the buzz log

No one's objecting to this jet expense.

As if seeing "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" in pulsing, in-your-face detail wasn't enough, the Disney-backed threesome is jetting coast-to-coast as part of their "Surprise Theater Invasion Tour." Since an invasion is by nature secretive, the surprise lies in which theater the JoBros will drop by in the flesh. 

The JoBros' first stop was, unsurprisingly, Hollywood, but besotted fans—and there are shrieking gaggles of them—with V CAST-enabled phones can track the invasion. If Blackberrys go missing this weekend, you know why.

The question isn't whether JoBros beats down its sole competitor and gameboy fantasy, "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li." (Don't worry, fans of the first female "Streetfighter" trailblazer: The title's pulling in decent searches, which means decent attendance, high torrent activity, and a DVD release party down the line.) THe question is whether they can beat Miley Cyrus' movie's $31.1 million opening weekend take. Yah, not fair: Cyrus booked 683 theaters, while the boys get almost double at 1,271 locales.

The flight plan has already been set, but the JoBros might want to hit joints in Connecticut, which leads California, Pennyslvania, New York, and Illinois in "3D" search madness. And Street Fighter's Chun-Li travel tour's first stop? Arizona is the number one state checking out her movie. The Copper State loves those female trailblazers.  

Filed under: Video Games, Movies, Music, Games, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers

The Nintendo Wii is still red-hot. Two years after its release, shoppers continue to have a hard time finding it in stores. One might be tempted to say the console can do no wrong, except that's not exactly true. Wii Music, the much-hyped game from renowned designer Shigeru Miyamoto, is considered by some to be, well, a bit of a flop.

The Wall Street Journal reports that several months after it hit shelves, Wii Music is "far behind" its two music-game rivals, Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Sales figures for Wii Music have been dwarfed by Guitar Hero and Rock Band, as well as many older titles for the Wii. We took a look to see if the same lack of popularity can be found in Search.

In a word, yes. Searches on "guitar hero" are about five times as prevalent as those on "wii music." Lookups for "rock band" and its sequel are also significantly more popular.

The disparity is interesting because Wii Music is quite similar to its more popular rivals. One could even argue Miyamoto's baby had the potential to appeal to a wider base of gamers. All the games involve players simulating the act of playing the guitar, drums, etc. Wii Music is different in that it allows gamers to play more instruments and is easier to learn.

So why the poor showing? Reviews on Wii Music have been "meh" at best, and the track list isn't exactly full of rockin' tunes ("Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," anyone?). Additionally, Rock Band and Guitar Hero allow gamers to download more tunes online. With Wii Music, you're stuck with what comes on the disc.

Still, according to the WSJ article, Miyamoto isn't worried. He says he never expected Wii Music to be an instant hit. Now the question is: Will it ever become one?

Filed under: Video Games, Nintendo Wii

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.

Filed under: Video Games, Star Wars