Olin is married to fellow cast member Patricia Wettig. They both currently star in "Brothers and Sisters."
Mel Harris (Hope Steadman)
Her radiant face helped put the actress on the Harper's Bazaar list for "10 Most Beautiful Women" in 1989. She continued to act on TV shows, including "The West Wing," "Dawson's Creek," and "House."
Peter Horton (Gary Shepherd)
After the show went off the air, the actor who played the womanizing professor got behind the camera, directing the pilot of "Grey's Anatomy," among others.
Melanie Mayron (Melissa Steadman)
The actress played the artsy precursor to Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and the City." The star went on to direct episodes of "Greek," "90210," "In Treatment," and the new Lifetime series "Drop Dead Diva."
Timothy Busfield (Eliot Weston)
Played ad man and wayward husband Eliot, his post-show work included roles on "The West Wing" and "Entourage" along with producing and directing credits.
Polly Draper (Ellyn Warren)
The actress now creates, produces and directs the Nickelodeon series, "The Naked Brothers Band," which stars her sons.
To see photos of the stars "then and now" check out the ABC News slide show.
Filed under: TV
"Mad Men": Brought to You by the Letter M
You gotta love a children's TV show that takes on the very adult-themed series "Mad Men." But that's exactly what "Sesame Street" says it will be doing.
"Mad Men" as Muppets? Minus the martinis? "Sesame Street" officials were quick to add that the parody would dump the boozing, the womanizing, and the smoking of the series about an ad agency in the 1960s. Which leaves, well, not much of a show. But even the cleaned up version got lots of bloggers thinking about who to cast in the various roles.
Jezebel thought fuzzy red Elmo would be a ringer for Pete Campbell, the eager, young upstart. Flavorwire figured Big Bird for Betty Draper, the picture-perfect wife of the ad man Don Draper. Entertainment Weekly's Popwatch suggested other shows the muppets could re-enact in the future: "So You Think You Can Dance" and "In Treatment," natch.
The Buzz Log will put its money on Kermit the Frog (in his trench and fedora, of course) as Don Draper and Miss Piggy as the curvy head secretary, Joan. What's not to like?
But "Sesame Street" is way ahead of all of us: They already did a sendup—"Desperate Housewives." Dubbed "Desperate Houseplants," the show was described by an official as "about a houseplant not getting its needs met by the gardener." Riiiiiiight, very cleaned up.
Filed under: TV, Sesame Street
A WWII Hero's 21st-Century Salute
Internet stories that sound "too good to be true" sometimes turn out to be just that.
In the June maelstrom of celebrity deaths, a World War II vet died on June 17 at age 86. His passing got some mention in the Roanoke Times, but someone believed that Darrell "Shifty" Powers deserved a lot more notice: The former soldier had served in the 101st Airborne Division, part of the fabled Easy Company that inspired the book and 2001 HBO miniseries, "Band of Brothers."
So an anonymous email, sent out July 7, called out for a "nationwide memorial service" to recognize an American hero. The writer wasn't a friend or family member, but a stranger who had a chance airport encounter with an elderly Powers. The vet's story might get interest from "a bunch of military-minded friends," the writer thought, and that would be it.
But a funny thing happened on the Web. Blogs started mentioning Powers' legacy. The message gave fodder for some people to ding "the media" for overlooking a chance to honor Powers' service. One even posted the email in the comments area of a story about a state trooper injured in a golf cart accident.
Then, the unsigned email itself became news. Was the author actually test pilot Chuck Yeager? McClatchy Newspapers military columnist Joseph Galloway? ABC finally tracked down the writer, who turned out to be one Mark Pfiefer, a retired Dow Jones employee.
The moment of silence that Pfiefer had wanted for Powers ended up being a social networking salute on July 20. Searches on Yahoo! for "darrell shifty powers" rose 63% from people 21 on up. No less than six memorials appeared on Facebook, with 1,620 members so far in one. And the Twittering continues.
The Military Times caught up with Pfiefer, who said he "had no idea it would take off the way it did." As for Powers' family, his daughter Margo believed her dad would "say everyone is just making too much of a fuss, but that's just the way he was, very humble." And Margo's husband, Sheldon, called this online call-out "too good to be true, like those fake stories that make the rounds on the Internet." And, agendas aside, this one turned out even better than planned.
Below is an interview with Powers about the HBO series.
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.
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