the buzz log
February Buzz
"Thirty days hath September..." and depending on which variation of the Month Poem (69 according to Leapzine), 28 is all February stores, till Leap Year gives it one day more.
We could've used the extra rest. January started off rough, but a faltering economy drove people online looking for relief and stimulus. Meanwhile, Hollywood writers put down their picket signs, but not soon enough to save the Oscars. Still, we had enough drama with underdog Giants, "American Idol" ringers, the curious connection between "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit models and steroids, and a fearsome U.S. presidential contest.
Now with that longest of short months behind us, reflect what searches registered big in spikes and total numbers.
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Take Two... These Two, Please
In the days before the Internet, a journalist could let loose a few profane words, send a bikini shot to a married man, or be completely without a clue without many repercussions.
Not anymore. Former Philly anchor filly Alycia Lane still rules the buzz roost, first by sending suggestive photos to pal and NFL Network anchor Rich Reisen (which were intercepted by his wife) then, later, striking a police officer. However two other broadcasters could overtake her in Search. Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman recently returned from a two-week suspension, after joking that Tiger Woods' competitors should "lynch him in a back alley." (Cluelessness unfortunately can be a contagion: Searches for "golfweek noose" leapt more than 1,200% with that magazine cover's illustration choice in covering the scandal, which then led to a firing.)
Online investigations into Tilghman's background and, of all things, marital status continue, but the chastened anchor may see relief from further scrutiny. ESPN First Take anchor Dana Jacobson has her own one-week boot, thanks to a drunken display that was too dirty even for a roast. The debacle has doubled her Buzz profile compared to Tilghman and launched her into the top 1,000 searches. Despite a protest, there hasn't been firm confirmation nor searches that Jacobson tried to be a poor woman's Kathy Griffin. Instead, ESPN said alleged profane comments referred to the University of Notre Dame's stadium view of a mural. Lookups however did soar for her insult to Notre Dame. Don't mess with the Fighting Irish.
Filed under: Sports, Golf, Journalism, Scandals
NFL Draft Goes Deep
Fans of the 20 NFL teams not bound for the playoffs have turned their attention to the draft. Searches on "complete 2008 nfl draft order" are up a whopping 3,249% over the past week.
Off-field activity is paramount in cities where gridiron hopes were dashed too soon. Kansas City, St. Louis, and Philadelphia lead the nation when it comes to searches on the April draft.
Beaten-down backers are also busy looking for 2008's top prospects. Searches on "2008 nfl draft prospects," "2008 nfl mock draft," and "2008 nfl draft projections" all soared after the curtain closed on the regular season.
Crazy For College Football
Due to the unpredictable nature of the college football season, fan discretion is advised. Your favorite squad sits near the top of the rankings, only to get bounced from the BCS after an untimely loss. With shocking upsets becoming commonplace, interest in the Bowl Championship Series and its machinations have sacked the Search box.
This past weekend, it was Ohio State's turn to tumble. The resulting scramble sent searches on "bcs standings" up 85% for the week. Related searches on "bcs bowl games" (+110%), "bcs ranking" (+95%), and "bcs poll" (+84%) are storming the field as fans attempt to make sense of the shifting standings.
Some fans still have questions about the BCS and how it works. Right now the most popular inquiry in Search is "when do the bcs standings come out." Well, it's Sunday afternoon when Fox is good and ready to release the information. But others are quizzical about "what does bcs stand for" and "how does the bcs work." For those folks, we recommend a remedial class with nutty professor Lou Holtz.
Where are the BCS searches coming from? No surprise that Baton Rouge (LSU), Oklahoma City (Univ. of Oklahoma), and Columbus (Ohio State) lead the way. But we see a metro not known for its gridiron prowess creeping up on the rail. Lovely Honolulu is home to the undefeated Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii and places fourth in BCS interest. Can the underdog team from the islands crack a big bowl? In this crazy college season, anything is possible...
Filed under: Sports, Football, College Football
Whiny Bryant Scores Big Buzz
The NBA season isn't even a week old and hoops buzz is off to a perfectly pouty start. Thanks to petulant superstar Kobe Bryant, searchers are curious about the soap opera surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant's whole trade-me-no-wait-don't act has worn thin in SoCal, but hoop heads have sent searches on the mopey malcontent up 10%.
However, Kobe's buzz isn't measured by searches on his name alone. Related queries on "kobe trade rumors," "kobe bryant chicago bulls trade," and "kobe bryant trade" give a big assist to buzz on the talented ballhog. The Lakers star also contributed to a recent rebound in searches on "nba rumors" and "lakers rumors." So will the temperamental titan of the court be traded? Data offers us no real insight, but we can predict this ongoing saga will continue to slam the Search box...
Filed under: Sports, Basketball, NBA
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kara Dioguardi | Breakout! |
| 2 | Brooke Mueller | Breakout! |
| 3 | Genie Francis | Breakout! |
| 4 | Goliath Grouper Fish | Breakout! |
| 5 | Hari Puttar | Breakout! |
| 6 | Tropical Storm Gustav | Breakout! |
| 7 | Mia Hamm | 33250% |
| 8 | Ellen Barkin | 26799% |
| 9 | Luciana Barroso | 20830% |
| 10 | Giant Squid | 16720% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amanda Peet | +542 | 549 |
| 2 | Dancing With The Stars | +304 | 327 |
| 3 | 2008 Olympics | -377 | 323 |
| 4 | Ellen Barkin | +273 | 274 |
| 5 | Luciana Barroso | +245 | 246 |
| 6 | Mia Hamm | +229 | 229 |
| 7 | Hi-5 | -17 | 219 |
| 8 | Jessica Biel | +160 | 198 |
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.