• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, December 14, 2004

Next year might belong to heiress Paris, but '04 will always be Britney's. Or at least according to America Online's popular search destinations of 2004 released yesterday, based on an aggregate of the celebrities and topics that received the most queries on the AOL service and AOL.com from Jan. 1 through Nov. 3.

In a year of war, terror alerts, and national disunity, AOL's findings reveal that Americans were searching for the lightest of fare. Paris Hilton, queen of apathy, came in a close second behind Britney Spears, as the most searched person. Veterans of the spotlight, Janet Jackson and Oprah, received the longevity award, again, for making the top five. R&B singer, performer Usher was the most searched male in '04, squeezing into the top five. And super-teen Hilary Duff was Miss Popular among teens and teen aspirants.

Always a favorite, "horoscopes" was the most searched word overall. New to the top ten searched words this year was "foreclosures" at number four, and "salaries" at number five. Of note, online marketing term "spyware" came in at 43.

Diets, denim, and Ugg boots were, in the words of Paris Hilton, "hot" in '04. Diets, in order of popularity, included the "South Beach," "Weight Watchers," "Atkins," and Dr. Phil's "Ultimate Weight Solution." Popular jeans included standard "Levi's," "Seven Jeans," Lucky Jeans," and "Wrangler Jeans." In fashion, the Eskimo-esque Ugg boots beat out throwback jerseys and vintage clothing.

When AOL's users were looking for a serious news topic, they tended toward the presidential election, and John Kerry in particular. Runners-up included the beheadings in Iraq, Southern hurricanes, and Scott Peterson's trial and conviction. The most searched events were the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the NFL Draft. The World Series, between the victorious-at-last Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, also ranked highly.

Kobe was the top athlete of interest, followed by skateboarder Bam Margera, of MTV's "Jackass," and Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps.

A word of caution for Britney: Usher or Paris, according to search results, could easily claim the throne as pop king or queen in 2005.