July 2007 Archives

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Just about every adolescent boy who watched "The Wonder Years" was in love with Winnie Cooper. She was played by Danica McKeller and, after the show stopped, the actress fell out of the public eye. Now, Ms. McKeller is back in the Buzz thanks to her new book entitled "Math Doesn't Suck."

With the book poised to hit shelves in a few days, searches on Danica spiked an amazing 1,672%. "Math Doesn't Suck" wants to show middle schoolers that it's cool to be smart. Not exactly a new sentiment, but with more and more girls looking up to women like Paris and Lindsay, Danica's book is a welcome weapon in the fight against idiocy.

Alas, while Danica may be most proud of her mind, searchers are far more interested in her body. Queries on "danica mckeller pics" and "danica mckellar stuff magazine" both posted triple digit gains in Search. Meanwhile, interest in the book itself remains relatively modest. Harry Potter's spot on the best seller list looks to be safe for now.

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Few events feed the imagination like Discovery Channel's Shark Week. Earlier this summer, beach bums splashed into the surf without a second thought. Now, a shadow or sea lion might give them a moment's pause. While sharks may be feared, they still fascinate folks. We're seeing spikes on "shark week" (+318%), "discovery channel shark week 2007" (+283%), and just plain "sharks" (127%).

Starting off the 20th anniversary of Shark Week on Sunday night, "Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever" told the story of the crew of the USS Indianapolis. Their struggle to survive for four days after their ship was sunk by torpedoes in 1945 causes the shark-wary to shudder. Queries for "uss indianapolis shark attack," "worst shark attack in history," and "ocean of fear shark attack" jumped immediately after the show aired.

Which shark is most popular with searchers? The "bull shark" (+382%), which is the only shark that can spend leisure time in fresh water. Following behind are the "whale shark" (+122%), "great white shark" (+112%), "tiger shark" (+111%), and "hammerhead shark" (+53%).

There's still time to dive in to the feeding frenzy of shark shows this week. Remember, it's much safer to watch from the comfort of your living room.

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If buzz is any measure, some of us are already sitting in the front row writing 100 words about what we did last summer. Over the past week, back to school queries started creeping into the Search classroom, including "back to school" (+101%) and "back to school supplies" (+93%)—with nearly half of those lookups coming from kids under 17 years old.

Even parents got to thinking about teachers' dirty looks as they started scouring the web for "back to school sales" and "back to school clothes." Meanwhile, proactive teachers put Search to the test with queries for "back to school bulletin boards" (+430%) and "back to school bulletin board ideas" (+240%). 

But, what's all the rush? So your shirt's stuck to your back and the mosquitos are eating you alive. If you think the summertime blues are bad, just wait until the first day of school (+69%).

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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. We submit that 95% of all reality TV shows are criminally lame. The defense will argue that's just an opinion. We believe it's an irrefutable fact. To support our claim, we submit two new reality shows into evidence.

Exhibit "A" is NBC's "The Singing Bee." Exhibit "B," the remarkably similar "Don't Forget the Lyrics" airing on Fox. We're proud to say we haven't witnessed either one, but that won't stop us from cross-examining their searches. Which is guilty of inspiring more buzz? Read on, and may your judgment be swift and merciless.

Guilty Pleasures?
 "The Singing Bee""Don't Forget the Lyrics"
Known RingleaderN*Sync star Joey Fatone serves as host.Comedian Wayne Brady keeps the show moving.
Show's Performance in SearchTop 7,000 searches.Top 10,000 searches.
Are Searches Rising or Falling?Searches surged 2,663% this month. Impressive, but not as impressive as the...4,237% spike on Fox's shameless singing showcase.
Guilty of appealing to impressionable minors?Yes, a full 10% of all searches come from kids 13 and under.Not quite as bad. Only 7% of searches come from the kids.
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Our ears are still ringing from the prerelease hype for the Apple iPhone. Wall Street's senses must have been muddled, too. Even before the revolutionary phone was on shelves, analysts put a shine on their crystal balls, divining that Apple would sell anywhere from hundreds of thousands to a cool million of the products in its first few days on the streets. Yet after iPhone carrier AT&T announced a "disappointing" 146,000 activations in its first weekend, Wall Street wanted to hang up the phone on Apple.

Now that the hype and hot air have come down to earth, we see that sales were in line with what Apple predicted, and notably outperformed initial sales of Apple's other success, the iPod. The buzz on Apple's phone came in crystal clear as well. In its first 30 days on the street, the "iphone" query maintained a strong position in the top 100 searches, and even ticked up a precocious 8%.

Of course, there were a few other relevant searches in the iPhone's first month, including "iphone problems" (+4,652%), "unlock iphone" (+6,208%), and "iphone sucks" (+470%). All of which dials in on the fact that a product and a company's value are defined well beyond Wall street's jibber-jabber.

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Mr. Blackwell. Glamour's Do's and Don'ts. TLC's "What Not to Wear." Well before fashion vigilante bloggers, all evangelizeed against outrageous fashion. While well-trained searchers understand how belly-button-baring V-necklines and inordinately low-rise waistbands infringe upon good taste, the Buzz still seeks good examples of "what to wear" on certain occasions.

Not surprisingly, although knots are tied year-round nowadays, summer is peak wedding season, and has led our list of closet anxieties for the past few weeks...

  1. What to Wear to a Wedding. Would-be guests want to don the right thing at beachside settings, civil unions, and ceremonies both day and night. Just don't outshine the bride.
  2. What to Wear to an Interview. Making a first job impression trails second on the "wear" list, as people see just how much casual workplaces have relaxed dress codes.
  3. What to Wear to a Date. Heart palpitations climb as searchers check standards for the first meet-up, a movie outing, or dinner.
  4. What to Wear to a Funeral. Color crops up as the primary concern, especially since cultural variations can vary in whether one wears black, white, and the gradations in between.
  5. What to Wear to a Concert. Whether the tickets are for Incubus or Aly & AJ, searchers want mosh-pit ready looks.

If we combined all the travel-related Buzz questions in one, what to pack in the suitcase would probably be among the top three. Prepared globe-trotters surf first to see what clothes travel best in places like Alaska, Costa Rica, Cancun, Prague, Switzerland, and even a country club in Maine. As for the last, we just take our cues from "Dirty Dancing."

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You love to sing. It's obvious. Your ongoing interest in lyrics searches demonstrates just how much you enjoy singing along. It also makes it easy for us to tell what songs are hottest with music fans.

Whether you're a karaoke king or just a gal singing your lungs out from the comfort of your car, we hope you've got the words right. To make sure you're not trilling the wrong tune, check in with our top 20 lyrics searches from the past week...

  1. Hey There Delilah Lyrics
  2. Umbrella Lyrics
  3. Way Back Into Love Lyrics
  4. The Way I Are Lyrics
  5. When You're Gone Lyrics
  6. Big Girls Don't Cry Lyrics
  7. When She Cries Lyrics
  8. Lean On Me Lyrics
  9. Beautiful Girls Lyrics
  10. Rehab Lyrics
  1. Let it Go Lyrics
  2. Fortunate Son Lyrics
  3. 4 in the Morning Lyrics
  4. Party Like a Rockstar Lyrics
  5. Bartender Lyrics
  6. Wait For You Lyrics
  7. Wipe Me Down Lyrics
  8. Same Girl Lyrics
  9. Don't Matter Lyrics
  10. Catch Me I'm Falling Lyrics
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We remember the days when Lindsay Lohan's clothing choices would land photos in fashion magazines. Now that she's been arrested again, things are just a little bit different. After her release from her second stint in rehab only a couple of weeks ago, her publicist announced that Lohan voluntarily chose to wear a SCRAM alcohol-monitoring bracelet.

Usually, "bracelet" queries look like this: "charm bracelets," "friendship bracelets," "magnetic bracelets," and "cartier love bracelets." Lindsay's take on the popular accessory has inspired a spike in searches for "alcohol monitoring bracelet," "lindsay lohan ankle bracelet," and "scram bracelet." The chunky black anklet has become so integral to her wardrobe that in his Lohan-inspired appearance on "The Tonight Show," Rob Schneider made sure to strap one on.

Is this only one more event in the endless Lohan saga, or will it be the end of her party-hearty ways? All we know for sure is that she should exchange her SCRAM bracelet for one that works.

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If you follow the sport of cycling, we wonder if you're feeling as morbid about the Tour de France as some overseas seem to be. In France, especially, newspaper headlines declare "Le mort du Tour." It may be overzealous to start digging a six-foot hole for France's century-old cycling spectacle, but a plague of modern-day doping scandals has certainly dealt it a few critical blows.

Upon detailed inspection of the Buzz electrocardiograph, we note significant dips in the patient's circulation. Since 2005, the buzz on "tour de france" has visibly weakened:

 

tourdefrancegraph

 

A low pulse in the search box isn't an absolute sign of death for the Tour de France. Though searches are down, "tour de france" still ranks in our top 200 daily queries. For a healthy recovery, we prescribe a strict anti-doping regime and lots of exercise. Perhaps a diet consisting of a French champion might be enough to revive the patient on its home turf. Bon chance, Sandy Casar.

 

 

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Bust out the grass skirts and hand us the shovel. We're ready to dig a hole in the ground for our roast kalua pig at the big Buzz luau. Searches on "luau party ideas" are up 189% over the past month and we're lighting our tiki torches in response.

Besides lame lei jokes, there must be mai tai's, pupus, and plenty of aloha spirit for a proper luau. If you're planning on bringing a taste of the Hawaiian islands to your backyard bash, we have the top 10 luau searches for you...


  1. Luau Recipes
  2. Luau Party Recipes
  3. Luau Party Invitations
  4. Luau Decorations
  5. Luau Games
  1. Luau Food
  2. Luau Music
  3. Luau Ideas
  4. Luau Menu
  5. Luau Birthday Cakes

It's not just folks planning parties who are looking for luaus. Some tourists are are searching for the real deal—luaus in Hawaii. Here are the 10 most popular places to eat poi under the stars in the Aloha State...

  1. Old Lahaina Luau
  2. Paradise Cove Luau
  3. Germaine's Luau
  4. Royal Lahaina Luau
  5. Hiva Pasefika Luau
  1. Drums of the Pacific Luau
  2. Kaanapali Sheraton Luau
  3. Wailea Renaissance Luau
  4. Island Breeze Luau
  5. Luau Kalamaka

 

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Take your free Ozzfest tickets. Wipe your tears over Kelly Clarkson's absence from the concert circuit. In summer 2007's slim pickings, the light sticks are glowing for Miley Cyrus.

Known as Billy Ray Cyrus' daughter to an older generation and Hannah Montana among those who really know what's going on, the Disney Channel teen star has commandeered Billboard charts with her album, and plans to storm 54 cities later this summer. Her "concert" Buzz is amplified by Disney's virtual concert series and makes the 15 year old more in demand than 17 Ozzfest metal-head bands over the past couple weeks,.

If the tween crowds squeeze you out of Hannah seats, you still have plenty of time left to catch other shows. See what else would-be concert goers have been checking out in their Buzz mosh-pit dive...

  1. Hannah Montana
  2. Ozzfest
  3. The Police
  4. Rock the Bells
  5. Beyonce
  6. Nickelback
  7. Kenny Chesney
  8. High School Musical
  9. Toby Keith
  10. Jimmy Buffett
  1. Rush
  2. Soul2Soul (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill)
  3. Prince
  4. Celine Dion
  5. Bon Jovi
  6. Chris Brown
  7. Warped Tour
  8. Jacky Cheung
  9. American Idol
  10. Justin Timberlake

A note on one possibly unfamiliar name: At #18, Hong Kong film star Jacky Cheung (no, not that Jackie) has long been dubbed one of the four "heavenly kings" of Cantopop, aka Cantonese pop music. His world tour kicked off in Las Vegas back in February, but searchers are tracking him the world. From Hannah to Jackie, the Buzz knows no boundaries when it comes to music.

 

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Britney Spears' transformation from teen idol to drooling bag lady continues. The one-time hottie is back in the Buzz thanks to a incomprehensible interview with the hard-hitting journalists at OK! Magazine. Eager to read about Brit's free-fall from grace, fans pushed "britney spears interview" and "britney spears ok" out of the gutter and into the Search stratosphere.

The former Mrs. Federline is the big loser in this, her latest (as of press time) meltdown. Meanwhile, OK! Magazine, who "strives to bring out the best in stars," appears to be the winner. Searches on the celebrity rag jumped an astounding 316% and landed among our top 400 overall searches. We'd have thought the novelty of seeing Brit embarrass herself would have worn off by now. Shows what we know.

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