Lycos, a leading internet community destination for entertainment content (formerly known as the Lycos search engine), is reporting their “Lycos 50” for the week ending July 14, 2007.
According to Lycos, the search activity for Al Qaeda jumped 700 percent in the past week, perhaps due to the USA’s Chertoff announcing publicly that Al Qaeda is more active than before and now apparently is “re-grouping” (whatever that means).
Lycos is also reporting that Emma Watson (part of the Harry Potter phenom) is more popular with internet users then Pamela Anderson and Lindsay Lohan (actually I’m not surprised about that).
Among the top gainers for the last week were Al Gore, Rihanna, Victoria Beckham (a former Spice Girl who just came to the United States with her husband and who has a new reality TV show). A “gainer” simply means that no one really searched for that keyword phrase before and now, all of a sudden, people are searching for the phrase. This typically happens with “instant celebrities” and other events that are “suddenly” in the news.
OK, since I know you’re interested in these top gainers for the week, here’s the official “Biggest Movers and Shakers” according to Lycos for the week ending July 14, 2007:
Biggest Movers and Shakers for Week Ending July 14, 2007: 1. Al Qaeda 700 % 2. Al Gore 300 % 3. Rihanna 234 % 4. Hairspray 233 % 5. Emma Watson 217 % 6. Victoria Beckham 144 % 7. Jessica Biel 138 % 8. Weddings 117 % 9. Harry Potter 95 % 10. Bratz 67 %
It’s interesting to note that Hairspray is on the list, as there’s a new movie out, and that’s most likely why it’s on the list–apparently it looks like it’s going to be a hit.
Weddings are making the list this past week especially because so many people are…well…having a wedding or attending one?
Lycos reports that Emma Watson has achieved her highest rank ever on the Lycos 50, and cracked the top 10 this past week. She generated more online interest than Pamela Anderson (who was number 14), Jessica Simpson (who was number 26 on the list), and Hillary Duff (number 24 on the list). Even though Lindsay Lohan (18th on the list) just was released from rehab, no one apparently cares about her–Emma Watson is 171 percent more popular than Lindsay Lohan this week.
Also notable is Actress Jessica Biel (#27 on the Lycos 50) and singer Rihanna (#41 on the Lycos 50), who made their first-ever appearances on the Lycos 50 this week. Jessical Biel, perhaps best known for her work on the never-ending series, “7th Heaven,” is now starring in the Adam Sandler-produced comedy, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.” Rihanna is about to make song-chart history in the UK with her current single, “Umbrella.” If the track stays at number one, it will be the longest-running number one single in Britain for more than a decade.
Lycos says that recent reports that the terrorist group named “Al Qaeda” has heightened efforts to put operatives in the USA, indicating that the USA is under its greatest risk of attack since before September 11, 2001, has caused a surge in search interest for Al Qaeda, which up 700 percent. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s newest “royals,” the Beckham’s, have caused quite a stir since arriving in Los Angeles last week.
If search activity is any indication, web users are far more interested in Victoria Beckham than in her soccer star husband David. Search interest in the former Spice Girl is up 144%, generating 338% more online activity than her infamous hubbie. The movie, “Hairspray,” based on the 2002 Broadway musical based on the 1988 film opens on July 20, and has increased 233%. And on August 3, the live action movie based on the Bratz dolls will be released, which accounts for increased search interest in Bratz, up 67 percent.
LYCOS 50 Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending July 14, 2007: 1. Paris Hilton 2. Pokemon 3. MySpace 4. Naruto 5. YouTube 6. Britney Spears 7. WWE 8. RuneScape 9. Disney 10. Emma Watson