The Buzz Week in Review
by Mike KrumboltzJul 25, 2008
- 415 Votes
It was a week of small triumphs and big scandals in the Buzz. A formerly "pregnant man" shared the first photos of his baby daughter. Meanwhile, an actor's alleged assault (and strenuous denial) left fans stunned. Take a look back at these stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.
Introducing Susan Juliette
Earlier this year Thomas Beatie was huge, both literally and in the Buzz. Better known as the "pregnant man," Mr. Beatie garnered a tremendous amount of interest after he appeared on "Oprah" during his second trimester. Beatie, who was born a woman but kept his female reproductive organs while undergoing sexual reassignment surgery, recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Now, the first photos of little Susan Juliette are inspiring an avalanche of buzz.
Searches on "pregnant man" surged an astounding 1,101% during the week, while related lookups on "thomas beatie baby" and "pregnant man baby photos" posted equally impressive gains. People magazine, which hosted the photo, was buzzed early and often, while other blogs, including the Huffington Post, relayed the birthing story.
A scandal in Gotham
The timing couldn't have been worse ... or more awkward. Just as "The Dark Knight" was taking in a mountain of cash at the box office, its star Christian Bale was being arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. Folks could hardly believe the news, but that didn't stop the interest.
Lookups on "christian bale" roared to a 550% gain, but the related searches are what really told the story. Queries for "christian bale assault," "batman arrested," and "christian bale family" each soared from none into the thousands. Bale has vehemently denied the incident, and countless blogs are updating the story by the nanosecond.
Also buzzing this week ...
• Estelle Getty, who starred in "Golden Girls," passed away at the age of 84. Her death, brought on by Lewy Body Dementia, inspired searches for "estelle getty biography" and "estelle getty young."
• Ever wonder how planets are named? Apparently the honor falls to the International Astronomical Union. According to USA Today, the body recently named a dwarf planet "Makemake."
•We don't know why, but lookups for "laser tattoo removal" jumped 2,258% over the week. Did the surge have something to do with eyelid tattoos? According to TrendHunter, they're soon to be all the rage. If you ask us, they're soon to be removed.