Yahoo! Services

Make Y! My Home Page

Account Options

New User? Sign Up Sign In Help

Yahoo! Search

  • Tim McGraw

    Don't Mess with Tim McGraw

    by Mike Krumboltz

    June 26, 2008 11:31:47 AM

    Important safety tip: Do not do anything stupid or violent in the presence of Tim McGraw. If you do, there is an excellent chance he will pull you up on to the stage by your belt and shove you into the waiting arms of security.

    Such an incident transpired at a recent concert. An audience member apparently struck a woman. Whether on purpose or accidental, we're not sure. What we do know is that Mr. McGraw did not like what he saw. After motioning for security, the leather-vested singer personally yanked the offending fan on to the stage and tossed him over to a collection of burly guards with a look of disdain normally reserved for stepped-in dog feces.

    Video of the dustup soon hit the Web and searchers went wild. Lookups for "tim mcgraw" surged 181% and related terms like "tim mcgraw fight" and "tim mcgraw concert" spiked enormously. Newspapers, websites, and blogs picked up on the story and recapped it blow-by-blow. People magazine notes that "the man and McGraw seemed ready to get into a full-fledged fracas, with McGraw cocking his fist back as if to throw a punch." iVillage explains that after the ruckus, Tim "went right on singing." A consummate gentleman and a true professional—no wonder wife Faith Hill wants him all to herself.

  • McCain and Pawlenty

    One Vice President Please. Actually, Make That Two.

    by Vera H-C Chan

    June 26, 2008 06:00:00 AM

    Just when are voters supposed to buy their bumper stickers?

    With the Democratic primaries at last concluded, the citizenry is now supposed to concentrate on the candidates' message... except they're distracted by the gaping hole where a vice president should be standing. Impatient toe-tapping over "obama vice president candidates" (+540%) and, less so, "mccain vice president" has reverberated throughout Search. 

    You can probably hold off waxing the car bumper until after the Fourth of July weekend, though. The earliest that recent veepstake winners have been announced was July 6, when Democratic nominee John Kerry anointed then-Senator John Edwards as his political mate for the 2004 campaign. Twelve years before, Bill Clinton touted Al Gore on July 9. President George W. Bush made room on his 2000 presidential seat for Dick Cheney on July 25.

    Moving even later into the season, Gore took until August 8 (2000) to present Joe Lieberman, and 1996 Republican nominee Robert Dole waited as long as August 16 to put Jack Kemp in the picture. Surely, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will wait until the dog days of summer to put constituents out of their misery... right?

    In the meantime, the 2008 rumor mill runs on steroids, what with Internet speculation on top of the 24-7 news cycle. Names now being tossed about for the Democratic  ticket include "Wall Streeter" Bob Rubin as panacea for America's economic woes or Elizabeth Edwards as a likeable, female cancer survivor. House representative Nancy Pelosi has singled out Chet Edwards.

    Some even want to revive an Al Gore ticket, a not unpopular recycling notion, but a distant second to Hillary Clinton among searchers. Gore barely aces out short-list candidate Senator Sam Nunn. (Speaking of former vice presidents, Dan Quayle isn't being suggested, but he's into heavy-set punditry now.)

    Republican voters who feel a woman's place is in the White House consider three females as serious contenders, but Alaska governor Sarah Palin finds the most favor among searchers. However, hints are strong that McCain has already decided in favor of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

    For the Democratic cult worshippers, however, a humorist proposes the dream of all dream tickets: Obama-Obama. No, not Michelle... Barack Obama, squared. While backroom strategists figure out that Constitutional amendment, below are the veep possibilities generating the most online curiosity.

    1. Hillary Clinton (D)
    2. Al Gore (D)
    3. Sam Nunn (D)
    4. Sarah Palin (R)
    5. Chuck Hagel (R)
    6. Condoleezza Rice (R)
    7. John Edwards (D)
    8. Mitt Romney (R)
    9. Mike Huckabee (R)
    10. Bobby Jindal (R)
  • Maria Sharapova

    Fashion Forward at Wimbledon

    by Mike Krumboltz

    June 25, 2008 12:48:08 PM

    Wimbledon is a tradition. And we say that in the most traditional sense of the word. What other sporting event asks that players wear all white?

    You might think that the stuffy restriction wouldn't leave room for fashion, but you'd be mistaken. Though the tournament is barely under way, fans have already been treated (or subjected to) several memorable outfits from the players.

    Maria Sharapova got the fashion show started early with a top that looked to have been inspired by a high school prom. An article from the New York Post declared the tuxedo-style outfit a hit.

    While Sharapova's short shorts and wild shirt drew leers, rival Lindsay Davenport's outfit won points for keeping it real. The former champ sported a sleeveless top and pleated skirt that looked like a homage to the 1980s. Though not as unusual as Sharapova's, Davenport's look drew plenty of buzz.

    Lindsay's duds may have been a flashback to the days of Chris Evert-Lloyd, but Serena Williams' warmup trenchcoat defies categorization. Ms. Williams took the court in a stark white jacket reminiscent of Bellevue Hospital. Love it or hate it, the look brought in the lookups, and a related article from Sports Illustrated buzzed loudly.

    Finally, fashion isn't just for the ladies. Perennial powerhouse Roger Federer made some noise with a very traditional cardigan sweater. The top-ranked player is looking like he could easily advance to the finals... with style.

  • A "sworn virgin" of Albania

    The Sworn Virgins of Albania

    by Molly McCall

    June 25, 2008 12:24:57 PM

    In today's New York Times, Dan Bilefksy examines the extraordinary existence of the "sworn virgins" of Albania.

    For hundreds of years, small numbers of Albanian women have taken oaths to live life as men. They dress like men, talk like men, and commingle almost exclusively with men. It's not a sexual thing; the gender-swappers remain biologically female and acknowledge it. (They also, obviously, foreswear any amorous activity.) Rather, the custom developed in response to a hardscrabble, rural life where the guys were all too often scarce. Now, according to Bilefsky, the practice is dwindling.

    Several sources have picked up on the Times report and enjoyed a boost in Buzz. Among those, Citizen Sugar solicited a range of comments from non-Albanian women amazed—or outraged—by the custom.

  • Wanted

    Wanted: Action Heroine

    by Vera H-C Chan

    June 25, 2008 09:55:00 AM

    One moment, Angelina Jolie urges awareness for World Refugee Day. In the next moment—as in June 27—she bloodies the screen as a well-meaning assassin in "Wanted." Throughout all this, she looms as a larger-than-life mother figure, spurring premature hysteria around the birth of her twins (as of now, still safely in the womb).

    In an industry that thrives on typecasting, Jolie's draw has been her seeming contradictions, and every outlet—and searchers—want a piece of her. Both Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly put her on their covers, and Radar revealed how Jolie-starved tabloids stole scraps to make their own stories. Huffington Post counted the Goodwill ambassador among the top 10 green girls (thanks to single-handedly funding a $5-plus mil Cambodian wildlife sanctuary). USA Today called her "scary sexy," and Forbes magazine ranked her third in the Celebrity 100, after Tiger and Oprah. Searches have been swelling around her past movies ("beowulf," "tomb raider"), family ("twins," Pitt), and tattoos.

    Detractors will always think of the Oscar winner as the woman who stole Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston. Critics and fans however stumble over themselves to define her genre-busting, gender-defying appeal that breaks Hollywood constructs of what a female actress—or a woman—should be. Two years after Salon placed Jolie in the same breed as Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, USA Today likens her inventiveness to Madonna and sexpot grace to Sophia Loren, and the New York Post contrasts her fierece independence with the feminine interpendence of, say, the "Sex And The City" gals.

    The Post also poses the billion-dollar question: Why doesn't Jolie get more lead action roles and give "nongirly girls" a role model? At a time when blockbusters hog the big screen, the kind of meaty women's roles owned by Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and other power actresses of yesteryear have shrunk to the small screen. SATC's crossover success surprised Hollywood observers, a reaction that EW.com complained shows how women have to prove their box-office appeal over and over. Meanwhile, Jolie's willingness to take action in between dramas is seen as challenging the big blockbuster boys on their own turf.

    Her action heroism should rock the multiplex: "Wanted" has been attracting healthy searches, and she herself is settled among the top five most-searched personalities. If the action flick does well, especially on the heels of SATC's success, it might convince Hollywood that girls can beat the boys at their own game.