Search Activity Jumps Straight Up for 'American Idol' Judge Paula Abdul

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- LYCOS, Inc. (http://www.lycos.com/), a leading community destination for broadband entertainment content, today announced the following information from The LYCOS 50(TM), the 50 most popular Internet search results for the week ending Jan. 20, 2007. For a complete list of The LYCOS 50(TM) and for in-depth text of The LYCOS 50 Daily Report, go to http://50.lycos.com/. Readers of The LYCOS 50 can also share their thoughts on Internet trends and pop culture on The LYCOS 50 Blog located at http://lycos50.tripod.com/blog/.

  Biggest Movers and Shakers for Week Ending Jan. 20, 2007:
  1.         Paula Abdul                1175 %
  2.         Golden Globes               615 %
  3.         American Idol               480 %
  4.         Tom Cruise                  414 %
  5.         Chicago Bears               357 %
  6.         Jennifer Hudson             273 %
  7.         Student Loans               200 %
  8.         Spyware                     156 %
  9.         Teri Hatcher                144 %
  10.        Borat                        97 %

  Notes of Interest:

As America's favorite talent show enters its sixth season, web users are once again hooked on "American Idol," up 480% in search interest this week. And generating more search activity than even the show itself is judge Paula Abdul. Search activity for Abdul is up 1,175 % with nearly 20 % of search queries specifying "Paula Abdul drunk." Two early contestants to receive the boot from the judges, enduring particularly harsh criticism from Simon Cowell are Jonathan and Kenneth. The two struck up an unusual friendship during last week's auditions, and have since appeared on "The Today Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live." While Jonathan and Kenneth aren't generating huge numbers online, search queries for "American Idol" auditions and Simon Cowell are also up over the past week, though not nearly as popular as Abdul. Cowell sees a 90 % rise in online interest and searches for "American Idol" auditions are up 89 %.

Search Gainers:

Another former "American Idol" contestant on the rise in web popularity is Golden Globe winner Jennifer Hudson. Search interest in Hudson is up 273 % since receiving the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in "Dream Girls," and yesterday's news of her Oscar(TM) nod. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are scoring big points with web users, "out-searching" their upcoming Super Bowl Rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, nearly 10 to one. Since winning the NFC Championship game last weekend, search activity for the Bears has jumped 357%. Ironically, despite winning the AFC title game against his arch nemesis Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, search activity for Peyton Manning does not register a blip on the radar. Brady is 663 percent more popular than Manning with web users.

  The LYCOS 50(TM) Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending Jan. 20, 2007:
  1)  MySpace               6)  RuneScape
  2)  Britney Spears        7)  Naruto
  3)  Pamela Anderson       8)  WWE
  4)  Disney                9)  Clay Aiken
  5)  Paris Hilton         10)  Pokemon

  About LYCOS, Inc.

LYCOS, Inc. (http://www.lycos.com/) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daum Communications Corp., a leading Internet portal and e-commerce destination in Korea with a growing presence throughout the Asian markets. LYCOS, Inc. operates search and technology websites that foster online communities, including the new LYCOS Cinema, which combines community with high-quality broadband video content. Other LYCOS products and sites include LYCOS.com, Hotbot.com, Tripod.com, Angelfire.com, LYCOS Mail, LYCOS Phone, LYCOS Entertainment, LYCOS Music, LYCOS Games and LYCOS Planet. LYCOS was acquired by Korean Daum Communications Corp. in October 2004 and has its U.S. headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. Daum Communications Corp. is traded on the KOSDAQ: 035720, http://www.daum.net/.

Lycos(R) is a registered trademark of Lycos, Inc. All other product or service marks mentioned herein are those of Daum Communications Corp., Lycos, Inc. or their respective owners. All rights reserved.