George W. Bush's off-color comments last week pushed the governor firmly into the Lycos 50 this week.
Bush debuts at #36 after he called NY Times reporter Adam Clymer a naughty name. 10% of all George W. searches this week asked for the video of his comments; another 3% asked for "Bushisms." (Hello, Dan Quayle.)
Seems a rising tide lifts all boats: Al Gore also makes this week's Lycos 50, three spots below Bush at #39.
Other key points from this week's Lycos 50:
OLYMPICS ARRIVE: One week after we suggested that Olympic searches were lagging, the quadrennial games went for the gold this week, vaulting to #1. The most popular specific queries: Olympic rings, Olympic history, Olympic tickets, and Olympic torch.
MO' MUSIC AWARDS: Two sure ways to make the Lycos 50: curse a reporter or hold a music awards show. This week it's the MTV Music Awards at #31 (five spots ahead of Gov. Bush, who apparently didn't talk quite as naughty as they do at MTV).
The MTV Awards also gave a traffic boost to Britney Spears (#2), thanks to what E! Online called her "cleavage-popping outfit".
WHAT'S HAPPENED TO OUR YOUTH? Now that college is back in session, Cliff Notes (#44) makes its first-ever appearance on the Lycos 50. (Hey, where are all the searches for "good study habits"?)
On the plus side, textbooks are at #33 -- proof that the kids are at least still buying the real books.
Thanks to the younger student set, science fair projects is back at #37 after a summer hiatus. Its last appearance was on March 14, when it shared the Lycos 50 with prom dresses, the Iditarod, and Mardi Gras.
FRIGHTENING BUT TRUE: Speaking of holidays: yes, that's Christmas you see at #46, a full 15 weeks before the actual holiday. People just can't help jumping in early, it seems. Meanwhile Halloween rises 13 spots this week to #11.
SHORT SUBJECTS: Big Brother stayed strong, perhaps helped by the show's attempt to bribe its own contestants... Survivor finally drops off our list after a 13-week run... An odd academic term on the rise: Beowulf... Hey, shouldn't the scooter fad be ending? The term is still rising, this week to #19. Maybe scooters are going to be the Big Gift for Christmas 2000... Sports make a strong showing this week: football and the NFL are #6 and #7, and the U.S. Open (#8) lifts tennis into the #50 spot.
NEW THIS WEEK: MTV Music Awards, George W. Bush, science fair projects, Al Gore, NASA, Cliff Notes, Christmas, The Sims, tennis.
DROPOUTS: Princess Diana, Amanda Peet, Star Trek, Madonna, Metallica, Chrono Cross, Survivor, Barbie, the IRS.
BIGGEST RISE: Marijuana, up 14 spots to #29. (Another college-related surge, we believe.)
BIGGEST DROP: Textbooks (#33) and Jennifer Lopez (#27), both down 12 spots.
CAMPAIGN WATCH: On our weekly comparison of campaign 2000 searches, George Bush queries are leading Al Gore queries by 52% to 48%. That's a five point gain for Bush, who trailed 53% to 47% last week.
