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Has “Dancing with the Stars” become a bigger phenomenon than “American Idol“? We can’t say for certain, but one thing is for sure—thanks to Helio Castroneves, “Dancing” is gaining ground.

As album sales of last season’s “Idol” winner, Jordin Sparks, tanked, searches on Helio, the recent “Dancing” champ, surged 467%. Helio’s rhythm and charisma played a part, but searchers were most intersted in his love life.

To wit, queries on his dance partner, the fetching Julianne Hough, surged 456%. Queries on “helio and julianne dating” and “helio julianne girlfriend” also posted big gains. Clearly, fans are wondering if the pair are more than just platonic partners.

But let’s not forget about Aliette Vazquez, Helio’s ex-fiancee. Less than 24 hours after Helio won the Dancing trophy, his longtime lady called off their engagement. Is Julianne the reason? We have no idea, but the rrumors have been good for Dancing’s buzz.

Hey everybody, it’s flu season! That means exciting chills, magnificent mucus, and splendid sneezes are on the way. How do we know? Searches on “flu symptoms,” “flu shots,” and “flu shot side effects” have clogged the buzz.

This year’s strain of the flu is supposed to be relatively mild. But try telling that to anyone who’s busy looking up “flu remedies,” “how long does the flu last,” and “signs of the flu.”

News about possible dangerous side effects of popular flu treatment drug Tamiflu spawned a wave of searches. Queries on the drug jumped 242% and related lookups on “tamiflu side effects,” “tamiflu abnormal behavior,” and “tamiflu warning” also leapt.

On December 11, mere weeks before the country plunges again into culinary excess, the Food Network will pull the plug on one of its longest-running cooking shows. “Emeril Live!” is going off the air.

As soon as news of this slight to Cajun cuisine hit the Web, buzz for celebri-chef Emeril Lagasse blew a scorching path upwards. Demand for his name surged nearly 900%. Interest in his recipes boiled over. Queries for “emeril cancelled” caught on fire. Bam!

Both the Food Network and the New Orleans power cook say their relationship hasn’t soured. Emeril remains firmly in position at the helm of his other show, “The Essence of Emeril.” Yet, we have to wonder: Has the TV chef’s popularity gone stale with the cable channel’s viewers?

We can’t answer that question. But we do know how the Food Network’s gastro-hosts stacked up in Buzz last week. And Emeril didn’t do so badly. In the studio kitchen, as in pretty much every other venue, the pretty ladies turn the most heads. The fact that Emeril kicked it up a notch above va-va-voom Giada is a tribute to his draw…

Every dollar counts when the economy looks like its heading down the tubes. And with the holiday shopping season in full bloom, shoppers are using savvy searches to save a few bucks. Searches on “printable coupons” and “free printable coupons” jumped more than 20% yesterday. We also noticed a series of spikes on the stores offering the best bounties. Here are the top 10 from yesterday…

Still searching for more savings? Make sure your printer is well-stocked with ink ’cause we have the top 20 coupon searches from the past week…

Close your eyes, and think of all the things you don’t know how to do. Bet you can’t list ‘em all, can you? That’s because you’re stupid.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Many dullards strive to improve their intellect via the Internet. Witness the inspiring number of “learn” searches each and every week.

Dimwits just like yourself search on everything from “learn spanish” to “learn to play the guitar.” Ignorant fools also look up “learn magic tricks,” “learn to type,” and even “learn the soulja boy dance.”

In fact, there are so many “learn” searches, we’re hard pressed to limit our list to a mere 20 terms. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that less is usually more…

Since its creation in 2001, the “emo-screamo” band Hawthorne Heights has seen the highs and lows of musical stardom. They’ve been on top of the world with the #3 Billboard debut of their album “If Only You Were Lonely.” They’ve been mired in the legal muck of court battles with the punk label Victory Records.

Now, the group of Ohio-based rockers has something darker and sadder to contend with: the loss of one of their own. On Saturday, 26-year-old guitarist Casey Calvert was found dead on the band’s tour bus.

Word of the musician’s death raced across the Web. By Sunday evening, searches for “casey calvert” (+492%) and “casey calvert hawthorne heights” (+496%) had increased sharply. Queries for “casey calvert death” grew nearly 300%, and interest in the band surged more than 400%. Demand for the group’s lyrics and news also swelled.

On their official site, Casey’s band mates assured fans that the guitarist was “not doing anything illegal” when he died. They also wrote, “Today is probably the worst day ever.” Judging from the outpouring in Search, they’re not lonely in their grief. 

We’re counting the days as January 18 draws closer. What’s special about that ho-hum Thursday in the middle of January? Well, that’s the date the shrouded-in-secrecy “Cloverfield” is scheduled to land in theaters.

The trailer for the mysterious monster movie made its debut back in July and sparked huge buzz. Since then, the buzz has quieted a bit, but an ardent group of movie buffs are still scouring the Web for the scoop on the flick.

This week we witnessed a 371% increase in searches on “cloverfield monster revealed” after a new trailer offered a glimpse of the horror to come. Related queries on “cloverfield monster” and “cloverfield trailer” have also smashed through the Search box. Diabolical director J.J. Abrams, the mastermind of all this hype, has jumped 116% in searches over the past week.

The Web-based viral marketing component has been key in keeping the movie’s buzz alive. Searches on “cloverfield clues” jumped 112% as sneaky sleuths attempted to unravel a few of the film’s mysteries. One question as of late—does the movie’s classified colossus have anything to do with the legendary Cthulhu? Searches on the horrific creation of author H.P. Lovecraft soared 64% this week as monstrous theories circulated around the Web.

We can’t tell if Cthulhu is involved in the Cloverfield saga, but the latest cinematic clue to make a splash in Search is “slusho.” Stir that latest tidbit with past buzzworthy bits such as “cloverfield myspace,” “ethan haas,” and “1-18-08” and you’ll find yourself knee deep in the film’s mysterious mythology.

It’s only the beginning of the holiday season, but people are already getting the jump on a January search trend—workouts. Last week’s turkey sent healthy-minded people searching for ways of dropping the upcoming party pounds.

By far, the most popular workout query is the “300 workout,” still a favorite from earlier this year. Touted as the successful routine behind “300” star Gerard Butler’s defined muscles, it’s no surprise that 79% of the lookups come from the dudes. Other searchers prefer to follow along in the footsteps of Navy Seals or Ryan Reynolds, or even target body parts like abs, chest, and back.

Take a deep breath before you try to lift our most popular “workout” searches from the past week…

Disconnect the cable. Shut down the satellite. Dump your DVR. All your shows belong to the Internet. With episodes airing all over the Web, the TV could join the 8-Track player in a landfill near you.

For digital dynamos who enjoy watching their favorite programs on the computer screen, we compiled a list of the most popular streaming shows. Here are this week’s top 20…

One thing to note from our list—the utter lack of reality. Are scripted shows the only ones worth streaming? While reality shows regularly top our list of most-searched shows, none cracked this top 20 of programs worth watching online. Perhaps those striking writers have a point…

If you’re one of the searchers who has been checking out “hairstyles with bangs,” be warned. We’ve also spotted queries that hint at post-haircut regret, including “how to fix short bangs” and “ways to grow bangs out.” Perhaps some of those pleas were follow-ups to earlier searches on the daring “how to cut your own bangs“?

Still, the locks of stars like Reese Witherspoon and Rihanna generate the kind of buzz that could send a girl to the salon. Nicole Richie in particular seems to inspire a desire for “side swept bangs.” Other celebs whose past and present bangs help maintain an appetite for “celebrity haircuts with bangs“? Kate Moss, Kate Beckinsale, Liv Tyler, and Heidi Klum.

“Side bangs” currently dominate the bangs search roster, though overall the requests get pretty specific depending on the hair needs and style goals of the user.

You’re got your “swoop bangs,” your “wispy bangs,” your “short choppy bangs,” and even your “emo bangs.” Some want “bob haircuts with bangs,” some are considering “short layered hair with bangs.” Hoping to find a style that will flatter your face and your God-given mane? “Face flattering bangs,” “African hairstyles with bangs,” and “curly hair with bangs” make the search longlist. There’s even a search for the commitment-phobes among you: “clip on bangs” could give you a taste of fashionable fringe, without any morning-after-the-haircut blues.