If their search queries are any indication, U.S. Google users were torn between indoor and outdoor activities this past week. We left March Madness behind entirely in favor of women's golf (Natalie Gulbis, Michelle Wie). And worldwide interest in the solar eclipse made that topic rank high too, as did the spring time change (daylight savings) and our yearly day of joshing (April Fools jokes). But for better or worse, the rest of the top gainers were - let's admit it - celebrity-obsessed (and it must be said, rather tawdry: see Whitney Houston, Britney Spears sculpture, Naomi Campbell, Tori Spelling).
For breaking news and obscure information alike, people around the world search on Google. Below is a summary of the Google Zeitgeist results for the top 15 gainers on Google.com when comparing search queries that have risen by a significant percentage for the week of March 27-April 3.
For more information, visit the Google Zeitgeist at http://www.google.com/zeitgeist.
Google.com Gainers
1. whitney houston - long-time singing star is the subject of an upcoming National Enquirer story about Houston's ongoing cocaine abuse, as alleged by her sister-in-law 2. sharon stone - even with a heavy pre-release publicity tour, the actress hasn't fared well with "Basic Instinct 2," which opened (and sank) the weekend of March 31 3. duke lacrosse - an investigation is underway for 46 of the N.C. college team players after an allegation of rape surfaced following an off-campus party March 13 4. solar eclipse - a full or partial eclipse was visible March 29 across parts of Africa and the Mediterranean 5. britney spears sculpture - a life-sized image of the pop star giving birth to her son by artist Daniel Edwards will be on display at a Brooklyn art gallery beginning April 7, is drawing ire from pro-life and pro-choice partisans 6. basic instinct 2 - 14 years after the original, the sequel (which stars Sharon Stone but not Michael Douglas) has been roundly panned by critics after its March 31 opening weekend 7. naomi watts - King Kong's blonde friend from the 2005 version can now be seen on the 2-disc DVD of the Peter Jackson remake, released March 28 8. natalie gulbis - U.S. golfer, gymnast, Golf Channel reality show star placed third in LPGA Kraft tourney on April 2 9. april fools jokes - pranksters and fun-lovers searched for the best April 1 spoofs 10. ice age 2 - the animated sequel performed even better than its 2002 namesake, with March 31 opening weekend box office receipts of $68 million 11. jill carroll - U.S. freelance journalist was released unharmed on March 30 in Baghdad after nearly three months of captivity 12. daylight savings - "spring forward" was the command on April 2 as U.S. clocks moved ahead one hour 13. naomi campbell - modeling superstar was arrested for assault March 30 after hitting her housekeeper with a BlackBerry 14. tori spelling - TV critics are praising the celeb's new self-spoofing series, "So Notorious," which airs on VH1 beginning April 9 15. michelle wie - 16-year-old rising golf star came close, but lost to Mexican Lorena Ochoa in the LPGA Kraft golf tournament on April 2