"Idol," Blago, "Ugly Betty:" What's the Buzz

by Claudine Zap

Here's your buzz warm-up.

1. Joanna Pacitti (+5,300%). The up-and-coming "American Idol" contestant revealed on the show that she is no newbie: She had a past recording career. The show decided to have her reveal her not-so-amateur past, causing a crescendo of searches. While her singing career didn't lead to much, auditioning with "Idol" does show that she is persistent.
2. 2009 Honda Pilot (+2,349%). It seems like an oxymoron, and yet the Internet was abuzz with searches on the fuel-efficient SUV. The cross-over model was also named a top safety pick.
3. Layoffs (+731%). A search term that has become all too familiar in this sorry economic climate. The job losses pushed the unemployment rate in the U.S. over 7.2%. But there's more: Some economists expect that the layoffs will be even worse in 2009, and will affect all industries everywhere in the world.
4. Rod Blagojevich (+330%). He's not a corrupt governor who wanted to sell a vacant Senate seat. He's a wronged idealist. The governor from Illinois chose to mount his defense away from the courtroom of his impeachment trial ? which he's boycotting ? and instead�make his case in the courtroom of nationally televised talk shows.
5. America Ferrera (+181%). The beautiful star from the show "Ugly Betty" got some bad news from ABC. The network is putting the popular show on hold while introducing some other programming into the time slot.