Forget about money and love

Barney Frank

Barney, Gina, and Octomom: Buzz Week in Review

by Mike Krumboltz

Forget about money and love — if you ask us, conflict is what makes the world go 'round. And if it seemed like the earth was spinning a little faster than normal this week, there's a reason: There were fights, squabbles, and disagreements all over the Web. Put up your dukes — it's the Buzz Week in Review.

Barney Frank has a question
Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts (D) engaged in a town hall meeting on health care this week. Not surprisingly, the meeting had its share of contentious moments. The most memorable occurred when a woman asked Rep. Frank why he supports health care reform, referring to it as a Nazi policy. An exasperated Frank responded, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" The exchange caused a ruckus in the Search box — lookups on "barney frank town hall" and "barney frank meeting" both surged. Jon Stewart also chimed in with his take, complete with an inspired list of "yo mama" jokes.

And down goes Carano
It was a highly anticipated and hugely hyped fight, but it didn't last as long as people hoped. Gina Carano, the popular female star of the MMA circuit lost in the first round to Cris "Cyborg" Santos. The battle still caused no small amount of buzz. Searches on Ms. Carano surged an incredible 2,341%, far exceeding the level of interest in her victorious rival. Numerous recaps of the fight scored as well, including this piece from Sports Illustrated on the various winners and losers from a night full of fights. Oh, and by the way, Carano earned $125,000 despite the lopsided loss. Cyborg pocketed just $25,000.

Octomom speaks, world shrugs
You would think Nadya Suleman and Kate Gosselin might be good friends. After all they've both been through similar ordeals. But that ain't the case. This week, Octomom (that's Nadya) called out Ms. Gosslin, saying that Kate's body can't compare with her own. Daaaaang! Naturally, the premptive dis moved the search needle. Queries on "octomom vs kate" and "octomom rips kate gosslin" both screamed like a crabby toddler. The rip was heard on Octomom's Fox documentary. Surprisingly (or not, depending on your level of Octomom overload), it was one of the few moments folks found interesting. Overall, the program wasn't a "ratings behemoth."

Also buzzing this week...
• NFL star Plaxico Burress was sentenced to two years in prison.
• Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" opened to strong reviews.
• Michael Jackson's burial date was changed yet again.