Paris and poker are 2008's most searched terms

(File photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

Is Britney Spears's comeback in trouble? According to a list of the most popular names and topics of Web searches during the first 11 months of 2008, the pop diva was not as widely sought after as Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (above), poker, or golf.

But the star-crossed chanteuse can take heart; in terms of sheer celebrity star power, Spears (at left, in an AP file photo) still managed to eclipse Angela Jolie and Lindsay Lohan.

In point of fact, poker and Paris Hilton were the two most searched term by Lycos users between Jan 1. and Dec. 1, 2008, according to Lycos Inc., a Waltham company that provides social publishing, media, and search services.

As for the most searched news event of the year, the economic crisis surpassed the US presidential election, Lycos said. The economic crisis may help explain why "treatments for depression" and "sleep aids" were also widely searched terms on the Lycos site, a Lycos spokeswoman added.

When it comes to the most searched people, the Lycos list tilts heavily toward celebrity.

US Senator Hillary Clinton may have run for president and gotten herself appointed as Secretary of State in the incoming administration, but when it comes to Lycos Web searches, she's far, far behind the likes of Pamela Anderson and Kim Kardashian, according to Lycos. On the Lycos list of top 10 women of 2008, Palin was the only politician - and one of the few without experience as a Hollywood trouper or a socialite. Holly Madison, Tina Fey, and Jessica Alba were among the other women who made the list. Fey, of course, achieved great notice for her impersonation of Palin.

As for the top men of 2008, Clay Aiken of American Idol fame beat out President-elect Barack Obama for the number-one spot, Lycos said. For more about how Lycos searches reflect popularity on a weekly and an annual basis, please click here.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)