I get some weird satisfaction from knowing what people on the internet are searching for. Eminem is the most-searched musician of 2005. In fact, he's the must searched for person of 2005, according to Lycos. He generated 25 percent more searches than his protege, 50 Cent, and 36 percent more popular than Usher. Three years in a row, Slim Shady is on the list of the Web's Most Wanted Men. Back in 2002 he was number 1 as well.
The reasons for his search prowess were due to events such as 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 filed a lawsuit against 'Slim Shady.' The suit sought money 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.
Britney Spears is on the top 5 searched-for names. Though she is third in that list, she is the first most annoying person, followed closely by Eminem. Both of these people do everything they can to make me think that musical taste is heading south of the boarder.
Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey, in that order, show up on the top 50 most searched terms of this year. Oddly enough, that is stikingly similar to the list of people that make my bowels move, in order of bowel movement magnitude.
# wj is a contributing author