Last week it was a volcano, this week it’s an oil spill. Last week it was all about illegal immigrants. They’re still here this week. Last week there was trouble on “South Park”, this week there’s trouble with penises. Herewith, the most popular stories of the week.

1. U.S. oil spill growing Is Louisiana absolutely the unluckiest state in the union? The state is still recovering from the Katrina disaster and now must also deal with the fallout of an oil rig blast that is spewing oil into the sea and threatening its shoreline (along with three other states). The army has been called in, the company that owns the well (BP) is facing lawsuits and the spill itself may end up being the worst ecological disaster in U.S. history. More than enough drama to make it our top video of the week.

2. Arizona immigrant law energizes Hispanics, Democrats

This was the second top story of the week — I’m waiting to share No. 1 — but it is also among the most-read for the second week in a row.  Here’s why: There’s a bunch of  folks in Arizona. They were born there. There are a bunch of other folks in Arizona. They were not born there. Among those folks not born there are some folks there illegally. Some of the folks who were born there and live there legally want to drive the illegal ones out of the state (it borders Mexico, by the way, from which you can imply what you like). So a law was passed to crack down on the illegal ones. Some other folks didn’t like that and now a whole bunch of folks everywhere are mad. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing this one again next week.

3. Ukraine fight over Black Sea vote

Is this anyway to run your parliament? Yes, says I! Eggs flying, smoke bombs tossed, bloodied noses, wrestling … what’s not to love about a government that REALLY takes itself seriously. I want to see House Speaker Nancy Pelosi clobber House Minority Leader John Boehner (POW!) or maybe Senator John McCain putting Senator John Kerry in a good tight headlock (Do ya, give, Johnny? Do ya?!). Come on, people. Where’s the passion?

4. U.S. Senate Repbulican calls for swift swaps rules

If you were a traveler, an illegal immigrant or a “South Park” resident, your world was turned upside down in the past week. A volcano wreaked havoc on travelers, Arizona wreaked havoc on illegal immigrants and a little-known Muslim group wreaked havoc on “South Park.” Good for us, though, as all those made for great headlines that you, dear readers, pushed to the very top of our weekly rankings chart.

1. Arizona passes tough illegal immigration law

We begin in Arizona, the desert with the great big hole in it. The state, which the U.S. census says is 86.5 percent white, voted 17-11 in favor of a bill that requires police to determine if people are in the U.S. illegally. It raised a brouhaha (I’ve waited weeks to use that word) because some folks think it will lead to racial profiling. “I believe handcuffs are a wonderful tool when they’re on the right people,” said Russell Pearce, the Republican state senator who wrote the bill. Nice.

2. Iceland volcano eruption intensifies This video proves the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. Without any narration at all, it captures the eruption of the Iceland Volcano that spewed a massive ash cloud into the air, turning day into night in some areas. It left thousands of travelers stranded, frustrated and in some cases broke.

3. “South Park” airs censored episode after threat

The satirical TV show “South Park” plastered an episode with the word “CENSORED” after a little-known U.S. Muslim group posted a message on its website stating the shows creators would “probably end up like Theo Van Gogh” (he’s the Dutch filmmaker who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant.)  I’m glad to say, I’m fearless when it comes to [CENSORED CENSORED BLEEP BLEEP].

4. Potentially deadly fungus spreading in the U.S. and Canada

Just had to blog this: The Forbes Fictional 15 richest characters… it’s a hoot: http://bit.ly/cLzhBj

It’s always good to see a venerable business mag can also have a sense of humor.

Most people know Forbes publishes the ranks of the world’s richest people, this year topped by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. But the magazine also does another annual list that will be of much more interest to those of us who love TV, movies and other fun escapes: the Forbes Fictional 15 rankings of fiction’s richest.

As Forbes points out, “Global markets are rapidly recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, and so are the fortunes of the fictitious.”  Topping the list this year is newcomer Carlisle Cullen, the head of the vampire coven in the “Twilight” novels and movies.  Cullen “has accumulated a fortune of $34.1 billion.” Not surprisingly for a 370-year-old, his gains are attributed to “long-term investments.”

Perhaps the most noteworthy newcomer to the list is the Tooth Fairy, at $3.9 billion. Good for her because, as the magazine points out, she “has blown several previous fortunes 50 cents at a time.”

Some big names also dropped off the list this year. “Gordon Gekko, the hero of the forthcoming “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”, drops off the list after a stint in federal lock-up.” Also suffering a fall in fortunes was Jabba the Hutt of “Star Wars” fame (well, actually he didn’t suffer a fall in fortune, he just died, which I guess could be interpreted as a fall in fortune).

Of course, these titans of fiction are still a long way from eclipsing the real thing. In the real world of money, Carlos Slim is worth $53.5 billion, narrowly tipping No. 2 Bill Gates, who charted $53 billion and laggard Warren Buffett at $47 billion. Eat that Bruce Wayne.