America Online Unveils Top Summer Searches
The Results from the “AOL Search Index”: Young, Hot Hollywood Rules, the Season of Reality TV has Re-emerged, Summer Movies are Heating Up and Live 8 Rocks
What trends, stars and television shows are going to be hottest this summer? AOL(R) Search, America Online’s popular search destination, announced this summer’s top searches based on what people and topics received the highest volume of online queries on the AOL(R) service, AOLSearch.com and the AOL.com(R) portal. From Big Brother to bikinis, Americans have made their voices heard through the “AOL Search Index,” identifying top trends of the summer season.
Top-Searched Actors: A Hot, Young Dynasty is Emerging
Angelina Jolie came in at the top of the list for most searched for summer stars, but the Mr. & Mrs. Smith star wasn’t alone; the tabloid rumors of “are they or aren’t they” have also helped launch co-star Brad Pitt to #5. Meanwhile, young, hot Hollywood is working its way to the top. We can only imagine the reaction from Paris Hilton was “That’s hot” upon learning she was the second most searched actor this summer, especially since she beat out pop princesses Jessica Simpson (#4) and Britney Spears (#8), who was #1 on the list in 2004. Even top actor Tom Cruise isn’t infallible to today’s hot young stars; Katie Holmes (#17) is far more popular with searchers than her new beau (#23). But surprisingly, John Cusack beat out both members of this power couple to reach #12.
Top Summer Movies: The Dukes Discover the Golden Ticket
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” almost discovered the golden ticket for this summer’s hottest movie searches, but found itself just behind #1 ranked “The Dukes of Hazzard” which isn’t releasing until three weeks after Charlie. It looks like they might have their very own golden ticket with star Jessica Simpson. The romantic comedy is also shaping up to be hot this summer, with John Cusack’s “Must Love Dogs” (#5) and Vince Vaughan’s “Wedding Crashers” (#8) romancing their way toward the top of the list.
Reality Television: Old Mainstays, New Favorites
Reality television is still popular, but which shows have the best shot of surviving for another season? According to searchers, former hits will top the Nielsens, including “Big Brother” (#1), which returns for season six. “The Real World: Austin,” the 16th season of the popular MTV hit, ranked #9 among AOL searchers. But a few new break-outs are already making their mark among television audiences. Surprise hit “Dancing with the Stars” has launched itself to the top of the ratings and to second place on the AOL Search list. New hit “Beauty and the Geek” finds itself at #7 beating out Britney Spears’ reality show “Britney & Kevin: Chaotic” (#12).
Live 8 Concerts Rock AOL Searches
The Live 8 concerts rocked to the top of the most searched topics on AOL, reaching #5 overall on July 2. More than 4,000 Live 8 related terms were searched for on the day of the concerts with “Live 8″ as the most popular, followed by schedules, t-shirts and merchandise. Strong search activity continues for Live 8 artists, presenters and videos with Pink Floyd (#1) as the most searched Live 8 performer, and Madonna (#2) and Green Day (#3) rounding out top spots. Songs from the concerts in all six cities that AOL broadcast live are available on demand at AOLmusic.com and searchable through AOL’s new Video Search product that was announced this week.
Not Afraid to Show Some Skin this Summer
Searchers aren’t afraid to bare it all this summer, ranking bikinis (#2), Speedos (#4), micro bikinis (#5) and string bikinis (#10) as top swimwear style picks this season. Searchers have also been prepping for fun in the sun by searching for their favorite sunglass and swimwear brands, ranking Oakley and Gucci as tops for sunglasses and Speedo and Venus as the top swimwear brands for men and women.
Some Like it Hot, as in 100 Degrees in the Shade
Despite triple digit high temperatures, Las Vegas ranked as the most searched city this summer, an honor Sin City held onto after being named #1 in 2004. Even in summer, the trend among travelers is warm destinations, including Florida (#2), Myrtle Beach, SC (#3), Hawaii (#4) and Mexico (#5), respectively.
Cocktail Influences: Manhattan to Mexico
“Sex and the City” may have ended its six-year run in 2004, but our favorite Manhattan foursome still clearly have an influence over our top cocktail choices, helping rank the Cosmopolitan as the #1 cocktail search this summer. Latin influences also spilled into our drink choices, ranking Margaritas (#3), Sangria (#4), Mojitos (#5) and Pina Coladas (#10) as top picks. Continuing last year’s trend, variations on the classic martini (#2) are once again hot too – both Appletinis (#9) and Chocolate Martinis (#15) are among the most searched cocktails.
“The activity that we see on AOL Search is an excellent gauge for the topics and people that are currently hot and also gives us insight into evolving trends before they hit the mainstream,” said Sarah Ivey, Search Trends Analyst for AOL Search. “Summer is always a time of travel and blockbuster movies, and by looking at search trends on AOL Search we have a unique and advanced perspective on who or what will be popular this season.”
Following are highlights from the top 2005 summer searches on AOL Search:
Top Celebrity Actors: 1) Angelina Jolie; 2) Paris Hilton; 3) Lindsay Lohan; 4) Jessica Simpson; 5) Brad Pitt; 6) Hayden Christensen; 7) Pamela Anderson; 8) Britney Spears; 9) Mariah Carey; 10) Rosario Dawson; 11) Oprah Winfrey; 12) John Cusack
Top Summer Movies Releasing Today or Later: 1) The Dukes of Hazzard; 2) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; 3) Fantastic Four; 4) Stealth; 5) Must Love Dogs; 6) Dark Water; 7) The Island; 8) Wedding Crashers; 9) Sky High; 10) Hustle & Flow; 11) The Devil’s Rejects; 12) Four Brothers
Top Reality / Unscripted TV Shows: 1) Big Brother; 2) Dancing with the Stars; 3) The Surreal Life; 4) Dog the Bounty Hunter; 5) Pimp My Ride; 6) Viva La Bam; 7) Beauty and the Geek; 8) Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; 9) Real World; 10) Hit Me Baby One More Time; 11) Hell’s Kitchen; 12) Britney and Kevin: Chaotic
Most Searched Live 8 Performers: 1) Pink Floyd; 2) Madonna; 3) Green Day; 4) Bon Jovi; 5) Mariah Carey; 6) Duran Duran; 7) U2; 8) Keith Urban; 9) Coldplay; 10) Josh Groban
Top Swimwear Styles: 1) Swimsuits; 2) Bikinis; 3) Plus-Size Swimsuits; 4) Speedos; 5) Micro Bikinis; 6) Tankinis; 7) Board Shorts; 8) Thong Bikinis; 9) Swimdresses; 10) String Bikinis; 11) One-Piece Swimsuits; 12) Skirtinis / Swimsuit Skirts
Top Destinations: 1) Las Vegas, NV; 2) Florida; 3) Myrtle Beach, SC; 4) Hawaii, 5) Mexico; 6) Puerto Rico; 7) Costa Rica; 8) Italy; 9) Niagara Falls; 10) Jamaica; 11) California; 12) Washington, DC
Top Theme Parks: 1) Disney World; 2) Six Flags; 3) Disneyland; 4) Sea World; 5) Busch Gardens; 6) Universal Studios; 7) Cedar Point; 8) Hershey Park; 9) Dollywood; 10) King’s Island; 11) King’s Dominion; 12) Knotts Berry Farm
Top Cocktails: 1) Cosmopolitan; 2) Martini; 3) Margarita; 4) Sangria; 5) Mojito; 6) Gibson; 7) Mint Julep; 8) Bloody Mary; 9) Appletini; 10) Pina Colada; 11) Sex on the Beach; 12) Long Island Iced Tea
A list of current top searches on AOL Search can be found at AOL Keyword: Hot Searches or on the web at http://hot.aol.com.
**Note to editors: We are happy to provide AOL Search Index results on a regular basis or on specific topics per your request.
About AOL Search
AOL Search is a popular Internet online search product available on the AOL.com(R) portal, AOLSearch.com and on the AOL(R) service. By combining a comprehensive range of features and programming with the reach of Web search powered by Google’s advanced technology, AOL Search provides a single destination from where people can find the best and most relevant content and information, news, images, products, local resources, audio and video media, and more online. Recently, AOL launched a new version of AOL Search with expanded offerings including a new sorting and “clustering” feature to help users zero in faster on more specific results; new “Snapshots” results which present editorial content and relevant information for a wide range of topics on top of Web search results; a new AOL Local Search service with one of the most extensive directories of local information; and a new AOL Video Search product that delivers a comprehensive repository of high-quality video content online in key categories from entertainment to news.
About America Online, Inc.
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