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

It was a weekend of somber emotions and military drama, seemingly matched in buzz only by the grandeur and pomp of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Readers were drawn in by the loss of two great American entertainers, the rolling machines of war between Russia and its bitter neighbor Georgia, and the steady beat of news from China's capital.

Untimely passings
We reported last week about the ailing comedian Bernie Mac. At the time, Mac—born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough in 1957—was suffering from pneumonia. It was complications of this respiratory disease that caused Mac's untimely death on Saturday, but he also suffered from an immune disorder called sarcoidosis. As this fact was reported, we saw a surge of interest in the disease in Search. Fans spent the weekend sharing their memories Mac's career and life.

Another icon of entertainment, Isaac Hayes, passed away this weekend as well. A man whose work spanned decades, genres, and styles, Hayes has meant many different things to many fans. But he who made history with his brand of hot buttered soul and his decades of film and television work, particularly as the voice of Chef on "South Park," will no doubt be dearly missed by millions.

Meanwhile, reports about the health of legendary actor Paul Newman are stirring online and in the Buzz. From his career highlights to the details of his final wishes, Newman's legacy is already being studied, and his imminent passing regretfully noted.

The drums of war
The biggest international story on the Buzz charts this weekend was the fighting between Russia and Georgia, which broke out on Friday. Russian planes bombed cities in the former Soviet state, and Georgian troops battled separatists and Russian forces alike. Online onlookers searched heavily for, among other bits of information and updates, maps of Russia and maps of Georgia to help understand why the two countries are on the brink of war.

The Buzz on the Games
No Buzz recap would be complete this weekend without highlights from the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Thus far, China's turn to host the international games has already had its share of large-scale buzz, including but not limited to

• The tragic attack on the in-laws of men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, followed by the team's bittersweet victory the next day.
• An opening ceremony, discussed online as much for its grandeur as for suspicions that NBC fiddled with the order of the presented countries.
• An explanation—thanks to the power of the Internet—that finally lets us understand how Olympic timing works.