Eminem is the most-searched man of 2005, generating 25 percent more searches than his protege 50 Cent, and 36 percent more popular than Usher. Yes, Slim Shady's back, back again on our list of the Web's Most Wanted Men after a three year hiatus. He took the top spot in 2002, and even ruled supreme back in 2000.

It's been quite a year for the prolific rapper. Searchers wanted the 411 on his feuds with Mariah Carey, Donny Walberg, and former New Kids on the Block, his entrance into rehab and latest disc, "Curtain Call." Plus, this summer he canceled the European leg of the Anger Management 3 Tour due to "exhaustion." A day after canceling the tour, more members of his dysfunctional family (this time his aunt and uncle) filed a lawsuit against 'Slim Shady.' The suit sought money (of course) and a home that their nephew allegedly said he would give them. Then, according to his label, Eminem was hospitalized for a dependency on sleep medication. The latest news is that he told a Detroit radio station he had reconciled with ex-wife Kim, the subject of some of his most controversial raps.

With his latest compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits Eminem has said that it is his last hurrah before he 'retires' from the music industry. We highly doubt that will happen but if it does, he will go out as the best selling hip-hop artist of all time. His four solo studio albums--1999's The Slim Shady disc, 2000's The Marshall Mathers disc, 2002's The Eminem Show and Encore --have moved more than 25 million copies in the U.S. alone and generated sales of more than $1 billion.

2005 ROOKIES of the Year
Lycos web users have christened MTV comedian Andy Milonakis the Most Wanted Rookie of the year. E!Online said it the best: "MTV's The Andy Milonakis Show hasn't cracked Nielsen's top 15 basic-cable rankings, but its star cracked The Lycos 50." Andy Milonakis is MTV's latest jackass...er, we mean sketch comedy host. One of his infamous segments was the funeral for a piece of ham. Fifty percent of the searches for this wacky comedian were looking for the latest Milonakis rap. One of the most popular queries relating to the comedian is his age. To answer question, and in the interest of saving you the surfing time, the baby-faced Milonaks is really pushing 30.

Although not related to legendary former Beatle Paul McCartney, 17-year-old Jesse McCartney has accomplished a lot during his teen years. Before releasing his current pop hit Beautiful Soul, this young singer-songwriter was already a Broadway veteran, a teen heartthrob on the daytime soap All My Children, and prime time star on the WB's Summerland. Oh yeah, and he can sing. Pretty impressive for a kid who can't even vote.

Finally our favorite rookie, who will also continue to rule in 2006, is Kanye West. Kanye West is being heralded as Hip-Hop's savior and with his debut appearance on Web's Most Wanted, his presence is being felt everywhere. Only a month ago, the 28-year-old hit maker droped his sophomore album, Late Registration. And a few weeks later, Kanye West (pronounced Kahn-yay) graced the cover of Time Magazine, which wrote, "...One of the better sounding rap records in history...widely expected to be the biggest-selling record of the year." Kanye West brings a totally different vibe to the gangsta infused world of hip-hop music. His classy style, incredible/inspirational rap lyrics, and education (though West didn't finish college) has made hip-hop and rap available to audiences that hadn't paid attention to it in years. Plus anyone who can write the rap "The way Kathie Lee needed Regis that's the way yall need Jesus" is a star in our book.

ONES TO WATCH IN 2006
Two stars of the latest music movement reggaeton about whom we expect major search activity in the New Year, are Daddy Yankee and Don Omar. One of the most respected and influential reggaeton stars today is Daddy Yankee. Just a few years ago, Raymond "Daddy Yankee" Ayala couldn't speak a lick of English. Now, thanks to his hit single, Gasolina, his disc Barrio Fino has sold more than 1.5 million copies, a first for a reggaeton artist. Yankee raps with a hearty dash of sex and drugs, sings about being shot in the leg with an AK-47, and other hard realities that face young people of today. Further proof that Daddy Yankee has made it on the scene is the fact that he got a call from P. Diddy, asking him to become the face of his clothing line. And sometime next year, expect to see Daddy Yankee starring in a movie based on his life, Straight from the Barrio.

The other break-out star of the movement is Don Omar and his disc, The Last Don - Live. This preacher-turned-superstar is another favorite among fans, especially since he brings more of a political slant to his lyrics. Recently he said, "Reggaeton represents all Latino culture. I put Castro and Che and Pinochet in my video because the music is about our history, and I have the chance to share it with people here, even if Americans think they're bad people."

Finally we expect big things in 06 from Pharrell. It must be tough to be Pharrell Williams, one half of the hip hop duo The Neptunes. Pharrell is considered one of the hottest music producers of all time, working with megastars like Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Sting. He wrote and produced the song that defined a summer, rap star Nelly's hit, Hot in Here. Esquire magazine named him the best dressed man in the world. Now this music icon prepares his highly anticipated solo album, In My Mind which is set to drop later this year. The upcoming solo disc has 14 tracks, 7 hip-hop tracks and 7 R&B tracks with guest stars like Gwen Stefani, Daddy Yankee and Jay-Z.

Here are the Top 30 Most Searched Men of 2005 with last year's rank in parentheses:

1. Eminem (66)
2. 50 Cent (-)
3. Tupac Shakur (82)
4. Usher (39)
5. Clay Aiken (3)
6. Andy Milonakis (-)
7. Howard Stern (60)
8. Michael Jackson (-)
9. Bow Wow (-)
10. Brad Pitt (-)

11. Nelly (-)
12. Jesse McCarthy (-)
13. Elvis Presley (-)
14. Daddy Yankee (-)
15. Ludacris (-)
16. Snoop Dogg (-)
17. Tommy Lee (-)
18. Marilyn Manson (-)
19. Bob Marley (-)
20. Kanye West (-)

21. R. Kelly (-)
22. The Game (-)
23. Omarion (-)
24. John Cena (-)
25. Jay-Z (-)
26. Mike Jones (-)
27. Mario (-)
28. Johnny Depp (-)
29. Orlando Bloom (93)
30. Aaron Carter

NOT SO HOT
They may have been hot in the past but this year they were lukewarm. Some of the top men who normally appear on the year-end list are missing this time around. George W. Bush, Orlando Bloom, and Kobe Bryant have been replaced by Brad Pitt, Andy Milonakis and Bow Wow.

KEEP WATCHING:
That's not all for the Web's Most Wanted Awards. Check the content box on the top right for our other lists including top TV and movies, sports and more ones to watch, updated through December 23rd.

Dean Tsouvalas can be reached at dean.tsouvalas@lycos-inc.com