You don't have to be primitive to be entranced by a blood-red moon.
Welcome to this week's Lycos 50. Yes, even in this hi-tech age last Thursday's lunar eclipse (#4) was a very hot item. In fact it was the highest-ranked celestial event ever on our charts: the failed Mars Polar Lander expedition made #7 in December, the Leonid Meteor showers went as high as #10 in November, and last summer's solar eclipse was #8 on our very first list in August.
Also new to this week's top 10: the American Music Awards. Last Monday's awards ceremony was wildly popular, due partly to the that's-not-my-slip-that's-showing dresses worn by Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. About 10% of all AMA searches asked for photos of the two stars. That's entertainment!
Other key items from this week's Lycos 50:
TIN GLOBES? While the American Music Awards were a roaring success, hardly anyone was anticipating the Golden Globes. The movie/tv awards got just one-tenth the searches of the AMAs. It's true the Globes didn't occur until this Sunday night; but still, the Boston Globe got more searches last week than the Golden Globes.
CREEPING UP: Mardi Gras and spring break didn't make the Lycos 50 this week, but both are rising fast. Not surprisingly, the spring break queries focus on vacation and travel packages. New Orleans is also rising fast as Fat Tuesday approaches.
KING STAYS STRONG: Martin Luther King dropped only 4 places, even though the holiday occurred early in the week. Still plenty of post-holiday school reports going on, it seems.
REGIS RETURNS: You knew it had to happen. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire is back on the Lycos 50 this week, popping up to #31. The show was last on our list on December 1.
THOSE DARNED HAMSTERS: What's up with hamster dance (#32)? The power of television, that's what. The now-legendary hamsters are featured on a current Earthlink ad campaign.
NEW THIS WEEK: Lunar eclipse, American Music Awards, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, hamster dance, scholarships, Carmen Electra.
DROPOUTS: Rapper DMX, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, doomed vessel Titanic, Hawaii, guns, Bond girl Denise Richards.
BIGGEST RISE: Tennis star Anna Kournikova (#29) up 14 spaces as the Australian Open gets underway.
BIGGEST DROP: White House (#46) down 16; actress Shannon Elizabeth (#49) down 13.
HOW DO I SEARCH THEE? Poetry is down a little this week, but within the category we're noticing a surge in requests for love poetry, romantic poems, poemas de amor, and the like. Did someone say Valentine's Day?
