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The same names always come to mind when we talk about hot male celebrities: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, etc. But lately, no one's talking about these guys. There's only so much Brangelina and Tomkat news that people can take.

So who's the male celeb that people have been crazy about? Zac Efron, of course! He stars in the hit TV movie 'High School Musical' and he makes teens and tweens go gaga. The show's got record-breaking soundtrack, packed concerts and all kinds of merchandising items, from a stationery set to a DVD board game. Oh, by the way, I just heard that Disney will also have 'High School Musical on Ice' this fall.

You think this is cheesy? Think again ... 'High School Musical' has contributed $1 billion to Disney in profits since launch according to Soleil-Media Metrics. That profit includes sales of 7.8 million DVDs, 7 million CDs, 4.5 million books, sold-out 45-city concerts and hundreds of million of dollars of merchandise sales and let's not forget royalties.

Back to Zac Efron, what is it about this 20-year-old star that make tweens and teens swoon? Let me see, he has an adorable face, he dances, he sings and parents love him for his squeaky clean image. Oh yeah, some dub him as the new John Travolta.

It seems that Zac is everywhere these days -- he stars as Link Larkin in the movie 'Hairspray' and he's back in 'High School Musical 2,' which premieres on Friday, August 17, on the Disney channel. So if you've never heard of Zac before, you'd better start paying attention and get ready to swoon!

For more information on this heartthrob, check out AOL Television and search for Zac Efron and 'High School Musical 2' on AOL Search.

Top searched celebrities on AOL Search this week:
1. Zac Efron
2. Jessica Alba
3. Tiger Woods
4. Britney Spears
5. Amy Winehouse
6. Paris Hilton
7. Marlo Thomas
8. Lindsay Lohan
9. Beyoncé
10. Miley Cyrus

See sponsored links for: celebrity posters, movie rentals, DVD movies.

With the housing market cooling off, I've been hearing more about foreclosures lately. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing and new home prices decreased by 1.1% and 2.6% respectively year over year for the second quarter of 2007.

I definitely see that trend in my neighborhood. There's a house around the corner that has been on the market for almost a year. It's a nice house, but the owners haven't lowered their price. Two other homeowners in the area sought lower prices and their houses were sold in less than two weeks. I was thinking about moving this year, but I've put that plan on hold.

It's sad to read about people who are forced to foreclose because they can't afford their mortgage payments. I did a search for foreclosure real estate and most Web sites have at least 1 million foreclosure properties listed. RealtyTrac reported in late July 2007 that the number of foreclosure properties in the increased by 58 percent from the first half of 2006 to the first half of 2007. California, Florida, Texas and Ohio have the largest foreclosure totals.

The increase in bank foreclosures and defaults is largely tied to people with adjustable rate mortgages and subprime loans. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that high numbers of foreclosures in Florida, Nevada, California and Arizona are caused by speculators who walk away from their properties since home prices have fallen in those states.

I hope you're not one of the unlucky home owners who have to put your home up for foreclosure. For help in this area, search for how to avoid foreclosures. One of your options is to get a loan to help prevent your foreclosure.

On the flip side, if you are in the market for a house, then foreclosure may be a great option for you. You can search foreclosure lists for great homes across the country. Expensive homes can go for a fraction of what they are worth, such as foreclosures in Orange County. Check out AOL Real Estate and search for foreclosure homes on AOL Search to find foreclosure listings.

This month's top searched states for foreclosures on AOL Search:
1. Florida foreclosure
2. Virginia foreclosure
3. Michigan foreclosure
4. Colorado foreclosure
5. California foreclosure
6. Maryland foreclosure
7. Foreclosure in Pennsylvania
8. Ohio foreclosure
9. Georgia foreclosure
10. Texas foreclosure

See sponsored links for prevent foreclosure, help with foreclosure, foreclosure refinance.

Remember when Britney Spears first came out in the late 90's? She had a somewhat innocent, sweet school girl image. Yeah, you do, don't deny it. You probably know all of her earlier songs by heart, too, from 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' to 'Oops, I Did It Again.' But can you name her later songs? Me neither!

Regardless of her singing career, Britney has always been in the spotlight. The latest news is her crazy party in LA after shooting a music video as reported by Us Weekly. A 21-year-old college student who was an extra from her video shoot reported that Britney played topless truth and dare and gave him a smooch. By the way, the guy reminds me of Jim Carrey from his 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' days -- if you don't believe me, just check out his picture on TMZ.com.

Let me just say (I can't believe I'm defending her) that Britney is single, so let her party like crazy. Yes, she's a mom, but she needs to have fun, too!

More on Britney Spears can be found on AOL Music and as always, you can search for Britney Spears on AOL Search.

Hot Searches from August 8, 2007:
1. Driving map direction -- Get ready for your summer trip!
2. MTA info -- Hundreds of NYC commuters stranded due to failed subway system.
3. Spam -- Stock scammers send 500 million spam e-mails.
4. Britney Spears -- Plays topless truth and dare after her music video shoot.
5. Amanda Beard -- Not in the Elite Eight of AOL Sports Hottest Female Athletes.
6. Ashley Force -- In the Elite Eight of AOL Sports Hottest Female Athletes.
7. Paula Creamer -- Beats Amanda Beard in AOL Sports Hottest Female Athletes.
8. Lions -- Play their first preseason game against Cincinnati Bengals.
9. Nelly Furtado -- Nominated for 2007 MTV VMA Female Artist of the Year with Fergie.
10. Hank Aaron -- Praises Barry Bonds for his "skill, longevity and determination."
11. Smart car -- To arrive in the U.S. early next year.
12. Space shuttle -- Endeavor launches with the first teacher-astronaut.
13. Barry Bonds -- Hits his 757th career home run.
14. Virgin America -- First flight lands at San Francisco International Airport.
15. Sienna Miller -- Just friends with Diddy according to Diddy's ex Kim Porter.
16. Bettie Page -- Her photos included in the DVD collection of 1950's Playboy.
17. Metro-North -- Service is restored after heavy flooding.
18. 'So You Think You Can Dance' -- Neil and Sabra heat up the dance floor.
19. Lord and Taylor -- Gets a brand makeover in a $10 million marketing campaign.
20. Amy Winehouse -- Cancels concerts due to severe exhaustion or drug overdose?

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