Anna Nicole, The Super Bowl, And Nasa Star In The Google Weekly Zeitgeist

An online community of people keen to know more searched Google.com this week to find details of [Anna Nicole Smith]'s sudden death, and the equally strange news that a third man, [Prince Frederick von Anhalt], is claiming paternity of the late Ms. Smith's 5-month-old baby girl. Also in the tabloidian arena is the saga of NASA astronaut [Lisa Nowak], charged with the attempted murder of romantic rival [Colleen Shipman] after a dramatic drive and encounter.

The tumultuous week didn't keep searchers from engaging in more predictable post-game evaluations of the [Superbowl commercials] and the half-time show, which featured musical artist [Prince]. Searchers were also wondering whether the heavy snowfall across the midwest and northeast US would cause [school closings] - or perhaps just how long they would last. Also this week, Oprah Winfrey featured a life philosophy called [The Secret] on her show, which claims to be able to help you make more money, lose weight, fall in love, and have a successful business. [Drew Barrymore]'s new movie "Music & Lyrics" premiered in LA, and a judge refused to dismiss charges against the only military officer charged in the [Abu Ghraib] prisoner abuse case.

Google's Zeitgeist results for the top gainers on Google.com, when comparing search queries that have risen by a significant percentage for the week of February 4-10, 2007 are:

Google.com Gainers

1. anna nicole smith
2. superbowl commercials
3. prince
4. colleen shipman
5. lisa nowak
6. the secret
7. school closings
8. drew barrymore
9. prince frederick von anhalt
10. abu ghraib