by Mike Krumboltz
Forget to return a movie, and they fine you. Late to feed the meter, and they fine you. Annoying, but at least those fees don't make the news. This past week, a couple of doozies did. A library book that was overdue for nearly a century was finally returned. And then a cell phone bill that cost more than your typical car had one customer a wee bit alarmed. Read on for those stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.
Ninety-nine years late
"Facts I Ought to Know about the Government of My Country" was due back at the New Bedford Public Library in Massachusetts on May 10, 1910. Ninety-nine years later, Stanley Dudek returned the book. A popular story from the AP explains that Mr. Dudek's late mother had checked out the book many years ago. While cleaning out her house, he found the book (evidently not a page-turner) and returned it. The fine (a penny a day) worked out to be $361.35. Lucky for Mr. Dudek, the library waived the charges and plans to put the book on display. The story captured the imagination of searchers, who pushed lookups on the now infamous book title up 310%.
$22,000 cell phone bill
How's this for a cautionary tale: Father buys son a cell phone. Father forgets to purchase an unlimited data plan for his text-happy child. One month later, a bill comes, and father sees that his son racked up $22,000 worth of charges. The father called Verizon and managed to talk his way out of the charges (what's your secret, sir?). In the aftermath, papa suspended his son's account. (Smart move, Dad. And you might want to think twice before cosigning for your son's first credit card.) For an amusing take on the whole fiasco, check out this article from NBC Bay Area.
Easy on the ATM fees
Paying ATM fees is a drag. But you know what's even worse? Paying 'em twice. Sen. Chuck Schumer is aiming to put an end to that practice, which he calls "double dipping." An article from the AP summarized Sen. Schumer's position "that 72 percent of banks charge their customers whenever they use another bank's ATM, even though they're already paying a fee to the bank that owns the ATM." Throughout the week, online searches on "atm fees" and "how to avoid atm fees" drew plenty of buzz.
Also buzzing this week...
• James Cameron's "Avatar" has arrived, and the critics are impressed.
• Saab is dead. For real this time.
• A 4-year-old was suspended for having long hair. "Danged hippie."
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 18th, 2009. Comment. 
by Mike Krumboltz
Is Zoe Saldana Hollywood's next big thing? With starring roles in two of the year's biggest blockbusters ("Star Trek" and "Avatar"), there's no need to consult our magic eight ball. We're going to go out on a limb and say "absolutely."
Web searches on the alluring actress have soared 293% over the past 30 days, putting her among Yahoo's top 4,000 overall lookups. And with "Avatar" poised to dominate the box office, expect those searches to soar even higher in the coming weeks.
Before Ms. Saldana becomes a household name, we wanted to give her future fans a fact sheet. Here's what you need to know about the beautiful and talented actress.
Name: Zoe Saldana
Age: 31
Best known for: "Star Trek," "Avatar," and "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Most popular related searches: "zoe saldana pictures," "zoe saldana photos," and "zoe saldana images." Notice a theme?
Percentage of searches from guys: a whopping 81% of all lookups come from the fellas.
Film she'd probably like to forget: We're guessing she's least proud of "Crossroads," starring a pre-train-wreck Britney Spears.
She's huge in: Search-wise, the actress is most popular in the great state of California.
Is that really her?: OK, so you don't actually see Saldana in "Avatar." You do see her, well, avatar. Still, the actress insists, "It's me."
What's next: Lot of projects in the pipeline for 2010. "The Losers," an action-thriller, and "Death at a Funeral," a dark comedy, will hopefully keep her growing fan base happy. If not, there's always "Star Trek 2."
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 18th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Hillary Clinton (Searches increased by 703%). The Secretary of State came to Copenhagen ready to bankroll poorer countries' climate goals.
- Cobra subsidy (+642%). The House of Representatives voted to extend health care benefits for the unemployed. The Senate is expected to vote today.
- Free Shipping Day (+556%). Unfortunately, that event was yesterday. But you can still find loads of free shipping deals.
- Christmas dinner ideas (+338%). Just be sure to put us on the guest list.
- Clash of the Titans" trailer (+159%). Oh, yes. Prepare for the remake.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 18th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Here's a fairy tale that could only happen in the movies. Man makes YouTube video. Goes to Hollywood. Gets pots of money and a movie deal. Except this story is true.
An unknown producer from Uruguay, Fede Alvarez, shelled out about $300 to create a cool video of a robot invasion in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay. The four-minute short, "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack) features ginormous (but slow-moving) weapon-wielding robots that blow stuff up.
We have to admit, it has pretty amazing production values. The Playlist gushed that the director may be the next Neill Blomkamp, who made the South African-based alien flick "District 9." With the blog abuzz, the South American short went viral, and has already been viewed on YouTube 1.5 million times.
Well, apparently nothing gets by Hollywood these days. The lucky duck told the BBC, "I uploaded 'Ataque de Panico!' on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of emails from Hollywood studios." Long story short, a bidding war ensued. The offer he pocketed: A $30 million deal with Sam "Spiderman" Raimi's Ghost House Pictures. That's a nice return on investment.
The picture will be a sci-fi thriller set in Argentina and Uruguay. In case you're hoping to see the feature-length version of "Panic Attack!" in a movie theater, it won't be from this deal. The newly minted "it" guy says he will start from scratch. Here's the video that got him Hollywood gold.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 17th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Tina Fey (Searches increased by 1,248%). The "30 Rock" star and Steve Carell may take on a new movie project, "Mail Order Groom."
- Dubai Zoo (+503%). The zoo is publicizing the problem of illegally trafficked exotic animals into the United Arab Emirates.
- "Iron Man 2" trailer (+402%). OK, Robert Downey Jr. fans: Christmas come early.
- Chocolate truffles recipe (+194%). If you make them, please invite us over.
- Postal ZIP Codes (+115%). Shipping emergency? Here's the USPS ZIP lookup.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 17th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Whatever you do, don't call these shiny stretchy legwear "leggings." The re-invented trend from the 80s has also been re-named. Introducing "sheggings," A.K.A. shiny leggings. Hold the legwarmers and Jane Fonda sweat band.
The leggy look is sweeping the search box: Word of the new fashion jargon sent fashionista queries on "sheggings" shooting up. We're guessing a nation of sparkly-legged trendsetters can't be far behind. Or at least tweens who shop at Target. Hey, we warned you.
One fashion writer called the lamé leg wear "chic" when paired with a long blazer. Mercifully the Wall Street Journal's fashion reporter advised not to wear the look to work. We at the office would like to add, "Duh!"
Sheggings are just the newest nickname for the 80s redux style. Jeggings, or jean leggings, were the first mash-up to describe a frightening trend of super-tight stretchy denim legwear. New York Magazine credits the British clothing chain Topshop with introducing the term. (Thank you?)
A fashion blogger put the '80s references to rest. You see, the current trend is totally different from twenty years ago: While "Material Girl" era leggings were almost like lingerie, the 21st-century version is made of thicker materials, and can be worn as pants. But trust us, they don't look like pants. They look like leggings. So unless you have the stems of a supermodel, we recommend you pass on this look.
You're welcome.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 16th, 2009. Comment.
by Mike Krumboltz
A shutterbug at TMZ snapped a shot of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on vacation. Ms. Palin's wearing a McCain sun visor, but she's made one interesting alteration. Check out the link and see if you can find it...
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 16th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Christmas cupcakes (Searches increased by 1,962%). Here are some festive ones.
- Sandra Bullock (+1,263%). The mega-movie star said she was "stunned" to earn two Golden Globe nods.
- Mayon Volcano(+1,235%). The Philippine mountain, which has blown its top 40 times in 400 years, has started to spew ash.
- Comic Con (+201%). Mark your calendars. The convention opens July 22-25 —and single-day passes are up for grabs.
- Adam Sandler Hanukkah song (+74%). Check out Neil Diamond's take.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 16th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
The comedian Stephen Colbert may be a fake TV pundit. But single-handedly saving the U.S. Speedskating team is completely, totally real. The satirical host got his just reward as he scored this month's cover of Sports Illustrated, an honor usually reserved for, well, actual athletes.
Here's what happened: Colbert picked up on the news that the U.S. speedskating team was left on thin ice after its main sponsor, a Dutch bank, went belly up. Colbert asked his viewers, who he calls (modestly) the Colbert Nation, to pony up the cash and save the team. Call it the goodwill Olympics. Searches on "colbert nation" actually surged 250% in the last seven days.
Friends of the show answered the call, and about 8,500 fans raised an impressive $250,000 to underwrite the team for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. No joke. As Colbert put it, this ensures that it is "America's 38-inch thighs on that medal platform." The team is a good bet, too. They've brought home some 75 Olympic medals in past competitions.
The executive director for the U.S. team gushed that Colbert's help "will provide immeasurable exposure for our sport and very talented athletes." Talk about a Colbert bump.
In exchange for the sponsorship, "Colbert Nation" logos will be stitched onto the team's uniforms. While someone must appreciate the irony of a comedy show swooping in when a bank failed to close the deal, the speedskating team sure isn't laughing. They're seriously appreciating the help.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 15th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Forget about "2012." We have seen the end of the world, and it's happening now. OK, not to our planet, but light years away a star like our sun is in its death throes.
A dramatic — and eerie — video captured for the first time by researchers at Whipple Observatory in Arizona gives the clearest look yet of what happens when a star dies — and gives us clues to the fate of our own sun.
The death watch goes something like this. As reported by Physorg.com, the star, named Chi Cygni, is about 500 light years away from Earth. The star that's like our sun has started to die. Scientists can tell because it's glowing red and has expanded to such a large size it would engulf every planet from here to Mars. Using a technique called interferometry, the scientists combined the light of several telescopes to catch these images.
Astronomers agree this is what our future looks like. A long, long time from now. Confirmed the lead scientist on the discovery: "This work opens a window onto the fate of our Sun five billion years from now, when it will near the end of its life."
As the star runs out of hydrogen fuel, it has started to pulse every 408 days, growing and shrinking like a gigantic star heart while it sputters and dims. Sort of like a ginormous light bulb that's flickering before it goes out. And while it's a depressing thought, it sure looks cool. Check out this time-lapsed video of the pulsating death star. What a way to go.
Filed under Buzz by on Dec 15th, 2009. Comment.
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