Anderson Cooper Effects

That's It Folks!

2008-06-12T16:58:00.002-04:00

YOU WIN, ANONYMOUS.
Good or bad your intentions are taken into consideration and all I can say is that I have not the resources to find brand new material. Therefore, I search, find and share. But if that is not the right thing to do, then there is nothing else for me to do.

Good bye, and thanks for all the fish!

THIS BLOG IS CLOSED PERMANENTELY

Looking For Silver...

2008-06-12T16:09:00.016-04:00

... I Found This Emerald!

Rob Marciano raises the temperature in ways most meteorologists don't. The 40-year-old CNN weather anchor's matinee-idol looks have won the Connecticut native a hot-and-bothered online fan base, while his comments last fall about the "inaccuracies" perpetuated by Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth made environmentally minded bloggers' blood boil. But for all his star power, Marciano, who also serves as a correspondent for CNN's American Morning, is refreshingly down to earth when discussing issues such as the global-warming debate, or the personal storms he's encountered—including Hurricane Katrina, which he covered from the front lines, and the havoc a bad weather call can wreak (at outdoor weddings, especially). Of course, there will always be some viewers who couldn't care less whether Marciano is calling for rain or shine. Who said a weatherman can't be a sex symbol? Darrell Hartman

How did you get into meteorology?
I've been a lifelong weather geek. I would drive my parents crazy. I knew exactly when every weather guy was on every channel, and I would switch back and forth trying to get them all. I learned early on that meteorology isn't an exact science—telling your teacher you didn't do your homework because the weatherman said it was going to snow doesn't really work.

Do you consider yourself more of a scientist or a journalist?
I studied meteorology in college at Cornell and struggled through all the math and physics prerequisites. When I'm not reporting on stories now, I'm getting the facts right, making sure everything is triple- and quadruple-checked. But in the end, we're telling stories on TV. I wouldn't go so far as to call it an art, but it's definitely a craft.

How did you decide you wanted to do weather in front of the camera?
I did a cost-benefit analysis—no, kidding. What I get to do, which my colleagues in science and governmental agencies don't, is have fun. It is fun to get on TV.

You covered Hurricane Katrina from the ground. What was that like?
For weather events, there's been nothing like it in modern history. After it hit, I thought I knew what to expect. But what was different about Katrina was that you didn't see how big it was until it was over.

Which images stick in your mind?
Every few minutes someone would wander up, sunburned and raggedy, looking for a friend or a loved one, or some water, or just some direction. They'd lost everything. It's a gut check, because I get excited about storms—the bigger and badder, the better. But you have to control your emotions and remember that people are affected.

You had a moment of notoriety after you questioned certain claims in An Inconvenient Truth on air. Was that a surprise to you?
I knew as soon as I said it that there was going to be a backlash. In the end, it created a buzz of viewer interest, and we did an hour-long special on the myths about global warming. I think Al Gore's message is a great message. I just want the facts to be accurate, and fact is that global warming did not cause Katrina.

Are there a lot of misconceptions about the role of the weatherman?
People think we always get it wrong, but for 24-hour forecasts we have at least an eighty percent accuracy rate. The problem is, people only remember the time it rained on their daughter's wedding. Because the atmosphere is always in motion, we'll never have enough numbers to put into a computer and make a hundred percent forecast. That's good for me—it's job security.

Millions of people make weekend plans based on your predictions. Does that ever stress you out?
I think it's a greater responsibility at the local level. I worked on local TV for ten years. You think a little bit harder about the weekend forecast, for sure. There are times you don't sleep at night. But if you fess up and say you're sorry, viewers will forgive you.

You have an Internet fan club. Did you know that?
There's a Yahoo group. The women who run the site are very protective of me. They'll e-mail and say, "Someone said something about you—is it true? We're going to reprimand them." They're my first line of defense.

Is it possible for a journalist to be a sex symbol?
I don't see why not. Presidential candidates have been called sex symbols. I don't think the label is exclusive to movie stars.

That last answer was a good one. But it would have been better if Rob had said: "Why not? Just ask Anderson Cooper!"

Crack Up Anderson

2008-06-11T18:21:00.006-04:00

FreeRide

A Charmed 'Life': Kathy Griffin's Back on 'The D-List'

HAVE YOU EVER wanted to crack up Anderson Cooper? Or rent out Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak for a night of tech support?

Those events are mere ingredients in the cocktail that is the life of Kathy Griffin. And she's more than happy to let you take a sip.

The notoriously attention-hungry comedian kicks off the fourth season of her Emmy-winning -- as she's often wont to remind us -- Bravo show, "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" Thursday at 9 p.m.

Where else but in Griffin's world could you see the red-headed mistress of all things herself trade quips with affable Mr. Cooper? Or watch the endearingly dorky Wozniak smile winningly as Griffin, his date for the night, assaults celebs at the Producers Guild Awards?

Throughout, Griffin remains her paradoxically self-deprecating-while-self-aggrandizing, um, self. If you dislike social climbers, find bleeped naughty words offensive or would dislike repeated exhortations for biblical figures to "suck it," this isn't the show for you.

But c'mon. By this point, we all know Kathy Griffin's schtick. And if you like what she dishes out, you'll see that she now has it refined to an unrefined, but ultimately hilarious, formula.

Get more about the season from the star herself in the video clip from Bravo below.

Boo Ya!

2008-06-11T17:30:00.008-04:00

90s Slang: In Case You Missed It

In case you missed it, Donna Brazile put Anderson Cooper in his place and told him, "You're not my boo." Hey-Oh! Welcome back to 1995, people! Coop had the awesome rejoiner, "I wanna be your boo" - but then he admitted he didn't actually know what "boo" meant. Yikes! Anderson, we know you're young, but it's not like you were born in 2001. You lived through the 90s like the rest of us. But just in case you missed it, here's some more slang you might want to catch up on.

#01 - All that and a bag of chips
(Even better than the best. As in, "Just because Anderson Cooper is smart, he thinks he's all that and a bag of chips.")

#02 - As if!
(Sarcastic denial. As in, "Anderson Cooper wants me to accompany him on his next trip to the Middle East. As if!")

#03 - The bomb
(Excellent. As in, "Anderson Cooper's coverage of Iraq this year has been the bomb.")

#04 - Boo Ya!
(An exclamation after doing something laudatory. As in, "Donna, lay off! Cooper is mine! Boo ya!")

#05 - Cha-ching!
(Expensive. As in, "Anderson Cooper said the war in Iraq will cost $500 trillion. Cha-ching!)

#06 - Chill out
(Calm down. As in, "Yo, Donna, Anderson was just asking for the scoop, chill out!")

#07 - Dope
(Synonymous with cool. As in, "Anderson Cooper's hairstyle is dope.")

#08 - Duh!
(Expression when someone says something that is already public knowledge. For example, if someone mentioned that Anderson Cooper was a silver fox, "Duh!" would be an apt response.)

#09 - Gettin Jiggy
(Putting the moves on someone. As in, "Anderson Cooper and I were getting jiggy on the dancefloor last night.")

#10 - Ghetto
(Cheap. As in, "Anderson, where did you get that fake rolex? It looks mad ghetto.")

#11 - Jack
(To steal. As in, "Donna jacked my last boyfriend, but she won't steal Anderson Cooper from me.")

#12 - Mad
(Very. As in, "Anderson Cooper is mad sexy.")

#13 - My bad!
(My mistake. As in, "I didn't realize you were Anderson Cooper's boo! My bad!")

#14 - Not!
(Negates previous statement. As in, "Anderson Cooper is mad ugly. Not!")

#15 - O.G.
(Original Gangsta. Yes, you can definitely call him O.G. Cooper.)

#16 - Oh snap
(Oh yeah! As in, "Oh snap! Donna said what now?")

#17 - Open up a can of whoop-ass
(Kick butt. As in, "Donna, don't you even think about stealing Anderson from me, or I'll open up a can of whoop-ass on you.")

#18 - Pimpin'
(Cool. As in, "Anderson, that jacket is pimpin'.")

#19 - Psyche!
(Just kidding! As in, "Anderson Cooper just asked me to marry him. Psyche!")

#20 - Talk to the hand!
(I don't want to hear what you're saying. As in, "You don't think Anderson Cooper would date me? Talk to the hand!")

Anderson Cooper Beats Sponge Bob

2008-06-10T20:09:00.011-04:00

Weekly Cable Ratings By Number Of Viewers For The Week Ending June 8

1. Sprint Cup Racing - Pocono (TNT)
2. Monday Night RAW (USA)
3. Law and Order: CI (USA)
4. Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
5. Army Wives (Lifetime)
6. In Plain Sight (USA)
7. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)

"I am happy for you, Spongy Pants Bobby, you got
3 numbers more than I did!"

Political Cowboys

2008-06-09T20:29:00.014-04:00

OT but funny and up to date with the elections.

Barakback Mountain

(00:00 min.)

Description: The name of this video says it all: "Barakback Mountain." It spoofs the film "Brokeback Mountain" and the election by using actors playing Barack Obama and John Edwards.

There were many parodies of "Brokeback Mountain," but nobody ever thought about Anderson Cooper playing Heath Ledger's part and Dan Abrams from MSNBC playing the part of Jake Gyllenhaal. It would be HOT!!!

Dispatches from Rwanda

2008-06-09T19:56:00.008-04:00

Planet in Peril 2Battle Lines

He's In Rwanda

2008-06-09T19:20:00.010-04:00

June 9, 2008

Anderson’s View: Gnawing on Ambien

Posted: 03:37 PM ET

Anderson Cooper

I’m not exactly sure what time it is. I’m still kind of jet lagged and two days of gnawing on ambien to sleep hasn’t really helped me adjust to the time change.

We had a really cool day today, hiking to see a group of mountain gorillas in Rwanda that have never been visited by tourists. About half of Rwanda’s endangered mountain gorillas are visited each day by tourists who pay as much as $500 per person to sit with the gorillas for one hour. It’s an amazing experience, one I’ve done about seven or eight times over the last twenty years or so.

The other half of the gorillas are studied by scientists, and are not habituated to tourists. Today we visited the “Pablo group” named after the male silver back who used to control the group of about 40 or so gorillas. Pablo, however, is no longer the dominant male silver back. He has been replaced, though he is still allowed to be part of this group.

We hiked for about three hours before finding the gorillas, and though we were all pretty exhausted by the time we got there, it was awesome to be able to get so close to a group of gorillas usually only visited by scientists.

Tomorrow we leave Rwanda and head to a very remote part of Cameroon to go out with researchers who study viruses in the forest. It’s all part of Planet in Peril: Battle Lines.

I’ve shot a little video blog that we will try to feed in shortly, and a photographer from Getty Images, Jeff Hutchens is with us, and we will try to post some of the pictures he has been taking each day. View photos from Rwanda

I would blog more, but I think the Ambien is kicking in, and I have to be up before dawn to catch a flight. See you on 360° tonight.

Filed under: Anderson Cooper • Planet in Peril

Not A CNN T-shirt

2008-06-09T11:38:00.016-04:00

THE INTERNET

CNN Throwing Away Best Shirts

CNN.com's business of selling t-shirts is starting to gain some traction and go viral, even after the network closed a security hole that let you write whatever headline you wanted. Obama supporters flocked to buy the "Obama Makes History" headline on a shirt last week, breaking sales records. Another boost came when Anderson Cooper said he wanted Donna Brazile to be his "boo," and people flocked to buy a shirt reading, "Anderson Cooper, ‘you’re not my boo.’" It's now the number-three all-time bestseller. But, in true mainstream media fashion, CNN is doing its best to thwart its own online success. The network selectively blocks some of the best headlines, like "Grizzly Victim: 'He's eating my brain!'" There's now a whole website dedicated just to non-shirt-eligible headlines, like these:

Since you can't buy the best headlines, like these, total CNN.com shirt sales are stuck at "north of one thousand" shirts, a CNN spokeswoman told the Times.

Come on, CNN, give in. You're already publishing the headlines, why be so ashamed of some of them that you prevent yourself from making some residual bucks? Besides, if you don't start pandering now, Fox News will beat you to it, then you'll just end up giving in and sinking to their level anyway. Just ask MSNBC.

12:33 AM on Mon Jun 9 2008
By Ryan Tate
From Gawker

AND, my own contributions, of course:

Anderson's Another Boo

2008-06-08T21:29:00.007-04:00

Anderson Cooper wants to be Donna Brazile's (Boo) Boyfriend

(02:05 min.)

From: leslielounge

Added: June 04, 2008

Description: Anderson Cooper makes a mistake on air. He asked Donna Brazile to be his sweetheart.

The term Boo refers to someone who is really special to a person.

Sweetheart/Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Wife/Husband

One More Boo

2008-06-08T19:24:00.009-04:00

Anderson Cooper talks about the previous days BOO

(01:23 min.)

From: dannewsvideo

Added: June 04, 2008

Description: Anderson Cooper talks about the previous days BOO

HILL: Get in line. A lot of people want to be Donna Brazile's boo right now.

A lot of people also wondering what it means.

According to "The Wall Street Journal," there was a spike in Google searches under these phrases, "boo slang," "Anderson Cooper boo," "What does boo mean?" and, "You're not my boo."

Of course, for those not schooled in the hipper terms of affection these days...

COOPER: Yes.

HILL: ...it basically means, you're my snookums.

COOPER: Snookums.

COOPER: Wow. You're very street. Keeping it real there, Erica Hill. Snookums.

HILL: Well, that's how I roll, yes.

COOPER: Yes.

One A Day Anderson...

2008-06-08T18:48:00.013-04:00

...Depending On Your Mood.

~ Monday ~Hectic

~ Tuesday ~Confused

~ Wednesday ~Relaxed

~ Thursday ~Impatient

~ Friday ~Happy

~ Saturday ~Noche de Gala

~ Sunday ~Maybe A 60 Minutes Break

Moonlighting

2008-06-08T12:53:00.007-04:00

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Anderson Cooper is CNN's prime time golden boy. So why is he moonlighting on CBS' "60 Minutes?"
Benson Beaver, Vallejo, Calif.

It gives him a wider audience and a chance to tell stories in greater depth. "I really like being able to work on both broadcasts," Cooper says via e-mail. "Writing and reporting a 12-minute story is a lot different than a four- or five-minute day-of-air story. The topics may not be different, but it's a different style of writing and editing." CNN lets him work for CBS on holidays and weekends. We asked about speculation that Cooper, who recently turned 41, could replace Katie Couric on CBS' evening news. His cagey response: "I don't believe much of what I read in the paper when it's quotes from anonymous 'television insiders.' "

Silence Is Not Only Golden...

2008-06-07T17:18:00.015-04:00

... It's Also Very Funny!

My Damn Channel
Presents
Anderson Cooper(among others)as you've never seen him before!
Silent Debate IV - Joe Biden v. Fred Thompson

(03:02 min.)

From: MyDamnChannel

Added: December 11, 2007

Description: Joe Biden and Fred Thompson face off with Anderson Cooper as the moderator.

Thanks to Nina Hayasaka for the tip and the link to this unusual and funny, funny video. It's from December 11, 2007, How come it went so long under the radar? At least for me, I didn't know of its existence. Thank you Nina.

We Didn't Go To The Oceans Ballroom

2008-06-07T16:51:00.011-04:00

We were not invited to the premiere of "Planet in Peril" in Atlanta at the Georgia Aquarium (Tue. Oct. 16, 2007); but if we had been, this is how we had gotten there:

Directions
225 Baker St
Atlanta, GA 30313
404.581.4000
Ballroom Entrance:
Once you park in the deck you will need to take the elevator to the first level. DO NOT GO TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE AQUARIUM. Exit the elevator and walk straight ahead across the deck. Follow the signs to the Oceans Ballroom and walk towards the glass doors.

From the North of Atlanta via I-85/75
85 South
Exit 249C Williams Street
Make a right onto Baker St.
Cross over Centennial Olympic Park
Make a right onto Luckie St.
Make a right onto Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Oceans Ballroom/Aquarium Parking Garage is on the right

From the South of Atlanta via I-85/75
85 North
Take the International Street Exit
Left onto Andrew Young International Boulevard
Make a right onto Spring St.
Left onto Baker St.
Cross over Centennial Olympic Park
Make a right onto Luckie St.
Make a right onto Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Oceans Ballroom/Aquarium Parking Garage is on the right

From the East of Atlanta via I-20
20 West
85 North
Take the International Street Exit
Left onto Andrew Young International Boulevard
Make a right onto Spring St.
Left onto Baker St.
Cross over Centennial Olympic Park
Make a right onto Luckie St.
Make a right onto Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Oceans Ballroom/Aquarium Parking Garage is on the right

From the West of Atlanta via I-20
20 East
85 North
Take the International Street Exit
Left onto Andrew Young International Boulevard
Make a right onto Spring St.
Left onto Baker St.
Cross over Centennial Olympic Park
Make a right onto Luckie St.
Make a right onto Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd.
Oceans Ballroom/Aquarium Parking Garage is on the right

Nature Boy

2008-06-06T20:16:00.016-04:00

Anderson Cooper, Nature Boy

(02:48 min.)

From: PeterGay

Added: June 05, 2008

Description: The Anderson we seldom see on any TV screen. The Anderson from the inside.

Music: "Nature Boy" Words & Music by eden ahbez
Recorded by Nat "King" Cole, 1948

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

(musical interlude)

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

Ahhh! The Complexities Of Life

2008-06-06T17:51:00.010-04:00

« Anna Magnani - Scapricciatiello

Anderson Cooper Has Problems

Anderson Cooper has problems. Sure, he is cute and if the rumors are true–that he is gay–the revealing will effectively devastate my daydreams of Erica Hill dropping her mans for The Silver Fox so they can interact in giggly one-liners for the rest of their lives and bear children with sweet Gravitas. Nevermind my new fantasy of him as Donna Brazile’s boo. But you don’t need to know that.

Anderson Cooper’s problems, the shortlist:

1. Anderson Cooper is afraid of frogs. [A Scary Frog]

2. Anderson Cooper thinks cockroaches are out to get him. [Fear of Roaches]

3. Anderson Cooper has never had coffee because… he doesn’t drink hot drinks.** [Coke Blak]

**Future Elizabeth Hasselbeck, meet Kelly Ripa…minus anything that may resemble talent or charisma. /shudder

Who doesn’t drink hot drinks? And do you reckon he eats soup?

This entry was posted on June 6th, 2008 and is filed under Anderson Cooper.

Good Answer, Kathy

2008-06-06T17:03:00.015-04:00

The Dallas Voice, a Gay & Lesbian newspaper, had an interesting and lenghty interview with Anderson Cooper's adorable and adoring fan, Kathy Griffin. Among many questions there was the one posted here. Good Answer! I'd say. Good for Kathy who knows how to defend and protect our Silver Fox from predatory gay blog "reporters."

If interested, you can read the full interview here: Dallas Voice

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2008 - 6:23:44 PM

Potentially negative force

By Daniel A. Kusner - Life+Style Editor
Jun 5, 2008 - 6:19:49 PM

Speaking of Pride … Jodie Foster’s personal life has been getting interesting lately. Last year, Out magazine ran a cover about the “Glass Closet,” which featured her image next to Anderson Cooper’s. Anderson is a big part of first episode of the new season of “D-List.” So tell me — who’s gayer: Clay Aiken or Anderson?

Listen, Anderson Cooper reports on hard news in places like Karachi. And in Pakistan, they’ll kill you if they find out you’re gay. So I’m not going to be the one who asks Anderson Cooper if he’s gay, okay? And with that in mind, I’m not going to compare him as Jodie Foster’s equal.

Why-ee

2008-06-06T15:18:00.009-04:00

CNN's Anderson Cooper gets a Wy (wii)

(01:43 min.)

From: Siyclone

Added: June 05, 2008

Description: Anderson Cooper gets a Nintendo Wii for his birthday.
Video courtesy of CNN

"I don't even know what one would do with that thing (the Balance Board)... I'm so not going to step on that thing and do this. No... I can, but I won't... I don't understand what is happening (while watching the step exercise on Wii Fit)... Why would you want to do this? ...what am I doing, I don't understand... This is a workout?"

Don't you just want to hug him and tell him "it'll be okay, there is nothing to be afraid of"?

CNN T's (No More)

2008-06-06T13:30:00.008-04:00

Yesterday CNN was selling their brand new T-shirts at their "beta" store. Today, the shirts are still for sale but Anderson's "boo" T-shirt has been removed. I guess they figured out that NOBODY was going to buy a T-shirt that announced Anderson Cooper not being "my boo." Whose idea that was? The unimaginative fellow who thought about it is probably fired by now.

You can check the "other" T-shirts here:Click on CNN logo to go to T-sirts store

Question: Would you buy any of these T-shirts? Would you WEAR any of these shirts if it was given to you? Would you accept any of these shirts if somebody gave you money to wear it along Fifth Avenue?...

Answer: No, No, NO!

A Tired Anderson

2008-06-06T12:56:00.005-04:00

By Lorrie Lynch
with Kathy Rowings

June 05, 2008

Anderson Cooper says subbing for Regis is fun

Like many of my readers, I think Anderson Cooper (at right) is an outstanding reporter. That's why I chose to feature him in this weekend's print Who's News column. Unfortunately, we didn't have room for all the interesting answers he wrote to our e-mailed questions (it was the one way we could get him quickly), so I'm sharing here.

Q. We've seen you subbing for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly. How do you like that? Could you see yourself doing a talk show in your future?

Sitting next to Kelly Ripa is one of the funnest jobs I've ever had. She and Gelman, the whole team over there are a joy to work with. My favorite part of the show is the fifteen minutes of chat in the beginning. It's all unscripted, but Kelly is so smart and funny she makes it seem easy. She is a major talent. As for doing something like that in my future? I should be so lucky.

Q. Do you think the traditional network nightly newscasts are still important? Can they be fixed (to interest more viewers) or do you think there's just so much news available all day on cable and internet that younger people don't consider nightly news vital?

Those broadcasts are still watched by a lot of people, so of course, they are still very relevant. I don't think they will be able to attract more young viewers, however. All of us are working longer and fewer and fewer of us are home at 6:30 for the traditional network newscast. That being said, the broadcast networks can do a better job of reaching out to news consumers on multiple platforms.

Q, What are some things you do when you're not working? Hobbies? Etc.?

My deal (to be on) 60 Minutes is that I can only work for them on holidays and weekends, so I am pretty much working most of the time. In my spare time I've been fixing up my house for a while and I read a lot.

Q. If you weren't a journalist, you'd be a....

...... lot less tired.

Geek Week

2008-06-05T13:28:00.005-04:00

It's been quite a week for Anderson, first it's his birthday, then Erica Hill teaching him how to say "Wii" instead of "Why-ee" and how to use one of those infernal machines. You can watch the embarrassing CNN video here: Why-ee

Then it's Donna Brazile telling him "you are not my Boo," and Anderson responding "Someone can explain it to me later."

This is the Boo video (the YouTube version was posted earlier).

AC to Receive Zayed Prize

2008-06-05T11:38:00.006-04:00

Emmy Award winning journalist to receive special recognition from Zayed prize

05 June 2008
CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper's reports on global environment win praise

Emmy Award winning journalist, author, and television personality Anderson Hays Cooper will receive a special recognition from the Zayed International Prize for the Environment for his outstanding contributions to investigative journalism and reports on the CNN news Show Anderson Cooper 360°.

"As primary anchor of the CNN news show, Mr. Cooper traveled around the world with Sanjay Gupta, a chief medical correspondent, and Jeff Corwin, a wildlife biologist and Animal Planet host, for Planet in Peril," said Colonel Ahmed Rafia, Member of the Zayed Prize Committee.

"Together they investigated the current state of our planet, focusing on four major areas: global warming, overpopulation, deforestation and species loss," Colonel Rafia said.

Mr. Cooper reported from a wide variety of locations including Alaska, Brazil, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Yellowstone National Park, examining the effects of population growth, rising temperatures, and poaching, among others, on the global environment.

Cooper traveled to Brazil to examine connections between the rapid deforestation of the Amazon River Basin and changes in the world's climate, embedding with "poacher police" amid raids of illegal logging camps.

In Thailand and Cambodia, he walked the markets where endangered animals are bought and sold to find out how their removal can affect entire ecosystems. Moreover, he traveled to Greenland to report on its melting ice sheet, where Cooper witnessed one of the world's newest islands, discovered when the ice receded.

Anderson Cooper 360° is broadcast from CNN's Time Warner Center studios in New York City, the program is simulcast on both CNN and CNN International (1st hour only except for breaking news or select special interest stories) at 10 p.m. ET, making the show available to people around the world.

The program covers a number of the stories of the day, usually through live or taped news reports from the network's correspondents. The coverage can also include analysis from experts on the issues, commonly featured in, or after, the taped reports.

Cooper often anchors the program from the site of a major news story, such as his extensive coverage from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In 2006, Anderson Cooper 360°was nominated twice for a GLAAD Award in the category of "Outstanding TV Journalism - News Segment". The show has won the following awards:

2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story Long Form for his report on the famine in Niger [1]; 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Feature Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast for his report on Charity Hospital [2]; 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Current Business News Story In a Regularly Scheduled Newscast for his report on Black Market Infertility [3];

Founded in 1999 by H. H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the Zayed International Prize for the Environment recognizes and encourages environmental achievements supporting and promoting the implementation of Agenda 21, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation for Sustainable Development, in line with the vision and philosophy of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Father of the United Arab Emirates.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2008 from BIZ COM

AC is Numero Uno

2008-06-05T10:39:00.006-04:00

... and Dos, and Tres, and Cuatro, and Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera...

CNN Wave Crests On Decisive Primary Night

By Lisa de Moraes
Thursday, June 5, 2008; Page C07

CNN ruled cable news the historic night of the Montana and South Dakota primaries, which wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination derby in favor of Sen. Barack Obama.

CNN clocked more than 3.5 million viewers in prime time. That's a 34 percent lead over MSNBC's more than 2.5 million viewers. It's also a 47 percent advantage over Fox News Channel's prime-time crowd of 2.4 million viewers.

Yes, it appears MSNBC edged out FNC in prime time Tuesday.

Among CNN's prime-time audience, 1.4 million fell into the 25-to-54 age bracket that is the target audience of news operations. MSNBC's prime-time crowd included just over 1 million 25-to-54-year-olds. CNN logged a whopping 91 percent lead over FNC among 25-to-54-year-olds; FNC's prime-time audience included 739,000 in the age bracket.

CNN also wants you to know Anderson Cooper's 10 p.m. program snared more than 4.5 million viewers and was the only cable news program to top 4 mil for an hour Tuesday night.

And, in one of those incredible coincidences that make covering television so fulfilling, Cooper's audience is virtually identical to that of the resurrection, one night earlier, of the show that introduced many American viewers to Cooper, ABC's "The Mole."

True, "The Mole" delivered a slightly larger crowd -- 4.7 million viewers -- in its return to the ABC lineup.

And yes, ironically, a crowd of 4.5 million, the number who watched Cooper's CNN show, is a terrific audience for that network, while 4.7 million for "The Mole" is a big disappointment for ABC. In fact it's nearly 50 percent smaller than the crowd that caught the most recent premiere of "The Mole," which, granted, was nearly 4 1/2 years ago when the broadcast TV picture looked a whole lot brighter.

"The Mole," you'll recall, was first unveiled on ABC in January '01, followed quickly by a second round that debuted in September -- about a week after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. ABC yanked that second edition after just a few broadcasts but returned the show the next summer. It did okay then, so ABC ordered two celebrity editions, after which the show vanished.

The two celebrity editions were not hosted by Cooper because, hello, he is the celebrity, and besides, he'd already fled to CNN.

* * *

Will You Be My 'Boo'?

2008-06-04T20:05:00.006-04:00

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

I want to be Anderson Cooper's 'boo'

Dear Anderson Cooper,

You silver fox, you. Will you be my 'boo'?

Please?

Outside the Lines

Posted by Christopher Hennessy at 12:06 PM

The Meaning Of "Boo"

2008-06-04T19:29:00.006-04:00

June 4, 2008, 3:51 pm

Search Trends: Politics, Slang, Anderson Cooper–and the Meaning of ‘Boo’

Posted by Tom Weber

Unsolicited advice from Buzzwatch: Don’t ask someone to be “your boo” unless you know what it means.

To deem a person “my boo” is to effectively designate that person as one’s sweetheart. The slang expression had its big pop-culture moment in 2004 when Usher and Alicia Keys released a duet titled, “My Boo.”

Last night, the phrase surfaced unexpectedly in CNN’s political coverage in an exchange between program host Anderson Cooper and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile. Fending off Mr. Cooper’s attempt to get her to reveal details of a conversation with Barack Obama, Ms. Brazile said, “Anderson, you’re not my boo.” Mr. Cooper replied, “I want to be your boo,” prompting laughter among the assembled guests. “I’m not even sure what that means, exactly,” Mr. Cooper added.

Apparently, others aren’t sure about the meaning, either. Web-surfers have been busy today searching for boo-related information. At one point this afternoon, the Google Trends list of hot search terms contained each of these phrases:

“boo slang”
“anderson cooper boo”
“what does boo mean”
“you’re not my boo”

The good-natured byplay from CNN marks what is possibly the biggest exposure for “boo” since March, when the Eliot Spitzer story broke. That’s when attention focused on Ashley Alexandra Dupré (the woman known as “Kristen”) and her music. In its coverage of Ms. Dupre, the New York Times took a swipe at her use of “boo,” describing her song “What We Want” as “a hip-hop-inflected rhythm-and-blues tune that asks, ‘Can you handle me, boy?’ and uses some dated slang, calling someone her ‘boo.’”

"I Don't Know What That Means, Exactly"

2008-06-04T14:23:00.007-04:00

Funny CNN: Anderson wants to be her Boo

(00:50 min.)

From: dannewsvideo

Added: June 03, 2008

Description: Anderson Cooper wants to be her boo.

~Informal transcript~

Anderson Cooper: Did he tell you in that phone conversation, that you had privately with him, about how he plans to do that? How he plans to reach out? How he plans to unify?

Donna Brazile: Of course he’s told everyone that he plans to sit down with Senator Clinton at the right time…”

Anderson Cooper: I’m looking for something he hasn’t told anyone else…just you.

[Laughter]

Donna Brazile: Anderson, you’re not my boo.

[More laughter]

Anderson Cooper: I wanna be your boo. [pause and laughter] I don’t really even know what that means.

[Brazile looks at her watch]

Donna Brazile: Anderson, are we still on TV?

Anderson Cooper: Yes we are.

Donna Brazile: Well, I think I better watch my words.

Anderson Cooper:I’m not sure what that means exactly... Someone can explain it to me later.

Anderson Can Be A Riddle For Some

2008-06-04T13:22:00.017-04:00

JON FRIEDMAN'S MEDIA WEB

I don't understand Anderson Cooper's appeal

By Jon Friedman, MarketWatch
Last update: 12:01 a.m. EDT June 4, 2008

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Yes, CNN's Anderson Cooper has heart. He oozes empathy. He's clearly a good-hearted fellow and, by all accounts, as likeable as all get-out.
And yet I have this Cooper-related conundrum.

Can you please explain to me how the host of "Anderson Cooper 360" seems to have become the most trusted name in news at Time Warner's CNN?

I may have just answered my own question. I suspect that people tune in to Cooper because they like him, and that's no small feat for a television personality. If more people liked Katie Couric, she probably wouldn't be in danger of getting shoved out of the "CBS Evening News" anchor chair.

Taking this point to its logical conclusion, then, you could argue that a news network benefits more if its signature anchor is more liked than respected for having news savvy.

In the 21st century, when plenty of TV journalists rely as much on their personalities as their reporting acumen, being voted "Most Popular" is enough.
Some media writers have named Cooper as Couric's logical successor. Hey, why not?
So what if Cooper once hosted ABC's "The Mole?" What matters most is that Cooper may be able to reach the disenfranchised 6:30 p.m. evening news audience of young adults.

CNN, like all of the television networks, is hungry for young viewers. They may be saddled with a middle-aged demographic but they would prefer to reach the kinds of young people that Madison Avenue also craves -- young people who have not yet formed loyalty to particular brands.

CNN wants those eyeballs every night, and the network is battling General Electric's MSNBC and News Corp.'s Fox News Channel for viewers and publicity. (News Corp. also owns MarketWatch, the publisher of this column.)

Fox has been No. 1 for many years, and MSNBC has been getting plenty of publicity for its opinionated talk-show hosts. Where Fox galvanized viewers on the right, MSNBC appeals to the left. That leaves CNN somewhere in the middle (though right-wingers still like to call CNN the Clinton News Network, in a nod to the network's alleged sympathies to then-President Bill Clinton's policies).

CNN needs something to fend off MSNBC. For the most part, it has admirably declined to try to match MSNBC shout for shout. That leaves Cooper.

Cooper doesn't yell. He doesn't offend or point fingers. He is the prototypical 21st century CNN anchor.

Becoming a star

CNN executives might disagree and say I'm diminishing Cooper by focusing on a small part of his appeal. His supporters say he has worked hard to earn his reputation as a trusted journalist. Fair enough.

CNN is chock full of seasoned anchors and gritty beat reporters, especially in its Washington bureau, and yet Cooper is being pushed front and center to trump them all. Perhaps only Larry King is a bigger name at CNN. Perhaps.

Cooper catapulted to stardom on his moving coverage of Hurricane Katrina's devastation in 2005. He also drew condemnations from other journalists who thought it was eerily reminiscent of William Hurt's melodrama in "Broadcast News," when Hurt played a lightweight TV journalist who teared up during an interview with a rape victim.

I don't question Cooper's sincerity. I don't think he emotes strictly because he hopes to attain big ratings. But he doesn't seem to mind having it as his trademark, either.

To his credit, he has proven to be a lot more than a one-trick pony since the coverage of Katrina has largely subsided.

Cooper has become the linchpin in CNN's election coverage, calmly and deftly keeping the action moving from one commentator to the next.

Forget the path of bygone network anchors Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings and Dan Rather. What matters now is emoting.

Fans Bearing Gifts

2008-06-03T18:54:00.020-04:00

An analog wristwatch so he can learn to count time instead of depending on digital signs all the time.

A backpack nobody can find except the person wearing it on the photo.

An artsy T-shirt.

Another artsy T-shirt.

A book.

The audio CD of the book.

A couple of key chains so he can keep a set of keys at home and a set of keys at the office. Perhaps that way he won't get locked out of his apartment.

A couple of coffee mugs for his cold beverages, including his ever present Diet-Coke.

A big analog clock in case his wristwatch doesn't do the trick.

A subscription to "Out" magazine.

The CD of Planet in Peril.

His artsy picture in a modern plastic frame box.

A second artsy picture of himself framed in a modern plastic box.

His classic, beautiful face framed in a classic, beautiful frame.

Happy 41st!

2008-06-03T09:45:00.005-04:00

From this...

To this...

To this...

In 41 years.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
ANDERSON
And thank you for all the wonderful hours of amazingly touching and funny entertainment.

We Love You!

"The Mole" Again

2008-06-02T22:42:00.008-04:00

June 2, 2008, 6:02 pm
Return of ‘The Mole’
By Brian Stelter

It’s not often that reality television shows return after a four-year hiatus. But that’s what “The Mole” is doing tonight at 10 on ABC.

The show, which debuted in 2001, has ten players competing to earn up to $1 million by trying to identify the saboteur in their midst. ABC calls it “television’s smartest reality show.” The first two seasons were hosted by Anderson Cooper, who went on to prove his mettle on CNN.

The show, which airs in repeats on the Fox Reality Channel, has maintained a fan base over the years, and the first season is available on DVD.

So why did it go away? Andy Dehnart of MSNBC.com cites bad timing: the second season was scheduled for September 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks. The episodes were pulled, and when they returned in the summer of 2002 they were up against a new show called “American Idol.” The third and fourth seasons, in 2003 and 2004, upped the celebrity quotient and lowered the intellectual bar, and were less well received by viewers.

John Saade, who oversees ABC’s alternative series, tells USA Today that the “different regime” at ABC showed interest in bringing “The Mole” back. Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, “was willing to give it another shot,” Mr. Saade says.

The new episodes will be hosted by Jon Kelley, most recently of the entertainment newsmagazine “Extra.” The number of contestants is up to 12 but the potential pot of money is down to $500,000. The series will follow a two-hour edition of “The Bachelorette,” setting up an all-reality night for ABC.

As I post this, "The Mole" is finishing and Marcie is the first contestant leaving and another contestant, a woman, I forget her name, was left behind stranded in some remote beach -- all night, by herself... well, and the cameraman, and the lights technician, and heavens knows who else; but ssssh! She is supposed to be isolated for the night, okay? At this point, I could care less who was leaving and who was staying, but what kept my attention most was the theme music! I'll find the mp3 and post it later. I hope.

Do You Know What Day Is Tomorrow?

2008-06-02T21:13:00.011-04:00

At the risk of excommunication for heresy, I will say that for us, Anderfans, tomorrow will be like Christmas in June!

Tomorrow, 41 years ago in a manger not so meager -- not so manger either, a baby was born. Not a cow was present, not even a donkey showed up. But the angels in the vicinity flattered and fluttered with their songs and their wings as the cherub laid smiling with a silver spoon in his mouth.

There were Diamonds aplenty and Rubies galore. Emeralds were sparkling their green hue all around. But the jewel that was most clearly in sight was, of course, the Sapphire -- the Blue Sapphire! Which on this day it began radiating in a color of blue never seen before by the human eye.
Don't forget to send him an e-mail saying
"Happy 41st Birthday" to him!

Beat 360 -- 06-02-08

2008-06-02T20:22:00.015-04:00

Since there is nothing in the news but "The Mole," "The Mole," "The Mole," "The Mole," and "The Mole," and Anderson Cooper mentioned only in passing on every one of those posts, I feel that Beat 360 is a good choice to talk about Anderson and make fun of... er... I mean, make fun with him.

Beat 360°

Posted: 04:08 PM ET
Hey Bloggers!

It’s time for ‘Beat 360°!’

Everyday we post a picture - and you provide the caption. Our staff will get in on the action too.

Tune in every night at 10p ET to see if you are our favorite! Can you Beat 360°?

Here is the ‘Beat 360°’ pic of the day: Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama peers through a kaleidoscope while shopping for his daughters and wife May 31, 2008 in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Have fun with it.

Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.

David M. Reisner
360° Digital Producer

Add a comment here Beat 360

Kristien and Megan and Peter say!

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
June 2nd, 2008 -- 4:34 pm ET
“Just like this 2072 delegates become 16 576 delegates…Do you guys make deliveries in Denver?”

Megan Dresslar
June 2nd, 2008 -- 4:48 pm ET
Hmmmm, I am looking or see in the future for Hillary Clinton will be my vice president (running mate) Obama-Clinton ticket.
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa

Megan Dresslar
June 2nd, 2008 -- 4:52 pm ET
Arghhhhhh! I am captain Hook! I am on big the ship!
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
June 2nd, 2008 -- 5:21 pm ET
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with…V!”
(V for victory, in case you are wondering..)

Peter Treviño
June 2nd, 2008 -- 8:57 pm ET
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
“Awww… All those little Andersons turning around and around. They look so… so 360!”

What Will It Be...

2008-06-02T12:11:00.026-04:00

... "The (new) Mole" or Anderson Cooper 360?

Monday, June 2, 2008
10 PM ET
The blogs, the papers, the entertaining web pages are all talking about the premiere of The "other" Mole:

Who is 'The Mole'?
asks Jessica Banov from "The Fayetteville Observer"
Published on Monday, June 02, 2008

ABC revives 'Mole'
says Scott D. Pierce from Deseret News
Published: Monday, June 2, 2008 12:42 a.m. MDT

'The Mole' resurfaces on ABC
says Ellen Gray - Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia,PA,USA
Posted on Mon, Jun. 2, 2008

Addictive reality show The Mole intriguing
says Alex Strachan, Windsor Star - Ontario, Canada
Published: Monday, June 02, 2008

"The Mole" returns With New Twists And Turns
says Jim Halterman from The Futon Critic.com - San Jose, CA
[06.02.08 - 12:27 AM]

The Mole seeks to regain former glory
says Alex Strachan, The Gazette (Montreal) - Quebec,Canada
Published: 7 hours ago

The Mole refusing to go underground
says Alex Strachan, Calgary Herald - AB, Canada
Published: Monday, June 02, 2008

10 PM ET

2nd Planet in Peril

2008-06-01T20:56:00.012-04:00

Release Date: 5/29/2008
CNN’s Planet in Peril Returns with Look at Environmental
Battle Lines

Lisa Ling joins Anderson Cooper, Dr. Sanjay Gupta to Report on Conflicts over Natural Resources
CNN’s award-winning Planet in Peril documentary series returns later this year with an examination of the conflict between growing populations and natural resources.

For Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and The Oprah Winfrey Show correspondent and National Geographic host Lisa Ling travel to the front lines of these environmental conflicts where countries, communities and individuals are fighting over oil, land, water and food. The documentary, to be taped in high definition, will air in late 2008.

“We want to bring viewers to the front lines of these growing conflicts,” Cooper said. “The battle over natural resources is leading to environmental devastation, destruction of wildlife and the spread of dangerous viruses, not to mention the loss of human life. We want to take viewers on this journey with us and show them the reality of what’s occurring.”

The first Planet in Peril, a four-hour investigation that aired in October 2007, traveled to 13 countries to explore four factors that impact the environment – overpopulation, deforestation, species loss and climate change. For the second Planet in Peril, CNN will be traveling across the globe to some of the most remote regions of the planet.

Ling, an award-winning journalist, joins Planet in Peril for its second installment. As a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, Ling reported about gang rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, bride burning in India, polygamy, the Virginia Tech massacre and Hurricane Katrina, among others stories. Previously, she served as co-host for The View and as a correspondent for Channel One. For National Geographic, she explored the phenomenon of female suicide bombers and investigated Colombia’s drug war.

For Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, CNN crews will visit the North Pole, where melting ice has touched off an international conflict over ownership of the arctic waters and energy resources that lie below; Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where dwindling food supplies push people into the jungle, exposing them to mysterious and deadly diseases that scientists think could result in the next pandemic; and Indonesia, a center of shark-finning operations that have helped deplete the oceans of more than 90 percent of shark species.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information. Its reach extends to nine cable and satellite television networks; one private place-based network; two radio networks; wireless devices around the world; CNN Digital Network, the No. 1 network of news Web sites in the United States; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and strategic international partnerships within both television and the digital media.

But when Lisa Ling replaces Jeff Corwin, I doubt there will be any frogs. I wonder where will Anderson get the comic relief -- at his expense?
Will Lisa Ling prick Anderson's finger with a poisonous needle?

Will Lisa Ling put lizards on Anderson's head?

But most of all, Is Lisa Ling half the hunk Jeff is?

Heard on Twitter

2008-06-01T19:09:00.022-04:00

by The Coop

AndersonCooper Lou Dobbs is to cupcakes as David Copperfield is to giant landmarks. about 7 hours ago from web

AndersonCooper During a video conference this morning, Larry repeatedly posed the question: "Now tell me, how did you all get inside my computer screen?" 05:35 PM May 29, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper OK, fine. You win. I admit it. I was jealous of Charlie Rose. 12:47 AM March 20, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper Have you ever noticed your shoelace touching the floor while you're in the restroom & then gone the rest of the day without tying it? I have 12:35 PM May 16, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper I'd much rather be on the ground in Myanmar or China, reporting on their tragedies, than in-studio talking about politics and polygamists. 06:48 PM May 12, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper It's painful to watch this guy butchering my show, but at least it's not Larry. 10:38 PM May 09, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper Little known fact: Wolf is actually only about 3cm tall. We use camera tricks to make him look like he's just a short human. 05:04 PM May 01, 2008 from web in reply to hotdogsladies

AndersonCooper What is your preferred spelling: grey or gray? (Someone recently described me as having "gray hair." They're completely off; it's silver.) 10:36 AM April 30, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper The only thing more distracting than the giant video board behind me is the grizzly beard on the sound guy wrapping cables across from me. 11:09 PM April 03, 2008 from web

AndersonCooper Wolf and Lou were betting on how that LA car chase would end. Wolf: crash @ an intersection, Lou: tires shot out. They were both wrong. Boo! 06:14 PM March 04, 2008 from web

Find The Coop and me plus over 2000 others in Twitter:

ET Come Play

2008-06-01T16:34:00.009-04:00

Man Claims He Captured Alien on Film
AOL
Posted: 2008-06-01 -- 15:03:44

Stan Romanek claims this still image from a three-minute video he shot in 2003 shows an alien looking into his home in Nebraska. In the film, a strange face appears to be popping up and down outside Romanek's window.

The "Can Andy come out to play?" was not part of the news, I just thought that if he is an alien like me, who came all the way from Mexico to play with Andy, then an alien like him, who came all the way from who-knows-where, would be even more eager to come out to play with Anderson.

Odds and Oddests

2008-06-01T12:11:00.011-04:00

Anderson's set for the panel on Super Tuesday

I know the resemblance is uncanny. Good cartoon, though.

This is what Anderson's head looks like in the inside. No kidding!

This is how the doctor found out that there was something
inside Anderson's head.

A storm I didn't see in "Planet in Peril."

The "other" book.

Self explanatory. If not, ask your teacher to tell you...
or visit your nearest zoo.

Xmas and my birthday are still too far away! I want this backpack NOW!

A scan of a badly crumpled up newspaper photo of Anderson during one of the debates this year.

Super Tuesday in the Sunday funnies.

Remember Polaroids? Well, this isn't one of them,
but it looks like one.

Wouldn't you wish to have been inside the booth
when Anderson took these pictures?

The AC Mole Now

2008-06-01T10:41:00.010-04:00

Thanks to Sydney for the tip about this what I think will be an all day marathon of Anderson's "The Mole" in the cities that can get FOX Reality TV. Enjoy!

Next Episode
Sunday June 1st, 10:00 AM ET

11:00E 08:00P The Mole - 1
The Mole Season 1:

Season One - Steven Cowles (Winner); Kathryn Price (The Mole); Manuel Herrera; Afi Ekulona; Wendi Wendt; Henry Wentz; Jennifer Biondi; Kate Pahls; Charlie McGown; Jim Morrison

11:00E 08:00P The Mole - 2
The Mole Season 2:

Season Two – Dorothy Hui (Winner); Bill McDaniel (The Mole); Ali Gorman; Heather Campbell; Katie Mills; Patrick Guilfoyle; Lisa Noller; Darwin Conner; Michael “Bribs” Brbiesca; Rob Nelson; Myra Brown; Bob Paulhus; Elavia Bello; Al Spielmen

A bit confused... so am I. check out FOX Reality web site here.

The One And Only!

I Heart Graffiti

2008-05-31T22:38:00.002-04:00

(1440 x 900)

(800 x 600)

A Helping Hand

2008-05-31T11:27:00.015-04:00

Installation

The baby on the bottom right is Anderson Cooper. Diane Arbus took the portrait for Harper's Bazaar.
-- said Steve Rhodes from Steve Rhodes

Anderson's portrait by Diane Arbus is the bottom at the right of the set of four on the right hand wall. I like Ms. Arbus photography, her portraits are superb; but I don't know what she was thinking when she took the picture of Anderson as a baby. I think she could have done a whole lot better!

As for the kid helping hang the pictures, Is that Anderson too? I doubt it, Anderson was never That blond.

Now, this one may not be a piece of art, but it sure is a portrait of Anderson to really appreciate the beauty of the subject
we are talking about.

Repeat

2008-05-30T23:06:00.005-04:00

Tonight on NBC at 11:35 PM ET
It's half an hour before the program begins in
New York (the East Coast) and I just found out that

IT'S A REPEAT!!!!!

Oh, Well. Seconds of Anderson can't be that bad anyway.

Anderson on Scott

2008-05-30T22:38:00.009-04:00

May 30, 2008

Anderson’s View: the 360° Scott McClellan interview

Posted: 05:02 PM ET

Anderson Cooper

I just got done interviewing Scott McCellan. He’s been interviewed on a couple of other programs already, but I think you will find the interview we are going to air on 360 tonight is much different.

You can view part of the interview now,
and catch the rest tonight on AC360° at 10p ET.
Watch the CNN video here:I was up until about 4am last night reading the book, and I finished it earlier today. I believe in holding people accountable for their words and actions, and not taking political sides, and I think you will see my effort to do all those things in the interview tonight.

I wanted to give McClellan the opportunity to directly address some of the specific attacks being made against him by the White House and its surrogates, but I also wanted to directly address some of the things that are vague in his book.

He blames being stuck in the White House “bubble” but is that really a valid excuse for his actions? He says he was caught up in the Washington game, but does that justify making what he now admits were misleading statements?

Anyway, I think you will be interested in the interview tonight. It’s tough, but fair. I hope you tune it.

Filed under: Anderson Cooper • Scott McClellan

Spoiler Alert... Well, Not Really

2008-05-30T20:18:00.002-04:00

The Mole Rules

2008-05-30T18:11:00.013-04:00

The Mole, TV's Most Mindful Reality Program, Returns!

May 30, 2008, Ladytex

I'm so excited! It's been four, long years, but The Mole is back! On Monday night twelve players will embark on a mission all over the world and there is one question that will win them the money: Who is The Mole? This is one of the "smartest" reality shows of all time: stupidity will get you executed very quickly.

There were two seasons of the original The Mole with Anderson Cooper as the host. The last two seasons were the spin-off version, Celebrity Mole, with Ahmad Rashad as host. Most purists don't count the celebrity seasons, but I enjoyed them. Who'd have guessed that Dennis Rodman was actually intelligent?

The host of this season is Jon Kelley, who was a respected sports anchor and used to co-host Extra's weekend edition. The personality of the host is almost as important as the game itself, so I hope he can hold his own. He's got big shoes to fill in the case of Anderson Cooper. I also love the diversity of the cast. These people are not your stereotypical reality show participants.

The contestants range from Ali, the 24-year-old model who thinks she'll win by using her beauty, to Liz, the 60-year-old retiree who will use her experience to win. There is Clay, the trial attorney; Nicole, the OB-GYN doctor; and Kristin, the neuroscientist with a PhD. There is also a musician, a graphic designer, a high-school history teacher, a retail manager, a restaurant manager, a utility worker and a stay-at-home mom. Which one of these people is The Mole?

There are ten episodes, each one with a mission. Your normal instinct would be to work together to accomplish the mission, but one of the players will be sabotaging it. Trust no one. Be vigilant; watch everyone. If you think someone is The Mole, learn as much as you can about them. It could save your game life. At the end of each episode, everyone takes a quiz and the person who knows the least, or guesses the worst, is "executed."

Part of the fun is that the viewers are as much in the dark as the contestants. All over the Web, you'll find discussion boards buzzing over the clues. The website itself has a community section. You can sign up for one or two clues per week by text message on your cell phone by texting "themole" to 22288. The first clue has already been sent. It is: Ep. 1 Clue: NIC@IT. What does that mean? Is it singling out Nicole? Does The Mole have a nicotine addiction? Is it a scrambled letters clue?

The first quiz has been posted already; the questions are:

Question 1: Is The Mole male or female?
Question 2: When did The Mole jump in the "Over the Falls" mission?
Question 3: During the "Crusoe" mission, which group did The Mole join?
Question 4: On the first night, where was The Mole assigned to sleep?
Question 5: As it's written on The Mole's bag, does The Mole have an even or odd number of letters in their name?
Question 6: What is The Mole's age?
Question 7: In "Over The Falls," what was the outcome of The Mole's jump?
Question 8: Did The Mole drive one of the vans to the beach?
Question 9: At the start of the "Crusoe" mission, was The Mole wearing a hat?
Question 10: Who is The Mole?

And that is the question. Who is The Mole? Will you be tuning in Monday night to begin the game? I will!

To what I would add:

Question 11: Is the former Mole host...?

Well... I think I better not... He looks like he would beat me violently and forcefully and repeatedly if I ask -- he looks mean...

Monday is the "Other" Mole

2008-05-30T16:03:00.022-04:00

Get ready for Monday, June 2, 2008 on ABC at 10 PM ET

On TV
Live Discussion with Post TV columnist Lisa de Morales

Reality, Non-Reality and Everything In-Between

Lisa de Moraes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 30, 2008; 1:00 PM

[The following comment was made after and before many other blog questions or comments to Lisa de Morales]

_______________________

Seattle: Thanks for these chats. I am soooo looking forward to the return of the non-celebrity "The Mole." But do you think the new guy can be as good as Anderson Cooper? Will he do a dance while saying "I love this game"?

Lisa de Moraes: No one could be as great as Anderson Cooper in this hosting gig. Never again will we see such a nice balance of shame and arrogance in a reality-series host. That comes but once in a lifetime, folks.

_______________________

Anderson, the host that comes but
once in a lifetime...
That's not a comment, that's every
AnderFan's Dogma!
I am sure there will many mentions by Jon about not trying to fill in Anderson Cooper's shoes... or, What would Anderson do in this situation?... or, Is here where I do my little dance like Anderson did one time only in his whole life?...

Tonight on Jay Leno

2008-05-30T10:41:00.006-04:00

TONIGHT
Talk-show host Conan O'Brien
&
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper.
Friday, May 30 on NBC at 11:35 PM ET

Muppets Wednesday

2008-05-29T21:17:00.010-04:00

May 29, 2008

Anderson’s View: Sesame Street

Posted: 07:07 PM ET

Anderson Cooper

I had the opportunity last night to host a benefit for Sesame Workshop. They of course are the folks behind Sesame Street.

Actually, I was the co-host. Elmo was sharing the stage with me.

I was part of the first generation of Sesame Street, and to say it played an important role in my childhood would be an understatement. I had a reading problem when I was very young, a mild form of dyslexia, and Sesame Street helped me improve faster.

When I was in the first grade, my class actually visited Sesame Street, and I found one of Big Bird’s feathers on the floor. Naturally, I picked it up, and it became one of my prized possessions. Some friends of mine recently suggested to me that I had actually plucked the feather directly from Big Bird, but I deny that, and since I was a minor, the records are thankfully sealed. I mention all this to explain why being able to do something for Sesame Street was a thrill.

I hadn’t realized that Sesame Street is now truly a global phenomenon. Last night’s benefit was for India’s version of it, called Galli Galli Sim Sim, and the number of kids who watch the program in Inda is astounding.

There are more than 120 million kids aged 2-6 in India, and four out of five of them have no access to early childhood education. In South Africa, Sesame Street has helped kids orphaned from AIDS understand the virus. In Kosovo, Sesame Street has helped bridge religious and ethnic divides.

It was all started by a lovely lady named Joan Ganz Cooney, and she was at the event last night. Dick Parsons, the chairman of Time Warner, remarked that she has truly changed the world, and he is absolutely right.

The funnest part of last night was getting to meet Elmo, and Grover, and the other characters from Sesame Street. Grover is really down to earth for such a big celebrity, and Elmo is as funny and charming as you would expect. Though I think he was up a little bit past his bedtime last night.

Anyway, it was a fun event, for a great cause, and I was honored to be asked to play a small role.

Filed under: Anchor Desk

Comments from us to the AC 360 Blog:

Megan Dresslar
May 29th, 2008 -- 7:45 pm ET
Hello Anderson!!
I agree with you too!! That is my favorite show Sesame Street to watch! Yes, I was little girl only watch Sesame Street since 1976 to now. that will be fun to learn to watch grow up. Only way to remember words and abc’s too. Tonight I will join AC360 blog and program. See you there tonight! xoxo………
Megan D.
Shoreline,Wa

Peter Treviño
May 29th, 2008 -- 9:48 pm ET
Well, now we know where that yellow Big Bird feather went to, and what happened to it — “a minor” and the records are sealed… The minor is 40 years old now, so, in the name of veracity, it’s time to open the records again!
Peter Treviño
New York, NY

Muppets Thursday

2008-05-29T14:36:00.031-04:00

The News Are All Abuzz

"Anderson Cooper Hangs out on Sesame Street"
-- says Jebbica of the "Hollywood Crap -- We Scoop It For You" blog.

"Anderson Cooper, prefers redheads
over big blonde birds"
-- says Spirit Fingers of the "Ayyyy! -- Gently Making Fun of the Famous" blog.

"Anderson Cooper Gives His Date
a Scalp Massage"
-- says Andy of the "Towleroad -- A Site With Homosexual Tendencies" blog.

And then What's-her-name? appears and all tree begin to sing: "Uh-oh, this is a Triangle, a triangle has tree sides; this is not a rectangle -- God forbid! -- the rectangle has four sides.
This is a..." and so on.

THE END

Muppet Lover

2008-05-29T12:55:00.006-04:00

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Anderson Cooper Loves Muppets

Anderson Cooper, Elmo and Grover attend the 6th Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 28, 2008 in New York City. I am not sure who is cuter but I know who I want to hit it with.

Posted by kevin

Grovey Lovey

2008-05-29T12:31:00.007-04:00

NEW COUPLE ALERT!
ANDERSON COOPER AND GROVER

Anderson Cooper and his new date Grover from Sesame Street, how cute is that ... think of the 3some you could have ;-) Anderson Cooper was spotted with Grover at the 6th Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala in New York City last night.

Posted at 12:20 AM in News 2008

To Blog or Not To Blog...

2008-05-29T11:07:00.016-04:00

A letter to Anderson Cooper

Posted by admin
May 28, 2008

Dear Anderson:

I was just reading about you over at TV Newser. I guess this is the new trend in TV news shows, anchors blogging live while their show is still going on. Greta Van Susteren over on Fox News has been doing it, and now you’re doing it too.

You called Wednesday night’s first effort “an experiment.” As far as I can tell, you didn’t actually blog during the broadcast, you just answered viewers questions in the comments section of the blog (if I’m wrong about this let me know), but I can see how you’re all trying to connect television to the web, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I blog all day for a living, but I’m not sure I want to see my TV news anchors live blogging while they’re doing a live show on television.

It would be one thing if Soledad O’Brien was doing it on her old MSNBC show The Site (ah, memories) since that show was about the web and technology. And I’m sure this would fit in well over on G4 too. But I don’t know if I want you or Katie Couric or Brian Williams actually live blogging while the news is going on.

You certainly don’t have time to blog anything too worthwhile (at least I hope you don’t - you must already be busy during commercial breaks), and it could just turn into some lame attempt at “interactivity.” In the comments last night, you answered a viewer’s question about Britney Spears and told us you were taking TheraFlu for a cold (that stuff is good - I took Comtrex one time and it made me feel worse). Yeah, that’s fun and all, but I just find it a bit disappointing that everything we do now has to have some “multi-tasking” aspect to it. I’d rather you do the show and then blog when you’re not on the air. It won’t interrupt what you’re doing on the show, and the blog posts will be more substantial.

But as you said it’s an experiment, so we’ll see how it goes. If you keep going, you should definitely get some sort of official icon so people don’t impersonate you like they did the other night.

Hope you feel better!

Best,

Bob

P.S. Please, no more stories about Britney, OK?

The article above was based on the article below.

Thursday Feb 07, 2008

Cooper vs. Greta: Live Blogging at 10

Last night Anderson Cooper took up the trend of in-show anchor blogging, giving his 10pm cable competitor a run for her digital money.

Greta Van Susteren's GretaWire blog often opens a thread for viewers to comment while On The Record is on the air. Van Susteren responds during commercial breaks. Greta has also been known to add blog posts during her show. The experiment on AC360 gives an indication the shows are not just competing for TV viewers, but for page view(er)s as well.

Cooper made seven comments in the thread, six during the show. A few were responses to those who questioned the decision to spend time talking about Britney Spears.

Cooper's final comment included an accompanying icon...

In his final comment of the night at 12:50amET (almost two hours after he went off the air), Cooper wrote, "Yay folks, its so great to be doing this. I am so excited," followed by a smiley-face icon.

A CNN spokesperson tells TVNewser that the page had more than 12,000 views from 10-Midnight last night, and that the live blogging will continue, "occasionally with the goal of making it a nightly event." Gretawire averaged 21,500 page views during those hours last night.

So here's a question: Will Anderson comment on GretaWire? Will Greta, comment on the AC360 live blog? And would they do it, while they're both on live? We'll be watching... and viewing.

> Update: Apparently that late night comment was not from Cooper, but from an impostor whose comment on the first night of the live blog somehow slipped through. Cooper tells TVNewser, "I was amused to see someone posted a note using my name during our inaugural live blogging last night. For the record, I stopped using smiley faces and bubble hearts in second grade."

Posted by SteveK | 04:44 PM

Anderson's Post

2008-05-28T17:38:00.005-04:00

May 28, 2008

Anderson’s View: What Happened to McClellan

Posted: 02:51 PM ET
Anderson Cooper

We are continuing to work today on the revelations and accusations made by former Bush spokesman Scott McClellan in his new book. The story broke late yesterday, and last night we only had a few excerpts to discuss. Tonight we will go into much more depth, and we’ll talk to people who served as White House Press Secretary and the people who question them - White House reporters.

It’s interesting to see the public relations machinery already at work on this story. The White House and its surrogates are out in force now to discredit McClellan. They’ve said he wasn’t a key player, he wasn’t in important meetings, he’s disgruntled, he wasn’t qualified for the job, he’s trying to sell books, his editor re-wrote parts of the book.

I don’t know what’s true and what’s not in their allegations, or his for that matter, but he was the President’s spokesman for nearly three years, and what he is saying can’t simply be discounted. So we will check the facts tonight, and go indepth on what McClellan is saying.

I’ve also gotten some e-mails today about an article on the website of a local television station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The article is about Louisiana’s governor Bobby Jindal. In the article they state that I have endorsed Jindal as the best choice to be John McCain’s Vice President. I have no idea where the reporter got this information, but I haven’t endorsed him, or anyone else.

I don’t endorse candidates. Never have. Never will. That’s not my job. I called up the station and asked them to remove the incorrect sentence from their website, but just in case anyone thinks I’ve suddenly decided to start taking sides in political races, I haven’t. I leave that to folks on other networks.

Filed under: Anderson Cooper

This is the article from the Baton Rouge, LA web site Anderson is talking about above, followed by the edited paragraph with the mention of Anderson's endorsement.

Talk continues about possible VP Jindal

Posted: May 27, 2008 07:57 PM EDT

Updated: May 28, 2008 02:13 PM EDT

By Caroline Moses

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper, has endorsed Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to become the country's next vice president. Even after a weekend visit with presidential candidate John McCain, the governor insists the two have not had any talks about becoming running mates. Still, talk is swirling throughout the country and in India, the native land of his parents.

Governor Jindal has repeatedly denied any intentions to become the first Indian-American vice president. He says his recent trip to Arizona to visit Republican presidential candidate John McCain was mainly an opportunity to discuss Louisiana's issues. "We also got to talk about Louisiana to McCain and other business leaders as well."

However, local and national media outlets say the trip to Arizona was more like a VP testing ground. So, how did our governor score? According to bloggers for John McCain, Jindal scored the highest. The Washington Times is now endorsing Jindal as the best Republican vice presidential pick.

Even Indian newspapers are echoing those sentiments, and so are Indians living in Louisiana. "We'll get more chance here compared to our country." Piku Tripalhy (peeku tripachi) is studying to get her PhD in chemistry at LSU. She says she and her relatives in India were excited when Jindal became governor. If he gets chosen as a vice presidential nominee, "They will celebrate because they will be happy because many people in India are trying to come here to do something. I'll be happy, too," she says.

Tripalhy (tripachi) says Jindal's leadership and acceptance in this country make Indians feel more welcome and hopeful. "They are inspired by Bobby Jindal." Political analysts expect a final decision on vice president from John McCain within the next few weeks.

If Governor Jindal were to run for vice president and win, Louisiana would again have a Democrat in the governor's mansion. Under Louisiana's constitution, if Jindal leaves office for any reason, including a move to D.C., the lieutenant governor would step in and fill out the remainder of his term. There would NOT be a special election. That would mean Democrat Mitch Landrieu would become governor until the year 2012. There would, however, be a special election to choose a new lieutenant governor.

Rush Limbaugh, The Washington Times , and even CNN's Anderson Cooper are now endorsing Governor Bobby Jindal as the best Republican vice presidential pick.

From Anderson to Rita

2008-05-28T12:20:00.014-04:00

Who would have thought that Rita Hayworth and Anderson were only five degrees apart,
according to Muckety.

Muckety this! Anderson Cooper to Rita Hayworth

By Laurie Bennett | May 28, 2008 at 8:51am

The prematurely gray news anchor descends from a very blue bloodline.

Anderson Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, counted Loel Guinness, a member of British Parliament, among her husbands.

Guinness was also married to Joan Yarde-Buller, who was married to Aly Khan, who was married to actress Rita Hayworth.

Cooper’s lineage can take you along a number of interesting paths. Double-click on Gloria Vanderbilt in the above map, and you’ll find that she was also married to conductor Leopold Stokowski and movie director Sidney Lumet.

Doubleclick on her father’s name, Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, and you can trace the family bank accounts to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who built a fortune on shipping and railroads.

All pictures are from my archives.

Just Arriving

2008-05-28T10:19:00.007-04:00

I don't know anything about this picture, except that I found it on Flickr, I think; but it looks like he just got off the airplane, it was snowing a little bit, and the ride was kind of long -- just look at the shape of his tie and collar. Ah, but his hair remains impeccable, how does he do it? Only his hairdresser know.
(Click to enlarge)

Anderson & Elmo

2008-05-27T20:24:00.011-04:00

Events for Wednesday, May 28, 2008

by Katharine Jose | May 27, 2008

[Among many other events for tomorrow]

6 p.m. Anderson Cooper and Elmo host 6th Annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala; Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street.

Tomorrow
"Tickle Me Anderson"

Anderson Jones

2008-05-27T19:12:00.016-04:00

Indiana Cooper

TV Idea: Anderson Cooper as a Humanitarian Indiana Jones ... Seriously!

Posted by Anna Matsen

Once upon a time, the novel functioned as news source---or so Salman Rushdie argued at a Vanderbilt lecture last year. According to Rushdie, authors of fiction have a responsibility to inform the public of world news. A prime example is Uncle Tom's Cabin. There was no literal "Uncle Tom", but the plight of his character informed and motivated many more in the American North to protest against the institution of slavery when, up until that point, it had been ignored by mainstream newspapers.

Today, literate or not, most people regularly choose TV and movies over books. Therefore, in an effort to get the word out with immediacy, I propose TV ought to shoulder a bit of the book's former burden. Maybe hour-long fiction can bring us greater truth than we imagine. And maybe Anderson Cooper could be the basis of a character designed to do so.

Think about it, this guy purposefully seeks out war, famine, natural disasters ... every imaginable catastrophe. When he started off, he couldn't get into the news business, so he got a fake press pass, a home camcorder, and flew to the Thai-Burmese border. Luckily, the footage he got of trouble brewing there was bought by Channel One, enabling students like myself to watch him risk life and limb every week during snack time. He's like a humanitarian Indiana Jones!

In Dispatches from the Edge, he writes extensively about his disgust for the unsavory aspects of his own profession; both when he feels like he's exploiting or trivializing the pain of others (as when trying to determine the person with the most horrifying image or most tragic story in order to maximize emotional impact on the audience) and when he's enraged that the media so quickly returns to its normal mishmash of newstainment while important stories are forgotten (covering gossip about Britney Spears and the like while neglecting to update the rest of the nation on the rebuilding of New Orleans). His mixed feelings about his job make his story all the more powerful. He's an insider who, in many ways, would prefer to be an outsider, yet feels compelled to seek out the world's pain, because he needs it in order to feel his own, and he wants to help. Most importantly, he vividly described scenes and stories that weren't easy sound bites, but which were a great deal more revealing than your average news broadcast. That's something we could use a great deal more of; and a television show would be the ideal format to do so.

So, create a character loosely based on him, with perhaps personal tragedies helping him to relate to the horror he sees. (Similar to, but in no way copying, the real Mr. Cooper, as that would be exploitative and grotesquely insensitive. Significantly, the best parts of the book are where, despite his painful experiences being utterly different from those of anyone else he met, the experience of tragedy itself becomes universal, and sympathy for the hardships of others is earned. Personal trials are important in that they teach sympathy for the suffering of others and, hopefully, motivate us to work on their behalf. That is a very important part of what creative fiction could give us: fuller perspective and greater sympathy for both the frailty and strength of human beings facing tragedy.) A sympathetic, noble, yet flawed and conflicted character reporting on real world events, particularly disasters, would provide plenty of drama to hold an audience captive while simultaneously doing a great public service.

Really, this isn't even that new an idea. Law and Order takes headlines and turns them into an hour long plot; Boston Legal is inspired by current events and the workings of the American legal system; so why not carry this idea beyond our own shores? Or even within the U.S. there's plenty of material to work with; plenty of poverty, injustice, and corruption to expose. Why not use that to captivate an audience while doing the important public service of informing us all what's really going on? Context and narrative makes information more engaging and memorable. Let's show current events that way.

41 Seconds of Giggles

2008-05-27T16:13:00.013-04:00

Anderson Cooper, Unpluged

This is over a year old video, but every time I watch it
I get the giggles, and you know why...

Thanks to Mio Bella from "Addicted to Anderson Cooper,"
Oita, Oita, Japan, for this little jewel.

Unpluging Microphone

(00:41 min.)

From: miobella

Added: January 14, 2007

Description: Anderson Cooper helps an old guy unplug his MIC.

Candid Candy

2008-05-27T13:54:00.027-04:00

If I had been him, I would have grabbed that camera and I would have smacked it on the photographer's head. WACK! Real hard.

And then I would have said,
"Sorry, you didn't offer me a handkerchief."

What was he thinking when he picked up that thing?
I wish it had frogs printed all over it!

Caught unguarded.
Probably calling a date.

Again, caught unguarded.
Probably calling another date.

"Am I, what? ...Gay? As in happy?
Yeah, I am gay-happy, aren't you?"

"I am not mean, I was caught this way."

"How can you tell time in this antiquated thing.
Someone, get me my Blackberry, please!"

"What's the time?... er ... I don't know,
I forgot my Blackberry in my other pants..."

Regardless of the situation, that smile will win you ANY TIME!

Follow Your Bliss

2008-05-26T15:03:00.009-04:00

What Would Anderson Copper Do?

When I was in my 20’s I was fearless. I went swimming with sharks, jumped out of planes over Florida and traveled the world working on cruise ships. I was meeting people from around the world and dancing till dawn as I sailed the seven seas.

In my 30’s I left the world of luxury travel and took a full time teaching job in my hometown. As I bought furniture, dishes and a car I started to feel settled but I also began to second guess a few of my choices. Perhaps all the time I spent in search of action and adventure would have been better spent on putting down roots in one community? As the year passed I began to feel an increasing sense of anxiety. Friends around me were getting married, having children and buying houses. None of that felt like the right path for me but like trying to smash a square peg in a round hole I tried to make it work.

For part of this year I forgot how to see myself as a citizen of the world. I had put my passport in my closet instead of in my pocket. As I struggled to figure out why living in a small town wasn’t working for me I happened to be watching CNN. Looking out to the world I wanted to be exploring, I found a man who was “keeping them honest” and he helped me stay true and honest to myself.

I dug my way out of my confusion by asking one simple question. What would Anderson Copper do? I mean think about it, here is a guy who on a nightly basis casually mentions how he is deep in the midst of an Afghanistan training camp or knee deep in contaminated water trying to help rescue stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina. Not only does he report the news his fearless zest for life is news!

Now I know Anderson Cooper said, in Outside magazine, “My sense of what’s dangerous is completely warped. People have stopped asking me for advice, because I encourage people to go anywhere,” but his fearlessness helped me to remember that all who wander are not lost and that perhaps living in the same place for so long is an abnormal way of life.

As I began thinking about what I could do next or what I should do next I realized I had way more options than Anderson Cooper did when he started out. When Anderson was finding it hard to get started with reporting he made a fake press pass, entered Burma illegally, started to film students fighting with the Burmese government. He had the passion and the creative belief in his talents to try and sell his clips to news agencies. Me, I have a teaching degree and experience. I only had to start sending out resumes, prepare for interviews and look for warm countries I wanted to live in.

When I got my job in teaching in Kuwait people I knew and respected had a wide variety of reactions. Some people were positive and supportive. Other people said nothing and some people flat out called me crazy. At this point I didn’t even have to ask,” What would Anderson Cooper do?” I knew this decision was right for me!

Sometimes in trying to explain to people who haven’t traveled extensively, or who were afraid of the things they saw on CNN I got frustrated. Couldn’t these people just be happy about my next adventure? For me staying in one place and not exploring, even the more challenging parts of the world, is a crazy thought. So as I started to pack, get visas and prepare for my adventure to the Middle East I was getting lots of unsolicited questions, comments and advice. So I turned back to the well-traveled Anderson Cooper and his words helped put things in perspective. I read that Anderson said, “ you have to admit what you don’t know, and talk about what you do know, and talk about what you don’t know as long as you say you don’t know it.” This helped me enjoy the sharing and learning about the new culture that I will soon be experiencing. I am embracing the adventure that is forth coming!

So in September when I am shopping in one of Kuwait’s traditional souks or enjoying my first camel ride I will happily think thank goodness Anderson Cooper helped me figure out what to do!

Thanks Anderson!

Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Christine obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Trent University. She received her Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University.

With her degrees in hand Christine continued her education as she traveled the world and the high seas on cruise ships. She returned to land and for the last four years has been teaching in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She just recently accepted an international teaching position in Kuwait.

Memorial Day '08

2008-05-26T11:11:00.005-04:00

In the Spring of 1866, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, suggested that the patriots who had died in the Civil War should be honored by decorating their graves. The day became known as Decoration Day.

In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day. After World War I it was expanded to include casualties of any war or military action.

Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. It marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season and it's celebrated with a three-day holiday weekend.

Remember them, pay your respects and enjoy a safe holiday!
Deaths in Iraq:There have been 4,391 coalition deaths -- 4,079 Americans, two Australians, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, four Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians.

Deaths in Afghanistan:There have been 807 coalition deaths -- 501 Americans, five Australians, 96 Britons, 83 Canadians, three Czech, 14 Danes, 16 Dutch, two Estonians, one Finn, 12 French, 22 Germans, 11 Italians, three Norwegians, three Poles, two Portuguese, six Romanians, one South Korean, 23 Spaniards, two Swedes.

"Here Rests
In Honored Glory
An American Soldier
Known But To God"
The Tomb of the Unknowns is located near the center of Arlington cementery.

The Tomb contains the remains of unknown American soldiers from World Wars I and II, the Korean Conflict and (until 1998) the Vietnam War. Each was presented with the Medal of Honor at the time of interment and the medals, as well as the flags which covered their caskets, are on display inside the Memorial Amphitheater, directly to the rear of the Tomb.

The Tomb is guarded 24-hours-per-day and 365-days-per year by specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard).

Two soldiers of a different kind, the reporters who keep you informed of what is happening with our men and women on the field.

One lucky guy, Anderson Cooper who has escaped unscratched after many, many times to cover various wars. And for which we are very lucky ourselves and very thankful.

And Bob Woodruff, the luckiest one, who after he was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji , Iraq; and after thirteen months of strenuous work in rehab, has recovered from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and is back at ABC reporting and advocating for the safety for our soldiers. For that purpose, he has created a Family Fund to help Service Members & their families in need.
You can visit the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation here:

Jon Klein's Birthday

2008-05-25T19:57:00.008-04:00

Hostess Jennifer Snell gives CBS Anchor
Katie Couric some talking points

Hostess Jennifer Snell greets CNN's Anderson Cooper
and CBS News Anchor Katie Couric

Jennifer Snell Klein and CNN president Jonathan Klein,
March 22, 2008
As for all those fake Oscars around the table, decorations, I guess; but, Oscars? Wouldn't Emmys have made more sense? Oh, well, having fun is all that counts, and Anderson seems to be having a good time.

All pictures were found on Flickr at JMMimages' photostream. Many thanks for making them available to all of us.

Human or Divine?

2008-05-25T15:03:00.011-04:00

... or, A-nimal!! ?

Adapted from a panel on the
Sunday, May 25, 2008
New York Daily News comics.

The Writing is on the Men's Room Wall

2008-05-25T11:53:00.002-04:00

ANDERSON: "This one really gave me a giggle when I saw it on the walls of a Taco Bell near the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, just before the premier of Planet in Peril.

"It was still 45 minutes before we were supposed to be at the red carpet when Sanjay, Jeff and I decided to get a bite before we faced the paparazzi. I looked at a quaint cafe across the street called Croissant de la Mañana, or something like that, but Jeff insisted that there was a wonderful Taco Bell only half a block away.

"Sanjay looked at me and pulled me by the sleeve of my coat; he gave me a look, 'Why fight, you know Jeff, he always wins.' So I had a delicious un-Mexican bite of something I've never seen before. And by the way, real Mexican food tastes heavenly, as long as it's not the spicy kind...

"As for the pearl of wisdom on the men's room wall, I found it as incomprehensible as it is strange to find it at Taco Bell at all -- but amusing all the same.

ANDERSON: "I went to the opening of 'Design and the Elastic Mind' at MoMA and in their men's room I found this bit of spontaneous indie art. I told the curator, who's a friend of Charlie Moore, not to dare clean it up. I told him it was one of the best pieces in the exhibition.

"A week later I went back, my Mom wanted to see it... the 'Design and the Elastic Mind,' not the men's room art. And it was gone. Boy, was I happy to have it my cell phone pix already. This was a piece of art lost forever!"

ANDERSON: "Now, this is some really weird graffiti. I saw it one evening when I was coming back from Yonkers, NY with my friend Lee. We had gone to see a local production of "The Rose Tattoo" in which a mutual friend was making her debut.

"On our way back, I thought we would be in Manhattan in no time at all, but minutes turned into hours when I realized I had to use the men's room. We stopped at a truck stop... yeah, a truck stop. There's nothing better than a truck stop in the middle of the road on a rainy night to relieve oneself in an emergency. I removed my tie and coat. I got soaked to the bone. But better that than to attract unwanted attention from curious customers.

"Anyway, I hurried into the men's room. Thankfully it was marked with a big, dirty sign and an arrow scrawled on the wall. The only thing missing was a neon sign. I thought I was going to have to stop at the cashier's or the counter to ask for directions.

"I walked inside and entered one of the booths. I didn't want someone staring at me at the urinal. I looked around the booth and I noticed the sign on the wall on my left. I couldn't help but laugh, a small, suppressed chuckle; the sound of my giggling ricocheted off the walls of the small room. Surprised, I heard a toilet flush, the quiet zipping up of a fly, and slow, scratchy steps going by behind me. 'Weirdo,' I heard a raspy voice say as the door opened and closed.

"I was about to walk out of there when I realized I had not peed yet. I closed my eyes and didn't care whether I aimed for the toilet or the floor. It would not have made any difference."

ANDERSON: "This is the best one. I saw it right here at CNN in the audience restroom.

"It didn't surprised me. We have some handsome, handsome guys around here: Rob Marciano, John Roberts, Sanjay Gupta, Thomas Roberts, who used to be here, Drew Griffin, John King, Rick Sanchez. Yeah, I throw him in with reservations. And then there are the journalists in the field... But I think I better stop here. I'm getting into dangerous territory."

None of this is true, you know, but it was a good exercise for the imagination.

No News Means Collage # 3

2008-05-24T19:31:00.004-04:00

(1440 x 900)

(800 x 600)

Ukulele Lerman

2008-05-24T11:20:00.012-04:00

May 24. 2008 -- 6:59AM

Story
Toolbox

Ukulele-playing Lerman twists his punch lines

By Howard Dukes
Tribune Staff Writer

It has to be great to be a comedian these days.

After all, the country is in the middle of a very competitive presidential race that has featured shifts in momentum, verbal gaffes and the emergence of all kinds of interesting personalities. But enough about Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign.

And anyone who listens to the ukulele-playing comedian Ben Lerman lampoon the cosmetic surgery industry on the hilarious song “Nip and Tuck” that appears on his latest CD “Ukelear Winter,” has to wonder what ditties Lerman could write about the never-ending race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

After all, Lerman is coming to the Acorn Theater with Jessica Delfino as a part of his “Ukelear Meltdown Tour,” which sounds a whole lot like nuclear meltdown tour, which is what a lot of Democrats fear the nomination has become.

Surely, Lerman’s got a tune or two about Obama’s pastoral problems or Sen. Hillary Clinton’s phantom sniper fire. Maybe he’ll perform them to the melody of Sen. John McCain’s big hit, “Bomb Iran.”

Lerman, however, says neither Mark Russell nor The Capitol Steps have anything to worry about.

“I believe in the advice to never discuss politics at a party,” the South Bend native and younger brother of jazz saxophonist Danny Lerman says. “I think that politics are personal and I am not a political comedian.”

Lerman says fans shouldn’t be fooled by a ukulele or his occasional stints on the piano.

“I consider myself more of a comedian than a musician,” he says. “I like a simple melody and a twisted punch line.”

The melodies on “Ukelear Winter” are simple yet catchy. Lerman says he started playing the ukulele after moving to New York. Stephin Merritt of the band The Magnetic Fields inspired him to use the ukulele as a pop music instrument.

The fact that Lerman took music lessons as a child probably allowed him to play the instrument well enough to cut an album that featured his ukulele playing.

“It’s an easy instrument to pick up and play,” he says. “I’ve been playing for a couple of years, but I’m getting better the more I play.”

The stories told in Lerman’s songs include more than a few twisted punch lines.

The latest CD includes “Green Card,” a song about an employer who hires the only person willing to do hard work for little pay — an immigrant who needs a job and a green card.

Other songs include “Anderson,” which tells the story of a television viewer with a man crush on CNN”s Anderson Cooper.

Both songs represent the kind of humor audiences can expect at his show — an adults-only event that features satire, irony and some introspection.

“I talk some about my experiences, but I think that any writer or artist talks about their experiences,” Lerman says.

The song “Anderson” might serve as the perfect example. Of course, the focus will shift immediately to the fact that “Anderson” tells the story of a man who is sexually attracted to another man.

Lerman, who is gay, says the song makes a larger point that he believes his heterosexual listeners will be able to grasp — that many viewers are attracted to television reporters to the point that their good looks become a distraction.

“I find it a little distracting when a broadcast journalist, who reports on war, natural disasters and other very unsexy catastrophes, is so good-looking,” Lerman says in an e-mail.

Right now, Lerman is focused on spreading the word about “Ukelear Winter” and has decided to allow listeners to go to his Web site and download the songs for whatever price they are willing to pay. Last year, the alternative rock band Radiohead made songs from its latest CD, “In Rainbows,” available in a similar fashion.

Many people believed the move was risky for Radiohead at the time, but the band felt allowing fans to set their own price for “In Rainbows” would actually increase sales.

Lerman says he just wanted to encourage people to listen to his music.

“Get to know me and come to my shows,” he says. “And people have been generous with their donations.”

Lerman, who has worked as a waiter during his time in New York, compared allowing people to set their own price for his music to restaurant customers deciding how much to tip the waiter.

“Everybody know you are supposed to tip at least 15 percent,” he says. “Some people tip more, some people tip less. Some stiff the waiter entirely, but it averages out.”

Staff writer Howard Dukes

Photo provided/Eric H. Brown
South Bend native Ben Lerman performs Thursday at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks as part of “Ukelear Meltdown Tour.” Jessica Delfino also will perform.

Ben Lerman - "Anderson"

(02:45 min.)

“Anderson,” about Anderson Cooper, sung to the tune of Elvis Costello’s “Alison.”

Caution: there is some strong language in the lyrics.

The "Good" Magic Wall

2008-05-23T21:17:00.006-04:00

Saturday May 24, 2008

It’s a kind of magic – high-tech board wows viewers

STATE SIDE
By Foo Yee Ping

CNN’s Magic Wall and its personalities are charting the US presidential election coverage into an aesthetically exciting arena.

IT WAS shortly after 9pm on Tuesday, the night of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries, and Anderson Cooper was running through possible stories to lead off his show with.

Two choices – the Democratic presidential nomination race and senator Edward Kennedy’s brain tumour – were available for Anderson Cooper 360°, watched by 1.2 million American viewers daily.

“It’s still such a fascinating race,” Cooper said, referring to the primary season. “We have been criticised by the Clinton campaign for saying that her bid is over,” he told four foreign correspondents invited for a behind-the-scenes look at CNN’s political coverage from its New York studio.

Ratings for Anderson Cooper 360°, according to news reports citing Nielsen Media Research, have leapt compared to last year, beating even Larry King Live.

So what’s his take on being CNN’s hottest name?

He laughed saying: “I don’t think that’s true.

“CNN has more popular anchors around,” Cooper said. “I wasn’t even the most popular guy in high school.”

Here’s a man who is mentioned in local gossip pages; even his hair gets talked about. “Trademark snow”, was how The New York Times described it. Actor Ashton Kutcher once, tongue-in-cheek, called him “S.O.B” because his wife Demi Moore loved watching his show.

Personalities aside, the race to the White House has drummed up the TV war. Among cable news networks, CNN is tops among viewers aged 25 to 54, the group most wanted by advertisers, edging out Fox News and MSNBC.

David Bohrman, CNN senior vice-president and Washington DC bureau chief, said the 24-hour cable TV network had been more exciting, bigger and grander in its approach to news.

“We are also less opinionated,” he said.

Its political debates are hugely watched, most of them beating other networks. A duel between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on Jan 31 led to 8.3 million viewers, the highest ever for a primary debate on cable TV.

Still, it's not all rosy at the top.

“There are moments when everybody hates you. People get annoyed for a series of reasons. Everyone is unhappy with the media at some point. We’re the easy target,” Cooper said.

CNN is broadcasting its political coverage from the state-of-the-art New York studio, the largest bureau outside its Atlanta headquarters.

At the Election Centre on Tuesday evening, a big team was assembled for its news programme. Staff researched incoming data, analysts were in place and anchors Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs and Campbell Brown took their turns under the spotlight.

“The numbers are going strong. I thought the ratings would drop after Super Tuesday but it went up still,” said Bohrman.

Most media organisations had thought the presidential nominees would be known by Super Tuesday, Feb 5.

“Our budget has been blown because we thought this would be over by February,” CNN political editor Mark Preston said.

They are not complaining, though, as the political season has been kind to CNN, which translates to better ratings.

Latest statistics showed that 605,000 Americans tuned in to the network’s coverage of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries on Tuesday. MSNBC posted 502,000 and Fox News Network 495,000.

The 10pm slot that night, anchored by Cooper, took in 1.8 million viewers, followed by Fox with 1.5 million.

Preston said political sentiments towards the White House race were reverberating across the United States.

“Everyone has an opinion about it. People have been hit either by gas or house prices.”

As one CNN spokesman put it: “The environment has never been like this before. There is a great appetite now for political news, so we invested a lot into our political coverage. The emphasis is on the use of technology to make our presentation appealing and aesthetic.”

CNN, according to the spokesman said, wanted to have great visuals and graphics, the best cameras, colour and lighting.

“John King (the chief national correspondent) and the Magic Wall really caught on,” Bohrman said of the multi-touch board which he initially discovered at a military defence trade show.

The interactive screen allows King to analyse data for viewers in a much more colourful way, just by tapping on the maps and charts.

The Magic Wall is CNN’s pride and joy.

When something went wrong with it the night before the Kentucky and Oregon contests, “the notion of the Wall falling apart was unimaginable. It was like CNN was about to crumble,” Cooper joked.

However, the Time Warner Company isn’t the only one using the high-tech tool. Fox News Channel has its own called “Bill Board”.

The jury’s still out on its slogan “the most trusted name in news” but for now, CNN can lay claim to reaching out to 90 million American households.

Adam & Jon

2008-05-23T11:34:00.013-04:00

I don't know who Adam and Jon are nor what they are doing on CNN or with Anderson, but, intentionally or not, they sound different and kind of funny. As for the dates, I don't know if that's when they aired or when they were posted; these are not YouTube videos.

(04:00 min.)

Jan 18, 2008

Description: See Adam Welch as guest news anchor with Anderson Cooper from CNN

(01:04 min.)

October 14, 2006

Description: CNN Guest Anchor Jon Hammond & Anderson Cooper on occasion of CNN's Twenty Fifth Anniversary at the new Time Warner studios in NYC.

Thanks to Pati Mc for this explanation of the above weirdness:

These are the DVD's that you can have made of yourself reading the news at CNN in Atlanta (on the studio tour). It is a lot of fun. I did it and had a ball.

It is pretty cool when you get the DVD and see that Anderson was the one to "introduce" you. Awesome! If you get the chance to go, do it. It is fun and a bit stressful...LOL.

Too bad they no longer have the Studio tour in NYC at Time Warner, but they had to tear all of that out to build the new fancy studio. =(

How cool is that, owning a CD with you and Anderson reporting the news during the same "broadcast," as if you and he had been in the same room at the same time! (big sigh).

Beat - Shot

2008-05-23T11:04:00.007-04:00

Erica Hill - AC 360 Bulletin

(02:55 min.)

From: Lyxmidaut

Added: May 18, 2008

Description: [A little bit of many things, plus Beat-360 and The Shot.] Anderson, Burma's military junta says nearly 78,000 people are dead, and two weeks after Cyclone Nargis struck, another 56,000 people are still missing.

Responding to diplomatic pressure, Burma's leaders have now finally invited diplomats to tour the hardest-hit areas. That will happen tomorrow. But as for the relief workers, the junta is still keeping them out.

Back home, as crude oil hits another record high, the Energy Department says it will stop filling the nation's Strategic Oil Reserve beginning in July. The goal here is to bring prices down. Advocates say it could knock as much as 24 cents off the price of a gallon of gas.

And Starbucks new logo, which is based on the original from a couple decades ago, drawing fire from a Christian group which is now calling for a boycott of the chain because the new logo features a topless mermaid.

Tonight's picture features actors Jack Black and Angelina Jolie at the premiere of the movie "Kung Fu Panda" in Cannes.

Also read the blog and check out the "Beat 360" picture. The address again is CNN.com/360.

Tokyo Wave

2008-05-22T13:31:00.013-04:00

The Japanese Are Easy To Entertain

INSANE wave pool in Tokyo. Where's the water?

(01:40)

From: terrorific

Added: August 14, 2007

Description: It’s summertime in Tokyo, and since we’re in the middle of the Obon holiday week a lot of Tokyoites have left town for the countryside, leaving a strangely empty city behind. Those who stick around or come in from the countryside pack just about every tourist spot to the gills. We went to a local wave pool today to catch some sun, and could barely move!

[Peter's NOTE: Yeah, but think about the savings on water, eh?]

Thanks: to Mio Bella from Oita, Japan for bringing this YouTube video to my attention. You can see her own Anderson blog at Addicted to Anderson Cooper.

Fantasy: What would they do if this hunk walks through the door?

History Was Being Made...

2008-05-22T11:05:00.002-04:00

...And We Were There To Witness It In All His Brainpower And Beauty!

Read and reminisce 2005 with love

Posted 11/8/2005 8:51 PM
Updated 11/8/2005 8:52 PM

CNN's Cooper relishes new role

On vacation last week, CNN's Anderson Cooper flew to Oaxaca, Mexico, to attend the Day of The Dead festival, where families go to local cemeteries with food and drink to "welcome back all the souls who have departed."

"It's been a year with a lot of loss and I just thought it seemed like the right place to be," says Cooper, whose live reports from two natural disasters, the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, have boosted his profile at CNN. "The saddest people are those who have lost children, but by and large it's this incredibly festive thing. They want people who have died to take part in the joys in the material world."

Cooper has been experiencing some of that joy of late. He recently sold his memoir to HarperCollins for $1 million. (He began writing it in Mexico on his laptop.) And, on Monday, CNN shifted and expanded his show, Anderson Cooper 360, to a two-hour, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT block.

In the process, CNN pushed anchor Aaron Brown and NewsNight out and made it clear that Cooper, 38, is a rising star on a network that could stand some twinkles.

"It's been a remarkable year and a terrible year, and I've learned a lot and I've seen a lot," Cooper says. "It started literally from the ball drop at Times Square, where I was, and four hours later I was on a plane to Sri Lanka for the tsunami. I was in Niger for the starvation of children, and that was tough. And then Katrina was overwhelming."

Disaster coverage has helped raise his profile, but "to me, nothing good has come out of Katrina or come out of this last year from these stories," he says. "I just don't think like that."

And the whole concept of stardom is something the son of socialite Gloria Vanderbilt says he pays little attention to.

"There's always somebody whom people say that about — and then there's somebody else," he says. "To me, this is a great opportunity to tell more stories and tell them in depth and really focus on what's going on, to hold people accountable and get answers."

Cooper never travels without a handheld camera or laptop, and during his six weeks covering Katrina he frequently reported on a handful of stories a day. "You should be changed by all the stories you report on," he says. "I still carry with me children in Niger who passed away while I was there."

Says 360 producer David Doss: "The whole fluid notion of how people get their news is what Anderson is all about. He gets it in a big way." Doss plans to get Cooper back on the road; trips to Asia and Iraq are planned before year's end.

CNN is banking heavily on the combination of Cooper and veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer in earlier time slots to better challenge No. 1 Fox News. "Maybe I'm supposed to be focusing more time on ratings, but it just doesn't interest me," Cooper says. "I want to do well, but I also want to be smart and tell good stories. And I think you can do both."

Kissing Wolf

2008-05-21T21:14:00.008-04:00

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Does That Mean Anderson Cooper Has Never Seen 'Countdown With Keith Olbermann?'

Anderson Cooper sat down with the ladies of The View, who proceeded to unsurprisingly fawn over the silver-haired news anchor. Once all of the initial gushing was over, the gals (short of Babs) picked his brain about politics and the media. They also brought up the possibility of Coop (who we find out doesn't watch competitor MSNBC - shock!) kissing Wolf Blitzer, something we hope to never have to be exposed to on live television. [Via TVNewser]

Posted by Soup Cans at 10:47 AM

Name: Tekutest Kute

Industry: Communications or Media
Location: Los Angeles : United States
About Me: Reporting on those who report the news.

Link: Soup Cans

Beat 360 -- 05-21-08

2008-05-21T14:46:00.020-04:00

May 21, 2008

Beat 360°

Posted: 11:44 AM ET
Hey Bloggers!

Sit… Stay…. Roll-over, its time for ‘Beat 360°”

Everyday we post a picture - and you provide the caption. Our staff will get in on the action too.

Tune in every night at 10p ET to see if you are our favorite! Can you Beat 360°?

Here is the ‘Beat 360°’ pic of the day: Former President Bill Clinton pets Nelson, a Saint Bernard, outside a restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.

Here’s one to get you started:

“What’s that boy?!?
You say Hillary’s trapped in a never-ending primary campaign?!?
Over on the road to the White House?!?”

Have fun with it.

Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.

David M. Reisner
360° Digital Producer

Add a comment here Beat 360

Pretty smart, Kristien, pretty smart:

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
May 21st, 2008 -- 1:51 pm ET
“Ok boy, go fetch me some Superdelegates!!”

This will never get posted. That's what I thought four hours ago; but now, it's posted!

Peter Treviño
May 21st, 2008 -- 4:16 pm ET
“If it’s true that a dog and his owner look alike, you must be Anderson’s dog. Cute, strong, adorable, and pale as a dead fish!”
(Note: “pale as a dead fish.” is Anderson’s own description — and I have the video to prove it.)
Peter Treviño
New York

This one might make it. That's what I thought four hours ago; but it's still not posted. You can never guess the Beat 360 folks.

Peter Treviño
May 21st, 2008 -- 4:26 pm ET
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
“Saint Nelson, I’m on my knees, praying. I beg you, turn Obama white! Please.”
Peter Treviño
New York

One bark for Megan, and I hope you win:

Megan Dresslar
May 21st, 2008 4:41 pm ET
Clinton: What’s up dawg? Nelson………
Who do you vote for Hillary one bark or vote two barks for Obama? I hope he will once bark for my wife Hillary!
Megan D.
Shoreline, Wa

Kristien, you are far away enough to see the funniest side of this stupid debate:

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
May 21st, 2008 -- 4:54 pm ET
“Pay attention Bill, I will show you how to do the ‘Puppy Eyes Look’ one last time”

A Real Doll

2008-05-21T13:17:00.009-04:00

Gloria Vanderbilt is a real doll!
From an original craft book by Bill Helms inspired by the well-known author, Gloria Vanderbilt.

It's Imopssible

2008-05-21T11:57:00.012-04:00

Impossible

(03:06 min.)

From: manilyn871

Added: May 07, 2007

Description: Uploaded a little over a year ago, I saw this video but I didn't pay much attention to it. I just came across it again and now it looks fan-tas-tic. The proverbial better tasting old wine is true. And, no, the pictures didn't turn sepia in one year, they were put in the video like that. I guess to match with the music better... Although the music is not that antique. Perry Como, a handsome fellow to the end, died on May 12, 2001, so his music is not that old.

Comment: Anderson Cooper makes me smart with his reports and stupid with his good looks.

The Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss View

2008-05-20T20:59:00.019-04:00

Will Anderson kiss Wolf Blitzer tonight?

TV News

2008-05-20T20:59:00.018-04:00

Tuesday May 20, 2008

Hangin' With Mr. Cooper

Anderson Cooper popped up in a couple locations today, ahead of his usual primary night appearance tonight in the Election Center on CNN.

Broadcasting & Cable posts a video interview Cooper from The Cable Show down in New Orleans. Cooper discussed what it was like being back in New Orleans after he covered the area after Hurricane Katrina, among other issues.

One was the future of Anderson Cooper 360 post-election. "I think we're going strong," he said. "Obviously this election is fascinating, and the interest is going to continue through the general election, but it has meant to us not being able to do a lot of other stories, a lot of trips we had planned."

Anderson also appeared this morning on The View, where he discussed the primaries tonight in Kentucky and Oregon. He also took some jabs at his cable news competitors, MSNBC.

Co-host Joy Behar asked Cooper about the "misogynistic remarks made on MSNBC," and Cooper said, "I don't watch MSNBC." When Behar said, "Well, I do," he joked, "Well, serves you right."

Click here for a video interview Cooper from The Cable Show down in New Orleans.

Thanks, Anderson

2008-05-20T20:01:00.007-04:00

We love the beautiful people of the world...
...especially when they care about world hunger and stuff.

Seacrest, Out - Anderson, In
Since its introduction to the public in 2005, YouTube has been on a steady rise, filling our lives and inboxes with everything from aspiring karaoke stars to adorable thespian woodland creatures. (If you haven't already, search "dramatic chipmunk" and I promise you will not be sorry.) Mere weeks later it was move over MySpace, YouTube had angsty teenagers with web cams and it was here to stay. Before you even had time to accept (or decline) your Dennis Kucinich friend request, politicians had already moved onto the newest way to connect with the young demographic. Now those wishing to brush up on the presidential candidate’s platforms could do so in between watching Japanese game shows and 90’s music videos. I’ll get to you in a minute, Ron Paul; I’m watching “Spice Up Your Life” right now.

But truly resonating with the YouTube generation takes more than long hours of watching your campaign manager’s assistant’s – assistant edit and upload videos while you get an intimate massage from your Guadalupan maid. It takes dedication. It takes patience. It takes Anderson Cooper.

Although most of my time watching AC 360 is spent daydreaming about lying on a beach while Anderson Cooper feeds me chocolates, I can tell from his nightly segment “The Shot” he’s a secret YouTube geek. Sometime when he’s not busy covering the aftermath of hurricanes and berating pop stars, we should get together and reminisce about the days when you could watch pages upon pages of Saturday Night Live sketches before NBC brought down the iron fist and removed them due to copyright violation. Afterward, maybe we could finally get to the bottom of whatever the hell the viral video “Chocolate Rain” is. So it came as no surprise to me that America’s dreamiest reporter (sorry, John Stossel) was chosen to host the CNN/ YouTube debates in July.

Having questions submitted to the candidates via YouTube is, in my opinion, a genius move. A politician may kiss a thousand babies and fondle a dozen interns, but doesn’t truly understand the heart of America until he or she comes face to face with the internet crazies. Thankfully, my faithful YouTubers did not disappoint. Among the questions submitted were a talking snowman and a Charlie Daniel’s doppelganger, donning overalls and flannel, representing the south in the way Rush Hour 3 hopes to represent the police force. Poorly. All the while, our valiant moderator did the unthinkable by actually forcing the candidates to address the question at hand while staying within the time limit, a difficult feat considering a could have gotten through the whole of “Infinite Jest” before Mike Gravel finished answering any of his questions.

This new and innovative approach to American politics leaves me wondering what other frontiers on the campaign trail lay unfounded. I can only hope the next step is a weekly competitive reality show in which the candidates are voted on, American Idol style, based on their answers to our questions. I can picture it now: a single spotlight shining down brighter than a newly frosted Seacrest highlight, as Anderson Cooper announces ominously, "This is...American Debate." Sponsored by Coca Cola and Ford Motors, the show would spark water cooler discussion over whether or not Barack Obama could pull forward in the race past Hilary with rapidity we haven’t seen since a season five Aquanet and sequined adorned Carrie Underwood belted out “Alone” by Heart. I’m horrified that I remember that so vividly. Of course along the way we’ll have to say goodbye to a lovable but eccentric Sanjaya-like figure (obviously Kucinich) when they fall flat with the political equivalent of a poorly executed Bonnie Raitt song. Until then I’ll have to settle for watching Hillary try to entertain us with HBO parodies and that damn Obama girl zoning in on my candidate crush. At least I know that, web cams permitting, we’re part of the process.

Thanks, Anderson.

Toohey Sans Skirt

2008-05-20T18:05:00.015-04:00

Father Toohey Formally Dismissed From Priesthood

Reporting Mary Bubala

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ― A former Baltimore County priest convicted of sexually abusing a minor has been removed from the priesthood.

Pope Benedict has granted the Archdiocese of Baltimore's request to officially remove Father Jerome "Jeff" Toohey from the priesthood.

It comes three years after Toohey pleaded guilty in court to abusing a minor during his tenure as chaplain at Calvert Hall.

"I hope this will open up the floodgates of actions that will cleanse the church of this," said Frank Dingle with SNAP of Maryland.

Pope Benedict answered calls from the church to formally dismiss
Father Jerome Toohey from the clerical state. WJZ
He calls the decision long overdue. He runs Maryland's branch of the Survivor Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). It advocates for thousands of victims, including Thomas Roberts. He's the former Calvert Hall student and CNN anchor whose decision to come forward with allegations against Toohey led to the former priest's conviction. Roberts was 14 and a sophomore at Calvert Hall when the sexual abuse started. It's abuse that lasted until Roberts graduated. He didn't share his story until a few years ago.

"It was my most guarded secret that I had way tucked away and did not want to talk about," Roberts said. "You're ashamed at what has taken place. You don't want to talk about it...In this situation, I internalized it for a long time."

In the 1993, the church restricted Toohey from performing any duties as a priest after receiving what they said was a credible allegation of molestation. Eighteen years later, in November 2005, Toohey admitted to sexually abusing Roberts. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, served nine months and was then placed on home detention.

Archbishop Edwin O'Brien reiterated the archdiocese's commitment to protecting children and helping to heal victims of abuse. He says, "We are deeply sorry for the pain suffered by survivors of abuse due to the actions of clergy."

Toohey's defrocking is effective immediately. Church observers expect similar announcements involving priests in the U.S., Ireland and Australia.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Eric McCooper

2008-05-20T14:52:00.010-04:00

Eric McCormack in The Andromeda Strain

Published May 19, 2008 in Television

By Fred Topel | Image property of A&E

Eric McCormack is best known for playing the first title character on Will & Grace. After about a decade in that role, he's taking a dramatic left turn in A&E's miniseries, The Andromeda Strain.

"I am Jack Nash who is a recovering coke addict and a reporter for a CNN-like news station," said McCormack. "He's somewhere between Geraldo Rivera and Anderson Cooper I would say, with a little Hunter Thompson thrown in there. He is the only reporter that gets wind of this and he's all society has which is pretty sad."

That's exactly the type of guy we want covering a crisis, and Nash has the exclusive. "It's definitely my exclusive and my character and Ben Bratt's character knew each other from a previous crisis, so he needs me to get the word out and I need him because he's my only thing but we have only one scene together and that's like a phone scene. So we actually didn't get to act together until the final, final moment of the movie."

Michael Crichton's novel was made into a theatrical movie once before, but the two night event has many more subplots. "I don't even think he exists in the original movie. I think the original film was so focused on the actual disease and finding the cure. That is one definite third of this movie, it's Ben and all the doctors. There's also the military/political part of the movie that is very much the espionage, the cover-up, who knows who, who's really the bad guy side. Then the other third of the movie is me by myself running through the desert trying to find a phone."

Radio Ga Ga

2008-05-20T14:05:00.002-04:00

Isn't he the cutest?

The Best View

2008-05-19T22:38:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
ABC at 11 AM New York time

The Purple Mole

2008-05-19T18:44:00.006-04:00

You can hear Anderson's wonderful giggle every so often in the background. Purple and all he is adorable!

The Mole US Season 2 Reveal

(02:24 min.)

From: moleclassic

Added: April 08, 2008 (Less info)

Description: » New Season: MONDAY, JUNE 2ND @ 10pm EST.

Season 2's mole is revealed!

Catch the new season starting MONDAY, JUNE 2nd at 10pm EST. (For those confused about the premiere date in the video, ABC moved it one week ahead).

Aevidum

2008-05-19T15:23:00.014-04:00

LIFE APPARENT: Taking a message to the masses

By Joe Vulopas / New Era Columnist

Holding the hand-addressed brown envelope, the student approaches my desk.

"Do you really think Oprah will open it?"

"Don't know," I shrug.

"But she might, right?"

I smile. "I think Oprah will."

She places the envelope on top of the stack with the others — the ones for Katie Couric and Brian Williams and Charles Gibson and Keith Olbermann and Anderson Cooper and Dr. Phil and Bill O'Reilly and Larry King and The Washington Post and The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and ...

After weeks of work, the students finally sealed the more than 80 media packets. Their message, which they hope to spread throughout the nation, is simple: Aevidum.

Aevidum.

Do me a favor, readers. Before continuing, please take a moment and stare at the word "Aevidum" for just a second. Go ahead. I'll wait.

You are among the first people in the world to see "Aevidum" in print. My guess is that you have never heard of the word, either. And that's OK. The word, pronounced "A-Vee-Dum," doesn't exist just yet.

But it will.

Aevidum.

Looking for a better way to promote our school's depression and suicide awareness club, I toss a random idea to the club president, Jaclyn Anderson.

"Create a word!"

She just looks at me, sort of in disbelief.

"What?"

"Create a word," I repeat.

"Do you really think we can create a word?" she asks.

"Yep," I snap enthusiastically.

"But isn't that hard to do?"

"Almost impossible."

"But you think we can do it, right?"

"I know you can."

Over the course of the next month, Jaclyn was on a mission, each day bringing in lists of "new" words that she created the night before. She eventually took her list to the members of the club, who, after a vote and some heavy discussion, chose one — "Aevidum," a word one can say to a friend. It means "I care about you," or "I've got your back."

One day, Jaclyn hopes, the word will appear in Webster's.

Aevidum.

Courtney Sahm, president of the school's SADD club, dips her finger in the green paint, then walks over to one of the large yellow canvases and carefully records her thumbprint.

Courtney was one of more than 300 people who pledged Aevidum during lunch last month. Courtney's thumbprint was her promise to learn the warning signs of depression and look out for her friends. My print is somewhere among the mix.

The club hopes thousands, possibly millions, will eventually make the pledge.

Aevidum.

With the camera rolling, the students talk to each other. One student, a boy sitting in the center of the class, stands out. No one is talking to him. He is in black and white.

As the camera pans closer, the class continues to talk ... continues to ignore the student in the middle.

The camera gets closer. And closer.

Finally, someone sitting behind the lonely student looks up and notices him. She leans in and whispers, "Aevidum." The boy regains his color as the video fades to promote the Web site, www.aevidum.com.

"What do you think Oprah will say?" Spencer asks, after I view the latest draft of the commercial.

"You'll have to ask her."

Aevidum.

As parents, we must understand the warning signs of depression and be willing to get our children help, if needed. Depression is real; it is an illness.

According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, suicide is the third-leading cause of death among young people. The third!

Students from Cocalico started the depression awareness club after a student died by suicide in 2003. The club was one of the first in the nation to openly address the issues of depression and suicide. Since then, its members have done incredible things locally.

Aevidum will carry the message even further.

The word "Aevidum" holds a sense of power, especially when it's being amplified by a group of motivated teens.

I'm not that foolish to believe that one word will totally impact this issue. But as I stare at the thumb-filled Aevidum canvasses lining the front of my room, as I think about Katie Couric or Brian Williams or Charles Gibson or Oprah introducing the word to a nation, I get the feeling my students just may be onto something.

Aevidum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Vulopas is a freelance writer whose column appears every other Monday in Your Life. He lives in Lititz. You may e-mail Joe at: jvulopas@aol.com.

I Like Anderson Cooper, Am I Gay?

2008-05-19T14:22:00.007-04:00

So pretty...

May 18th, 2008
Posted in Anderson Cooper, Crushes

So I went to the gym today and while watching the various TVs about cyclones and starvation in Myanmar, earthquakes in China, fires in Florida and football in my face, Franki couldn’t help but wonder: Is Anderson Cooper gay or not? And if he is, and I was wildly attracted to him, would that make me a gay man? And if I were a gay man, would Anderson Cooper be attracted to me, thereby answering the first question?

Da gym makes me smart.

I sent him this comment:

If a straight man likes Anderson Cooper it doesn't necessarily mean that the guy is gay -- although I would keep a close eye on that feeling; it only means that Anderson Cooper has that effect on everybody: women, gays, men and even on lesbians!

Anderson is the modern world Sphinx: intriguing, mysterious, attractive, and larger than life! Plus I'd add a few other attributes: sexy, educated, traveled, beautiful eyes, and, since he's been going to the gym a lot lately, smart.

You Say Wii, I say Why

2008-05-19T08:56:00.014-04:00

My first language is Spanish, so I say Wee-ee (rhymes with wee-wee).

cjpopp (cjpopp) wrote,
@ 2008-05-18 16:23:00

Yep... swinging cows is hard

Rie and I have been thinking about getting a Wii (or as Anderson Cooper called it, "Why") and two weeks ago we went to Best Buy to check out XM units. Saw a Wii that had Mario Kart on it and so we tried it and had a blast!

[More about cjpopp's adventures on Live Journal]

What's "Swinging Cows"!? And where do they swing from?

Does Anderson really say "Why" instead of Wii?

"My 'Why' is not a Wee-ee."

Look The Other Way!

2008-05-18T18:18:00.028-04:00

"Look the other way, Anderson! If you cross the street looking bothered at the photographer you are going to get hit by a car!"
As it is, the Taxi on the foreground had to move to the right to spare the photographer...

Thanks to Anonymous 4:42 PM from the "My Favorite Picture" post, earlier today. This is a very cute picture, very unusual, and very... well, strange.

Was he really crossing the street at that moment? It looks a bit like his picture was superimposed on that background, his light source looks a tiny bit out of place. He is too pale compared with the rest of the picture; but then, he IS very pale, so pale that maybe even his clothes got pale too.

There are, at least, three photographers taking his picture, the photographer who sees what we see, and two others behind him, to the left and right. I would be surprised that so many photographers spotted him at once, especially when he is dressed like... well, like that; not a chance of a big star quality photo.

Maybe that accounts for his worried expression, "Uh-oh! Paparazzi. And I'm dressed like a bum..."

Don't we love him, regardless!!!

This picture reminds me of a few questions I'd like to ask him: How many faded, tight, tight, black T-shirts does he own? How many pairs of dirty jeans does he own? How many different tennis shoes does he own? Where can I buy them? Or better yet, when is he going to throw them out and where?

In spite of his worn out clothes he look clean, I don't doubt by a moment that he is sparkling clean underneath all that... well, all that dust.

I only hope his Mom doesn't see this picture, she would probably start a rumor, immediately, that he was adopted -- or abducted and replaced by a messy clone.

Elections, Wink ;-) Wink ;-)

2008-05-18T14:02:00.002-04:00

Our Trusted Media Sources

Published on May 18th, 2008

Posted by haywired in Humor, National Politics

IT IS THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY AND ALL THROUGH THE LAND, NOT A TRUTH WOULD TO BE TOLD, NOT BY BEAST NOR BY MAN. TALKING HEADS AND PUNDITS AND OTHER KNOW-IT-ALL CLOWNS, WOULD RATHER BE BIASED AND DRAG THE WHOLE COUNTRY DOWN. IT IS THE WEST VIRGINIA PRIMARY THAT THE TRUTH WOULD REAR ITS UGLY HEAD; IT HAS NOW BECOME SO OBVIOUS THE BULL THAT WE’RE FED.

MBNBC Headquarters - aka Obama Campaign Headquarters.

An enlightened conversation between Chris Matthews and Tim Russert is where we begin our story…

Chris: Tim it looks like a slight lead for Clinton tonight in West Virginia - 67% - 28%.

Tim: Well Chris, the race tonight looks close but you have to remember the demographics of the state. These are uneducated, working-class people - the type that typically vote for Hillary Clinton.

Chris: Yes I believe you’re right. It is these hard-working, middle class, blue-collar types that seem to lust after Hillary - even though Obama is the Mesiah...

Tim: Chris, if you look at the remaining primaries, Obama stands to do well in the more educated states of Oregon, South Dakota and Montana.

Chris: Does Montana have a college?

Tim: I think so, they’re voting for Obama so they must be college educated like us - right?

Chris: Oh, how could I forget that?

________________

Meanwhile CNN’s In-Depth Coverage has Anderson Cooper and a panel of pundits dissecting the West Virginia result.

Anderson: I want to direct this question to the panel. Why on earth is this election allowed to go on?

Donna Brazile: Well, Anderson, the DNC has decided that it should allow people to continue voting to give the impression that democracy is still taking place. However, Barack Obama has already been chosen by anyone who really counts in this country, so don’t get so uptight about tonight’s results - they don’t really matter anyway!

Anderson: Whew! For a minute there I thought Barack was in trouble.

Donna Brazile: Of course not, look I and many in the DNC, supported the Clintons once upon a time but now they’re toast.

Anderson: True. However, I’ve heard troubling reports that there’s some people in the democratic party who are actually frowning upon Gov. Richardson’s and Senator Edwards’ recent endorsements of Obama…and the other traitors that are released two-by-two on a daily basis to make Hillary Clinton look like a loser…

Donna Brazile: Well, the DNC has adopted a new policy of never supporting a candidate they once liked; loyalty and friendship should never stand in the way of personal political gain.

Anderson: So true! Roll the tape of me at the chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa. Who cares about this stupid election anyway?

________________

And at FOXNEWS:

No democratic primary coverage is occurring; however a 24-hour looping tape of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is rolling, but for the occasional flash of the Bill Ayres photo, showing him standing on top of the American flag.

________________

You gotta check out the Saturday Night Live skit below - it’s sure to be a classic!

(01:12 min.)

"I can't believe I'm a Democrat!"
-- Anderson Cooper, sticking his head into McCain Headquarters, New York, May 18, 2008

The Talented Mr. C

2008-05-18T13:12:00.022-04:00

(1440 x 900)

(800 x 600)

Osama's... er... Pit

2008-05-17T19:30:00.025-04:00

Let's see, how do I explain this post? Well, it has to do with the post below and PurpleGummieBear... and, well... Who is Purple...? Never mind. Is this the shot, PGB?

This is a cute picture, though, weird but cute. After all, you can see Anderson from a different angle. He's descending into Osama's hole and... Oh, Lord... that doesn't sound very good, does it? Sorry. I don't know what Osama had dug this... er... pit for, but it doesn't look like he could get away or hide very well in it, could he?

Why is Anderson... climbing down into it? You can see very well that Osama is not in there; you can see only stones and dirt below. Maybe Anderson dropped his pen in it... or he saw a shinny dinar inside and he's going to retrieve it...

It's a cute picture, though... weird but...

My Favorite Picture

2008-05-17T16:46:00.013-04:00

These are two versions of
my favorite picture of Anderson.
Anderson looks totally unaware that somebody is behind him taking his picture. He is walking along so self-assured, confident, undeterred by anything except what's in his mind. You know he has traveled anywhere from a few miles from town to town to about 6000 miles just to get there. He is alone now, for a few moments, among the ruins of what was, probably only a few days ago, a town full of people. He looks unkept, sweaty -- you clearly know that at this point he has been working for hours on end in the heat and dust. He is in his element, though. He is happy!

I love this picture.
(1024 x 768)
(500dpi / 562 KB)

(1280 x 768)
(500dpi / 622 KB)
I believe this picture was taken somewhere in Iraq, but I don't have the specifics about it; perhaps it's Afghanistan, I don't know for sure. Does anyone out there know anything about this photo? I'd appreciate it if you could leave me a comment with the details.

Anderson's Gay Marriage

2008-05-17T11:17:00.013-04:00

Friday, May 16, 2008

Anderson Cooper Talks About Same-Sex Couples In California

Watch the silver-haired Anderson Cooper talk about the new ruling in California that allows gays to marry in the "Golden State." [Via Towleroad]

Posted by Soup Cans at 5:46 PM

Soup Cans

[Name: Tekuttest Kute]
Industry: Communications or Media
Location: Los Angeles : United States

Reporting on those who report the news.

Link: Soup Cans

Larry Wants Seacrest

2008-05-17T10:32:00.005-04:00

Media & Advertisement

Larry King Squelches Rumors of Shift at CNN

By Jacques Steinberg
Published: May 17, 2008

Larry King, who said last year that he hoped Ryan Seacrest would succeed him on CNN should he ever give up his prime-time show, invited Mr. Seacrest on as a guest Thursday night and then sought to tamp down speculation that any succession was imminent.

After detailing Mr. Seacrest’s many jobs — including as host of “American Idol,” a nightly entertainment newscast on E! and a morning radio show — Mr. King said: “There were even rumors you were going to join CNN, which we can tell viewers, there’s nothing to that.”

Sitting across from Mr. King, whose pants were hoisted as always by suspenders, Mr. Seacrest smiled and said he could confirm only that he and Mr. King had a date to have dinner soon.

Mr. King is 74, and in recent weeks he has been buffeted by suggestions in various news reports that Katie Couric or Mr. Seacrest might eventually take over for him at 9 p.m. weeknights. Mr. King recently signed a contract extension through 2011 (his previous deal was to have ended next year), but Newsday, citing no source, reported online last month that his contract did not guarantee him the 9 p.m. time period.

Mr. King’s show also continues to provide a solid lead-in
to Anderson Cooper at 10 p.m. In fact, Mr. Cooper’s ratings
are up so much — an increase of 40 percent,
when compared to a year ago.

Asked in an interview Friday morning whether Mr. King’s contract specified a time slot, Jon Klein, the president of CNN’s domestic operations, said the question was irrelevant. “Whatever the letter of the law may be, there’d be no good programming reason to move Larry off 9 p.m.,” Mr. Klein said. “ ‘Larry King Live’ is one of the few appointment viewing shows on television. It takes years and years to build that up.”

Mr. Klein added: “As long as he continues to get the great bookings and the great ratings and maintains his passion for doing it, all of which he’s maintained, he’s there.”

Mr. Klein said he hoped Mr. Seacrest would continue to fill in for Mr. King “from time to time,” but added that he had given no thought to a more permanent role for Mr. Seacrest at CNN. As to any interest he might have in Ms. Couric, Mr. Klein said: “She’s got a job at CBS. She’s got a contract over there. That’s all there is to say.”

So far this election year, Mr. King’s ratings are up when compared to the same period a year ago (and in 2007, in turn, he was up over 2006.) On average each weeknight this year, “Larry King Live” has drawn an average of 1.1 million viewers, an increase of about 23,000, or 2.1 percent, according to estimates from Nielsen Media Research.

Mr. King’s show also continues to provide a solid lead-in to Anderson Cooper at 10 p.m. In fact, Mr. Cooper’s ratings are up so much — an increase of 40 percent, when compared to a year ago — that, for the first time, he is outdrawing Mr. King by about 77,000 viewers a night, according to Nielsen estimates. (Mr. Cooper’s average nightly audience this year is nearly 1.2 million, compared with 848,000 last year at this time.)

In an interview with The New York Times in April 2007, Mr. King said he hoped to hold forth on “Larry King Live” until 2017, when he would be 83. “What would it take to go?” he said. “If, God forbid, I had an onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s.”

In the same interview, Mr. King anointed Mr. Seacrest his first choice as successor, should he be interested. Mr. King described Mr. Seacrest as “the classic generalist,” adding, “the only thing I don’t know, and I’ve gotten to know him pretty well, is how versed he is in politics, world affairs.”

On “Larry King Live” Thursday, Mr. Seacrest seem to mock his own qualifications, after Mr. King’s producers showed a clip of Mr. Seacrest on E! in which he announced: “This just in. Breaking booty news.”

Afterward, Mr. Seacrest told Mr. King: “That’s why I’ll never work here. Breaking booty news — that’s my background.”

When In Doubt, Eye Candy!

2008-05-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

Jason's Dispatches

2008-05-16T18:39:00.006-04:00

Listen to 53 seconds of "Dispatched from the Edge" on this simple, and I really mean simple video by Jason P. Thompson.

Chicago Drive

Click on the picture above to go to Flickr and see the clip.
Jason's Description: Yet another video of me driving, this time from the steering wheel's perspective. Listening to Anderson Cooper's "Dispatches From The Edge". Highly recommended!

What can I say, it's been a really slow day for AnderNews!!!
Anyway, Jason is a cute sight to watch while listening.

I e-mailed asking him to video the whole audio from the book while driving in various stages of disrobing, but he said he had already finished hearing the CD.

We Can Save The Polar Bears

2008-05-16T16:17:00.010-04:00

A Slow Day In AnderNews Well Spent...

Earlier this week, the Secretary of the Interior placed the polar bear on the Endangered Species List as a threatened species. More than 136,000 We members helped make that happen by signing our petition asking the Secretary to take action on this issue. What's even more amazing is that all this happened in just a week.

The listing is clearly a step in the right direction. Much more needs to be done -- to save the polar bear and solve the climate crisis. Much more. But when these positive steps do occur, we should acknowledge the work that we've done together. And we should set our sights on more and bigger successes.

So... again, thank you for signing up. And we look forward to doing more good work together.
Sincerely,

Cathy Zoi

CEO
www.wecansolveit.org

Jeff loves polar bears.

Charlie Moore loves polar bears.

(04:46 min.)
Anderson loves polar bears.
...as soon as he gets here.
Anderson gets to the Polar section at about 2:00 min. into the clip.

Beat 360 -- 05-15-08

2008-05-15T16:58:00.012-04:00

May 15, 2008

Beat 360°

Posted: 04:24 PM ET
Hey Bloggers!

Looking for something?… It’s right over here… Ah, there it is: ‘Beat 360°!’

Everyday we post a picture - and you provide the caption. Our staff will get in on the action too.

Tune in every night at 10p ET to see if you are our favorite! Can you Beat 360°?

Here is today’s ‘Beat 360°’ pic of the day: Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, tours the Ohio eWaste Recycling plant with Guy Wolfenbarger (what a cool name!) in Obetz, Ohio.

Have fun with it.

Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.

- David M. Reisner, 360° Digital producer

Add a comment here Beat 360

First posting is not by an ACE blogger but its a funny caption:

Greg
PA
May 15th, 2008 -- 4:29 pm ET
“You know one day we put Anderson Cooper in one of these boxes and it took him over three days to get out!”

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
May 15th, 2008 -- 4:55 pm ET
“Any kitchen-sinks maybe? I’m gonna need plenty during the general election!”

Peter Trevino
May 15th, 2008 -- 5:18 pm ET
Mr. Wolfenbarger: “Your wife brought us that box over there with your acceptance speech in it, all 55,362 pages, and told us to get rid of it immediately!”
Peter Trevino
New York, NY

Kristien
Antwerp, Belgium
May 15th, 2008 -- 5:22 pm ET
“This isn’t what I meant when I told my staff to find me trash to use against the Democrats…”

Peter Trevino
May 15th, 2008 -- 5:39 pm ET
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Mr. Wolfenbarger: “As you requested, Senator McCain. We made an exception and placed Anderson in that steel reinforced box over there, but as you can see, with those strong arms of his, he was able to rip it apart! And he escaped.”
Peter Treviño
New York, NY

Peter Treviño
May 15th, 2008 -- 6:02 pm ET
Mr. Wolfenbarger: “President Bush himself came in last week to give us instructions not to EVER open that box over there. He said to get rid of it immediately because it contained Top Secret accusatory photographs of yourself with a number of unsavorably foreign diplomats.”
McCain: “Unsavorably?”
Mr. Wolfenbarger: “That’s what he said.”
Peter Treviño
New York, NY

Megan Dresslar
May 15th, 2008 -- 9:01 pm ET
Maybe we need newspapers back in whole boxes and put in the recycle to save our money!
Megan D.
Shoreline, WA

Anderson... Did I Mention Anderson?

2008-05-15T11:49:00.030-04:00

How many times can you say "Anderson Cooper" in one morning, say, before 11:49 AM?

Seen At Cannes: Phillip Morris Is Jim Carrey's Boo
[Ewan McGregor]

Snapped at Cannes by Cinematical, it's the only known billboard for Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor con-on-con gay prison romance I Love You Phillip Morris. At first glance, the tasteful campaign seems to be going for something like an Anderson Cooper Christmas card. A mere ten seconds later, however, the slats on the mechanized sign rotate, revealing a far edgier tableau of a Versace-clad and spray-tanned Carrey offering horsey rides to a bethonged and delighted Rodrigo Santoro.

8:30 AM on Thu May 15 2008 by Seth
[from Defamer.com.au -- Australian blogger edition]

Rodrigo Santoro who portraits Xerxes in "300," plays Carrey's lover in "I Love You, Phillip Morris."

The Virginian-Pilot
© May 15, 2008

PLAY ALONG with me.

Pretend it's early September. Local meteorologists are hysterical, preachers are praying up a storm, and CNN's Anderson Cooper has just lashed himself to a lamp post in front of your house.

This can mean just one thing: A hurricane is headed our way. You've decided to hunker down at home and tough it out.

[continued... on The Virginian, PilotOnline.com]

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden

BY Jason Anderson
May 14, 2008 15:05

It’s easy to tell the difference between past documentaries about the search for America’s most wanted man and a Morgan Spurlock movie on the same topic. Examples of the former generally do not include mock music videos in which al Qaeda’s main man busts a move to MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.” Nor would an attempt to find his whereabouts involve calling every bin Laden in the Riyadh phone book. And not even Anderson Cooper would be caught on camera sticking his head in a cave in Tora Bora and shouting, “Yoo-hoo… Osama?”

[continued... on On Screen, EyeWeekly.com]

Thank God that, like God Himself,
He's everywhere!

Anderson & Jeff

2008-05-14T14:16:00.013-04:00

1982
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
and
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
25 years later:

Of course, the kids in the 1982 picture are not A&J; but doesn't it look like that scene could have happened, repeatedly?

3 Gorgeous Pictures

2008-05-14T12:16:00.010-04:00

Not so big pictures (as the two on the post below) but gorgeous nonetheless, as always.
(724 x 1051)
(500 dpi & 358 KB)

(707 x 485)
(500 dpi & 150 KB)

(806 x 1024)
(500 dpi & 474 KB)
I call this one "Cold Lunch." He, definitely, looks cold, he's wearing 4 layers of clothing, plus he is holding what seems like a frozen plastic food container. I don't have any information on this picture, but I sure would like to know where the frozen hell he is! Does anybody know anything about this picture?