NEW YORK — Paris Hilton passed Britney Spears as the most searched for celebrity on America Online this year, and iPods became the hottest gadgets sought via the search engine, supplanting digital cameras.
In fashion, Louis Vuitton maintained its number-one rank as the name drawing the most inquiries, while Levi’s stayed atop the denim pack. The availability online of a hot brand like Vuitton, in new, used and vintage versions, as well as Vuitton-inspired looks, kept it the most hunted for in fashion, while Levi’s offer of a customized fit helped make it the most looked for denim label, said Regina Lewis, AOL consumer adviser and trend analyst.
Women accounted for four of the top 10 athlete searches this year, up from three in 2004, with NASCAR racer Danica Patrick leading the list over Lance Armstrong. Tennis stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were third and sixth, respectively, while Anna Kournikova retained her allure, placing eighth, despite having exited the pro tennis circuit in 2003. (Before an exhibition with Martina Hingis in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Kournikova told The Associated Press a return to the WTA Tour “is not completely out of the question.”)
Of Patrick’s burst to the top spot among athletes, Lewis said: “You search for what you don’t know, not what you know, and Danica Patrick broke onto the scene here quickly.”
In the broader celebrity sphere, Hilton’s popularity was boosted by her appearance in a notorious TV spot for Carl’s Jr. hamburgers. “It flowed from that,” Lewis said. Oprah Winfrey ranked second; Jessica Simpson, third; Spears, fourth, and Lindsay Lohan, fifth. The AOL trend analyst cited Lohan as the star on the rise. “She made our top five for the first time and was number one with the under-21 crowd.”
Filling out the favorite fashion searches at AOL were Coach, drawing the second-most inquiries, followed by Dooney & Bourke, Baby Phat, Nike, Lacoste, Uggs, Steve Madden, Bebe and Juicy Couture.
More than half of the gadgets most searched for — six out of 10 — were new to the list of favorites this year, including PlayStation, placing third; Xbox 360, fourth; XM Radio, sixth; Palm Pilot, eighth, and Sirius Radio, ninth, as was the iPod.