Saturday, March 14, 2009

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What’s hot on Yahoo! Buzz (and why)...

Bristol Palin With Ex-Boyfriend Levi Johnston

The Buzz Week in Review


Childhood. That is so last century. This week, youthful dramas of grown-up proportions made big waves in Buzz. A teen mom said goodbye to her baby daddy. A political prodigy gave the Republican Party hope. Plus, while the economy has become a joke, one comic wasn't laughing. Catch up on these stories in the Buzz Week in Review.

Teen heartbreak
Bristol Palin is easily the most famous teenage mom in America, after being the most famous pregnant teenager in the world during mom Sarah Palin's unsuccessful bid for vice president. The 18-year-old was back in the headlines again this week after her reported breakup with baby daddy Levi Johnston. While the news caused an online frenzy, the outcome was hardly a surprise, said one expert: "Marriage among teens is extremely rare."

Teen political big break
The Republican Party has been having some troubles lately. So it may have come as a relief to some when a young unknown was able to raise up the spirits of the deflated party loyalists at the Conservative Political Action Conference, if only for a two-minute speech. Only problem: They're going to have to wait a while for wunderkind Jonathan Krohn to get a driver's license or at least be old enough to vote, much less run for office. The 14-year-old, who killed on C-SPAN and became an overnight Internet sensation, is also an author of a self-published book, "Define Conservatism." This apparently is what he does for fun.

When fake news gets real buzz
You know things are bad when the fake news guy has to tell a finance network to get real. Jon Stewart, host of the satirical "Daily Show," went after CNBC's Jim Cramer all week, culminating in Cramer's appearance on the show to have it out. Cramer, who was caught on tape hyping Merrill Lynch just before it went under (among other things), admitted he and others should have seen it coming. Cramer better watch it. The last time the comedian-with-a-conscience lambasted a cable news show, it was canceled.

Also buzzing this week…
• Apology not accepted: Scam artist Bernard Madoff, who swindled thousands out of billions, said after his guilty plea that he was "sorry and ashamed."
• Speaking of apologies, "The Bachelor" star Jason Mesnick has a lot of 'splaining to do, after a last-minute switch from one hopeful fiancĂ©e to another.

Oh My GoD

Where the world's richest head at the end of the day.

Forbes0312_Hed-Photo.jpg
© Glentree International

Lev Leviev
London, England
Net Worth: $1.5 billion
Rank: 468

In today's tough economic climate, Warren Buffett is setting a good example. The world's second richest man lives in the same five-bedroom, gray stucco house he bought in 1958 for $31,500.

That's right. Legendary investor Buffett, 78, still calls his humble digs in Omaha, Neb.'s Happy Hollow suburb home, despite a $37 billion fortune. That famous folksiness is, of course, in keeping with his investment philosophy. "If you don't feel comfortable owning something for 10 years," he once told a reporter, "then don't own it for 10 minutes."


Of course, few billionaires live as simply and frugally as Buffett, who also professes a love for pub fare like burgers and Cherry Coke. (Not coincidentally, Buffett is a longtime investor in the beverage giant.)

But low-key--even in these tough times--is a relative term among the super-rich. Computer mogul Michael Dell claims to live simply yet built a 33,000-square-foot manse in Austin, Texas, in 1997. Called "the castle" by locals for its high walls and tight security, the home sits on a 20-acre spread a mere stone's throw from Dell headquarters.

It's not so simple for other members of the billionaires club.