Grief for the Gonzo Journalist

If the outpouring of grief among bloggers for "gonzo journalist" Hunter S. Thompson, who committed suicide over the weekend, is any indication, the writer had an intensely loyal following. In fact, news of his death dominates BlogPulse results -- capturing 24 of the top 40 links and 17 of the top 40 key phrases.

(Trivia: Garry Trudeua's "Uncle Duke" character in the Doonesbury comic strip was based on Thompson, according to his obituary).

Other weekend deaths noted in the blogosphere include actress Sandra Dee, the original "Gidget," and 88-year-old singer John Raitt, Bonnie Raitt's father.

And even though lots of places were closed Monday in honor of President's Day, that didn't stop bloggers from talking politics.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat, lobbed some unverified charges at the Bush White House during a community forum in Ithaca. Specifically, he hinted (without evidence) that Karl Rove was the mastermind behind the fake memo that CBS's Dan Rather relied on for a story -- later retracted -- about Bush's failure to fulfill his National Guard duty in the 1970s. Also talking? Doug Wead, who publicized the "secret" recordings he made of Bush when Dubya was considering his first run for the White House.

And the author the Minnesota Politics blog is a little taken aback by the vitriolic response another blogger received from the PowerLine bloggers (you now, Time magazine's bloggers of the year) for their "big deal" treatment of the coverage of Jeff Gannon/James Guckert, the fake White House reporter.

For a BlogPulse snack, how about a little pizza to go? Weekend BlogPulse hits highlighted a function in the video game Everquest II that allows users to order a pizza as part of the game play. Handy. Now gamers NEVER have to leave the house.

BLOGPULSE TREND GRAPH OF THE DAY Last week, we looked at buzz about the best actor/actress nominess for this year's Academy Awards. What about best movie nominations? Seems anyone's guess is good this year.