Mourning Dan Wheldon
Speeds were as high as 225 miles per hour when 33-year-old driver Dan Wheldon crashed. A popular Indy Car driver, the nature of his death rippled quickly across the Web, pushing his name in the top 100 searches on Yahoo! in the past 7 days.

Giuliana Rancic Battling Breast Cancer
This week, people across the country were shocked to hear that 36 year-old E! News host Giuliana Rancic had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, especially since many fans of the TV personality knew she had been struggling to get pregnant.  As the news broke, women and men across the country turned to Yahoo! for the latest information on not only her story, but for information on breast cancer, in general.

• Yahoo! searches for “Giuliana Rancic” are up 14,896% this week.
• People are also searching this week for “Bill and Giuliana Rancic,” “Giuliana Rancic breast cancer,” and “IVF Rancic” (*Note: Giuliana has done IVF several times in the past; however it had never worked.  Before this next round, her doctor insisted on tests, including a mammogram, which identified that she had early signs of breast cancer.)

Giuliana was very articulate in interviews that she has been lucky since they discovered her diagnosis very early; however she did encourage women and friends to get tested to assure early detection.  Giuliana’s message was very fitting since October is breast cancer awareness month, and people are hitting Yahoo! to learn more about the impactful disease.

• “Type of breast cancer” searches this week on Yahoo! are up 432%.
• Searches for “signs of breast cancer” are up 37% this week on Yahoo!.
• Additional breast cancer searches this week on Yahoo! include: “breast cancer survivors,” “breast cancer symptoms,” and “breast cancer treatments.”

Fashion-challenged or fashion-obsessed
You now have choices, at least, if you have cable. Ever since “Project Runway” won covetous hearts — and convinced producers of the money-making possibilities in beauty coverage — reality shows have come and gone like passing trends. But, looks like ogling the beautiful people (let’s call the 0.05%) is on the upswing. Coming down the catwalk will be the hostess-likes of Bar Rafaeli and Alexa Chung. In the meantime, let’s check out the competition and dish. No surprise, “Project Runway” is the fashion forerunner (based on Yahoo! Search trends), but heartening for aging beauties is Janice Dickinson, who leads the fashion reality namesake shows. And it might be cheating, but we’re recognizing Alexa Chung in the top 10, even though her new Lifetime show, “24-Hour Catwalk,” hasn’t premiered yet. C’mon, it’s Lifetime.

Top Beauty Reality TV Show Searches, past 30 days

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

Amanda Knox
The verdict in the Amanda Knox trial and the news coverage leading up to it riveted internet users – even more so than the Casey Anthony case.  Searches for Knox were up more than 32,000% in the last seven days.  And when her defense team argued she was more like Jessica Rabbit in the movie “Who framed Roger Rabbit” than a femme fatale, we saw a giant spike in look-ups for Jessica Rabbit – up more than 6000%. The top states on Yahoo! searching for Amanda Knox (this week) are California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Florida and Ohio.

Wall Street
The Wall Street protests since September 17th and the similar demonstrations cropping up around the country are a hot topic online right now.  The stand against economic inequality by the group occupy wall street is being closely watched especially by people in Oregon, New York, Maine, Connecticut and Washington state.   Occupy Wall  Street has landed in the top five hundred most searched terms on Yahoo! and the interest continues to grow.

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

When it comes to leading men, Hugh Laurie of House is the hands down favorite – at least according to search.  He is the top searched best actor nominee on Yahoo! –  he has more look-ups than all the other drama contenders combined!  As for the ladies, Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order: SVU leads the pack.  Queries for her are nine times those of Juliana Margulies of The Good Wife.

Top Searched Best Series, Drama on Yahoo!
1. “Dexter”
2. “Mad Men”
3. “Friday Night Lights”
4. “Game of Thrones”
5. “Boardwalk Empire”
6. “The Good Wife”

Top Searched Best Series, Comedy on Yahoo!

1. “Glee”
2. “Modern Family”
3. “The Big Bang Theory”
4. “The Office”
5. “30 Rock”
6. “Parks and Recreation”

Top Searched Best Actor, Drama on Yahoo!

1. Michael C. Hall “Dexter”
2. Hugh Laurie “House”
3. Timothy Olyphant “Justified”
4. Jon Hamm “Mad Men”
5. Steve Buscemi “Empire Boardwalk”
6. Kyle Chandler “Friday Night Lights”

Top Searched Best Actor, Comedy on Yahoo!

1. Alec Baldwin “30 Rock”
2. Steve Carell “The Office”
3. Johnny Galecki “The Big Bang Theory”
4. Jim Parsons “The Big Bang Theory”
5. Louis C.K. “Louie”
6. Matt LeBlanc “Episodes”

Want to read about all of the nominees and get other fun information. Check out the Yahoo! TV Emmy site.

Kate Gosselin
Also in celebrity news this week, Kate Plus Eight’s swan song renewed interest in the reality star, her kids and ex-husband. Searches spiked this week for Kate Gosselin after her TLC finale aired and more than two million people tuned in.  Afterwards, they wanted to find her newly launched website and also check out what Anderson Cooper had to say when he named her to his riduclist.

What states search the most on Yahoo! for Kate Gosselin this year?

1. California
2. Texas
3. Illinois
4. Ohio
5. New York

Fashion & Target
Fashion week in New York City created quite the buzz this week.  A couple of celebrities who strutted down the catwalk captured the interest of Yahoo! users — including Kristie Allie showing off her new slimmed down figure and 14 year old Kylie Jenner – the youngest of the Kardashian Klan.
But the biggest style story online was all about Target stores and Missoni.  The rush to buy Missoni for Target’s new line crashed the big box store’s website this week as fashionistas everywhere tried to get their hands on the Italian designer’s colorful knit dresses and accessories. Searches for Missoni are up nearly 2000% on Yahoo!.

“Missoni for Target” received over 25 times the number of searches that “Zac Posen for Target” received in April of 2010 when the line launched.

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

Join Yahoo! in a digital moment of silence on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at 8:46 a.m. ET.

Obama Jobs Bill
Obama gave his pitch to create jobs, and the White House is hoping that it’s not too late. All eyes are on the president — in the days leading up to the jobs speech, people were looking at “obama white house,” “obama speech,” “obama congress,” “obama approval rating” and of course the tiny handful checking “obama birth certificate” (up 713%).

Who’s looking into Obama?

• 40% female, 60% male
• 23% kids under 17
• 17% people in their 20s, and searches go to people all the way in their 50s
• Top States: Texas, Florida, California, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts

Chaz Bono and Fall TV
The frenzy over Chaz Bono’s anticipated role on “Dancing With The Stars.” This has been a huge topic online this week. The news sent lots of Yahoo! users to look up photos of Chaz before and after his gender reassignment, details on his mom Cher and even baby pictures of the former Chastity Bono.Fans look forward to the announcement on who will compete for next “Dancing with the Stars” even before the finale of the current season. This time, including Chaz Bono in the mix has triggered talk of a boycott — although notably, not much Search activity surrounding that.

Fall TV continues to be top of mind for Searchers on Yahoo!. Check out this great post from Yahoo! TV to learn more about the new shows.

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

With the clean up, back to school and of course, the upcoming anniversary of nine-eleven, it seems labor day is a mere footnote for a lot of internet users.  Normally, the last weekend of the summer spurs tons of searches on Yahoo! for holiday getaways and activities. That’s not the case this year. For the first time in several years, Labor Day related searches have dropped. But even if they aren’t taking off for the weekend, many people are planning to hunt down some Labor Day deals.  Look-ups for tax free weekend are spiking more than 700% this month.  We’re seeing lots of interest in sales and coupons. And some folks are already looking ahead to vacations down the road – cheap all inclusive vacation searches are up more than 4,800%.

The top searched coupons right now are:

• Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Target
• Grocery Coupons
• JCPenney
• Kohl’s

Monday Night Football

One escape that doesn’t cost anything is turning on the tube and watching football.  Monday Night Football returns on September 12^th and Yahoo! users are ramping up for the season.  The Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and the Chicago Bears rank highest in search right now.  Fantasy Football is a huge topic buzzing on Yahoo! this week. Sign up for a team at: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy

Fall TV Season

And with the fall television season almost here, it seems audiences aren’t shedding a tear over Charlie sheen leaving “Two and a Half Men.” They’ll miss Steve Carell on the office and they are very excited to see Simon Cowell and Paula Adbul reunite on the “X-factor”. This according to a new survey of TV viewers by Yahoo! and Entertainment Weekly. Read more of the survey here on Yahoo! TV

Who’s the Boss: Steve Carell

Now that Steve Carell is no longer ‘the boss’ on The Office, only 11 percent of those surveyed said they would “definitely” continue to tune in.

Charlie Out, Ashton In

When asked if replacing Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men is considered a “bad move” fewer than one-third (26%) of viewers choose that option. Most thought it was either “a great move” or “an even swap”’ Women are more likely than men to think the change is “a great move.”

Back on the Small Screen

This season brings Tim Allen (Last Man Standing) back to the small screen with 35 percent of voters excited to see him in a new role. He’s just slightly more popular with men (38%) than he is with women (33%).  Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ringer) is also returning but only 18 percent of voters said they were excited about it.

Multi-tasking TV Viewers

Many adults multitask while they watch TV. More than half (56%) snack during shows and 47 percent check their email. Other activities include posting on social media sites (34%), cooking (33%) and cleaning (31%).

Focus, Focus, Focus

Viewers, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 34, are most likely to ‘Tweet or Post to Facebook’ while watching True Blood, Dexter, and Vampire Diaries. While many viewers say they update their social networks while watching True Blood, 58% of voters said the show requires them to pay attention, followed by Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead (with 57% each).

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

Earthquakes Shake The Web
Natural disasters rank high in the minds of web users this week with multiple earthquakes rattling parts of the US plus Hurricane Irene on the horizon. After that rare quake hit the east coast on Tuesday, searches for earthquakes shot up nearly 10,000% on Yahoo! this week.  And when Colorado and the Bay Area felt tremors of their own, we saw even more look ups for what causes earthquakes.

The temblors spurred people to look up tsunamis and the latest info on the deadly earthquake that struck Japan back in March. Those queries jumped more than 1100%this week.

Not surprisingly, some of the anxiety about the quakes here this week set off a frenzy of end of the world twenty-twelve searches.

Hurricane Irene
With hurricane Irene moving closer to shore, the top states tracking the storm online remain North Carolina, Florida and South Carolina, although we’re seeing lots of interest from the northeast, as well.  As weather forecasters try to predict Irene’s path, lots of people are turning to the web to find out how best to hunker down.  Searches for hurricane preparedness, disaster kits and checklists are all trending up right now. Searches for the “latest on hurricane Irene” are up 433% today on Yahoo! and searches for “hurricane preparedness checklist” are up 128% with women aged 45-54 leading the searches for “hurricane preparedness.”

Top Searched Natural Disaster Questions:

1. Where is hurricane Irene?
2. How to prepare for a hurricane?
3. What causes earthquakes?

Celebrity Breakups
Celebrity break-ups were big this week, as Will and Jada fended off rumors of divorce and the talk host Sara Gilbert split from her longtime partner. Also, JLo and Marc Anthony are still getting buzz online. Will and Jada are going strong but searches were rampant on the web: searches were up nearly 300% for Will Smith and searches for Jada are up 137%. Some of the questions being searched: Did Will & Jada divorce?, Did Will & Jada split? Does Will Smith have an open marriage?

-Yahoo! Search Trends Team

Top searched GOP Candidates on Yahoo! during the debate timeframe (June 13th, 5-9pm PT)

1. Herman Cain : 25%
2. Michelle Bachman: 21%
3. Mitt Romney: 17%
4. Ron Paul: 17%
5. Rick Santorum: 10%
6. Tim Pawlenty: 5%
7. Newt Gingrich: 5%

Read more about Political News on Yahoo! News:
Casey Anthony Trail
The tragedy of missing and murdered children resonate strongly in searches, especially among women. When the story of Caylee Anthony first surfaced, it quickly reached national attention and people followed every detail in Yahoo! Search.

Interest hasn’t flagged —  people are trying to watch live broadcasts of the trial, now in its fourth week (“casey anthony trial live stream,” “live coverage of casey anthony trial”).

• Women in particular are following the grim story online of the florida mom accused of killing her two year old daughter.  We are seeing lots of queries for photos of the crime scene, autopsy reports and forensic evidence.
• 76% of searches for “casey anthony trial” are women, and primarily ages 25-64.
• Florida, the scene of the crime, is where most of the interest hails, followed by Mississippi, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Arkansas.

Father’s Day
People are getting ready for Father’s Day this weekend and checking to make sure that Sunday is the actual day.   According to a recent Yahoo! survey, dads are doing more around the house these days. 41% they do the laundry and 51% of fathers say they do the grocery shopping. And a lot of that shopping is online. These so-called digital dads say they like shopping and are more likely than moms to use online research to make purchasing decisions.  46% of dads use their mobile phones to shop – mostly for electronics, entertainment and home goods.

And it looks like a lot of dads will be waking up to breakfast in bed on Sunday. The top choices on the menu – according to searches – are banana bread, pancakes, french toast, biscuits and waffles.

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

Weinergate
News this week of another Washington sex scandal is reminding everyone – not just politicians – that the Web can be a pretty transparent place  – especially in the age of incessant tweets and status updates.  New York Congressman Anthony Weiner found this out the hard way.  His admission that he lied about tweeting lewd images to random women rippled across Yahoo! this week.  His mea culpa on Monday fueled searches for all the players and the sordid details of the scandal.  The term “weinergate” jumped more than 600% as folks tracked down Weiner’s infamous photos, information about his wife and the blogger who broke the story.

Meredith Vieira’s Farewell
Look-ups for the endearing TV veteran, Meredith Vieira, surged more than 32,000% this week as Vieira said goodbye to her co-hosts – five years after taking over the job from Katie Couric. Couric shared some exciting news of her own this week.  Word of her new syndicated talk show ramped up searches for her new venture with Disney and her replacement on the CBS evening news – 60 minutes correspondent Scott Pelley.

Twilight
The next Twilight movie doesn’t come out until November 18th but vampire fans can’t wait. “Breaking Dawn” has become the most searched movie trailer on Yahoo! this week – outranking previews of summer movies that haven’t even opened yet including – Harry Potter, X-Men First Class, Transformers Three and The Green Lantern.

Check out some of the other trailers for summer movies here, on Yahoo! Movies:

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

As a presenting sponsor of Internet Week, Yahoo! will of course be there. In fact, it will be hard to miss us. Look for us right at the get-go, as Yahoo! takes over a huge multimedia space at IWNY 2011 HQ on Monday, June 6. This immersive experience will take you deep into the Yahooverse with interactive, themed zones highlighting our leading content properties, like Yahoo! Finance, Entertainment, News and Sports. We’ll even have a studio set up for live webcasts with Yahoo! celebs like Breakout’s Matt Nesto and Jeff Macke, Trending Now’s Adrian Diaz, omg NOW’s Kristen Aldridge, and Angela Sun of the Yahoo! Sports Minute.  And for insider access to all things at Internet Week New York 2011, check out The Scene–including schedules, sessions, the players, photos, tweets and more.

For the second straight year, Yahoo!’s PROVOKE Summit will bring together advertising industry decision-makers, tech enthusiasts and creatives in one unique conference designed to “PROVOKE” discussion and ideas. Hosted by Yahoo!’s dynamic Bobby Figueroa, this event is sure to spark your creativity, plus Yahoo!’s Lauren Weinberg will provide fresh insight into the world of digital advertising based on Yahoo!’s own extensive research.  Get more on the Yahoo! PROVOKE Summit here.

We’ll also have several surprises that we don’t want to spoil for you, so be on the lookout for the Big Y! in and around Times Square and beyond.

And, of course, Yahoo! experts will be on hand to share their industry knowledge and perspectives. If you’re at IWNY 2011, don’t miss these key events featuring some great Yahoo thought leaders:

• OMMA Tablet Revolution Showcase featuring Alex Linde, Director, Mobile Advertising
• Realtime NY 11 featuring Ebele Okobi-Harris, Director, Business and Human Rights Program
• Federated Media Conversational Marketing Summit featuring Blake Irving, Chief Product Officer
• OMMA Mobile featuring Paul Cushman, Senior Director, Mobile Sales Strategy, Yahoo!
• Third Annual Digital Media Summit featuring Ross Levinsohn, EVP Americas
• IAB Innovation Days Keynote featuring Ross Levinsohn, EVP, Americas
• IAB Innovation Days Digital Video Workshop featuring Edwin Wong, Director, B2B Strategic Research and Insight
• OMMA Social featuring Patrick Albano, Senior Director, Social

We know that not everyone can be at Internet Week—and no one can be everywhere if they are there—but you can follow the action here on the Yahoo! Advertising Blog, as well as on Yahoo! Advertising’s Twitter and Facebook pages. Hashtags and handles to look out for include: #provoke, #iwny, #IABIW and @IAB and @internetweek.

Tornadoes
The heartbreaking stories of tornadoes ravaging parts of the country are sparking searches online.  Searches for tornadoes are up 440% this week on Yahoo!.  All of us have been riveted by those haunting photos of the mayhem – especially in Joplin, Missouri.  Look-ups for tornado photos jumped 278% this week. Hundreds of locals are uploading their own images of the destruction to our photo sharing site, Flickr. So far there are more than 5,000 images, see some of the images here.  As you can imagine, people are anxious about what’s next as the violent storms continue. We’ve seen lots of queries about “what causes tornadoes” and “how to build tornado shelters.”

Kim Kardashian Engagement
Yahoo! users just can’t get enough of Kim Kardashian’s engagement ring and her fiancée, Kris Humphries.  Fans want to see Kim’s 20.5 carat stunner  and they also want to know more about groom to be. The NBA player is fast becoming a star online thanks to his mega celebrity partner and her family.

Read more celebrity buzz on omg!: http://omg.yahoo.com

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

This week news of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lovechild, a big Oprah farewell and Memorial Day travel are sparking searches on Yahoo!

The Scandal: Arnold, Maria & Mildred
Searches for the alleged mother of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mystery child, Mildred Baena, are spiking off the charts this week on Yahoo!. 61% of searches are by females and top states searching are California, Texas and Ohio. People are most interested in seeing her pictures (spiking off the charts), her son’s photo, and her bio. Interestingly, people are wondering “where is mildred baena from?”.

Maria > Arnold. It seems that people are more concerned for Maria Shriver, as she has 329% more searches than her estranged husband.

Oprah Sets the Web on Fire
Searches for Oprah are up 56% this week on Yahoo! as The Oprah Winfrey Show comes to a close. The TV talk show host, media producer and billionaire is not only a catalyst for change, but also a catalyst for online buzz.

The Oprah Effect. With 25 years of addressing hard-hitting issues under her belt, Oprah has earned an amazing amount of credibility with the public. Anytime Oprah gives her stamp of approval, people take note. Searches on Yahoo! for “Oprah” peaked in 2010 when her ‘Favorite Things’ episode aired in late November.

It’s striking how even basic foods have gotten boosts from Oprah and her go-to health and fitness experts, Bob Greene and Dr. Oz.  Searches for “steel cut oatmeal” spiked 5,400% on Yahoo! the day Oprah and Dr. Oz sang its praises.

For millions of Oprah viewers, Ms. Winfrey’s recommendations are trustworthy, especially when it comes to clothes.  When Oprah staged a bra and jeans intervention to educate women around the world about bra fitting and bra sizes, searches on Yahoo! that day for recommended brands, “freya bras” spiked 49,000%, as well as searches for “felina bras” which spiked 2,036%. Oprah also put her stamp of approval on Citizens of Humanity Jeans, Joe’s Jeans, Theory Jeans, and AG Jeans, and of course, searches for them spiked off the charts as a result.

Health. When Dr. Oz visited Oprah and showed an audience member how to use a neti pot, search went up 12,325% for “neti pot” and up 42,480% for “buy neti pot” on Yahoo! that day as some store shelves were cleared out of the product.

Memorial Day Travel
Memorial Day weekend, the official kick-off to the summer travel season is just around the corner and Yahoo! Travel (http://travel.yahoo.com) is revealing consumers’ top searched trips and tips for summer fun.

According to Yahoo! Travel, Top Searched Destinations are:

• Mexico
• Bahamas
• Jamaica
• Hawaii
• London
• Caribbean
• France
• Las Vegas
• North Carolina
• New Orleans

Increasingly Empty Pockets? With much of the country experiencing record high prices at the pump, consumers are preparing for a long summer of increasing gas prices and seeking advice online about how to avoid taking a hit to their wallets. Recent searches on Yahoo! include best auto-alternatives for family trips and weekend getaways for summer from “Amtrak discounts” (spiking 107%), “bus tickets” (spiking 271%) and “Greyhound bus schedule tickets” (spiking more than 8,426%).

Looking for a cheap, weekend getaway destination? Whether interested in escaping to the beach (searches for “beach chairs” are up 220%), on a rustic camping trip (Yogi Bear Campgrounds up 309%) or in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (“historic travel” up more than 500%), there is something for every traveler this summer, but it is clear from online searches that it must be cheap. General thriftiness is a reoccurring theme this year as searches for “cheap travel” are spiking more than 314%, “cheap holidays” up 269% and “low air fares” spiking 366% this week on Yahoo! Travel.

According to Yahoo! Travel , Top Searched Beach Destinations include:

• Nag’s Head (searches are up 585%)
• Nantucket (searches are up 520%)
• Florida Keys (searches are up 49%)
• North Carolina Beaches (searches are up 40%)
• Mackinac Island (searches are up 20%)

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

It’s not just coughing, sneezing and watery eyes motivating people to look online for relief – they are also seeking answers  to other warm weather related health questions like “how to treat sun poisoning” and also asking if pedicures are supposed to be painful.  Speaking of toes, it’s time to break out the summer shoes. Flip flops are making a big splash on the web this week.  The top brands include: Yellow Box, Havianas, Reef, Rainbow and Crocs.  Personalization seems to be big as people type into the Yahoo! search engine questions like – “how to decorate flip flops” and “how to make ribbon flip flops.”

Celebrity News
Bristol Palin: One woman whose new physique is generating lots of buzz is Bristol Palin.  For the first time, she is generating more searches than her mother.  Word of her new reality show and reported plastic surgery sent lots of curious fans to the internet to see photos of Bristol’s new look.
Unique Baby Names: News of Alicia Silverstone’s new baby “Bear Blu” set searches on fire for unique baby names this week — up 360%. Queries for the most popular baby names jumped 620% this week.  It’s not just the names, they also want to know what the names mean.

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

Osama Bin Laden Death
It’s no surprise the death of Osama Bin Laden and the details emerging about the raid of his Pakistan hideout dominates Yahoo! searches this week. But you can tell by the sheer volume of queries for the photos of the terrorist’s corpse, that people still want to see it with their own eyes. Searches for “bin laden death photo” spiked nearly 3,000% and look-ups for the video of “bin laden’s burial at sea” are off the charts. As you know the Web can often be a hotbed of conspiracy theories. The Bin Laden story is no exception and we’ve seen a wave of young people, mostly men looking up the terms “bin laden conspiracy” and “nine-eleven conspiracy.” In addition to stirring up emotions about the tragedy and loss the nation felt on September 11th, the news is also sparking a wave of patriotism. We’ve seen a jump in searches for “how to become a navy seal” and “how to become a CIA agent.”

Gas Prices
Searches are showing that drivers are worrying about rising gas prices this week. Searches for “cheap gas” are up a 151% percent this week. Looks like Costco is the place most people are checking out to save money on gas. The last time we saw this much interest in fuel costs was in the fall of 2008, when gas prices hit the then all-time high of nearly four-dollars a gallon.

Mother’s Day
If you’re still trying to pick out the perfect mother’s day gift, Yahoo! took a look at the top searches by women ages 21-64 to help people clue into what mom might want. The top jeans – True Religion, the top handbag – Louis Vuitton. And if those items are out of your budget, orchids, peonies and lavender are among the most popular flowers this month.

If you could choose a celebrity to be your mom, whom would you choose? In a new Yahoo!/omg! survey, we asked that question and 43% of adults answered Sandra Bullock. Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie rounded out the top three.

BY THE NUMBERS: Celebrity Mom You’d Most Want To Be Your Mom:

1. 1. Sandra Bullock (43%)
2. 2. Michelle Obama (18%)
3. 3. Angelina Jolie (16%)
4. 4. Gwyneth Paltrow (12%)
5. 5. Madonna (8%)
6. 6. Kris Jenner (3%)

To read more about the survey visit: http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/goddess/hot-mamas/651

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

Tax Day
Now that it’s April first, people aren’t joking about getting their taxes done on time. Searches for tax filing are up 1500% this week.  More than two thirds of those queries come from men and the top states looking for tax info are Alabama, New York and Ohio. We’ve noticed that folks are a little confused this year about when tax day falls.  Yahoo! searches for “when is tax day” are ramping up.  Here’s the scoop — the IRS moved the deadline to Monday April 18th because the District of Columbia will be observing emancipation day on the 15th. For more information on taxes check out Yahoo! Finance:

Royal Cake
With the royal wedding around the corner, curiosity about the big day continues on Yahoo! including lots of questions about the cake.  Lots of people want to know more about Fiona Cairns who will be designing the wedding cake and also prince William’s favorite – chocolate biscuit cake which will be a second dessert served at the celebration.

Since Prince William and Kate announced their engagement in November, searches for details on the happy couple and their nuptials have grown 8-million percent! To meet the insatiable demand for details – we’ve set up a site – royalwedding.yahoo.com – where people can get the latest news about the event and even sign a digital guestbook – with well-wishes for Kate and William.

Basketball Buzz: Final Four
In sports news, the run up to the Final Four and the unlikely teams who will be playing in Houston this weekend are keeping internet users buzzing.  Searches for “unthinkable final four” are off the chart this week. VCU is getting the most buzz – queries are up 143% and fans are especially interested in Virginia’s coach – Shaka Smart. Searches for him are up nearly 200%.

According to Yahoo!, this Week’s Top Searched Final Four Teams are:

1. VCU Basketball (searches up 143% this week)
2. Kentucky Basketball
3. Butler Basketball
4. UConn Basketball

According to Yahoo!, this Week’s Top Searched Final Four Coaches are:

Email Habits: New Yahoo! Mail Survey
And last, a new Yahoo! Mail survey shows digital etiquette may be reaching a new low.  Close to half of people polled say they check their blackberries at the dinner table.   On the other hand, more than 70% think it’s fine to send email thank you notes. So at least we’re minding our manners even if it’s electronically.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

This Earth Day, online searches suggest the three R’s are taking a back seat to more revolutionary technology as searches this month on Yahoo! Green for “recycling” are down 56% and 93% compared to the same period in 2010 and 2009, respectively. And it seems the recent nuclear crisis in Japan has caused consumers to look into safer alternative energy sources, as searches on Yahoo! Green this month are up 208% for “solar energy” and up 1,307% for “wind power.” Interestingly, more men are showing more interest, as 3-out-of-5 searches this month for both “wind power” and “solar energy are by males, especially in Illinois, Ohio, Texas and New Jersey.

Searches on Yahoo! this year for “organic food” have decreased 44% when compared to the same time period in 2010, but there is an upswing this month as searches spike 8%. Organic foods seem to have become more mainstream as 44% of searches for them this month are by consumers with an average income of $25K and below. Additionally, it’s not just women who are interested, as 1-out-of-3 “organic foods” searches are by males.

Alternative energy and green living aren’t the only hot topics as retailers give away products and coupons this April 22nd. Yahoo! Green has a list of the top Green related freebies to help you celebrate Earth Day, some of which include:

• A free brewed coffee or tea when you bring in a reusable mug on April 22 at participating Starbucks stores
• A free full-size face cleanser from Origins when you bring one of your empty skin-care bottles to their trade-in program on Earth Day
• A free organic milkshake from Evos on Earth Day. The healthy-fast food chain has locations in Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina
• A free reusable shopping bag from the Disney Store when you trade in five disposable plastic bags for recycling
• Free admission into all 394 U.S. national parks now through Sunday, April 24.
• A 60% discount on green and natural products at drugstore.com through April 22.
• Discounts on eco-friendly kids’ books from Barnes & Noble.
• A discount of up to 40% on Green Hotels on Travelocity.

Of course, your green deeds shouldn’t just be limited to Earth Day. To help find ways to make your world and the world a safer and more sustainable to live in, check out Yahoo! Green, and don’t forget to become a part of our community on Facebook and Twitter!

Outdoor Fitness Trends
The race to get in shape for summer is on – at least according to searches on Yahoo! this week.   We’re inundated with queries for “the best way to lose weight.” And it’s not just Atkins and South Beach.  Folks want to try more variety in their attempts to get beach ready – searches for “raw food” diet are up 106% and also “the paleo diet” – that’s up 52 this month.

And along with changing eating habits, Yahoo! users want to switch up fitness routines.  Gym rats seem to be hitting the great outdoors.  Searches for treadmills are down 26% compared to last year but hiking yoga and outdoor yoga mats are rising.  Bootcamp workouts – both indoor and outdoor –  continue to spark interest mostly among women who make up more than two thirds of the searches.  And most of the ladies are from California, teas and Georgia.

Passover & Easter Trends
All that exercise and eating well may be put on hold though as we head into two big holidays next week.  Queries for Passover recipes are up 85%.  Easter cakes and Easter candy are spiking, too.  Searches for the Easter bunny started back in February! And here’s something cute, apparently more girls than boys are looking up the bunny online. Searches are almost six times higher for girls under thirteen than boys.

And what about Easter’s favorite treat, Peeps are spiking on Yahoo! this week. Some fun facts:

• 63% of searches for peeps come from females – Missouri searches the most for Peeps in the past month
• Peeps sunflower cakes are spiking this week on Yahoo!
• Peep craft ideas are spiking on Yahoo!
• Peeps coupons are spiking on Yahoo!
• Peeps recipes are spiking on Yahoo!
• People even search for “what can I do with peeps”

Check this out: There are over 1,700 photos tagged “Easter Peeps” on Flickr:

Summer Jobs
It seems young women are more active online when it comes to looking for summer employment. Girls made up 69% of the searches for summer jobs over the last month on Yahoo!.  Where do they want to get hired? Mcdonald’s, Macy’s, star bucks, Walgreens and Whole Foods top the list, of top searched jobs.  We also noticed that more parents may be helping with job searches for their kids this year. Overall, searches for summer jobs by teenagers are down 31% compared to last year.  Yet queries for teen summer jobs by people over the age of forty-five are up 6%.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

Government Shutdown
The looming government shutdown is keeping Yahoo! users buzzing this week – searches are up 1,600%. Folks want to know what happens if a budget deal doesn’t materialize by the end of the week. People are turning to Yahoo! to get answers to their questions. Some of the top related questions being searched this week are:

• what is a government shutdown?
• will the government shut down?
• what happens in a government shutdown?
• will a government shutdown affect social security checks?
• how will government shutdown affect veterans?
• how will government shutdown affect military pay?

Foodie Faves
Here’s something we noticed over the last seven days — it seems like a lot of Yahoo! users have the munchies. First it was Denny’s bacon sundae that spurred lots of interest.. And now we’re seeing tons of searches for crepes – all kinds of crepes. The top crepe types being searched this week include strawberry, mango, and French crepes. And also on the French side…french toast! French toast in particular seems to growing more popular right now as a new wave of home cooks look for recipes for casseroles, stuffed and blueberry versions of the breakfast favorite. According to the latest Yahoo! Clues data the top states searching french toast are Illinois, Texas and California. Check out some of the best recipes on Yahoo! Shine

Home DIY Projects
A lot of people looking forward to rolling up their sleeves and getting outside to do some home projects, according to searches on Yahoo! this week. With warm weather on the horizon, we’ve seen a huge jump in searches for “tree house plans” and also “how to make a lemonade stand.” Other trends on the DIY front, how to build a greenhouse, how to build a picnic table and how to make a rain barrel.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

-The Search Trends Team, for questions please contact the team at searchtrendsteam@yahoo-inc.com

War In Libya
Lots of folks are turning to Yahoo1 for perspective on what’s going on in Libya. Searches for maps of the African nation are up more than 400%t and we’re seeing lots of questions about the players in the conflict. People want to understand who the allies are and who the rebels are and why the US is involved in the conflict. Men seem to be doing a lot of the lookups this week according to Yahoo! Clues, 67% of searches for “Libya” come from men.

Elizabeth Taylor
Word of Elizabeth Taylor’s death sent people running to their laptops and smartphones. As soon as the news broke, searches for the beloved movie star’s films and details about her family and friendship with the late Michael Jackson soared off the charts. Yet most unique were those eyes, and people wanted another look into them as they sought out “Elizabeth Taylor eyes,” “elisabeth Taylor violet eyes pictures,” and “elisabeth Taylor’s eye close up.”

The Jersey Shore & Hairstyle Trends
The MTV reality hit Jersey Shore is spurring lots of buzz, too. Snooki has become quite the internet darling – searches for her ramped up773% this week. And she may have lots of potential dates after the show ends – two-thirds of those queries are coming from men – mostly in California, New Jersey and Illinois. It’s no secret Snooki has been a trendsetter when it comes to her hair. The Snooki bump is the top searched hairstyle on Yahoo! right now. Other spring styles gaining popularity include the wedge (kind of like an updated Dorothy Hamill cut), emo hair (essentially spiky jet black hair) and Katie Holmes’ haircut — all are making “waves” as women “comb” the web for new ways to freshen up their looks for spring.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

Japan Crisis
The crisis in Japan continues to dominate searches on Yahoo!. It’s been more than a week since the 8.9 earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on the island nation. The rescue and recovery efforts coupled with the threat of nuclear disaster sent online to find real time photos, videos and the latest news.

Yahoo! users wanted to know more about the threat of radiation exposure and how it’s treated. After multiple explosions rocked the Fukushima power plant, searches for preventive measures, including, potassium iodide tablets spiked 150%. People wanted to understand how far radiation can travel, which other countries could be affected and they also looked back at the history of other nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. In addition to finding out how to help, concerned citizens also sought information on how to prepare for emergencies in their own homes. Searches for emergency kits ramped up across the web this week.

To learn more about how you can make a difference, visit Yahoo!’s How to Help page.

March Madness
March Madness provided a lighter topic to talk about around the water cooler, this week. The teams folks seem to be rooting for most are Ohio, Duke and BYU. Fans are busy focusing on their brackets – searches for NCAA are up 109,000%. The states most interested in the tournament according to search are Ohio, Illinois and California, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Fans can fill out brackets at Yahoo! Tourney Pick’em at Yahoo! Sports for a chance to win $1 million for the perfect bracket, and there is a guaranteed $10K prize for the best bracket.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

iPad2 Buzz

The web is buzzing this week about Apple and iPad 2. Yahoo! users can’t get enough of the details. They’re searching feverishly for everything — from the price to the specs to, of course, where to get it and how soon. People are doing their homework before they buy — they’re looking up CNET and Endgadget reviews that compare number two to the original iPad and other tablets like the Motorola Zoom and Blackberry Playbook. And since Steve Jobs appeared on-camera to unveil the new iPad, questions about his health also ramped up. Yahoo! News technology reporter Ben Patterson wrote a review of the product here .

Charlie Sheen Mania
Even Apple’s iPad 2 news didn’t tamp down the continued interest in the war of words between actor Charlie Sheen and CBS. Searches for the actor are up nearly 1,200%. And what do people want to know most? More than anything, they’re simply looking up the question — “what is wrong with Charlie Sheen?” We’re also seeing a jump in queries for home rehab and alcoholics anonymous. 53% of searches for Charlie Sheen this week come from men.

According to Yahoo! the top searched questions related to Charlie Sheen:

• Is Charlie Sheen Crazy
• What Is Wrong With Charlie Sheen
• Who are Charlie Sheen’s goddesses
• How old is Charlie Sheen
• What is wrong with Charlie Sheen
• What does Martin Sheen think of Charlie Sheen
• How much is Charlie Sheen worth
• Is Charlie Sheen mentally ill
• Who Is Charlie Sheen’s mother

Break Out The Gardening Gloves
On a much lighter note, spring can’t come soon enough for people online. This week we’ve noticed a spike in queries for gardening – -everything from “how to grow blueberries” to “how to build raised garden beds.” Searches on Yahoo! for vegetable gardens are up 183% this week. And more than half of the garden related queries are coming from women mostly in Texas, California, North Carolina and Virginia.

Some of the top gardening searches on Yahoo! include:

• How to grow blueberries
• How to grow tomatoes
• When to plant grass seed
• How to make roman shades
• How to prune roses
• When to plant grass seed
• When to plant vegetables
• When to fertilize lawn

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

Libya

Unrest in the Middle East continues to draw people online in huge numbers.  Libya’s violent crackdown on anti-government protestors and Moammar Ghadafi’s angry speech declaring he would die a martyr before leaving the country sent searches soaring on Yahoo! this week.  People wanted to make sure they really understood what Ghadafi was saying, we saw a major spike in look-ups for the word “martyr.” Also for the term “force majeure” which is a french for “a greater force” (essentially, an act of god that would excuse a party from a contract).  Libya declared a force majeure on its oil contracts this week in the wake of the uprising. Read more on Libya searches here at the Yahoo! Buzz Log.

Earthquake
Another story that’s seen steady interest this week is the New Zealand earthquake and the desperate rescue and recovery efforts.  Yahoo! searchers wanted to know where to find New Zealand on a map, searches spiked more than 1,100%. Some of the additional Search trends include:

Questions being searched on Yahoo!:

• Where Is New Zealand
• What Time Is It In New Zealand
• Where Is New Zealand Located
• How To Dial New Zealand – How To Call New Zealand
• How Far Is Christchurch From Auckland

Academy Awards
In Hollywood – as Oscar preps ramp up so are the queries on Yahoo!.  The leading lady getting the most buzz on Yahoo! at the moment is not in the running for best actress this year.  It’s Anne Hathaway who will be co-hosting the Academy Awards with actor James Franco.  She’s getting more searches than all of the best actress nominees combined.  And despite its youthful hosts, the Oscars seem to be skewing a more mature audience. According to Yahoo! Clues data, only 17% of the searches are coming from people under age twenty-four.

Can’t get enough of the Oscars? Check out Yahoo! Movies’ exclusive coverage complete with predictions, nominees, polls, photos and more: http://oscars.movies.yahoo.com/

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

Pippa Middleton

The anticipation of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s impending nuptials is turning feverish – and the big day isn’t til April! News of the happy couple’s bridal party sent searches soaring this week – especially for maid of honor, Pippa Middleton. Yahoo! searchers wanted to see what she looks like and get the scoop on her social life. Searches for Pippa, Kate’s sister, spiked 5,000% this week.

Follow the latest on the Royal Wedding here at Yahoo! News: http://news.yahoo.com/royal-wedding

McWeddings
Now if a wedding at Westminster Abbey is just a little out of your reach, how about tying the knot under the Golden Arches? If you live in Hong Kong, you can take advantage of McDonald’s new wedding package – a “mc-wedding” – if you will . For about $1,300, you get invitations, decorations, wedding gifts and what else, fries and Big Macs for your honored guests. The novel idea intrigued lots of people online this week.

Reader’s Digest & Yahoo! Survey
Finally, all this searching online is apparently keeping a lot of us from getting enough shut-eye. A new yahoo/readers digest survey finds that 78% of adults admit they stay up too late because they are busy online. Some other interesting findings from the survey:

• The average household has 20 digital devices
• Almost two-thirds of adults on Facebook have already invited or accepted the invitation to be their children or children’s’ friends.
• 64 percent of adults think that kids spend too much time online, and 43 percent of adults they think spend too much time online but only 18 percent have ever imposed a tech-free day

Read more of the survey on Reader’s Digest’s website: http://www.rd.com/family/take-control-of-family-tech-time/

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

Bieber Fever
This weekend marks a milestone for Justin Bieber, the pop star’s 3-D movie “Never Say Never” is hitting theatres and searches on Yahoo! for the flick are off the charts. Check out the trailer on Yahoo! Movies:

Over the last thirty days, we’ve seen fans flocking to the web to find out as much as they can about the singer – like how tall he is…what’s his phone number… and of course, whom is he dating – including Selena Gomez. Searches for Bieber and the Disney starlet are up 1,200% this month. And though the two have denied a romance, it seems heartbroken girls still don’t believe it. They are searching for photos and details.

Valentine’s Day Trends
And speaking of love, if you haven’t ordered those roses or planned a romantic Valentine’s dinner, you are running out of time! Seems we have a lot of procrastinators heading to Yahoo! to figure out how they’re going to mark Valentine’s Day. Most of them are women. Ladies are definitely putting in more effort to find the perfect present – searches for “valentine’s gifts for boyfriends” are up 271%. And we’ve saw Valentine’s related searches from women start way back before Christmas! We are not, however, seeing a similar spike from the guys online – maybe they’ll simply be sending a text, email or message through social networks. Searches for “how to type a heart on a keyboard” jumped this week. And for the gamer in your life, we’re also seeing a surge in queries for Angry Birds and Farmville Valentines.

Need some ideas? Check out the gift guides on Yahoo! Shopping:

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

Egypt

This week snowbound Americans followed the  news in the middle east closely.  The anti-government protests in Egypt ratcheted up searches for President Hosni Mubarak and all of the players and events the led the embattled leader to announce he would step down. Searches for President Mubarak spiked over 2,900%.

Snowmageddon
The effects of “snowmageddon” are still rippling across much of the US and of course the web.  The colossal snowstorm that stretched 2,000 miles from Dallas to Chicago to Boston sent people online to find out how the cold, icy weather would affect travel, schools, heating bills and even leaky faucets. Given the brutal winter so far, preps for the monster storm started early this week.  We saw spikes in searches on Yahoo!  for snow rakes and heavy duty snow blowers spike about 600% And while they waited for the weather to calm, many folks made the best of it by staying home and cooking up some comfort food.  In Detroit, a number of folks wanted to recipes for “no-bake peanut butter cookies.”  In Kansas City, Search queries “for how to make chocolate frosting” jumped.

Super Bowl
All the snow is not dampening the excitement about Super Bowl Sunday, although some people lucky enough to get tickets for the big game worried about getting to Dallas.  Searches for Dallas weather forecast are up 839%. If search queries could determine who will triumph this weekend, the smart money would be on the Pittsburgh Steelers.  All season, the Steelers dominated Green Bay —  at least on Yahoo! —  with 21% more searches.  And when it comes to quarterbacks. Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger bests the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers by 45%.  As for the festivities, people seem to be  revving up for a super bowl feast that might even include a few lighter dishes.  Searches for “healthy superbowl dips” surged 6,800% this week.  Still topping the list for most popular party dips – buffalo chicken, spinach, artichoke, taco and seven layer.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

State of the Union Address
Washington is capturing the web’s attention this week with President Obama’s second state of the union address.  The president’s call for civility and his mention of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords sent people searching for updates on her recovery.  They also wanted to know more about Representative Paul Ryan, who delivered the republican response – searches for his name spiked 1,100%.  And when the president talked about this generation’s “sputnik moment,” queries soared for the Russian satellite launch and how it sparked new spending on scientific research and education.

MTV Skins
MTV’s latest show is grabbing the headlines and the searches on Yahoo!. Searches have been spiking on Yahoo! for all things related to the show from the cast to the advertisers and even the producers. One of the biggest this spikes related to the show came from a word one of the cast members used, the word is Furciferous. One of the stars described his cast mates as furciferous and it sent people running to Yahoo! to find out what the it means.  Searches were up 1,600%. Find out more about the show on Yahoo! TV.

Pajama Jeans
First it was leggings then it was jeggings and now it is…Pajama Jeans. The latest fashion trend is causing searches to spike on Yahoo! this week. The majority of searches for the sweatpant-like jeans come from females (73%) and it seems that Texas and Ohio search the most.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

President Hu Jintao’s Visit
China is getting a ton of buzz this week on Yahoo!.  People are curious about President Hu Jintao’s bio and of course, what’s on his itinerary while he’s in town.  But what is everyone most interested in? They really wanted to find out what Michelle Obama would wear to the formal state dinner  – the first in 13 years for China — and what would be served.  We saw searches for “state dinner menu spike” 250% this week on Yahoo!

Celebrity Wrap Up
It was a big week in Hollywood for celebrity babies – especially those born to stars who hired surrogates to expand their families, including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.  People searched for images of the babies and information on the parents. We also saw people searching on Yahoo! for “how does one become a surrogate” and how much it pays to be one. Searches spiked more than 350%. Also Regis Philbin’s announcement that he’ll step down from “Live with Regis and Kelly” after this season sent people searching.  They want to know who will replace the 79-year-old broadcaster.  And word of Anne Hathaway’s upcoming cameo on Glee sparked a frenzy of searches for the Oscar nominated actress up 3,692%. Hathaway will play a role she reportedly suggested to the show – the lesbian aunt of the character “Kurt.”

Yahoo! Maxim Survey
If you’re really into video games, you may be in luck if you’re looking for a date. According to a new Yahoo! survey with Maxim magazine, nearly 40% of women said they’d find it a turn on if a man listed video games as a personal interest.

Some more of the findings:
With 38 percent of the adult population surveyed looking to date or hook up at any one time, at virtually every stage of a budding romance, social media plays a role and what you put on your profile could be the difference between a date and no date:

• 25 percent of those surveyed admitted to using social networking sites to aide their dating life.
• 40 percent of people judge a potential date’s social networking profile as important and 41percent of people will “friend” someone they are interested in dating as a way to get to know that person.
• The vast majority, 70 percent, want in-person interaction as the first point of contact with a potential date.
• For more results and commentary, please visit http://www.maxim.com and http://shine.yahoo.com

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

More on Heather Cabot:
Heather Cabot serves as Yahoo! Web Life Editor. She combines her reporting background with an every woman approach to spot web trends and advocate for consumers. She’s a former network news anchor and lifestyle blogger who provides practical tips and perspective on how technology is reshaping our day to day lives. Heather has appeared on “The Today Show,” “The Martha Stewart Show,” “The Rachael Ray Show,” “The Early Show,” “Fox & Friends” and more. Heather is also the founder and editor-in-chief of The Well Mom www.thewellmom.com a new weekly e-zine that empowers and inspires moms to better care for themselves.

Weekly Yahoo! Search Trends – December 17, 2010
Each week Yahoo! brings the most interesting and quirky trends to the forefront. Web Trend Expert Pam Woon highlights these trends on local and national broadcast. The movie Tron is getting lots of buzz this week on Yahoo! and searchers are also extremely interested in the “toughest game on the web” QWOP. And for the last minute holiday shoppers, it seems gift cards are on the mind.

WE SHOULD RECEIVE THE YAHOO! VIDEO INFORMATION FROM MICHAEL FRIDAY

Tron: Legacy
The web has gone wild with “Tron: The Legacy” searches this week are up 1,148% on for this 3D cyberspace adventure, which opens this week and stars Oscar winner Jeff Bridges. This is the much-anticipated sequel to the Oscar Nominated 1982 film, and it also stars Garrett Hedlund and the lovely Olivia Wilde.  You remember the original – a video game visionary gets trapped within his own game – well, now his son goes down the old hard-drive rabbit hole twenty years later to rescue him.  Also spiking, searches up 57% this week on the soundtrack, by the french electronic music group daft punk.

QWOP
Now onto something that’s been called “the toughest game on the internet”. It’s called QWOP. It’s a free game you can find online.  How does it work? QWOP is an Olympic athlete running the hundred meter dash.  You help him finish the race.  To do that, you have to control his thigh and calf muscles by using the q, w, o and p keys on your keyboard.   Seems easy, right?  Not at all. Most of the time, QWOP flops but that hasn’t stopped people from trying.  Searches up a whopping 1,424% on Yahoo! for “how to play QWOP”.

Gift Card Craze
There are lots of last-minute shoppers out there, and if you’ve got a few names still left on your list, a good way to go is a gift card. Yahoo! Shopping found that 67% surveyed say they’ll include gift cards in their giving this year. And here’s what we’ve learned – if you’re paying full price for a card, you’re not being a smart Santa.  Check out plasticjungle.com <INSERT LINK: http://www.plasticjungle.com> or cardpool.com <INSERT LINK: http://www.plasticjungle.com>.  They buy unused gift cards, verify their authenticity, and then sell them to consumers for up to 30% off the face value. Searches for discount gift cards are up 2,092% this week.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week.

The Loss of Elizabeth Edwards
Sadly this week Elizabeth Edwards lost her battle with breast cancer. Online we’re seeing loads of searches related to her passing – growing every day leading into this weekend. People are interested in her family, her biography, and images from her life. We have also seen a big spike in searches on Yahoo! related to mammograms. Women – and men – are searching for info on where to get them.

Free Shipping During The Holidays
A hot topic this holiday is holiday shipping.  According to the National Retail Federation free shipping is higher than in years past. Yahoo! uncovered a great resource for finding free shipping. This site gives many details about retailers. And whether you’re shopping online or in the stores, remember… December 20th is the last day you’ll be able to use first class mail for holiday packages.

Grab Your Skis And Head To The Slopes
Ok, so it’s that time of year when searches start snowballing here at Yahoo! for skiing and snowboarding.  The top-searched destinations?  Mammoth Mountain in California. And #2 and #3?  Northstar Resort and Heavenly Ski Resort, both in Tahoe. Of course it’s still early in the season, so how do you really know if there’s snow on the mountains? Ski Report includes real-time, on-the-slope reports from skiers and boarders, delivered via smart phone apps.  You can’t get any more accurate than that.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week and if you are in Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, Seattle or Atlanta, catch us on Fridays!

The BP Oil Spill Captivates a Nation

Let’s start with the top overall search in 2010, what tops the list?  The BP oil spill, the nation’s biggest ever and really a story that’s far from over.   The second most-searched topic on Yahoo!?  The World Cup. We saw huge interest in it this year.  When it comes to celebrities… who’s number one?  Lady Gaga? Nope.   Britney spears, Lindsay Lohan, Katy Perry, guess again. The top searched celebrity for 2010 is  Miley Cyrus.

The Music of 2010
Now, on to Yahoo!’s most-searched music lyrics of 2010. It was Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”   Justin also made the top spot on another list – he was one of the number one most misspelled search term in 2010.

Politicians Spike On Yahoo! In 2010
Who’s the top-searched politician of 2010? Yahoo! Is prepared to declare a winner… and it’s… President Obama.  Actually, no big surprise there.  But who’s number two?  Well, love her or hate her, searchers can’t get enough of mama grizzly  – Sarah Palin.  The former half-term Alaska governor lit up Yahoo! Search in 2010.  Palin rolled out her new reality series on TLC this year – the highest-rated launch ever on the channel – and it looks like a lot of those folks are goin’ online and seekin’ out Sarah. Number three on the politician list?  Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell – searches went through the roof this year on O’Donnell, especially after that “dabbled into witchcraft” thing.

Check out the video for more trends spiking this week and if you are in Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, Seattle or Atlanta, catch us on Fridays!

To see more of the Yahoo! Year In Review head to http://yearinreview.yahoo.com

The Yahoo! Year in Review returns, with a look at our collective cultural consciousness, as gleaned through a year’s worth of searches. In 2001, we started publishing lists of lists looking who topped the Search charts across various beats like news, sports, games, and overall. (Check out this flashback moment from a 2001 press release.)

But a Top 10 just isn’t enough to see what the world was looking for. In the past few years, we’ve pumped up our analyses to ferret out underlying trends. Plus this year, the Year in Review has expanded to 16 countries.

Enough with the preamble — what riveted us in 2010?

The Transocean oil rig explosion and the resulting spill dominated online activity, making the BP Oil Spill this year’s top search. Many of us were transfixed by that underwater spillcam that showed the best — and not so best — efforts to cap the gushing crude.

The FIFA World Cup ground productivity to a slow crawl, as people went online to cram in not only the rules of the game, but also controversies (that bouncy jabulani ball), and South African traditions (the ever-buzzing vuvuzela).

Pop culture’s leading ladies (including the hyper-theatrical Lady Gaga, new to the list), a gadget that begin with a small “i,” and Web-spun music artist Justin Bieber (also a Top 10 freshman) also made the top slots. And Britney Spears, who has dominated the list in the past decade, held on at No. 10.

Top Searches on Yahoo! in 2010

1. BP oil spill
2. World Cup
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Kim Kardashian
5. Lady Gaga
6. iPhone
7. Megan Fox
8. Justin Bieber
9. American Idol

10.  Britney Spears

The year 2010 was definitely one of extremes: Record heat and floods around the world caused natural disasters, economic turnarounds spurred financial uprisings, and some high-profile firings stirred up ruckus at a time when people are looking for or holding on to jobs.

Another new list this year: 10 Obsessions of 2010 — what couldn’t we get enough of this year? For this list, we looked at both total search volume and the percentage change compared to 2009, and came up with some doozies. Among them: Apple proved its worth as a most valuable company by generating excitement for its iPhone 4 (plus that accidental sneak peek) and that “magical and revolutionary” iPad. Other compulsions that were gnawing at us: Would Lindsay ever have that comeback? How many Silly Bandz can I possibly wear (and make the owner an a millionaire several times over)? And are those bedbugs I see?

Top Searched Obsessions on Yahoo! in 2010

1. iPhone 4
2. Lindsay Lohan
3. iPad
4. Glee
5. Jersey Shore
6. Facebook
7. Bedbugs
8. Tea Party
9. Silly Bandz

10.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (series)
For years, people have sought out the answers to life’s questions on Yahoo!. Every Friday and Saturday night, for instance, teens primping for dates try to figure out “how to tie a tie.” Some questions are more plaintive — like the search for love. In 2010, we finally reveal these burning queries, and we give the answers too. Yes, about love.

Top Searched Questions on Yahoo! in 2010

1. How to tie a tie
2. How to lose weight
3. How to kiss
4. How to write a resume
5. What’s the world’s only immortal animal
6. Which city has the best tap water
7. Which natural disaster shortened earth’s days
8. What is love
9. What causes lightning
10. How to boil an egg

If you’re curious to see what others around the globe were pondering, check out a few Year In Review sites:

UK: http://uk.yearinreview.yahoo.com/

Brazil: http://br.retrospectiva.yahoo.com/

Taiwan: http://tw.yearinreview.yahoo.com/

Germany: http://de.jahresrueckblick.yahoo.com/

As for the uber Yahoo! Year in Review, many great engineers, wise analysts, and fine writers took aim at summing up 2010, and seeing what’s up for 2011. Settle down for some good reads.

We’re not done yet either — there will be even more look-backs throughout the month of December as our writers figure out mid-term political moodiness, revisit strange creatures we have loved (we’ll miss you, Paul the octopus), and much much more. Visit often, and get in on the conversation at our Facebook and Twitter pages.

-Vera Chan, senior editor and Web trend analyst for Yahoo!