Nude Photo Scandal Sends 'American Idol' Contestant Antonella Barba Climbing the Charts With Web Users

WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 28 /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 Feb. 24, 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 Feb. 24, 2007:

  1.  Antonella Barba                  47400%

  2.  Al Gore                            800%

  3.  Board Games                        495%

  4.  TV Guide                           345%

  5.  Kevin Federline                    200%

  6.  Nintendo                           114%

  7.  Yu-Gi-Oh                           102%

  8.  Tom Hanks                          100%

  9.  Cher                                93%

  10. Idol                                92%



  Notes of Interest:

Two weeks into the early elimination rounds on the sixth season of "American Idol," one contestant has already sparked interest with web users, though not for her singing talents. Contestant Antonella Barba has jumped far ahead of all other contestants in web search activity following news headlines that some topless photos of Barba had been released on the internet. Once news of the photos surfaced, web users scoured the internet, resulting in a 47,000 % jump in online interest for Barba over the past 72 hours. People Magazine reports that while "numerous sexy photos don't reveal Barba completely in the nude, there are other photos that are not as tame and could be enough to get her booted from the show." Lycos users are also weighing in with their favorite Antonella Barba video moments located on Lycos MIX at http://mix.lycos.com/mix/antonella-baraba-american-idol#8394.

Search Gainers:

Fox's mega-hit "American Idol" jumps 92%, re-entering this week's list at number 38. Meanwhile, online interest in Cher jumps 93%, sending her to a first-ever appearance on The Lycos 50, entering the list at number six, while search interest in former Vice President Al Gore jumps 800% following his recent Oscar(R) win for "An Inconvenient Truth." And apparently a rush of cold weather has been stranding many folks inside this winter, pushing search activity for Board Games and TV Guide up 495% and 345% respectively over the past week.

  The LYCOS 50(TM) Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending Feb. 24, 2007:

  1)  MySpace               6)  Cher
  2)  Paris Hilton          7)  Naruto
  3)  Britney Spears        8)  Disney
  4)  Anna Nicole Smith     9)  RuneScape
  5)  Poker                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.