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Back in the day, hip-hop rivalries were a question of rhyming skills. In 2007 the test is about topping the sales chart, at least according to 50 Cent and Kanye West. A hyped up release date for their new albums—September 11—plus two rappers unafraid of hyperbole adds up to instant buzz.

In one corner, Kanye West, who boldly requests of his opponent: “Please, 50, don’t retire once my album sells and beats your album.” In the other corner, 50 Cent bristles: “I’m gonna stick around and sell this record—and I will be #1 on September 11.”

Yet, don’t be fooled by the bluster. Most hip-hop beefs are examples of guerilla marketing at its finest. Whatever gets you in the stores buying either CD is all good and all part of the game.

Although it isn’t a definitive survey, we scanned the data to graph out who reigns supreme in Search…

Even on a bad day, queries for 50 tower above those of Kanye. West may be ready for “Graduation” but 50 Cent’s “Curtis” could may be the name of the game come September 11.

Last Fall, two black students at a predominantly white high school in Jena, Louisiana sat under the “whites-only” tree during lunch. The next day, three nooses swung from the tree’s branches.

What happened since has roiled the small Southern town and sparked a string of racial harassment and violence. A white teen landed in the emergency room, a black teen landed in jail, and five other black students are awaiting trial—and possibly facing decades of imprisonment.

The national media has yet to pick up on this woeful tale. But the Web is tracking the story vigilantly. Searches for “jena 6” rose 7,557% over the past month. Queries such as “jena la,” “jena 6 case,” “jena high school,” and “jena louisiana racism” have surged. Interest in Mychal Bell, the convicted student, leapt 171% last week.

Bloggers have covered this story from the beginning. And searchers, primarily from the South, have pursued it online. Will the national media eventually respond? According to one site, there is an interested party. Her name is Oprah. If that happens, the rest are sure to follow.

Back for another spin around the ballroom floor, ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” did a samba on the Search box this week. The buzz was all about casting news—and the show’s blend of faded stars, D-listers, and “who dat?” always spurs searchers.

This season’s crop looks lackluster at first blush, but the show derives its power from its ability to make you root for a star you had no idea you liked. Apolo Anton Ohno, anyone? Searches on the show jumped 253% and it boogied into the top spot among TV shows. Who’s excited? Ladies 35-64. Working women of the world (or the U.S.) account for just about half the show’s searches.

Related lookups on “dancing with the stars cast,” “dancing with the stars season 5,” and “dancing with the stars 2007” also swiveled their hips in Search. Who’s the finest dancer so far? Wayne Newton, of course. The taut-faced Vegas showman experienced a rise of 677% after it was announced he’d participate. Other stars getting a buzz boost included Melanie Brown (+535%), Helio Castroneves (+496%), and Mark Cuban (+375%).

So who will waltz away with America’s heart? We’d love to see Marie Osmond make a stirring prime-time comeback, but we have a feeling Jane Seymour might have the right medicine to soothe the “Dancing” fanbase.

Welcome to revenge week at the multiplex, served up in three different ways: bloody, screwball, and pure vigilante. With summer fading, audiences don’t seem to be in the mood for vengeance—unless it’s tied to All Hallows Eve.

1. “Halloween.” Strictly speaking, the return of Michael Myers isn’t “Halloween 9,” even though that’s what some searchers have been calling Rob Zombie’s remake. The metalhead-turned-auteur pulls in more searches than any actor in a movie opening this week. Among the cast, his wife Sheri Moon Zombie and Danielle Harris pique interest. “Halloween” should scare the box office pants off “Balls of Fury.”  Fueled by kids who can’t possibly remember the John Carpenter original (and are too young for this R-rated flick), the flick has triple the searches of “Balls.” 

2. “Balls of Fury.” This looks like a straight-to-DVD special for an all-male slumber party, given who’s checking out the kung fu ping pong parody. Two bright lights among the film’s stars are buzz-worthy Maggie Q and the indubitable Christopher Walken as a dubious Fu Manchu type. Will “Balls” revive table tennis? Possibly—the tiniest pop registered in Buzz for “ping pong” and “ping pong table.” Serve it up.

3. “Death Sentence.” Kevin Bacon returns for more connections in the Six Degrees game. (That might also explain the buzz for “kevin bacon movies“) The actor hooked up with “Saw” director James Wan in this vigilante film about a dad avenging his son’s murder. The critics like Kevin, and searches give him more attention than his film—but not quite as much for co-stars Kelly Preston and Aisha Tyler (who pulls double-duty this week with her “Balls” stint).

4. “The Nines.” Any attention for a limited release is good, but maybe bargain hunters are interested in getting three stories in one movie. Of the cast, the up-and-coming Ryan Reynolds gets the most love and comes in as the most searched male actor in a movie opening this week.

Welcome to revenge week at the multiplex, served up in three different ways: bloody, screwball and pure vigilante. With summer fading, audiences don’t seem to be in the mood for vengeance—unless it’s tied to All Hallows Eve.

1. “Halloween.” Evil has a back story. Strictly speaking, Michael Myer’s faceless return isn’t “Halloween 9,” even though that’s what some searchers have been calling this remake under the direction of Rob Zombie. The former heavy metal singer pulls in more searches than any actor in a movie opening this week; among the cast, his wife Sheri Moon Zombie and Danielle Harris pique interest. “Halloween” should scare the box office pants off “Balls of Fury,” so to speak, given its three-fold popularity fueled by kids who can’t possibly remember the John Carpenter original (and are too young for this R-rated flick) and adults alike.

2. “Balls of Fury.” Let the lukewarm boycotts begin… or set up the boy cots, because this looks like a straight-to-DVD special for an all-male slumber party, given who’s checking out the kung fu ping pong parody. One bright light is the bright and buzzing Maggie Q, and the indubitable Christopher Walken as a dubious Fu Manchu type. Will “Balls” revive table tennis? Possibly—the tiniest pop registered in Buzz for “ping pong” and “ping pong table.” Serve it up.

3. “Death Sentence.” Kevin Bacon returns just so we can have more connections in the Six Degrees game. (That might also explain the buzz for “kevin bacon movies“) The actor hooked up with “Saw” director James Wan in this vigilante film about a dad avenging his son’s murder. The critics like Kevin, and searches give him more attention than his film—but not quite as much for co-stars Kelly Preston and Aisha Tyler (who pulls double-duty this week with her “Balls” stint).

4. “The Nines.” Any attention for a limited release is good, but maybe bargain hunters are interested in getting three stories in one movie. Of the cast, the up-and-coming Ryan Reynolds gets the most love and comes in as the most searched male actor in a movie opening this week.

Owen Wilson was admitted to the hospital on Sunday after an apparent suicide attempt. Searches on the charismatic actor spiked 4,138% in the wake of the disturbing news. Queries on Owen’s brother Luke surged 1,918% and interest in Owen’s “ex” Kate Hudson rose 235%.

Fortunately, Mr. Wilson wasn’t successful in his attempt. Now, the star of “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Wedding Crashers,” and “Zoolander” is asking for privacy while he heals. Not surprisingly, that plea hasn’t stopped fans from searching for clues as to Owen’s state of mind. How could a guy who seemingly has everything going for him could come to such a decision?

Unlike most questions, the answer can’t be found in Search. We wish Owen the best and we’re sure his many fans echo our sentiments.

Teachers like textbooks up-to-date, ideologues like them slanted their way, and kids like them slender. But when it comes to online shoppers, there’s one characteristic in a comprehensive school volume that trumps all others: cost.

The perennial demand for textbooks is again ringing up searches in Buzz. In the past seven days, we’ve logged the return of such familiar back-to-school terms as “sell textbooks,” “buy textbooks,” and “used textbooks.” However, it’s each tome’s price tag that really attracts the starving searchers (and their parents). More than half of the week’s “textbook” lookups seek books on a budget…

Meet Senator Larry Craig, the latest elected official to display astonishingly poor judgment when it comes to matters of the heart. Craig, a three term Idaho senator, was arrested for “lewd conduct” in a men’s room. Naturally, the incident prompted a flurry of searches from shocked and amused citizens.

We wish we could give you a figure that reflects just how many people are searched on the story, but no number does it justice. Queries on “larry craig,” “idaho senator,” and “senator craig arrest” all blossomed. Searches on “larry craig mug shot” and “larry craig outed” are also on their way to break-out status. Forget the war—nothing gets the public’s attention like a tryst in the men’s room.

For what it’s worth, Senator Craig (who initially pled guilty to the charge) is calling the entire fiasco a misunderstanding. He claims he wasn’t motioning to the undercover cop under the neighboring stall, he was merely looking for papers. Maybe so, but the court of public opinion is drawing a very different conclusion and that is this: Politics is dirty. So too are the politicians.

Miss Teen Colorado walked away the crown of Miss Teen USA last week, but Miss Teen South Carolina emerged as the true champ thanks to the Web. Video clips of Palmetto State pageant contestant Lauren Caitlin Upton attempting to answer a question about world geography rocketed all over the Internet.

Searches on “miss teen south carolina” jumped 831% as “U.S. Americans” watched the awkward moment over and over. Her convoluted response also spurred queries on “miss teen south carolina video,” “miss teen,” and “miss teen usa south carolina.”

As for the befuddled 18-year-old, we also saw surges on “lauren caitlin upton” (+515%) and “caitlin upton” (+227%). Young Ms. Upton dusted herself off and parlayed her Web fame into an appearance on the Today show. She also might have single-handedly revived interest in geography—queries on “world geography” (+42%) and “geography” (+36%) both moved up the charts. All in all, not bad for a third-runner-up.

It’s been two months since we last checked on top celeb image searches, and the men have a new leader. All hail Zac Efron! The teen heartthrob has vaulted from out of nowhere to the top of our list. His star turns in “Hairspray” and “High School Musical 2” have made him our most desirable man.

Daniel Radcliffe followed much the same trajectory. Our #2 guy wasn’t on the list last time we looked, but the teen wizard of “Harry Potter” conjured his way back into the good graces of curious searchers. Other than that, there were a couple of minor shuffles and “Pirates” stars Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom walked the plank and fell from the top 10.

As for the ladies, it’s more of the same. As much complaining as you do about the tired trainwrecks of celebdom, we’re seeing the same familiar faces populating the list. The only notable chick to make her debut in the top 10 is “Hairspray” hottie Amanda Bynes. Here are the full lists…