by Mike Krumboltz
Chelsea Clinton recently announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky. The news inspired an avalanche of Web searches on Ms. Clinton, but those were small potatoes compared to the number of lookups on her betrothed.
Almost immediately, lookups on "marc mezvinsky photos" and "marc mezvinsky job" surged into the thousands. Searchers quickly discovered that Mezvinsky is an investment banker at a Manhattan hedge fund, and he comes from a family with strong political ties.
While the Mezvinksys aren't as powerful as the Clintons, they are arguably just as controversial. Marc's father, Edward Mezvinsky, served as a congressman from Iowa for two terms in the '70s. Later he was famously sentenced to prison for around seven years. According to blog from ABC News, Ed Mezvinsky was found guilty of fraud "after getting caught up in a series of Nigerian email scams." Yup, those email scams.
Mr. Mezvinsky didn't actually conduct the scams, but he did attempt to scam others in order to raise money to contribute to the "get rich quick" scheme. Again, according to ABC, Mezvinsky's mother-in-law was a victim, as were some of his closest friends. After serving several years in prison, the former representative is now a free man.
Marc's mother, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, is also no stranger to the public eye. She herself served as a Pennsylvania congresswoman from 1993-1995. Apparently, her political future took a turn for the worse when she voted to support President Clinton's budget "after months of publicly voicing her opposition to the bill because it did not contain enough spending cuts." According to official site from house.gov, Ms. Margolies-Mezvinsky also worked as a television reporter in the 1970s.
The wedding, according to an email Chelsea Clinton sent to friends, is likely to be this coming summer. With four parents who all served in government, expect the toasts to run long.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 30th, 2009. Comment. 
by Claudine Zap
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Leftover turkey soup recipes (Searches increased by 4,183%). Yes, there is a reason to keep the carcass — it makes for a hearty soup.
- Minarets (+1,925%). Apparently, the Swiss are not fans.
- Soul Train Awards 2009 (+867%). The music award show is back this year, and Beyonce ruled.
- Cyber Monday sales 2009 (+527%). Yes, there was a reason for you to come to work today: That super-fast Internet connection will help you score all those Web deals.
- Weekend box office (+207%). "New Moon" led the best-ever Thanksgiving weekend box office, with women and families leading the charge.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 30th, 2009. Comment.
Say Ok is the second single from High School Musical’s own Vanessa Hudgens. Her debut album V is in stores now and features the hit single “Come Back To Me”….
Suggested Reading:
Filed under Top Videos by on Nov 27th, 2009. Comment.
Get Your ‘I Know You Want Me’ t-shirts here: The hot new official video from Pitbull – I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho). Pitbull on vocals mashed up with “75, Brazil Street” by Nicola Fasano vs. Pat-Rich Available on ULTRA Mix 2 Now!
Suggested Reading:
Filed under Top Videos by on Nov 26th, 2009. Comment.
by Mike Krumboltz
A 13-year-old boy with a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome was recently found after he went missing for 11 days. According to reports, the boy spent the entire 11 days lost in the New York City subway system.
The boy, Francisco Hernandez Jr., was found back in October, but news of his odyssey was just recently reported in The New York Times. Other outlets, including People and Fox, have also picked up on the incredible story.
Apparently, Hernandez had gotten into trouble at his middle school. Rather than go home and face punishment from his parents, he chose to remove the battery from his cell phone and enter the subway. While riding the rails for a week and a half, Hernandez ate candy, drank bottled water, and used the public restrooms in the subway.
Naturally, the boy's parents were frantic when they couldn't find him. The couple reported him missing to the police as well as the Mexican Consulate. After 11 days, a police officer found him sitting quietly at the Coney Island station. A truly terrifying ordeal, but it did have a happy ending.
The story has inspired tremendous interest in the boy and his journey, as well as Asperger's syndrome. According to People, Asperger's played a pivotal role in Francisco's journey. The syndrome "makes it difficult for him to conduct social interactions," so he was unable to ask for help. He mostly sat and slept, frightened, until he was found and returned to his extremely relieved parents.
The New York Times reported that the boy's mother, Marisela García, is still struggling with "how to manage her son's condition." When asked about his journey, Francisco replied, “I don’t know how I express myself sometimes.”
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 25th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
So, Thanksgiving is almost here. And you're just figuring out now you have no idea what you're doing? Fear not. If search is any indication, you're far from alone. Frantic cooks are looking up last-minute help with "thanksgiving recipes," "turkey cooking tips," and "thanksgiving desserts."
First off, the turkey. While you could go traditional with an oven-cooked meal, one-day searches have soared on the crispy kind: Many may well find a deep-fried fowl on their Thanksgiving table. Queries on the delicious sounding "cajun deep fried turkey recipes" skyrocketed over 1,000%. "Turkey brine" is also popular, as is "roasted turkey recipe." But hey, even searches on "tofurkey," the "bird" carved from soybeans, are big right now. PETA would be proud.
For those who went with frozen poultry, thawing the turkey may be top of mind. Check out foodsafety.gov for cooking and safety tips. But if the turkey is frozen, you can still pop it in the oven and cook. Just plan on 50% more cook time than you would for the unfrozen kind. For "turkey cooking time per pound," you can also check out the guide from Whole Foods Market. If you need extra hand-holding on the big day with the big bird, Butterball is standing by for your cooking questions.
As for everything else beyond the turkey, there are a cornucopia of searches for lots of delicious dishes: "cornbread stuffing recipes," "green bean casserole recipes," "cranberry orange relish," and "pumpkin pie recipes" are all heating up the search box —along with the sobering "how many calories in thanksgiving dinner." Maybe best to leave that one unanswered until after the holidays.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 25th, 2009. Comment.
by Mike Krumboltz
So you fancy yourself a turducken expert, eh? You like to think your Franken-bird is head and feathers above the rest? Prepare thyself for a rude awakening, rube. Your three birds, however delectable, can't hold a candle to (drum roll please)...extreme turkducken!
Back in the early 19th-century, the French created a culinary concoction that has never been topped: 16 different types of bird stuffed into a turkey. All told, that's 17 kinds of meat for the gorging. The meal was appopriately called "roast without equal."
So what sort of birds were in there? According to an article from the Sonoma Valley Sun, there was everything from chicken to lark, from pheasant to partridge. The complete list, courtesy of the Sun: "A bustard was stuffed with a turkey, stuffed with a goose, stuffed with a pheasant, stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a guinea fowl, stuffed with a teal, stuffed with a woodcock, stuffed with a partridge, stuffed with a plover, stuffed with a lapwing, stuffed with a quail, stuffed with a thrush, stuffed with a lark, stuffed with an Ortolan Bunting, stuffed with (finally) a garden warbler."
Near as we can tell, the roast without equal isn't attempted these days for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that some of those birds are now endangered species. Still, according to a BBC article from 2007, an English farm did create a 12-bird roast that was large enough to feed 125 people. It cost around $1,100.
For those with more modest means and less-Titanic tummies, there's always the good ol' classic turducken. From the looks of Search, it's going to be another popular year for the three-bird combo. Over the past week, Web lookups on "turducken" and "turducken recipes" have each posted triple-digit gains. Attention arteries: Brace for impact.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 25th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.
- Palm Pixi (Searches increased by 882%). The newest Palm phone enters the scene.
- Saab (+417%). The Swedish car company may find a new home in Beijing.
- Turkey injector recipes (+238%). Sounds like a mad scientist got loose in the kitchen.
- Katie Couric (+166%). She's definitely not Dan Rather: The CBS anchor raised some eyebrows when old photos surfaced of her busting a move.
- First Lady (+85%). Google seems to have removed an offensive image that came up on searches for Michelle Obama, and apologized after being criticized for not doing so sooner.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 25th, 2009. Comment.
by Mike Krumboltz
Thanksgiving is a uniquely North American holiday. But are those "facts" we learned in school really true? Is Plymouth Rock an actual, well, rock? Did the pilgrims really eat turkey and pumpkin pie? And who made the holiday "official"? The Buzz Log investigates some of the myths and realities of the beloved holiday.
Was there really a Plymouth Rock?
Kids are taught that when the pilgrims arrived in America, they landed on Plymouth Rock. Well, it might not have gone down like that. According to George Mason's History News Network, the Plymouth Rock theory rests on the "dubious testimony" of one man. Historians argue that pilgrims first landed at Provincetown (not Plymouth). Still, one can visit Plymouth Rock if so inclined. According to the Plymouth Rock Foundation, the rock once weighed thousands of pounds. Over the years, the rock split and parts washed out to sea. Pilgrim Hall Museum writes that the world's most famous rock weighs around several tons, a big drop since its heyday. Today, the remains of the rock are housed in a special building so tourists can gawk from a safe distance. Photos aren't exactly awe-inspiring.
Did the first Thanksgiving have turkey?
Probably not. The Christian Science Monitor hosts an excellent article on the first Thanksgiving that happened back in 1621. According to the journals of several of the colonists, deer and large amounts of "fowl" were enjoyed by the pilgrims. However, instead of that being turkey, it's more likely the hunters brought back duck or geese. So why did turkey become associated with the holiday? According to Slate, price may have been a chief reason. "Among the big birds, turkey was ideal for a fall feast. Turkeys born in the spring would spend about seven months eating insects and worms on the farm, growing to about 10 pounds by Thanksgiving." Additionally, they were cheaper than geese. Good news for geese, bad news for the turkey.
Who made Thankgiving official?
Ladies and gentlemen, let's give it up for President Lincoln! That's right, Honest Abe is responsible for making Thanksgiving an official holiday in 1863. National Geographic hosts a blog on some surprising facts about the holiday and notes that Lincoln may have been swayed by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Historians say she was a big proponent of making Thanksgiving a national holiday. Mr. Lincoln apparently agreed.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 24th, 2009. Comment.
by Mike Krumboltz
Good news for folks looking to escape "family time" and take in a movie — you'll have plenty of options this week. There are several new films opening in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and the critics are weighing in with their takes on whether or not Hollywood's efforts are worth your money. Here's the scoop...
Based on its critical reception, Disney's "Old Dogs" looks destined to play dead at theaters. The film garnered atrocious reviews. The Chicago Tribune granted the film 0 stars and explained that the movie is "a great opportunity to gather family members you clearly think are stupid." Online critic James Berardinelli granted the movie half a star out of four and wrote that "there are some experiences no one should be subjected to even in the name of science." And the carnage didn't stop. Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "F" and lamented the disappearance of Robin Williams' dignity. Moviegoers — you have been warned.
Reviews for Oscar contender "The Road" were much more positive. The film, based on a Cormac McCarthy novel about the end of the world, isn't exactly uplifting, but critics applauded the film's largely CGI-less look of muted grays and stark landscapes. Also getting much acclaim — Viggo Mortensen, who plays a man desperate to protect his son from the horrors of a post-apocalyptic world. Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called it "bleak but intense." A.O. Scott of The New York Times also praised the movie, but did note that the film's score seems to be too sentimental at times.
For adrenaline junkies, there's "Ninja Assassin." The action film, produced by Andy and Larry Wachowski of "Matrix" fame, scored mixed reviews. Some critics were surprisingly positive. Chris Nashawaty of EW gave the film a "B" and applauded the film's "very cool" fight scenes. Other reviewers were a bit more tepid. David Thomas of Filmcritic.com awarded the film two out of five stars, noting that it will "likely disappoint action fans with excessive CGI gore." Unless she herself is a ninja, you may want to leave Grandma at home.
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 24th, 2009. Comment.
by Claudine Zap
The new Disney fairy tale movie, "Princess and the Frog" has a familiar storyline. (Girl kisses frog. Weird stuff happens.) But the look is new: The debut of Disney's first African American princess. Ever. The animated musical opens this week in New York and Los Angeles (and everywhere next month) and already Web searches on Yahoo! have grown over 100% in the last 30 days.
The story is set in Jazz Age New Orleans, with this princess-in-the-rough working as a waitress. She is only royal in her mind, and dreams of opening a restaurant in the French Quarter. Check out the preview.
Aside from breaking a race barrier (Disney's own), the animated flick is a throw-back to another era: The movie is hand-drawn, with zydeco-style songs by Randy Newman and stars Broadway singer Anika Noni Rose as the princess, Tiana, and queen of daytime Oprah Winfrey as the voice of her mom. And, of course, there are the toys. NPR reports that Tiana toys are already extremely popular with the kids. A new cash cow for Disney, perhaps?
Early reviews are positive. Time magazine calls the holiday offering a "start-to-finish delight." Entertainment Weekly glows that the G-rated movie is "a fresh twist on the classic fairy tale." Filmcritic.com notes that while the cartoon is a visual feast, it serves up little along the theme of race or class. However, images might speak stronger than words in this case. As Filmcritic puts it, "If they're not careful, 'like a Disney movie' might once again cease to be a pejorative phrase."
Filed under Buzz by on Nov 24th, 2009. Comment.
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