Couch Potatoes Overtake Google Zeitgeist

Announcement
January 25, 2006

Google Announces Top 15 Gainers for the Week Ending January 23

As we dove more deeply in January, U.S. Google users stuck to the tried and true: celebrity news related to TV (Zac Efron, Jenna Elfman), movies (Kate Beckinsale), and problems (Leif Garrett). The sports-minded tracked seasonal football, tennis and pre-Olympic skating news, as well as a major car auction and a reality show (American Idol). The pull of real-world news had just one appearance this week (Jill Carroll).

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 January 16-23.

For more information, visit the Google Zeitgeist at www.google.com/zeitgeist.

Google.com Gainers

1. anna benson – persona in her own right and wife of Mets player Kris sounded off Jan. 22 about her husband’s trade to the Baltimore Orioles
2. zac efron – young star featured in new Disney channel "High School Musical" which premiered Jan. 20
3. kate beckinsale – star getting mixed reviews for her werewolf-hunting role in Underworld: Evolution, which premiered Jan. 20
4. miss america – venerable pageant had two firsts on Jan. 21: it’s now held in Las Vegas, and was televised on the cable channel Country Music Television
5. jenna elfman – former "Dharma and Greg" star debuted Jan. 23 in "Courting Alex," new sitcom on CBS
6. leif garrett – former teen star, arrested Jan. 14 for heroin possession, says he will beat his addiction
7. barrett jackson – mammoth collector car auction in Scottsdale, AZ ended Jan. 22 with record-breaking sales
8. american idol – popular reality competition premiered a new season Jan. 18
9. tanith belbin – ice dancing champion is warming up for her debut with partner Ben Agosto at the upcoming Winter Olympics
10. australian open – major tennis tourney is underway in Melbourne
11. martina hingis – now dubbed "Comeback Queen" for her headline-grabbing performance in the women’s semi-finals at the Australian Open
12. jill carroll – no word yet on the fate of U.S. reporter kidnapped Jan.7 in Baghdad
13. maria sharapova – Russian tennis star reached the women’s semi-finals of the Australian Open
14. seahawks – Seattle football team won against Carolina Panthers Jan. 22, giving them a first-time slot at this year’s Super Bowl vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers
15. steelers – Pittsburgh team beat the Denver Broncos Jan. 22, guaranteeing their spot against the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 5