Pokemon returns to the top of the Lycos 50 this week as the weather-buzz from Hurricane Floyd fades.
That other hot Japanese import, Dragonball Z, is creeping up on #2 Britney Spears. (Are we really heading for a 1-2 Japanese finish?) If your kids aren't already talking about Dragonball Z, it looks like they will be soon.
Elsewhere it was a quiet week on the Lycos 50, with many topics holding steady. Notable changes:
NEW THIS WEEK: Cindy Margolis, Titanic, Star Trek, boxing, Ryder Cup. Margolis, a popular Web pinup, appeared on NBC's 'Suddenly Susan.' Boxing got a bump from the Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad fight on September 18. Golf's Ryder Cup took place on Sept. 24-26.
RETURNING AFTER A BRIEF ABSENCE: Mariah Carey, golf.
DROPOUTS: Ricky Martin finally exits La Vida Lycos after a long summer of popularity. Other dropouts: wrestling, the IRS, the movie 'Stigmata', and tennis heartthrob Anna Kournikova.
BIGGEST RISE: The Ryder Cup debuted at #28. Shania Twain moved up 6 slots to #22 after being named "Entertainer of the Year" by the Country Music Association. Guns moved up 7 slots to #30, and we have no idea why. Any higher and we'll start to get worried. Halloween rose 8 spots to #11, and we're still a full month away.
BIGGEST DROP: Hurricane Floyd dropped from #1 to #18 as mop-up operations continued in North Carolina. New game system Dreamcast fell eight notches to #29.
HOUSEKEEPING DETAIL: Canada and Mexico were dropped from Lycos 50 eligibility this week; we decided those country names are too broad to be useful. They'll join other classics such as 'weather' and 'music' on a list of retired terms we'll add to this site shortly.
STRANGEST ARRIVAL: Two full years have passed since the release of James Cameron's hit movie, yet 'Titanic' is still a regular on our search lists. This week the old ship powered its way up to #48, if you can believe that. Why? Our best guess is a combination of nostalgia for the movie, continued searches for Celine Dion's hit theme, and students doing research on the actual event.
BATTLE OF THE BOY BANDS: The Backstreet Boys are riding high on the buzz from their new US tour; they're currently on the East Coast. Rival boy band 'N Sync slips again this week, down to 21. Three weeks ago they were at #11.
NO BUZZ: With the failure of the Mars orbiter you'd expect an increase in searches on NASA -- but instead the space agency dropped four spots. Conclusion: the public is either 1) losing interest in unmanned Mars missions, or 2) only interested in successes.
POST-MORTEM POSTSCRIPT: Three years dead, Tupac Shakur (#49) still beat out a living, crooning Mariah Carey (#50).
Tomorrow: more daily hot topics.
