They're heeerrrre!

Near the end of every year, Google compiles and posts a selection of the most popular search terms as a snapshot of the zeitgeist of the previous year. I was browsing them and was surprised by some terms that came up that I hadn't heard before. This if course peaked my interest and I went about searching for them to see what made them so popular. For example, their list for Fast Rising (Global) searches for 2008 is:

1. sarah palin
2. beijing 2008
3. facebook login
4. tuenti
5. heath ledger
6. obama
7. nasza klasa
8. wer kennt wen
9. euro 2008
10. jonas brothers

Many of these are immediately recognizable, but I hadn't heard of tuenti, nasza klasa, or wer kennt wen. But now thanks to Wikipedia, I know what they are, and there is a definite theme. For those that don't want to look it up themselves but are still interested, I've summarized what I found:

• Tuenti.com (sounds like "twenty") is essentially a Spanish-language version of Facebook. Established in 2006, it's based in Madrid and is currently invite-only.
• Nasza-Klasa.pl ("our class") is essentially a Polish-language version of Facebook and does not require an invitation to join.
• Wer-Kennt-Wen.de ("who knows who") is essentially a German-language version of Facebook, established in 2006. According to it's Terms of Service, users must register with their real name; pseudonyms and stage names are not allowed.

Of the top 10 fastest rising searches, 4 are for social networking. Looks like we're a very social animal, no matter what language.

Esta ojos freaky!

This Geico insurance ad that I saw was a little odd and somewhat freaky. Turns out Geico's new ad company wants to use "Kash" as a new character.

This post has already been Godwinned

So it's been a couple days since my last post, but I've been saving up topics. I forgot to mention that I have two screenings I'm seeing this week. Neither of them are really marketing feedback viewings, mostly just to generate word of mouth because they're both close to release. The first one I'm seeing is tonight and it's Valkyrie, an historical drama starring a whole bunch of good British / Australian actors and Tom Cruise. Seriously: nearly all of the Germans in the trailer have Brit/Aussie accents and then there's Tom Cruise with his American drawl. I'm relatively interested in seeing it because I like most of the non-Tom Cruise actors: Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Eddie Izzard, to name a few (I love me some Izzard.) Coincidentally enough, the book I'm currently reading is an historical fiction (with a dash of sci-fi) set around the same time period (Nazis invade the south-east UK). I'm just hoping this movie is a little more like a caper film than a period film.

The second screening I'm seeing is tomorrow and it's for Frost/Nixon. This one I'm a little more interested in and actually was planning on seeing it anyway when it was released. It's a movie based on a play based on a series of 1977 interviews between English satirist/writer/journalist/television presenter David Frost and former President Richard Nixon (3 years after his resignation and pardon). Both Michael Sheen as Frost and Frank Langella as Nixon are reprising their London stage & Broadway roles for the film. I really liked Michael Sheen's portrayal of Tony Blair in The Queen and am looking forward to his role as the Cheshire Cat in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

I'll report back with my feelings and an arbitrary rating.

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