Brittany Murphy death is no hoax, Survivor survivor drops an F-bomb, Winter Solstice means more sunshine tomorrow

Monday, December 21 2009 06:45 | By D. Scriber |

Such is the cry-wolf mentality of Google Trends when it comes to celebrity mortality that the first assumption when a celebrity is reported dead is that it's not true. Sadly, that's not the case with Brittany Murphy, who died yesterday in Los Angeles, reportedly of a cardiac arrest. Murphy starred in Clueless; Girl, Interrupted; 8 Mile and other films. While her death report was at the top of the search list, other queries included questions about the actress's height and weight, and whether she was too skinny.

The Survivor franchise of "stranded on an island and must win at any cost" reality TV locked in a few slots in the top ten searches: One was a search for the definition of "feckless" (which means weak and incompetent) after one contestant used the word to describe another; the other was for "Survivor Heroes vs. Villains," the theme of the 2010 season, featuring good guys and bad guys (and gals) from previous episodes. We hope the woman who dropped the feckless-bomb is included. It's many a dscriber's dream to win a test of physical and mental endurance on national TV and then give a speech that the average reality TV viewer needs to Google to understand.

There's a rumor that Khloe Kardashian (wife of the Los Angeles Lakers' Lamar Odom and arguably the brightest of the Kardashian family's low-energy light bulbs) is pregnant. It seems pointless to hunt down whether or not it's true.

Today is Winter Solstice, which means that although it won't warm up very soon, the days will start to get longer, a blessing for those who crave Vitamin D. It's good news too for you East Coast readers, who are enjoying an early white Christmas. Some areas on the eastern seaboard saw nearly two feet of snow, including as far south as Virginia. Therefore, it's little surprise that the remainder of searches are for school closures due to weather. Which raises an interesting question: What schools are still open on Christmas week, snow or no snow?

About this dscriber.com column: Like a horoscope, but applicable to anyone with an Internet connection, Daily Cup O'Google reaches into the collective consciousness of frequently googled search terms each morning to predict, at a glance, what conversations will dominate your day and shape the 24-hour news cycle.

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