At a time when technology keeps shortening words to four letters or fewer, are dictionaries still meaningful? You betcha. Even when school's out )for most(, searches for dictionaries are up 14% compared to this same period last year. Throw in foreign language look-ups, and the need to know goes up 18%. Besides vocabulary, searches for medical dictionaries rose 63% compared to last year. And we thought " cyberchondria " was so last year . )No,

Philologists , rejoice. Wordsmiths worked themselves up in a lexical lather after Merriam-Webster recently  added more than 100 new words. Now their wordly obsessions can reach a new level with Scrabble's new online game . Or will they? Hold your Qs and Js... isn't there already a fabulous, albeit contentious, version made popular by Facebook? After all, Scrabulous probably spurred the leap in " scrabble dictionary " searches,

When is a car not just a car? Two specific examples come to mind. First, when it's )partially( powered by solar panels. And second, when the voice of KITT from Knight Rider spews directions. The Toyota Prius , already the poster-car for eco-friendly driving, may be planning a model with solar panels. According to The Daily Green , the panels "will produce enough electricity to keep the air conditioner running, eliminating a summertime drain on the gas tank.

Following in the high-heeled footsteps of " Sex and the City: The Movie " comes another film that's sure to make boyfriends around the world run for cover. Prepare thyself for " Friends: The Movie ." Mwa ha ha! That's right, kids. Rumor has it that there is renewed interest in bringing the six fabulously perky and quirky New Yorkers to the big screen. You can either thank or blame "Sex and the City" for this news.

" Rain Man " was an Oscar-winning film about an autistic man and his self-absorbed brother getting to know each other. Now, in an acknowledgement that the theatrical community is just as starved for ideas as Hollywood, the film is being adapted for an on-stage production at London's West End. Near as we can tell, it's not a musical. So, you needn't worry about a ballad dedicated to Judge Wapner or a rousing refrain on "excellent drivers." Phew!

Before Dawson went up a Creek, before the Girls who Gossiped, before we were rudely welcomed to "The O.C." there was " Beverly Hills, 90210 ." As you've probably heard, the granddaddy of all teen angst dramas is getting a reboot. And rumor has it that Shannen Doherty may return to the zip code that made her a star. Several sources within the Buzz are in a tizzy over the news. iVillage writes that Shannen is interested in reprising her role as "bratty Brenda Walsh,

Today is a big day in California and Washington. Drivers who chat on their cell phones must use a handsfree device or speaker phone or they risk facing the wrath of John Q. Law. The new law is no surpriseâ€"drivers have had ample warning, and many have taken the opportunity to acquire )or at least search for( the necessary equipment. Queries for " bluetooth headsets " have soared 2,751% during the past 30 days.

Leading June's fastest moving searches, newsman Tim Russert's unexpected death triggered an astonishing outpouring online. His passing was followed by comedian and cultural commentator George Carlin. The international soccer tournament besieged Search, while Tiger Woods bogged down Internet traffic during his knee-buckling win. Meanwhile, Gina Gershon moved from entertainer to newsmaker with the stroke of one Vanity Fair article and much political buzz .

Giving birth is a miracle unlike any other. Alas, for the woman performing the miracle, it's also a bit painful. Women in labor need all the comfort they can get, so it's no surprise that many expectant moms want to choose the music they'll hear in the delivery room. Nicole Kidman 's selection of tunes recently hit the Web and caused a stir in the Buzz. Nicole's musician husband, Keith Urban , will get plenty of airplay during her upcoming hospital stay. However,

Rising dairy prices , disappearing honey bees , and ice cream truck gas prices . These threats to America's favorite frozen dessert are enough to make you scream. Grim news greets National Ice Cream Month . Most notable is the apiarian connection : The loss of bee hives means less workers to aid crops )and flavors( like almonds, cherries and strawberries. Haagen Dazs is raising research funds from proceeds of its honey vanilla edition,

Why would MTV invite  Britney Spears  back to the Video Music Awards? Why did Amy Winehouse lunge at a fan? And why in the world are honeybees disappearing? This past weekend, Buzz visitors wanted answers. A comeback to a comeback? Britney's comeback attempt at last year's Video Music Awards was, for lack of a better word, disturbing. You'd think MTV wouldn't want to subject its audience to another spectacle, but you might be mistaken. According to Access Hollywood ,

Of all the politicians to put a damper on fireworks, who knew it'd be Arnold? Governor Schwarzenegger, as Californians say with a straight face, recently pled with residents to abstain from pyrotechnics because of wildfires plaguing the Golden State. Maybe that'll dissuade a few do-it-yourselfers who have been looking online for ways to fire up the Fourth. Besides checking out brands like " phantom " and " tnt ," people have been pondering " how to make fireworks ,

Washington, D.C. is many things. Mature ain't one of 'em. Name-calling is rampant and holding grudges may as well be the official sport. Still, we never knew how much American politics resembled the typical eighth grade classroom until recently. Consider the blessing and the curse that is Barack Obama fandom. Probably the closest thing politics has to a rock star, the candidate has received many celebrity endorsements. One of the most intriguing came from Scarlett Johansson .

How does this look on a TV producer's resume: short-listed for an Emmy, didn't make the nominee cut? The Academy of Television Arts & Science, still smarting over the leaks that put its 2007 list online ahead of schedule, released this year's top 10 finalists four weeks early. The short list will then be chopped down by half for the formal July 17 announcement. Is this unprecedented move the savviest political action?

As we barrel toward the start of the Summer Olympics, buzz for the games is building. Over the past week, hundreds of articles have zeroed in on the August events, covering everything from China's handling of the sporting extravaganza to the line-up of the U.S. men's basketball team . In Search, demand for " 2008 olympics " and " 2008 olympic trials " continues to mount. However, not all medal mania is focused on the opening ceremonies in Beijing. In fact,

Yin-yang rules the Buzz Multiplex this week in another double-release, as well-intentioned assassins face down a lovable trash compactor. This could get ugly-cute. 1. " Wanted " )R(. The massive Angelina Jolie appeal has been probed at length, so let us move on to why else the "brotherhood of assassins" might have a killer box-office weekend. For one thing, Russian-Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov brings his cult-following cred. Besides Jolie,

A Hollywood writer goes on strike , and summer television overflows with the stench of reality TV. Who knows then what horrors await should the Screen Actors Guild strike in July. The New York Times reports that while the writers' strike actually helped some TV shows get ahead, major film projects may be endangered. We can imagine: Would director Ridley Scott be forced to defy Hollywood tradition and hire an actual Englishman to play Robin Hood for his film "Nottingham" ?

Important safety tip: Do not do anything stupid or violent in the presence of Tim McGraw . If you do, there is an excellent chance he will pull you up on to the stage by your belt and shove you into the waiting arms of security. Such an incident transpired at a recent concert. A audience member apparently struck a woman. Whether on purpose or accidental, we're not sure. What we do know is that Mr. McGraw did not like what he saw. After motioning for security,

Just when are voters supposed to buy their bumper stickers? With the Democratic primaries at last concluded, the citizenry is now supposed to concentrate on the candidates' message... except they're distracted by the gaping hole where a vice president should be standing. Impatient toe-tapping over " obama vice president candidates " )+540%( and, less so, " mccain vice president " has reverberated throughout Search.

Wimbledon is a tradition. And we say that in the most traditional sense of the word. What other sporting event asks that players wear all white? You might think that the stuffy restriction wouldn't leave room for fashion, but you'd be mistaken. Though the tournament is barely under way, fans have already been treated )or subjected to( several memorable outfits from the players.