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Tragedy struck this May after a cyclone devastated Myanmar and an earthquake killed thousands in China. In the political realm, primaries continued to dominate online searches, but the diagnosis of Senator Ted Kennedy’s brain tumor made the statesman one of the most queried Democrats of the month. These stories and many others reverberated through Search.

Unnatural Disasters
The number of casualties is still unknown in Myanmar, but the cyclone itself and the junta’s role spurred readers to dig deeper into the story. The evolving story in China, on the other hand, sparked similar map lookups but also had readers monitoring the aftershocks, the country’s endangered dams and bridges, relief funds, the country’s one-child policy, and Sharon Stone’s regretful comments.

Two Degrees of “Idol”
Date an Idol, revive a flagging career. Among the television finales firing up searches, “American Idol” climbed past Miley Cyrus and the IRS to make the top 20 searches. David Cook won (as early Buzz Log numbers projected), and took his newfound cred to ask out season 2 competitor and TV Guide Network talk show host Kimberly Caldwell, setting off a domino search explosion for the peroxide blonde.

Scant weeks after Mariah Carey’s “Idol” mentorship, the singer hitched with Nick Cannon and provoked for look-ups for her nuptials, age, bio, wedding pictures, and her rock.

Track Records
The fabled tradition of the Kentucky Derby took a grisly turn when downed horse Eight Belles had to be put down. The winner of that race, Big Brown, however turned the conversation to a Triple Crown contention when he won the Preakness 2008.

As women like Danica Patrick and Gina Carano make Search headway, NCAA softball has also seen a 12% increase in searches compared to this same time last year.

Other newsmakers among the fastest moving searches in May…

…The Samsung Glyde, another attempt to slay the iPhone, gets techies looking but scores a “meh” from the critics.

…Is honoring Mom becoming perfunctory? Searches for “mother’s day” have dropped 20% since last year. Unless the online “Grand Theft Auto IV” hysteria was really just gift shopping for mom…

… “Iron Man” still holds the lead in 2008 box office receipts and searches, and gave its Robert Downey, Jr. redemption and perhaps closer to his onscreen persona’s wealth… at least, if he did his royalties right.

Ever open your mouth and wish you’d just kept it closed? Join the club. This week, several famous folks made comments they’d like stricken from the record. Take a look back at the awkward gaffes from the week that was.

Hillary Clinton’s alarming comparison
Senator Clinton, in an attempt to argue that the battle for the Democratic nomination is far from over, made an unfortunate comparison to the 1968 race in which Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. The “Hey, you never know…” comment outraged Obama supporters who criticized Clinton’s poor choice of words. The former First Lady later apologized, but that didn’t stop folks from buzzing related articles including one from the always popular New York Post.

Sharon Stone: Not real popular in China
While on the red carpet at Cannes, Sharon Stone made one of those comments that was both insensitive and just plain dumb. When asked about the recent Chinese earthquake that killed thousands of people, Ms. Stone suggested it might be karma for China’s treatment of Tibet. Not surprisingly, China took umbrage at the insinuation and Stone apologized faster than you can say “Basic Instinct 3.” Unfortunately, the apology may be too late—Cristian Dior already dropped her as a spokesmodel. Now that’s karma. (Oh, and for those who are interested, HowStuffWorks explains how karma really works.)

Rachael Ray’s controversial… scarf?
We never thought scarves could be “controversial,” but then again, we’ve never had our neckwear critiqued by millions of people. Rachael Ray wore a fringed scarf for a recent Dunkin Donuts ad, and a blogger pointed out that scarf was similar to “the type typically worn by Muslim extremists.” Others voiced their opinions and pretty soon, Dunkin Donuts pulled the ad. The New York Times recaps this textbook example of the Web’s massive influence.

Other apologies making the rounds…
• Bear Sterns chairman Jimmy Cayne apologized to an auditorium of employees for the pain caused by the company’s misfortune. The employees’ reaction? Dead silence. Can you say “awkward”?
• Christian Siriano, winner of “Project Runway,” apologized for derogatory comments he made toward transsexuals.
• Finally, some folks just don’t “do” apologies. Danica Patrick has no plans to apologize for storming toward Ryan Briscoe’s pit stall after Briscoe inadvertently knocked her from the Indy 500. That’s right—you stay mad, Danica. 

Ever since word hit that Hollywood’s hunkiest bachelor is free, free, free, Buzz has been aglow with articles about George Clooney. “Clooney loose,” cried the New York Post. “George is back on the market,” declared the New York Daily News. “Time to take up cocktail waitressing,” crooned Shine. Searchers were so eager for more on the split that lookups for Clooney’s ex, Sarah Larson, rose a staggering 9,582% yesterday.

While Sir George was breaking up, other celebs were hooking up – or at least, enjoying the attention of such rumors. David Cook, the newest winner of “American Idol,” stirred searches with speculation that he might be dating another ex-Idol, Kimberly Caldwell. Queries for the lucky lady promptly posted a 9,446% gain.

Cynthia Nixon, meanwhile, sparked a flurry of attention by appearing publicly with her long-time girlfriend, Christine Marinoni. Search logged a slew of queries for “cynthia nixon girlfriend,” while New York Magazine pondered how this attention plays in to the publicity for the “Sex and the City” opening.

Actors and singers aren’t the only public figures to grab attention this week with news of their significant others. Among the week’s fastest moving “girlfriend” searches, athletes also scored points for driving searchers to the Web for more on their love…

Imagine what it was like to be a hipster before the Internet. Oh my, it must have been tough. Cool dudes and dudettes had to travel from thrift store to thrift store in covered wagons. And, when they arrived, there was no guarantee that the store would have any ironic t-shirts or faux fur jackets in stock. Truly, these were trying times.

Now, of course, everything has changed. The Web has made it far easier to join the ranks of the tragically hip. Want proof? Every week we see scores of searches on all things retro. Retro clothes? Check. Retro glasses? Yep. Retro kitchen appliances? Believe it or not, yes.

But those aren’t the most popular retro-related lookups. That title belongs to a certain kind of sneaker—”retro air jordans.” The old-school kicks endorsed by Michael Jordan are absolutely huge in Search. People drive the lane for specific models, colors, and even sizes.

Below, we take a step back and list the top 20 retro searches from the past week. Don a perfectly distressed leather jacket and authentic Jordache jeans and take a look.

It’s double entendre week at the Buzz Multiplex. “Sex” pairs with “Strangers” on the marquee, and documentary “Bigger, Stronger, Faster,” about America’s roid rage, sparks mild interest. “The Strangers” follows the usual pattern of horror films with a strong showing in Search, partly because of its vague “based on a true story” claims. Crime fans are researching possible cinematic inspirations like the “keddie cabin murders” and the Manson murders and Barbara Hoyt.

The weekend, though, is all about “Sex.” Is this really the unadulterated chick flick of the year? Unless those 35% of males searching for “sex and the city” are just looking up the title for the articles, the appeal looks to go beyond broads. (For men who want to articulate how much they don’t want to see the Manhattan femmes, New York Magazine obliges with reader suggestions ranging from a preference for a “light flick on the nose” to being “punched in the stomach by the guy that killed Houdini.”)

Still, ”Sex” ranks as the top female bonding film of the year, especially among ladies 13-44. Radar Online may feel the need to go on the defensive about “Sex” appeal, but searchers have been unashamedly clamoring to find “spoilers,” learn “trivia,” catch up on “episodes” and “cast,” buy “tickets,” and read “reviews.”

In response, EW.com provides an episode guide, and Yumsugar probes the foursome’s influence on non-carnal appetites then and now. The Miami Herald delves into the hysteria with a cast interview that includes Chris Noth while Philly.com exposes the male handiwork behind the “SATC” mythology.

Associated Press caught up readers with the foursome and the actresses. Surprisingly, while the primary protagonist “carrie bradshaw” is the clear character favorite, Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t lead the cast queries unless one lumps in searches for her Bitten clothing line.

More surprisingly, while the females make up the majority of movie searches, the guys comprise most of the actresses’ online following. Muse over this paradox while checking out most popular “SATC” women… and their men.

Scott McClellan was the White House press secretary for three years. During that time, he defended the Bush Administration on such hot-button topics as the Valerie Plame affair and the Iraq war. Now, with the publication of a furious memoir, the Texas Republican has let us know what he really thinks about the experience. And it isn’t pretty.

Lashing out at “Washington’s culture of deception,” the one-time member of the Bush inner circle has lambasted his ex-employer. Does the White House like it? No. Is the public interested? Oh, yes.

Over the past 24 hours, news and opinion about the book have blazed across the Web. In Buzz, articles examining McClellan and his tell-all tome have exploded in number. Among the most popular posts, The Huffington Post offers an interview with the publisher, Matt Cooper reminisces about the ex-press secretary’s tenure, and TIME has posted a quick review of the book. Did we mention the memoir is currently the #1 seller on Amazon?

In Search, the stats are equally impressive. Demand for “mcclellan” jumped 669% yesterday, landing in our top 15 movers for the day. Queries for “scott mcclellan” rose 278%, and lookups for his biography and his book have surged. As the former spokesman continues to hit the publicity trail, we expect to see McClellan facing more questions, more controversy, and much more buzz.

Gamers annihilate aliens, win Super Bowls, and save galaxies. And yet their victories are rarely appreciated or even acknowledged by anyone out of earshot.

The Xbox 360’s achievement system is changing all that. Achievements are “game-defined goals” that, when reached, reward the player with achievement points (scoring five touchdowns before halftime, for example). Achievement points go towards ones “gamerscore,” which is visible across the Web. The higher the gamerscore, the more hardcore the gamer.

Is there any monetary reward? No. It’s all about bragging rights, and for gamers, that’s enough. Some peeps are so obsessed with points that they search for tips on how to get ‘em in various games. You see, it’s not always obvious what you have to do to score. 

Below we list the top 20 Xbox 360 achievement searches from the past week. Not suprisingly, Grand Theft Auto IV is number one with its myraid goals. Look ‘em up and be rewarded. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to blow up 10 cars in 10 seconds for 20 points. 

We’re just two weeks out from the rumored release of the new iPhone, and speculation is flowing fast and free in Buzz. Will it be solar powered? Will it allow geo-tagging? Will it sashay down the aisles in a variety of stylish colors? And most importantly, will it be ours?

Playing coy, Apple refuses to confirm that a new version of the sleek mobile masterpiece is, in fact, coming. But fans of the design-oriented company seem convinced. Over the past seven days, hundreds of news reports and blog posts have fanned the high-tech frenzy.

Search is equally enthralled. Demand for “new apple iphone” rose 160% over the past seven days. Among the fastest moving queries, “3g iphone,” “new iphone,” and “3g iphone rumors” have all picked up speed. Some intrepid fans have refused to leave anything to chance, seeking “new iphone 2” at the Search box, as if there were another new Apple phone waiting in the wings. But then, one never knows.

Until Steve Jobs takes the stage at Apple’s Wordwide Developers Conference, all of this “iphone” chatter remains just speculation—and red-hot buzz.

Few celebrities are worshipped like Oprah Winfrey. And yet, according to the New York Times, Oprah’s influence may be on the decline.

The Times reports that “the average audience for ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ has fallen nearly 7 percent this year.” The article goes on to explain that her magazine, O, is losing subscribers, and some of her longtime fans are upset with her endorsement of Barack Obama. All that may be true, but there is another factor to consider—Oprah’s hold over Search. Is it waning as well?

In a word, no. Searches for “oprah” are 19% higher in the first five months of 2008 than they were during the last five months of 2007. In early April, when Oprah interviewed the pregnant man, queries on the media mogul soared 68% and related searches on “pregnant man oprah” and “oprah interviews pregnant man” spiked enormously.

But that famous chat wasn’t the only topic that drew searches. When Valerie Bertinelli talked about weight loss, folks looked up “walkvest,” her not-so-secret weapon. Ditto for Dr. Oz and Bob Greene. When these health gurus come on the show, viewers turn to the Web for more information and advice. And when David Cassidy stopped by, searches on the former teen idol went through the roof. Think that level of interest would have happened without Oprah?

It’s also worth noting that it’s not just about the TV show. Oprah’s online seminar on Eckhart Tolle and “A New Earth” inspired a huge following in Search. Queries on “oprah.com” and “oprah.com a new earth” roared throughout the 10 week webinar.

Oprah’s viewership may be slipping, but we’d be hard-pressed to come up with another public figure who inspires searches like the queen of daytime TV. Oprah, we see no need to panic—you’re still the biggest influencer in town.

In the wilds of the southern U.S.—and particularly among the sawgrass marshes and mangrove clusters of Florida’s Everglades—a hefty, hairy, and elusive creature reportedly lurks. Called the “skunk ape,” this oversized mystery is said to be a near-relative of Bigfoot’s. It’s also, apparently, quite stinky.

The malodorous biped may be shy, but yesterday it made a splashy appearance in Search. After ABC-7 reported that a researcher claims to have located the beast’s Florida breeding grounds, demand for “skunk ape” broke into our top movers, finally landing as Monday’s #2 breakout search. Investigative lookups ranging from “skunk ape sightings” to “florida skunk ape photographs” also heaved upwards.

If the secret lair of the skunk ape is really out there, searchers from as far off as North Dakota and Maine want to know about it. But can they take the stench?