Current Google Insights trends: Eva Longoria, Prince William, Harry Potter

(AFP PHOTO/LOIC VENANCE)

Searches related to the beginnings of Prince William's marriage and the end of Eva Longoria's were popular topics in last week's Google Insights trends.

Eva Longoria, the star of hit American TV show Desperate Housewives, recently began divorce proceedings against NBA player Tony Parker, following the alleged discovery of adulterous text messages from Erin Barry on his phone. As a result, the term "Erin Barry," the wife of Tony Parker's former teammate, experienced breakout* levels of searches last week, and "Eva Longoria" was the fifth most popular search term.

The recent announcement that heir to the British throne Prince William is due to marry his long term girlfriend Kate Middleton sparked interest among internet users worldwide, with "Kate Middleton," "Prince William engagement" and "Prince William" three of the most popular Google search terms. The royal wedding is expected to take place in spring or summer 2011.

The latest and penultimate installment in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, is reported to have taken over $61 million on its opening day in the United States and was the eight most popular search term.

"Black Friday" refers to the day following Thanksgiving in the United States and the unofficial start of the shopping season, the Chinese term  "??????" refers to traditional ceremonies held by the Yami people of Taiwan before the beginning of "flying fish" season. On October 23, What Men Don't Know, a film exploring how the Yami women of Taiwan prepare for flying fish season, premiered in Toronto.

The search terms with the most significant growth worldwide in the last seven days as measured by Google Insights, recorded on November 22 at 9:30 AM GMT, are:

1.       erin barry (breakout*)
2.       kate middleton (+4,150%)
3.       prince william engagement (+3,850%)
4.        ?????? (+3,300%)
5.       prince william (+1,300%)
6.       eva longoria (+500%)
7.       hotmail.com sign in (+200%)
8.       harry potter (+130%)
9.       black Friday 2010 (+110%)

*Breakout defines a search term that has experienced a change in growth greater than 5000 percent.