The Caped Crusader has already crushed the box office, must he dominate innocent felted Muppets, too? The hotly anticipated Elmo Live will make his retail debut in October. The talented little guy sings, cracks jokes, and tilts his head. After Elmo's spectacular showing at the industry toy fair, retailers talked excitedly of a " crush of consumer demand " for the mobile plaything. Yesterday, stores began accepting pre-orders for the king of cute.

Finding your one true mate takes a lot of heartfelt consideration. Despite the early guessing games , both Barack Obama and John McCain have refused to engage in any whirlwind political courtships. As the Washington Post points out , the very timing of a running-mate announcement takes on huge political implications. McCain and Obama may also be waiting to see who the other guy comes up with, and will then try to pick a more attractive candidate. Yeah, it's prom politics. But,

Life is full of little disappointments. Most people take 'em in stride, but not everyone can let bygones be bygones. Over the past few days, several people have called 911 to report, to put it mildly, "non-urgent issues." One person called the emergency line after a Subway restaurant left the hot sauce off his sandwich . Sheesh, why not call the FBI, too? Another person dialed 911 after he lost some money in a slot machine .

A grim chapter in Rwanda's history has just been re-opened, and it ain't pretty. Searches for Rwanda )+191%( and genocide )+44%( surged on news that the country issued a damming report implicating the French government in arming and training militias responsible for the 1994 mass killings. The report names names, accusing former French President François Mitterrand and former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin .

Federal officers indicted John "Junior" Gotti on charges of racketeering, murder, and drug trafficking today. Once word of the arrest broke online, searchers turned out in droves to e-gawk at the alleged mafia lord and various members of his extended clan. Demand for " john gotti jr arrest " and " john gotti " vaulted upwards, while interest in " gambino crime family " and " gotti family " charted a fast and furious rise.

There are resignation letters, Dear John letters, thank you letters... but was the White House behind an Iraqi intelligence official's fake letter to Saddam Hussein that linked the former Iraqi leader, the 9/11 hijackers, and weapons of mass destruction? Radar Online explains that the 2003 letter is " old news ," and was quickly sussed out as a forgery.

Let's just put the rumor to rest now. Despite searches for "bernie mac died" )+520%(, "when did bernie mac die" )+288%( and the grammatically incorrect  "is bernie mac died" )+428%(, the comedian is very much alive. But thank you for the concern. Mr. Mac was hospitalized with pneumonia and is responding well to treatment. Another rumor that won't go away: Former presidential candidate John Edwards , allegedly caught in a New York hotel with a woman who had his love child,

If you can't get enough of this seemingly endless campaign for the next. President. Of the. United. States, you're in luck: there are plenty of places to track how the populace feels about the two major presumptive candidates at any given moment. What you won't get is closure: the neck-and-neck nature of this year's presidential election ensures that on any day John McCain )R-Aziz.( is ahead, then on the next day, Barack Obama )D-Ill.( will be. Or even on the same day.

Dieters, step right up to meet the latest and the leanest. From Prevention magazine comes the " Flat Belly Diet ," a new weight-loss regime emphasizing foods that " whittle away " fat in the stomach. Never ones to play couch potatoes, the Prevention editors behind the diet have already logged miles on the promotions circuit. A web site, TV appearances from the diet's co-creators, and the publication of a "mini-mag" have all contributed to a growing chorus of belly buzz.

" The Dark Knight " is still on the tip of everyone's tongue. But now, instead of folks breathlessly asking each other if they'd seen it, talk has turned to speculation over Batman 's next foe. Who's it gonna be? iVillage is reporting that the Caped Crusader may take on the Riddler in " Batman 3 ." According to the rumor mill, Johnny Depp might sign on to play the nefarious super-criminal.

Searches on " breast cancer " are up 222%, likely a reaction to the news that Christina Applegate )+ 3,855%( has been diagnosed with the disease. Fortunately, it's been detected early and is said not to be life-threatening. Searches on " breast cancer symptoms " are also up 153%. Lookups for " valerie plame ," the CIA spy outed by columnist Robert Novak, spiked 519%. The renewed interest was likely spurred by news that Novak, recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, has retired.

The latest mid-century trend? Mid-century birthdays. Ever since the first one popped out in 1946, Baby Boomers have been steering American culture. The group just become eligible for Social Security checks, but there's even a bigger Baby Boom hump coming: Of the generation born 1946-1963, Census figures show the last leg )45-49 year olds( isâ€"at 7.6%â€"also its biggest subgroup. They also tie with the 40-44 year olds as the biggest subgroup among Americans of all ages.

Will the undead nudge Batman from atop the Buzz Multiplex? Can Kevin Costner break his streak of mediocrity with a swing? And have audiences at long last found this year's hit documentary? Tune in... now. 1. " The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon " )PG-13(. Critic-proof and plot-resistant , the third installment of "The Mummy" brings the next archaelogical generation ) Luke Ford ( and his suspiciously young-looking parents ) Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello ( into the top 4,

On Tuesday, the crack bloggers at Gawker put aside their daily feed of celebrity stalking and media scandal to report on a major breaking story : A "dead monster" had washed up on a beach in the Hamptons. The creatureâ€"a bedraggled, hairless thing that looks part dog, part turtle, part creepy beaked messâ€"certainly appears fearsome enough to qualify as a monster. Whether it also qualifies as real remains to be seen.

Keira Knightly is getting plenty of props )and buzz( for refusing to be genetically modified on the screen for her upcoming film, " The Duchess ." Could she be more open to being transformed from flower girl to upper-class lass for a remake of " My Fair Lady "? Indeed, Guv'nor! Knightley, who spiked 390% in Search over the last seven days, is in talks for the film's leading role. The story certainly has a history. It's a classic Greek myth " Pygmalion and Galatea ,

" Spider-Man 3 " wasn't the critical darling its two predecessors were. But it still made a ton of money, and in Hollywood, that's enough to justify a sequel... or, in this case, a spin-off . According to the Hollywood Reporter , Sony is considering making a new film that centers around Spider-Man 's nemesis, Venom . The mutated villain played a pivotal role in the last movie, and has long been a fan favorite. Searches on the evil creature are still impressive,

July is supposed to be about barbecues, vacations, and leisure. Instead, high gas prices meant people were stuck at home )if they weren't foreclosed, that is(, focusing on saving money, dark knights, and celebrity babies. Here are a few items that blew through Search this month. Tossing Oil and Money into the Wind So for an 80-year-old guy, oilman T. Boone Pickens 's windy talk about energy resources moved quickly )+67,360%( up the Search charts.

Ever since Dracula ominously declared that he "never drinks... wine," mortals have been obsessed with vampires. "Twilight" is the latest franchise to take advantage of the morbid fascination. Already a successful series of books, " Twilight " steps into the Buzz spotlight thanks to a new novel and an avalanche of anticipation surrounding the upcoming film. First upâ€"the book. Set to hit store shelves at midnight )how appropriate( on Saturday,

Everyone knows that a wedding presents fashion dilemmas for the bride. But the beleaguered lady isn't the only one to wrestle with the style demands of the day. Judging by Search, her guests are equally torn over what to zip on for the festive occasion. Over the past week, thousands of people consulted the Web for help on what to wear to particular events. Of the top 20 queries, more than a quarter focused on weddings . With today's wide array of nuptial venues and times,

The sports jersey, as donned by fans, is popular despite many obstacles. First, they're expensive. Second, if worn in a hostile neighborhood )a Red Sox jersey in the Bronx, for example(, fisticuffs may ensue. And third, jerseys are often quickly outdated since athletes are switching teams with ever increasing frequency. And yet... people love 'em. Every week, we see countless searches on all kinds of sports jerseys.