Melissa Joan Hart crashes the Lycos 50 in a big way this week, debuting at #16.
The star of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch bares her sternum in an all-grown-up photo spread in this month's Maxim magazine. (She's also on the cover of TV Guide and stars in a new movie, Drive Me Crazy.) The photo buzz was enough to put Maxim itself on the list at #26; more people searched for the magazine this week than for Y2K.
Dragonball Z passes another milestone this week, blowing past Lycos 50 heavyweight Britney Spears to reach #2. Dragonball's rise has been remarkable, considering how little you hear about it off the web. Next stop, #1?
Other notable items from this week's new Lycos 50:
NEW MEMBERS: Barbie, The Matrix, Traci Lords, Melissa Joan Hart, Maxim. The sudden passion for 'The Matrix' seems due to the DVD release of the film.
RETURNING AFTER A BRIEF ABSENCE: IRS, marijuana, wrestling.
DROPOUTS: Alyssa Milano drops out after six weeks on the list, perhaps losing fans to the crushing power of the Melissa Joan Hart steamroller. Hurricane Floyd and The Ryder Cup drop out from #18 and #28, respectively. Also disappearing: Titanic, boxing, golf, Star Trek, and electronic game Tiberian Sun.
BIGGEST RISE: Ms. Hart's debut conquers all, natch. Of those already on the list, Halloween moved up 7 slots to #4 and DVD rose 7 slots to #25.
BIGGEST DROP: The Foo Fighters drop 14 spots to #28, and Dreamcast drops 10 slots to #39 after peaking at 20 three weeks ago. Shania Twain falls 7 spots to #29, barely above the Bible.
POPULAR MISSPELLINGS: Holloween, Melissa Joan Heart, Pokeman, Pamala Anderson.
POST-MORTEM POWERHOUSE: The no-longer-living Tupac Shakur again defies the odds by rising six spots to #43 -- thereby whupping not only live entertainers Mariah Carey (again) and Traci Lords but cartoon superstar Sailor Moon.
DECLINE AND FALL? Speaking of Sailor Moon: what's happened to that giddy galactic do-gooder? After months of popularity she seems perilously close (#44) to dropping off the charts. Is she getting Melissa Joan Harted by Dragonball Z?
MORE HALLOWEEN: The creepy holiday continues to muscle its way up the Lycos 50. This week saw a surge in party-related terms: Halloween party ideas, games, decorations, recipes, etc. Most surprising popular request: Halloween props.
DELAYED DEBUT: Barbie has arrived on the Lycos 50, and what took her so long? She's been the head honcho of dolls for decades, after all. She's finally taken a jump in popularity with searchers, and though we had an inkling of it in August, we can't say what led to the breakthrough. Perhaps kids are getting an early start on their e-mails to Santa?
