Zimmerman Charged, FBI Most Wanted, Lollapalooza: What’s Spiking (Wednesday)

Becky Uline

The weekday report for the topics and people that are trending on
Yahoo! and across the Web for Wednesday April 11, 2012.

Research by Search editor Liz Streng

George Zimmerman will have his day in court. A new criminal tops the list of America's most wanted. Eager concertgoers are finally given the much anticipated lineup for the summer's biggest music festival. Catch up on what's topping today's searches.

STANDOUT SPIKES

  • Zimmerman Charged: George Zimmerman is to be charged in the February shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla. "State Attorney Angela Corey is scheduled to hold a news conference at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla., related to the Martin investigation." -- CBS News Related searches: george zimmerman, george zimmerman charged

  • FBI Most Wanted List: Alleged child pornographer Eric Toth has been added to the top 10, taking one of the spots left open by Osama bin Laden and Whitey Bulger. Related searches: fbi's most wanted, fbi most wanted, james whitey bulger (removed after arrest), ten most wanted fugitives

  • Lollapalooza 2012: Revealed this year's lineup on Wednesday, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Avicii, Justice, Florence + the Machine, the Shins and Jack White. The festival will be held in Chicago's Grant Park, August 3-5. Related searches: lollapalooza, lollapalooza lineup

NEWS & POLITICS

  • Indonesia Earthquake: A powerful 8.6 earthquake and aftershocks hit the southwest coast of Indonesia early Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted in most areas. Related searches: tsunami warning, acheh earth quake, gempa bumi, earth quake today

  • Taxi Drivers Killed: More violence hits Monterrey, Mexico, as gangsters with drug cartel connections are suspected in the shooting and killing of eight taxi drivers on Tuesday.

  • Bo Xilai: China's biggest political crisis in decades took a dramatic turn with the removal of Bo Xilai, one of the Communist Party's biggest stars, from his post and the arrest of his wife, Gu Kailai, on suspicion of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

  • Amur Leopard: The world's rarest feline has a new protected habitat in eastern Russia. The new national park will be the home of 40-50 of the remaining 400 or so Amurs known to exist, as well as other endangered species, and will welcome eco-tourists.

  • Contrail: A mysterious fireball that streaked across the Texas sky during the day on April 4 was actually a flying jet and its contrail, a NASA scientist has confirmed.

  • Erdne Ombadykow: The Philly-born child known to Tibetans as Telo Rinpoche was recognized as the reincarnation of the 11th-century Indian mystic Tilopa. He is now reviving Buddhism in Mongolia and Kalmykia, where 70 years of communist purges had silenced the faith.

  • Nontoxic Nail Polishes: Some nail polishes commonly found in California salons and advertised as free of a so-called "toxic trio" of chemicals actually have high levels of agents linked to birth defects.

  • South Korea UFO: An airplane passenger videoed a mysterious oval white object flying over Seoul, South Korea, April 7, igniting a firestorm of comments from people saying it's a UFO and experts claiming it's a fake. Related searches: ufo sightings

BUSINESS & MONEY

  • Student Loan Debt: Recent reports have some believing this could be the next credit bubble to burst. The average student loan debt has gone up 25 percent in the last 10 years, and cannot be dismissed via bankruptcy claims. Related searches: student loan debt forgiveness

  • Buffett Rule: President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats are pushing for a vote next week on a tax rate of 30 percent for those who make over $1 million a year. Obama stated that the proposed increase could also be called "The Reagan Rule," since the idea was supported by the former president and Republican icon.

  • Tax Tips: Less than a week remains to get taxes in to Uncle Sam. This year's deadline has been extended to Tuesday, April 17.

  • Billboard Apology: Purina's Tidy Cats is apologizing for a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign that compared a Cincinnati neighborhood to a stinky litter box.

ENTERTAINMENT

  • Bonnie Raitt: "Slipstream," the artist's first album in seven years, was released on Tuesday.

  • Dyngus Day: The Polish-American holiday is celebrated the day after Easter, most notably in Buffalo, N.Y. It received much publicity after Anderson Cooper couldn't stop laughing for 70 seconds while reporting on it during a segment for CNN.

  • Biggest Loser 2012: Tuesday night's episode featured Michelle Obama and her Let's Move campaign, plus the contestants got makeovers.

CELEBRITIES

  • Gary Ross: The director of "The Hunger Games" confirmed on Tuesday that he will not be directing the sequel, "Catching Fire."

  • Kate Upton Three Stooges: Kate Upton appears in the "The Three Stooges" reboot as a bikini-wearing nun. Related searches: three stooges premiere, kate upton, the three stooges

  • Leighsa Montrose: Ronnie Montrose's wife and manager. Montrose's death was ruled a suicide, and his blood alcohol level was at .31 percent at the time of his death. Leighsa revealed the final moments of Ronnie's life, including instant messages between the two where Ronnie says, "I have the .38 in my hand and am ready to go." She said the musician had struggled throughout his life with clinical depression and with alcohol.

  • Alec Baldwin: Baldwin took to Twitter to rant about the woman accused of stalking him, saying "Isn't it odd when an accused stalker is in handcuffs, being taken away by the cops, yet smiles for the cameras?" Experts are worried that Baldwin's tweets about his stalker may add fuel to the fire, since what stalkers want is attention.

  • Matt Groening: Reveals the true city behind fictional Springfield: It's in Oregon. Related searches: simpsons springfield

  • Steven Kanumba: More than 30,000 people attend the funeral of Tanzania's most popular film star, Steven Kanumba, who died on Saturday at the age of 28.

SPORTS

  • Bobby Petrino: The head football coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks has been sacked after the scandal broke that he had an affair with Jessica Dorrell, a woman half his age, and helped get her hired on his staff. Petrino issued an apology saying in part, "I have no one to blame but myself." Jessica Dorrell, has hired an attorney and may sue the university for sexual harassment. Related searches: arkansas razorbacks, arkansas coach fired, petrino, arkansas fires petrino, jessica dorrell

  • Scott Hall Arrested: Hall, who performed for Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment company under the name Razor Ramon in the mid-'90s, was arrested once again for allegedly choking his girlfriend.

  • Felipe Baloy: The Santos Laguna soccer player kindly stopped to pose for a photo with an adorable young fan, forgetting about the "Playboy" magazine he had in his hand.

  • Jalen Rose: The ESPN host called out his co-host, Skip Bayless, on false claims he made about his high school basketball career. Related searches: skip bayless, oklahoma city thunder

  • Vin Scully: Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully will miss the Dodgers' home opener for the first time in 35 years because of a cold.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WEB
What's popular on Yahoo!, Twitter, Google Trends, CNN, BBC, Hollywood Reporter and other sources.

Yahoo! News Most Popular

Twitter Trends (USA)

Reuters Top Stories

CNN Headlines

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