The Buzz Week in Review

The Buzz Week in Review

by Vera H-C Chan
September 5, 2008 05:00:00 PM

Despite a three-day weekend, the Buzz was buffeted by hurricanes, the Republican National Convention, and slap shots over Sarah Palin. Still, life slogged on, football season started, and zucchinis went to great lengths. Let's put political differences aside and take a look back at what else got readers abuzz with the most popular and (mostly) apolitical stories this week.

In a World Where Farewells Are Hard to Say
Three men known best for their voices passed on this week: movie-trailer basso profundo Don LaFontaine, good ol' boy country-singer Jerry Reed, and "Peanuts" animator Bill Melendez. Besides numerous queries for LaFontaine's soundboards, voice clips, and salary, the Minnesotan was remembered for his rare on-camera work in a Geico ad. Mourners reminisced about Atlanta-born Reed's music, recurring "Smokey and the Bandit" role, and defining hit "Amos Moses." Last but not least, Mexican-born Melendez worked closely with Charles M. Schulz to bring his "Peanuts" comic strip to TV, and notably provided the barks and chirps of Snoopy and Woodstock. To all, a fond sendoff.

Two Who Didn't Get Away ... and One Who Did
After months of sordid investigations, angry denials, and a roughed-up process server, searches soared again after Kwame Kilpatrick ended his reign as Detroit's "Hip-Hop Mayor" with a plea deal for obstructing justice. The Detroit Free Press chronicled his glory days and explained how his flaws symbolized the Motor City itself.

While he got four months, former D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff got four years, and was quite poetic at his sentencing. He declared himself a "broken man" whose "name is the butt of a joke, the source of a laugh and the title of a scandal." Yes, a book is coming. Meanwhile, the FBI doubled the reward for the capture of elusive Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, age 79 but still on the run.

Power Through Body Language and Napping
All the talk about leading the country may have helped InsideCRM get those approving votes for its meticulous leadership training on how to command respect through body language. The blog gives do's ("spread weight evenly on both feet") and don'ts (excessive blinking), explaining what impressions each gives off. Readers perhaps tuckered out by the exercises went for power napping and this dreamy roundup of sleeping pods.

Finally, Fatherhood in the Buzz ...
• Tiger Woods had to bow out after the U.S. Open, but the break gives the golfer time to prepare for his second child. Wife Elin Nordegren is due in late winter.
• David Spade proved his surname wrong, after news emerged he was the father of a Playboy Playmate's daughter. Impressed searchers vaulted the comedian's buzz up 650%.

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Bills' Comment: I was saddened to hear about the deaths of Mr. LaFontaine and Mr. Reed. Thank you for your contributions while you were with us. Both of you will be missed.

David Spade a father? What the f**k? I hope the baby looks more like her mother, especialy since she is a former Playboy Playmate. Insert any other comments here.