Spears bested World Wrestling Entertainment, Barack Obama, Miley Cyrus and the online game "RuneScape" as the five most-searched terms of 2008, the Web portal and search company announced on Monday, a day before the singer released her new album Circus.
Jessica Alba, the anime series Naruto, Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie and American Idol rounded out the top 10 list.
To compile their year-end review, Yahoo editors analyze search queries based on "absolute volume and growth versus previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface."
Users and their search queries remain anonymous.
Spears also continues to be a ratings draw on television, too. The Saturday episode of the British talent show The X Factor, which featured an appearance by Spears, attracted 12.6 million viewers, the show's biggest audience, The Guardian reported Monday. Ratings for the Sunday premiere of Spears' MTV special, Britney: For the Record, weren't yet available.
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YAHOO TOP 10 OVERALL SEARCHES FOR 2008
- 1. Britney Spears
- 2. WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)
- 3. Barack Obama
- 4. Miley Cyrus
- 5. "RuneScape"
- 6. Jessica Alba
- 7. "Naruto"
- 8. Lindsay Lohan
- 9. Angelina Jolie
- 10. American Idol
