The Buzz Log What’s hot on Yahoo! Buzz™ (and why)...

Our crack team of editors takes a closer look at the hottest trends on Yahoo! Buzz.

  • Obama's Brother, Elizabeth Lambert, and a Special Delivery: Buzz Week in Review

    by Mike Krumboltz

    38 hours ago

    New faces stirred the Search box this week. Folks quickly turned to the Web to learn more about the president's half-brother, a vilified soccer player, and a 2-year-old who helped deliver his baby brother. Catch up on these stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.

    President Obama's family time
    He's still incredibly busy running the country, but President Obama found a little time this past week to catch up with his half-brother. While visiting Beijing on a diplomatic trip, Mr. Obama set aside a few minutes to talk with Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo, who shares the same father as the president. Mr. Ndesandjo made some headlines several months ago when he spoke about growing up with whom he called his "abusive father." He and the president have rarely seen each other in person. After their latest meeting, Mr. Ndesandjo said he felt overwhelmed and "over the moon" about getting to see his famous sibling. Details of what was discussed weren't revealed, but Searches still soared on both men's names, as well as "obama family tree."

    Foul play on the pitch
    In the Internet age, a person can become famous in the blink of an eye. Or, in Elizabeth Lambert's case, infamous. The college soccer player became the focus of intense scrutiny this week after footage surfaced of her pulling an opponent down by her ponytail. The clip has been viewed millions of times on YouTube, and Ms. Lambert has since been suspended indefinitely by her team, the University of New Mexico Lobos. For her part, Ms. Lambert has expressed intense regret for the poor sportsmanship, and is seeing a psychologist to "help her better understand her actions."

    Special delivery
    It was something out of a bad sitcom: Mom can't get to the hospital fast enough, so her toddler has to help deliver the new baby. This time it really happened, and we're happy to say that both mom, toddler, and baby are doing fine. Bobbye Favazza of Mississippi went into labor and ended up giving birth on the living-room sofa. According to a popular AP article, the woman's toddler, Jeremiha, "got her a towel and caught the baby before firefighters arrived to cut the umbilical cord." The story caught the attention of searchers. Lookups on "two year old delivers baby" experienced a miraculous surge.

    Also buzzing this week...
    • "New Moon" opened to ravenous crowds and tepid reviews.
    • Oprah will end her talk show in 2011.
    • Look out, Homer: There's a new character in Springfield.

    262 Votes

  • "New Moon" Movie Goers

    New Record for "New Moon"

    by Claudine Zap

    39 hours ago

    The vampire sequel "New Moon" may not be scoring big with critics. But that sure won't be true for the box office. Hordes of Twi-hards stampeded movie theaters for a first look at a midnight viewing.

    In fact, fans helped make the teen sensation a record-breaker, with the largest audience ever for a midnight movie. The picture reportedly raked in over $26 million, and beat out similar midnight showings of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "The Dark Knight."

    Of course, we could have guessed that the Robert Pattinson vehicle would go over well: One-day lookups on the Web have soared over 100% for "new moon movie." Movie buffs have also been busy searching on "new moon movie tickets," and "pre order new moon tickets."

    All this suggests, says USA Today, a movie weekend that could be the biggest of the year. Stay tuned for further record-breaking news.

    6 Votes
  • Don't Do It: Movie Popcorn Is Calorie Bomb

    Don't Do It: Movie Popcorn Is Calorie Bomb

    Horror at the Movies: Popcorn

    by Claudine Zap

    40 hours ago

    We would want to be the last ones to ruin movie night, but this just in from Center for Science in the Public Interest: Chowing down on a medium popcorn and soda is the calorie equivalent to three McDonald's quarter-pounders and 12 — yes 12 — pats of butter. And it gets worse: About 90% of this 1,600 calorie bomb comes from fat.

    We know, shocker: Movie popcorn is bad for you. But it's even worse than we thought. The killjoys who conducted this test point out that sitting through a two-hour movie isn't exactly "climbing Mt. Everest," but theaters are feeding us like we are. After all, where else do we get food in containers called tubs?

    Mainly, the blame lies with the coconut oil used to pop the corn that really packs on the pounds. The two worst offenders are the biggest movie theater chains, Regal and AMC. The theater chain Cinemark switched to the healthier canola oil, so their salty snack comes in slightly better at under 1,000 calories for a medium popcorn. But still. Not exactly diet food. And all this is before you pour on the butter-flavored topping. Not to mention sodium levels that are off the charts. Those super-sized candy boxes are pretty bad too, adding up to around 500 calories for your favorite sugary snack. (And soda — simply extra empty calories in extra-large cups, the study says.)

    The L.A. Times quoted a spokesperson for Regal defending the supersized practice by explaining that movie food is a "treat and not intended to be part of a regular diet." But heck, it's so unhealthy, should it even be part of an irregular diet? Clearly, the popcorn police think not.

    Intrepid reporters at the New York Post headed to a local movie theater for follow-up. One movie-goer suggested cut-up fruit and veggies as a better way to go. Health food at the movies — why would anyone even bother?

    This study is a follow-up to the original report that exposed the shocking truth about popcorn back in 1994. In response, some movie theaters offered — gasp — an airpopped alternative. Guess how well that went over. So successful, the study had to be done again 15 years later. The critics may whine, but the people have spoken: Feedbags with extra butter and salt, please.

    302 Votes
  • LeBron James

    LeBron James

    LeBron James, Project Runway, Thawing Turkey: What's the Buzz

    by Claudine Zap

    46 hours ago

    Our top picks from the day's hottest searches.

    1. Lebron James' house (Searches increased by 1,586%). The basketball star's 35,000 square-foot abode will include a barber shop, sports bar, and a casino.
    2. Thawing turkey (+957%). Yes, it probably is about time to start thinking about doing that.
    3. Project Runway (+576%). Spoiler alert: The mean girl finishes first.
    4. Congo (+157%). Fights over fishing rights have forced 50,000 to flee.
    5. Susan Boyle (+156%). The Internet singing sensation will have a real-live record released next week.
    Vote Now
  • 'New Moon' star Robert Pattinson

    'New Moon' star Robert Pattinson

    New Moon, Blind Side, Planet 51: Critics Roundup

    by Mike Krumboltz

    Nov 19, 2009

    Movie critics probably shouldn’t have bothered. All the reviewers in the world can't stop “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the second film in the hit franchise, from raking in mountains of cash. Still, a few critics tried.

    Roger Ebert, perhaps the most famous movie critic of all time, granted “New Moon” 1 star out of 4, and noted that its teen stars lack energy. “Never have teenagers been in greater need of a jump-start,” said the Pulitzer Prize-winner. The deliciously catty Kyle Smith of the New York Post was predictably unimpressed. Moaned Smith, “This movie moves like the line at the post office."

    Other publications were a bit kinder. Claudia Puig of USA Today granted “New Moon” 2.5 stars out of 4 and noted that the film is "an improvement" over the original. The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen offered similar sentiments and wrote that “New Moon” is also “exceptionally faithful to its 2008 beginnings.” That quote alone ought to send the franchise’s fans over the moon.

    While “New Moon” is getting the vampire’s share of the buzz, there are two other major Hollywood releases hitting theaters this weekend. “The Blind Side,” based on a true story, stars Sandra Bullock as a sassy Midwestern mother who takes in a homeless African American teenager. Heartwarming moments ensue.

    Reviews on “The Blind Side” range from positive to “meh.” Respected online critic James Berardinelli applauded the movie for not being cloying, something that can easily happen with inspirational tear-jerkers. Mr. Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter complimented the “energetic performances” from the cast. But there are dissenters. Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman commented on the film’s hypocrisy, calling it “a kind of liberal Hollywood version of conservative values.” Ouch.

    The last of the three flicks to hit theaters is an animated movie called “Planet 51.” Featuring the vocal talents of Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, and Gary Oldman, the film is a kind of child-safe, sci-fi adventure with a twist. Instead of aliens landing on Earth, an astronaut lands on an alien planet.

    Reviews are, in a word, mixed. Ty Burr of The Boston Globe recommended the movie only to “young children and adults with high pain thresholds,” while Roger Moore of the Chicago Tribune called it “genial but generic.” Other reviewers were more complimentary. Adam Markovitz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a “B” and said that it "delivers a few pleasant surprises.” Roger Ebert called it “perfectly pleasant as kiddie entertainment."

    5 Votes