Lycos: the ultimate cooking school and law school in one.
That's the lesson learned from this week's Lycos 50, which saw more domination by the holidays of Christmas and Thanksgiving and a surprise appearance by the Florida Supreme Court.
Christmas maintains its top position, growing about 33 percent from the week before. The Grinch (#15) also continues to rise, and Santa Claus (#27) makes his first appearance of 2000.
Thanksgiving moves up to the second slot, marking the first time holidays finish one-two. More astonishingly, turkey recipes (#4) top such regulars as Britney Spears (#5) and Napster (#7). The internet seems to have replaced cookbooks and parents as the source of turkey-cooking advice. Lycos users wanted to know how to thaw turkeys, baste turkeys, roast turkeys, deep fry turkeys, barbecue turkeys, and carve turkeys.
If all that turkey isn't enough, pecan pie is at #36 this week. This is the first-ever appearance on the Lycos 50 by a dessert. Lawyers for the cannoli immediately demanded a recount.
Other key points from this week's Lycos 50:
CURIOUS GEORGE: An amazing freefall for our two presidential candidates. Vice President Al Gore drops to #48, while President-maybe-elect George W. Bush drops off the list entirely. Gore got 60 percent of the searches dedicated to the two candidates, though it may be too late for him to translate those searches into a few more Palm Beach ballots.
The new star of the Presidential donnybrook is the Florida Supreme Court (#16), as Lycos users searched for the text of the decision which extended the hand recounts. Otherwise, Election 2000 (#9) took a tumble and searches for the Florida Recount (#46) dropped substantially - though if you were to combine both Florida terms, Florida Recount/Supreme Court would sit at #10.
At least people are trying to laugh at our predicament. Searches for political jokes are up roughly 800% over the past two weeks. Lycos users are also searching for election jokes, Florida jokes, and jokes about the two candidates. Gore jokes are more than three times as popular as Bush jokes.
THAT OTHER ELECTION: Of course, we aren't the only nation having an election this month. Canada's federal election, held yesterday, received about 10% as many searches last week as the American election did.
Canadian opposition candidate Stockwell Day gets three times as many searches as his opponent, Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Day got as many searches from American Lycos users last week as actor Tom Cruise or magician (and ice cube) David Blaine.
SHORT SUBJECTS: The Backstreet Boys (#24) ride their new album back into the top 50, but still can't top 'N Sync (#23)? Is science fair project season over - or are those searches just on a one-week hiatus because of the short school week?? Madonna (#39) is boosted by news of her impending nuptials to British director Guy Ritchie? Winter sport snowboarding makes its first-ever Lycos 50 appearance at #40? A week after their ABC special, but The Beatles (#29) still go up.
NEW THIS WEEK: Turkey recipes, the Florida Supreme Court, Backstreet Boys, Santa Claus, pecan pie, computer game The Sims, Madonna, snowboarding.
DROPOUTS: George W. Bush, science fair projects, Greek mythology, fall flick Charlie's Angels, college football, rapper Nelly, wrasslin' pinup Chyna, wrasslin' video game WWF No Mercy.
BIGGEST RISE: Playboy cover girl Carmen Electra and Martha Stewart Living cover girl Martha Stewart, up 17 places to #11 and #32 respectively.
BIGGEST DROP: Florida Recount, down 40 places to #46. (If you combine Florida Recount with Florida Supreme Court, the biggest drop becomes Vice President Al Gore, down 33 places to #48.)
AND FINALLY: Not even Lycos users can escape the inevitable chads. No, they don't make the Lycos 50, but our hanging, dimpled, and pregnant friends from the land of the punch ballots are more popular than the new movie Unbreakable, and equally as popular as pop star Ricky Martin. We truly are living la vida chad.
