Google Rankings War: How the West Won

By Melissa Daniels Posted Sep 21st 2009 02:30PM

So far, September's been full of contentious celebrity battles. Between Ellen DeGeneres replacing Paula Abdul on 'American Idol', Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift and the start of brand new fall television shows, there's plenty to Google about. Using Google Trends, we looked at who's been drawing more online interest in the month of September compared to their controversial counterparts. First up ...

Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West

While interest in Swift immediately skyrocketed after the VMAs, so did interest in West. Looks like his interruption of her acceptance speech was good for both of them, although Swift's solid subway performance and ability to exhibit grace under pressure may have had something to do with it, too.

Ellen DeGeneres vs. Paula Abdul

Millions of 'American Idol' fans were shocked to discover that talk show host Ellen DeGeneres would be replacing Paula Abdul on the judging panel. So shocked, that when the decision was announced on September 10, she was Googled about three times more than her predecessor.

Glee vs. Flash Forward

One of this fall's hottest television shows, 'Glee,' has stayed up in interest since it's debut -- a very good sign for Fox's prime time lineup. But NBC's 'Flash Forward' seems like a mere murmur in comparison. We'll see if interest picks up after it's September 24 debut.

Beatles vs. Beatles Rock Band

September 9 was a great day for music fans, specifically Beatles fans (and, really, who isn't?). Digitally remastered albums became available, and the release of The Beatles Rock Band meant more Web users Googling the Fab Four to check out the goods.

Jay Leno vs. David Letterman

The day after Jay Leno debuted his new show on September 14, he became five times more Googled than his former late night time slot counterpart, David Letterman. Part of the spike may have been due to Kanye West's appearance and apology -- not a bad first night for Leno.

Lady Gaga vs. Madonna

Not only did Lady Gaga's performance and Best New Artist win cement her into VMA history Sunday night, but it helped her expand her audience, too. The search volume for Gaga is more than twice that of another VMA history-maker, Madonna.