The daily gossip: Kim Kardashian is 2012's most-searched person, and more
5 top pieces of celebrity gossip — from the impending Pitt-Jolie nuptials to Nicki Minaj's latest feud
1. Kim Kardashian tops Obama, Romney as most-searched person on Bing
Proving again that the jargony allure of politicians is no match for the glittery allure of celebutantes, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are the 43rd and 46th most-searched people on Microsoft's Bing.com so far this year — lagging behind such cultural luminaries as Lindsay Lohan, Justin Bieber, and number-one ranked Kim Kardashian, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Now that Bing users have resolved this mystery, they can begin tackling even greater questions, like "Why am I using Bing?"
2. Brad Pitt says "the time is nigh" for a Pitt-Jolie wedding
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Grab your cameras and gas up the helicopter, global paparazzi: A Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie wedding is likely on the horizon. "The time is nigh. It's soon. I got a good feeling about it," says Pitt in an interview with People, adding that he and his longtime partner are beginning to get more pressure to tie the knot from their six children. The couple first met on the set of 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith — a movie about a married couple trying to kill each other — so let's hope that wasn't Method acting.
3. Steven Tyler criticizes American Idol judges; Nicki Minaj calls Steven Tyler "racist"
Another week, another feud between American Idol judges. In a recent interview, former judge Steven Tyler criticized the reality show's new judiciary lineup, suggesting that if Bob Dylan had auditioned, current judge Nicki Minaj would have sent him "to the cornfield," reports the New York Daily News. Minaj, with characteristic restraint, responded by calling Tyler racist. Bob Dylan himself has yet to weigh in, perhaps because he's too busy being an actual musician.
4. Adele's 21 drops out of U.K. Top 40 for first time since its release
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For the past two years, Adele's smash hit 21 has been as reliable a cultural fixture in Britain as tea, cricket, and the queen — but the album's seemingly permanent reign in the U.K. Top 40 charts has officially come to an end, says The Hollywood Reporter. Though it remains the U.K.'s biggest-selling digital album and fifth-bestselling album of all time, 21 has finally fallen off the list. One explanation: There simply weren't any Brits left who didn't already own it.
5. Scarlett Johansson fills in for Al Roker on the Today Show
On Tuesday, longtime Today weatherperson Al Roker was tragically overcome by a bout of laryngitis, but he managed to find a surprisingly willing A-list replacement: Scarlett Johansson. Entertainment Weekly offers a video of Johansson enthusiastically fumbling through the report, in which she describes the gig as "a dream come true" — because the rest of her life is so dull compared to mildly cloudy skies.
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.