the buzz log

A political wife speaks out for herself, a conservative radio host gets stiffed by the Brits, and a little boy finds dogs are indeed his best friends. From the stories that stirred a nation (and beyond), here are some of the latest in the Buzz Week in Review.

Pen Is Mightier Than Falling on the Sword
Long-suffering wife Elizabeth Edwards willingly stepped into the spotlight's glare, also known as the Oprah show, the day before her memoir, "Resilience," hit shelves. Husband John, who had twice sought top White House spots, was on hand to again admit his adultery with Rielle Hunter. The former presidential hopeful is under grand jury scrutiny to see if campaign funds were involved in the sordid matter, but the week's focus and Web searches were on his better half.

Elizabeth, who pulled in six times more online lookups than John, talked about her cancer, trying to trust again, and how she doesn't care about the results of any paternity test of Hunter's baby. (John Edwards has denied he fathered Hunter's child.) The feedback hasn't been all sympathetic—a former speechwriter sees the real loser as America's poor, on whose behalf the Edwards spoke until scandal drowned them out.

A Savage Rejection
Not that Michael Savage had made impetuous plans to see Big Ben, but the syndicated radio jock was shocked at making the list of 22 people banned from Britain. Michael Alan Weiner (his real name) was included with preachers, gang leaders, and others that British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith deemed hate-mongering extremists.

The radio host has gone on a media blitz demanding an apology, threatening an all-American lawsuit, and asking listeners to boycott the old mother country and her goods (except for British attorneys). English media also covered the uproar, with extensive profiles and Savage quotations, and the Financial Times stiffly called the whole thing "a further embarrassment" for the home secretary, "already under fire over expenses claims." If Smith goes, Savage listeners will surely hear it first.

Little Lost Boy, Found
Three-year-old Joshua Childers wandered out of his Missouri mobile home unbeknownest to his parents and into the forest, to go to grandma's house five miles away. His disappearance prompted a heart-sickening search involving search crews, volunteers, sonar equipment, and everything from horses to donkeys. But, it was two rescue dogs—not even part of the search—who sniffed out the boy in a ravine a half-mile away. Despite two days and nights, Childer's main signs of wear have been dehydration, scratches, ticks, and the loss of his diaper and a single shoe. The planned reward for dogs Bear and Little Bill from Childer's grateful grandmother: some big bones.

Also buzzing this week...

• The White House Military Office director resigned Friday over his role in the Air Force One flyover fiasco...
• One theory why LA Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez used a female fertility drug...
• Cell phone-only households surpass landline-lubbers for the first time.

   

Filed under: Politics, Missing Persons, Radio, Wrap Up

"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, Barack Obama, Wrap Up

A collective exhale ushered the volatile 2008 out the door this week, although one baby who caused a political storm managed to quietly slip himself out before the end. Meanwhile, a long-time Oprah hoax and high-seas piracy stirred up the Buzz—and the searches—during this transition period.

Mom, Do We Have to Do a Combo Celebration?
Bristol Palin's boy emerged not as the grandson of the first female vice president, but as another December baby who will have to insist that his birthday celebrations remain separate from Christmas. Searches soared for the aptly named Baby Tripp, as well as for his momma (+851%) and all his youthful uncles and aunts. Meanwhile, proud grandma Sarah Palin—already busy defending her future son-in-law Levi Johnston's degree aspirations—used the happy event to warn against teen pregnancy on the governor's website. The message include Bristol calling her newborn "perfectly precious," although the timing itself hadn't been "ideal."

Oprah, Who Can You Believe?
The dominoes finally fell this week after Herman Rosenblat, who had been telling a sweet little story about meeting his wife at the fence of Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany for a dozen years, recanted his story. After a New Republic article raised many questions, publisher Berkley Books (already fooled twice by other authors) canceled his forthcoming memoir, and another publisher offered refunds for "Angel Girl," a children's book inspired by Rosenblat's tale. His hoax had charmed Oprah (twice), who declared his story the "single greatest love story...we've ever told on the air." Hollywood, which always changes the truth anyway, is going ahead with a film project based on the well-meant but discredited tale.

Captain, What Do We Do with the Fertilizer?
Apparently, oil and fertilizer don't mix. Pirates worked on New Year's Day and attacked two crafts. The high-seas bandits got hold of an Egyptian cargo ship with about 6,000 tons of fertilizer, but lost an Indian tanker with a full load of crude oil. The pirates haven't done too well lately: Water jets thwarted armed brigands last Friday, while a December defense, described in this BBC interview, involved cocktail bombs made out of beer bottles. Imagine what could've been done with the fertilizer.

Also buzzing...
  • "Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger turned 90 on New Year's Day, but remained in hiding for the grand event.
  • Soon-to-be Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dropped a Waterford crystal ball on Times Square, accompanied by her husband Bill and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to welcome in the new year.
  • "Deliverance," which made banjo music creepy for men, and "Terminator," which made Arnold Schwarzenegger creepy for everyone, counted among 25 films to be preserved forever at the National Film Registry. Cue "Dueling Banjos."

Filed under: Literature, Pirates, Hoaxes, Babies, Wrap Up