We needed a little controversy, 'cause it felt so empty without E. After a year at #2, rapper Eminem returns to the top as the most popular male of 2002, according to searches by Lycos users.

A new album, The Eminem Show, and the popular movie 8 Mile helped Mr. Mathers reclaim the top slot from the evil Osama bin Laden, who dropped to #3. In between them is another rap star who kept it "Hot in Herre" all year long, Nelly.

Young actors also kept their momentum in 2002, with hot hunk Vin Diesel and two stars of Middle-Earth climbing high, while established stars like Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise all dropped in popularity.

Here are the Top 20, with last year's rank in parentheses:

1. Eminem (2)
2. Nelly (6)
3. Osama bin Laden (1)
4. Tupac Shakur (3)
5. Ja Rule (16)
6. Orlando Bloom (-)
7. Elvis Presley (9)
8. Josh Hartnett (15)
9. Vin Diesel (-)
10. Michael Jackson (8)

11. R. Kelly (-)
12. Howard Stern (5)
13. Michael Jordan (12)
14. Allen Iverson (11)
15. Apolo Anton Ohno (-)
16. Lil' Bow Wow (10)
17. Usher (-)
18. Ludacris (-)
19. George W. Bush (7)
20. Elijah Wood (-)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Orlando Bloom's entire acting career basically consists of a short part in Black Hawk Down and the role of the elf Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movies. But that Rings role is enough to make him the darling of female fantasy fans, spending seven weeks on the Lycos 50 in early 2002 and then remaining popular all year.

ALSO BIG IN 2002: Actor Shane West (up 1800%), singer John Mayer (up 2350%), TV host Dr. Phil (up 1000%), rapper Nas (up 300%), national curiosity Ozzy Osbourne (up 165%).

HOT IN 2001, NOT SO HOT IN 2002: Musicians DMX, Aaron Carter, and Shaggy, plus NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, though he still gets more searches than all active drivers besides Jeff Gordon.

SCANDALIZED: High-profile divorces led to more searches for Gordon and Michael Jordan, while singer R. Kelly faced year-long scandal thanks to circulating tapes of him having sex with underaged girls.

FUN FACT: He hasn't wrestled in two years, but Bill Goldberg still gets more searches than all male WWE stars except for budding movie star The Rock.

ONES TO WATCH 2003: Australian actor Eric Bana will star in The Hulk... High school superstar and 2003 #1 pick Lebron James is already the fifth most-searched basketball player online despite being just 17... Last year we said Saddam Hussein, and the war still hasn't started, so we'll say Saddam again.

Tomorrow is our third list, The Web's Top Women of 2002. Will Britney Spears make it four straight years at #1?