by Claudine Zap The comedian Stephen Colbert may be a fake TV pundit. But single-handedly saving the U.S. Speedskating team is completely, totally real. The satirical host got his just reward as he scored this month's cover of Sports Illustrated , an honor usually reserved for, well, actual athletes . Here's what happened: Colbert picked up on the news that the U.S. speedskating team was left on thin ice after its main sponsor, a Dutch bank, went belly up.

by Claudine Zap Forget about " 2012 ." We have seen the end of the world, and it's happening now. OK, not to our planet, but light years away a star like our sun is in its death throes. A dramatic â€" and eerie â€" video captured for the first time by researchers at Whipple Observatory  in Arizona gives the clearest look yet of what happens when a star dies â€" and gives us clues to the fate of our own sun. The death watch goes something like this. As reported by Physorg.com ,

by Mike Krumboltz Senator Joe Lieberman has never been one to shy away from controversy. The Connecticut lawmaker and former Democratic vice presidential candidate caused a huge stir when he spoke on John McCain 's behalf at the Republican National Convention in 2008. Now Sen. Lieberman is back in the political spotlight, thanks to his opposition to health care reform. Until very recently, Sen.

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Elin Nordegren )Searches increased by 931%(. Spotted: The wronged wife of Tiger Woods without wedding band . Courtney Love )+484%(. The singer lost guardianship of her son with Kurt Cobain . Michael J. Fox )+475%(. MTV has cast the re-make of the 1985 movie "Teen Wolf," which originally starred Fox . Ashley Dupree )+395%(.

by Claudine Zap The band is back together: James Horner, the guy who gave us the " Titanic " soundtrack, has collaborated with director James Cameron once again for " Avatar ." According to the Independent , the score features "lush evocative tracks," with titles like "The Bioluminescence of the Night." The new album also headlines the ballad from Leona Lewis , "I see you." In other words, "Titanic" redux. If you squint, the theme song even sounds Celine Dion-esque.

by Mike Krumboltz Attention, consumers: Only 11 more shopping days until Christmas. As for how many shipping days are left â€" well, that's a little trickier.  That question is top of mind for Web shoppers, who want to make sure their packages arrive in time to go under the tree. We took a look at some of the shipping charts from the USPS, UPS, and FedEx and summarized our findings below.

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Accenture )Searches increased by 707%(. The consulting firm is done with Tiger Woods, whose image is now less than squeaky clean . "60 Minutes" )+627%(. Note to anyone hoping to sneak into any presidential parties: Obama called the White House party crasher incident a "screw up" on the magazine show and says it won't happen again . Weekend Box Office )+384%(. "The Princess and the Frog" ruled . Bettycrocker.

by Mike Krumboltz President Obama got a lot of face time on TV this weekend. First on "60 Minutes," and then in a heavily hyped interview with Oprah Winfrey at the White House. During the two appearances, the commander in chief touched on a lot of different topics, some serious, some light. Below, we tracked down six of the most revealing and buzzy moments... His hardest decision... One can safely assume that the President makes dozens of gut-wrenching decisions every day.

by Mike Krumboltz In between the breathless updates on the Tiger Woods fiasco , several other stories inspired strong Searches and big buzz. This week, one of the most famous )and beautiful( couples in the world welcomed a baby boy, the inspiration for a famous cinematic character passed away, and an already-huge family got a little bit bigger. It's family time with the Buzz Week in Review.

by Claudine Zap There probably isn't a metaphor big enough to express the enormous anticipation around James Cameron's 3-D space epic, " Avatar ." Let's just say it's big. But without an actual film to see )opening day in the U.S. isn't until next week(, the crowds are going wild for, wait for it, "Avatar," the review . The alien love story starring Sam Worthington as the human and Zoe Saldana  as the alien previewed in London.

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Michelle Obama )Searches increased by 526%(. Named the most fascinating person of 2009 by Barbara Walters. Celiac disease )+368%(. Dr. Oz helped illuminate gluten-intolerance on his show with guest Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who suffers from the condition. Zhu Zhu Pet recall )+212%(. Federal officials moved quickly to give the toy a clean bill of health after a consumer group questioned the product's safety.

by Claudine Zap It's official. Tiger Woods is not just a golf prodigy. If the reports are true, the over-achiever managed to date a prodigious number of women, while also being married with a family. The many women linked to the professional athlete are catching some serious buzz, from adult film stars to pancake-house waitresses. But don't count this Tiger out: There are still more reports of liaisons with as-yet-unnamed women. Here, a cheat sheet, if you will,

by Claudine Zap Hugh Hefner )the man( has done a bang-up job with Hugh Hefner )the brand(. He's taken his Playboy empire from print to Web to reality show. Now there are rumors that he'll be played by " Iron Man " mega star, Robert Downey Jr.  An interview with the actor on FoxNews.com caused searches on "hugh hefner" to skyrocket. The " Sherlock Holmes " actor has got Hef's endorsement. The Playboy king told Fox , "Robert Downey Jr. and I have talked about it,

by Mike Krumboltz Many have wondered when Morgan Freeman would finally star in a movie as Nelson Mandela. This weekend, their wait ends as "Invictus" hits theaters. Also making some noise on the big screen: Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" and Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones." Which film should you see? Let's look at each with a critical eye... Invictus Directed by Clint Eastwood ,

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. Meteor shower )Searches increased by 3,203%(. Get ready for a free light show: The dramatic Geminid meteors will streak across the sky Sunday night . Holiday music online )+2,239%(. Did we mention free ? " Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince "  )+204%(. Now on DVD . Nobel Peace Prize )+195%(. The war-time president collected his peace prize . Gilt.com )+130%(.

by Claudine Zap We've heard of the Northern Lights . But we've never seen anything like this. The good people of northern Norway were recently treated to quite a display . As you'll see in the video , a town was lit up with what looks like a shooting blue star that burts into a giant white spiral that then beams a ray of blue light from its center. It is beautiful and baffling. And completely mysterious. Those who missed the Arctic show headed to the Web,

by Mike Krumboltz Earlier in the decade, Spider-Man was all the rage. Seven years and three movies later, folks have moved on to vampires and transforming robots. Still, rumors that the web-slinger will face off against a new pair of villains in " Spider-Man 4 " has sparked some tarantula-sized buzz.

by Mike Krumboltz Getting chubby? Maybe it's not your fault. Recent research shows that the slow economy may play a significant role in expanding waistlines. When people are out of work, they still have to eat, but they can't afford healthy food. So, consumers go for cheaper, more processed foods.

by Claudine Zap Our top picks from the day's hottest searches. As the World Turns )Searches increased by 1,549%(. Another knife in the heart for daytime soaps: The 54-year-old show will be canceled . Nicole Richie )+1,448%(. Nicole Richie meets the queen )the real one, from England(. Calls her a diva. Takes one to know one . Christmas gift ideas for her )+733%(. Here's an idea: Ask. World of Warcraft )+364%(. Say goodbye to your loved ones and grab a snack.

by Claudine Zap It may not be chic, like Ms. Pacman , or been featured in a Seinfeld episode, like Frogger . But Tetris did something in the '80s that made it a hit for the ages: It jumped from computer game consules onto Game Boys  )remember those?( and became a portable game that is now, really, everywhere: on your mobile, laptop, iPhone: Wherever you are, there Tetris is. The completely mesmerizing game goes way beyond a cult following, too: Yahoo!