Photos of Anderson Cooper at yesterday's march in New Orleans

Anderson Interviewing the mother of the 11 month old baby that was killed in a carjack / Photo by Trebekah

Images courtesy of Editor B and Mark Foles

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

I certainley hope that Anderson Cooper can find his way back to NOLA. It has been months since the show has visited. No one should kid themselves, the place is still as jacked-up as ever. It's easy to send 20,000 troops over to clean up Baghdad, but one of our own cities still lies in ruins. Eat that Mr. President.

"Walk With Us" Update before Tomorrow's March
by Kelly Leahy

The city, state and even federal governments have responded to the recent murders in their own ways. If this much lip service has been given to the threat of a march down Poydras, imagine what the national reaction will be tomorrow evening. From what I've heard, the march is going to be huge. An email from one of the organizers said that even Anderson Cooper will be coming down (America may be fatigued with us but not Mr. Cooper).

The slogan of the march is now "Silence is Violence" and there is a new URL sporting this theme. The Hot 8 Brass Brand will be leading the March from the World Trade Center at the foot of Canal Street up to City Hall. The times have remained the same, meet up at 11 AM, march at 11:30 and rally at City Hall at noon.

Marchers are encouraged to make signs representing their neighborhood or with names and pictures of victims of violent crime.

Parking is tight on a normal day in the CBD so get there early to find a spot.

Tired of HIM? Let's start the Anti Trump Campaign

The man has no end... he is disrespectful and a misogynist. A friend sent me an email with the numbers of Trump's office number ( he sent the Barb letter on an official letterhead and it is all over the internet - brilliant!), she is known for organizing Breast Feeding Sit Ins agaisnt companies or stores that don't support breast feeding. She invited me to call "The Donald" or send in a fax. If he thinks people are not tired of him, it is time for a reality check!

So here you have them,

Call

(212) 832 2000

fax (212) 935 0141

SPREAD IT AS YOU WISH!!!

Ed Bradley's Office a Sanctuary

For all of us wondering just how long a life Cooper has at CNN it looks like we'll be watching him for another two years according to Gail Shister...

Two months after Ed Bradley's unexpected death, his 60 Minutes colleagues are finding solace in his untouched office.

"It's very comforting," says correspondent Steve Kroft. "It feels like he's still here. In some ways, it almost feels like he's off shooting a story."

Bradley, known as Butch in his old West Philadelphia neighborhood, died Nov. 9 of complications from leukemia. He was 65. A very private man, Bradley had kept his illness a secret to virtually everyone at CBS.

"It's good to walk into Ed's office and just remember him," says 60 executive producer Jeff Fager. "There is something of him still in there. It helps some people to see the office as it was."

Bradley's space was always seen as a refuge, with its muted lighting and abundant greenery. You knew he was in town when you heard his beloved jazz playing softly in the background.

With 60 real estate at a premium, the office won't stay unoccupied indefinitely, of course. Bradley won't be replaced as a correspondent, however, until next season, according to Fager.

"It's like trying to replace Lou Gehrig. It's impossible. Ed was a superstar who died too young. He left us before anybody expected it. It was a shock to the broadcast. He was a huge figure here."

Kroft, 61, in his 18th season with 60, is now dean of the correspondents' corps. That means his face replaces Bradley's as the first up in the show's introduction. ("I'm Steve Kroft.")

It's a seniority thing. Closest full-timer to Kroft is Lesley Stahl, 65, who began in 1991. Fun fact: Stahl was the last full-time correspondent to join the newsmagazine.

Being lead-off hitter "is an honor," Kroft says. "It's not something I would have wanted to happen under these circumstances, though. Nobody expected Ed to die. It was not on anybody's radar, including people who knew he was sick. We wish he were still here."

Kroft, nicknamed "Kid" when he broke into the lineup in '89, "is as good as it gets," in Fager's unbiased view. "He's one of the best reporters and best writers who ever worked in broadcast journalism. If you look at the body of his work, he doesn't do clunkers. He only does good stories."

CNN golden boy Anderson Cooper, 39, in his first season as a 60 contributor, is high on Fager's wish list as a possible Bradley replacement. (Cooper will do four to five pieces for 60 this season.)

Odds are slim. Cooper's locked in at CNN for almost two more years.

Fager labels the silver-haired Cooper "a terrific talent. I can't say now he's the guy who will get the next full-time job, but he sure could. He's got so much to offer... . I would seriously consider him."

Consider, sure. But smart money says Fager will name a person of color to succeed Bradley, the first - and only - African American correspondent in the august broadcast's 39-year history.

"We definitely have our eye out for a minority correspondent," Fager says. "It's important that our correspondents represent a cross section of America. That's important in journalism, as in all walks of life."

From the CNN Pressroom...

CNN Launches New Weekly Investigative Series

Christiane Amanpour Reports on Home-Grown Muslim Extremism
Kicks Off Series on Saturday, Jan. 20

Expanding the network's commitment to investigative reporting, CNN this month launches a new long-form investigative series titled CNN: Special Investigations Unit. The new program, airing Saturdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. (ET), will feature CNN’s top correspondents delivering in-depth hours on pressing issues currently in the news. The programs’ topical subject matter will complement CNN Presents, the acclaimed documentary series that will hone its focus on longer-lead-time, multi-hour “event” programming such as last summer’s blockbuster “In the Footsteps of bin Laden.”

CNN: Special Investigations Unit taps into the network’s worldwide resources and deep bench of top-notch journalists including chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, anchors Anderson Cooper and Soledad O’Brien, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, correspondents John Roberts, John King, Candy Crowley, Drew Griffin and others to offer a strong new brand of enterprise investigative reports.

“Special Investigations Unit pulls together our unparalleled stable of reporters and our unmatched journalistic reach,” said Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. “There is no better team in television news to step up and fill the gaping void in in-depth reporting on the truly important stories of the moment.”

The first CNN: Special Investigations Unit documentary will be a one-hour examination of the troubling home-grown Muslim extremism in the United Kingdom. Reported by Amanpour, The War Within examines the cultural conflicts within Britain’s Muslim communities and the alienation felt by many young Muslims living inside Western societies. The War Within premieres on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 8 p.m. (ET).

The new investigative series is produced by CNN Productions, the same unit that will continue to produce CNN Presents – the most honored documentary series in cable news. Four major CNN Presents documentaries are in the works for the coming year. Mark Nelson is the head of CNN Productions. A veteran producer, Nelson joined the unit six months ago as its vice president and senior executive producer.

CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources 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; four Web sites, including CNN.com, the first major news and information Web site; CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service; CNN Newsource, the world’s most extensively syndicated news service; and partnerships for four television networks and one Web site.

At the end he is just a LOOOOSER!

This is poor Sam, tortured by Marie and forced to look like the Donald... if only The Donald could be compared to a dog...

I can't help it, I'm really glad he ended in third place. He is just a disgusting misogynist.

medialifemagazine.com
OvernightsNot so rosie: 'Apprentice' hits new low

By Toni Fitzgerald Jan 8, 2007, 12:37

Donald Trump’s much-publicized tiff with “View” co-host Rosie O’Donnell failed to pump ratings for the sixth-season premiere of “The Apprentice” last night. The show nearly equaled last spring’s series-low bow among adults 18-49, and it sank to its worst-ever premiere among households, according to Media Life records.
“Apprentice” averaged a 4.1 rating among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, 0.1 better than last year’s season five premiere. It drew a 5.7 among households, down half a point, or 8 percent, from last year.
The 90-minute premiere, which began at 9:30 p.m., built in every half hour in 18-49s but did lose 20 percent of its lead-in, the new show “Grease: You’re the One That I Want,” sinking from the latter’s 4.5 at 9 p.m. to a 3.6 at 9:30 p.m.
“Apprentice” has declined in every season since its 2004 premiere, when it was an instant hit on Thursday night. NBC even held it off the schedule last fall, hoping to build anticipation for the show in a way that has worked for other reality programs like “American Idol” and “The Bachelor.”
But even against the last half of a weaker-than-usual episode of ABC’s hit show “Desperate Housewives” last night, “Apprentice” showed little of its old spark. It finished behind ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” in 18-49s at 10 p.m. and was third behind that and CBS’s “Without a Trace” in total viewers.
The media-savvy Trump had tried to spur ratings with a recent PR blitz over his feud with O’Donnell, which began last month.
Meanwhile, “Grease” had a solid debut, growing in each half hour.
Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 7.0 average rating and a 16 share. ABC was second at 4.8/11, NBC third at 3.8/9, CBS fourth at 2.9/7, Univision fifth at 1.2/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/2.
As a reminder, fast nationals measure timeslot data and not actual program data. Thus Fox’s ratings for its live NFL wild card coverage will adjust when final ratings are out tomorrow. NFL football runover helped Fox to a first place finish during the 7 p.m. hour, as the network averaged an 11.0 rating for the end of the game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. NBC was second that hour with a 2.8 for “Deal or No Deal,” ABC third with a 2.4 for “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and CBS fourth with a 1.9 for “60 Minutes.” CW was fifth with a 1.0 for an hour of “Reba” and Univision sixth with a 0.9 for the awards pre-show “Noche de Estrellas.” At 8 p.m. Fox led again, this time with a 5.4 average for “The Simpsons” (6.2) and “American Dad” (4.7). ABC was second with a 5.1 for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” NBC third with a 4.3 for the first hour of the premiere of “Grease” and CBS fourth with a 2.5 for a repeat of “Cold Case.” Univision jumped to fifth that hour with a 1.3 for the first hour of “Premios Furia Musical 2007,” with CW falling to sixth with a 0.9 for a repeat of “Beauty & the Geek.” ABC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 7.3 rating for “Desperate Housewives.” Fox dropped to sixth with a 4.6 average for an hour of “Family Guy” repeats, with NBC third with a 4.0 for the last 30 minutes of “Grease” (4.5) and the first half hour of the season premiere of “Apprentice” (3.6). CBS came in fourth with a 3.5 for “Cold Case,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “Premios Furia Musical 2007” and CW sixth with a 0.8 for another “Beauty & the Geek” rerun. At 10 p.m. ABC remained on top with a 4.6 for “Sisters.” NBC moved to second with a 4.3 for the last hour of “Apprentice,” with CBS third with a 3.7 for “Without a Trace” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Premios Furia Musical 2007.” Fox finished first for the night among households, averaging a 9.9 rating and a 15 share. CBS was second at 8.2/12, ABC third at 8.0/12, NBC fourth at 6.2/10, CW fifth at 1.6/2 and Univision sixth at 1.5/2.© 2007 Media Life

Welcome to the era of "CNN: Special Investigations Unit,"

The title reminds me of the CSI and Law and Order franchises, but I have to admit I really like this new project. I think the other Christiane is just terrific - my hero - and I'm glad that her "Steps " special was the highest rating CNN show in 2006. I wonder how this will interfere with Anderson's work at 60 minutes. It is obvious that Klein is watching his ROI on him.

Photo Caption: CNN/U.S. President Jonathan Klein, left, with news chief Jim Walton, produced documentaries at CBS.
(CNN)

CNN adding weekend investigative series
By Matea Gold, Times Staff WriterJanuary 8, 2007


NEW YORK — Heartened by the success it's found with documentaries about Osama bin Laden and waste in the federal government, CNN is debuting a new weekly investigative series this month to showcase long-form pieces by some of the network's best-known correspondents. "CNN: Special Investigations Unit," which will premiere Jan. 20, is the latest initiative at the cable news network, which has undergone a raft of personnel and programming changes since Jonathan Klein, a former CBS News executive, took over as president of CNN/U.S. two years ago.Under Klein, the network has spotlighted a coterie of stars with distinctive personalities and moved away from traditional stand-up news reports in favor of more packaged stories but has yet to move out of second place. "The logical evolution now is to add more long-form investigative work, because we've got by far the best team of reporters of anybody," Klein said. "We want to put them to use."The new hourlong series, which will air Saturdays and Sundays at 5 p.m. with a repeat at 8 p.m., will feature work by chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour and anchors Anderson Cooper and Soledad O'Brien as well as correspondents like John Roberts, John King and Candy Crowley.Klein said viewer response to documentaries CNN aired last year confirmed that there is an appetite for more in-depth pieces. An August special by Amanpour called "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden" drew more than 2 million people, the biggest audience of its time slot all year. "Broken Government," a series that ran in October about dysfunction in the branches of federal government, also saw a spike in the ratings.The weekend program is being added to the schedule as Klein enters his third year at the helm of CNN. During his tenure, CNN mainstays Aaron Brown and Daryn Kagan have departed as Klein has given larger portfolios to anchors such as Cooper, known for his on-the-scene emotive reporting, and Lou Dobbs, who brings a populist bent to financial news. The network president also upended the schedule, scrapping afternoon shows "Crossfire" and "Inside Politics" in favor of "The Situation Room," a three-hour news block anchored out of Washington by Wolf Blitzer."If anything, we've been able to do more faster than I thought we would," Klein said.But CNN continues to lag far behind industry leader Fox News, which will celebrate its fifth year as the top-ranked cable news network at the end of this month. According to Nielsen Media Research, CNN averaged 752,000 viewers in prime time in 2006, down 12% since the end of 2004, when Klein took over. Fox News drew an average of 1.4 million prime-time viewers last year, a drop of 15% in the same period. Meanwhile, third-place MSNBC — the only cable news network to gain viewers last year — has been gaining on CNN in key hours. (Its "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" beat CNN's "Paula Zahn Now" last quarter.)Brad Adgate, a former CNN sales researcher who now directs research at Horizon Media, said CNN's efforts to create appointment viewing have had mixed results."It's a very, very competitive environment," Adgate said. "To expect CNN to suddenly boost ratings and get a younger median age I don't think is realistic. I think probably their best hope is leveraging their brand name to other platforms."CNN executives disagree, pointing to the network's gains in the last quarter of 2006, especially among the 25- to 54-year-old viewers sought by advertisers on news programs, an audience that grew by 17% in prime time compared with the same time period a year earlier. Its coverage of November's midterm elections fared particularly well, drawing the largest number of those young viewers on election day and the biggest audience overall the next day."You can't bite the entire enchilada at once," Klein said. "You've got to nibble away at it, and we're making great headway."One new avenue to boost viewership he hopes will be through documentaries, which the network chief called a neglected form."I think cable news in general fell a little too in love with the latest breaking developments and not enough with the explanation and context," said Klein, who produced documentaries at CBS. "There's really no true investigative journalism going on on a regular basis in cable news. People call some of their shows documentaries, but they're really just tawdry true crime stories. We're going to do real reporting."CNN is not alone in its pursuit of documentary journalism, however. Former ABC anchor Ted Koppel is producing long-form investigations for the Discovery Channel, while MSNBC has launched a new nightly "doc block" that recently featured pieces on the child welfare system and American prisons, among other topics.The first installment of "CNN: Special Investigations Unit" will be "The War Within," a piece by Amanpour about Muslim extremism in Britain. Roberts is working on an investigation about the Shiite insurgency in Iraq, while chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta is planning several pieces on the health threats caused by food contamination.Produced by CNN Productions, the new program will replace the documentary series "CNN Presents," which had a brief run in the weekend time slot and will now air as a special throughout the year. Taken together, the network plans to air 15 additional hours of documentaries this year.

Is "Anderson Cooper 360" Another "Entertainment Tonight"?

NewsBusters
By Rich Noyes, January 4th. 2007

Someone at CNN needs to buy a dictionary, or at least visit dictionary.com once in a while. Just a couple of days ago, as MRC’s Scott Whitlock noted, 'American Morning' had a major graphic gaffe, showing a headline asking “Where’s Obama” as the anchors talked about the hunt for the most-wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden, not the Senator from Illinois.

Last night on 'Anderson Cooper 360,' as the anchor introduced a tabloid item on the ongoing spat between Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell, a giant graphic over Cooper’s shoulder carried the headline “SAME FUED, DIFFERENT YEAR.” If that misspelling of “FEUD” was meant as some kind of an inside joke, Cooper didn’t say a word about it. More likely than not, it was just another embarrassing example of the need for all of the 24-hour cable news networks to slow down just enough to double-check their work.

Incidentally, Cooper’s angle seemed to be that the Rosie vs. the Donald F-E-U-D was a play for ratings: “Rosie O'Donnell goes back to 'The View' on Monday. And call it cynical, but a new season of Donald Trump’s 'The Apprentice' starts this coming Sunday. Coincidence? You decide.”

Which begs the question: Why is Cooper’s '360' mimicking 'Entertainment Tonight' by following the F-E-U-D so closely? Could that also be a cynical ratings-based decision? You decide.

AP employee found shot to death...

This is a sad story that failed to make any major news in prime time, yes Anderson, I'm talking about you. And before all the fangirls (and you know who you are) start commenting about how it's time for Anderson Cooper to get out from behind the desk, check out this sobering story from The Associated Press.

BAGHDAD, Iraq: The body of an Associated Press employee was found shot in the back of the head Friday, six days after he was last seen by his family leaving for work.

Ahmed Hadi Naji, 28, was the fourth AP staffer to die violently in the Iraq war and the second AP employee killed in less than a month. He had been a messenger and occasional cameraman for the AP for 2 1/2 years.

"All of us at AP share the pain and grief being felt by Ahmed's family and friends," said AP President and CEO Tom Curley. "The situation for our journalists in Iraq is unprecedented in AP's 161-year history of covering wars and conflicts. The courage of our Iraqi colleagues and their dedication to the story stand as an example to the world of journalism's enduring value."

Naji's death brings to 30 the number of those who have lost their lives on assignments for the AP since the news cooperative was founded in 1846.

Before Naji's killing, Reporters Without Borders had recorded at least 94 journalists killed in Iraq since the war started nearly four years ago. Forty-five media assistants also have been killed, according to the Paris-based advocacy group.

The Committee to Protect Journalists had put the figure at 92 journalists and 37 media support workers killed in Iraq.

Happy Three Kings Day!

This is one of our most beloved holidays: Día de Reyes! Inherited from Spain, and institutionalized by the Catholic Chuch, it is observed througout the hispanic community and Latin America.

Here is a brief recap of how we celebrate it, similar activities might be found in other countries, all fun and heart warm. So FELICIDADES!

And for my anglo friends... sorry your Chrismas is over.

THREE KINGS DAY

If you are Puerto Rican then you have to celebrate Los Reyes. After Christmas put a Reyes statue as a centerpiece on your dinning room table so the kids know - it's no over yet "faltan los Reyes."

Celebrate it Puerto Rican style, that is.... have the kids cut grass or greenery on January 5th and put it in a box under their bed. Put a small gift from Los Reyes in the box once they fall asleep - and don't forget to throw out the grass. Have a special and festive Día de Reyes meal that day. Take pictures of your children with their boxes. After dinner make it a tradition to sing a Reyes song.

Los Reyes arrive before dawn on January 6th. For centuries Puerto Rican children have celebrated Los Reyes in the same manner as their grandparents did when they were children. January 6 is called Epiphany and is traditionally the day in which the Magi arrived bearing gifts for the Christ child. Even to this day in Hispanic countries throughout the world, January 6 is the day that children receive their Christmas gifts, in commemoration of the Magi's visit.


Víspera de Reyes

On La Víspera de Reyes (the Eve of Three Kings Day) Puerto Rican children cut grass to put in a shoe box under their bed for the camels to eat. Their "wish list" is placed on top of the grass. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends ask children to put a box under their bed too - just in case.

The Reyes only come if the child has been good all year and if the children are awake they bypass the house.
On this night children sleep lightly listening for any strange noises, whispers, or maybe sounds of the camels' hooves, or any tale-tale signs of the Kings' arrival. Sometime during the night Los Reyes arrive and quietly leave their gifts for the children while their camels enjoy their snack.

In the morning the island is filled with the joy and the laughter of happy children enjoying their new bikes, skates, dolls, and other toys. It is a joyful day full of celebration. Later in the day a holiday dinner is prepared and friends and relatives join in the festivities. Relatives bring the children the boxes left under their beds now empty of grass but filled with gifts. What fun!

The tradition of Los Reyes Magos in Puerto Rico is taken very seriously. The Catholic Church declared the Magi Saints giving each his own Day of Feast. On the days immediately following Three Kings Day, the Octavas and Octavitas are celebrated. These originally were to honor the Magi.

El Rey Melchor was the Sultan of Arabia. He was the oldest of the Magi and was a small and gentle man. Melchor had a long white beard and wore elegant crimson robes. His gift was gold which was much used by the Hebrews for the Temple and was plentiful in the time of David and Solomon. Gold was not coined until after the reign of King David, was an article of commerce and was sold by weight. It is rumored that Melchor brought many other priceless gifts as well. Saint Melchor's feast day is January 7th. Saint Melchor's figure goes before the other Kings in a manger scene.

El Rey Baltazar was a Nubian King and ruler of Ethiopia. Baltazar was dressed in exquisite robes. His gift was myrrh, a precious and aromatic resin that comes from the bark of thorny African trees and symbolized suffering. Myrrh was a precious comodity in the Middle East. It was one of the ingredients of the holy ointment, Exodus 30:23, and of the embalming substance. John19:39. It is also used in medicine and as a perfume. Baltazar was also rumored to have brought many other expensive gifts and treasures along. Legend tells us that Baltazar died soon after in the presence of the other Wise Men. Saint Baltazar's feast day is January 8th.

El Rey Gaspar was Emperor of the Orient and ruled over all oriental lands. He is also represented as white but does not wear a beard. His clothes were gilded in gold. King Gaspar's gift was frankincense, an exceedingly aromatic gum used in the sacred incense for the Temple service. It is distilled from a tree in Arabia.. Frankencense was priceless and a gift for Kings and symbolized prayer. It was burned in temples to honor God. Gaspar is said to have also brought many other fine gifts for the Christ Child. It is said that Gaspar traveled the furthest to visit the Christ Child. Saint Gaspar's feast day is January 6th.

Los Reyes Magos, from Persian magu, meaning magician; members of a priestly caste of ancient Medes and Persians; name is applied also to the wise men in the Bible (Matthew ii) who followed a star to Bethlehem; the Bible story does not name them nor give their number, but Christian tradition from about the 7th century names the three Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar; their bodies are said to have been brought to Constantinople by Empress Helen, mother of Constantine, thence taken to Milan, and finally to Cologne in 1162 by Frederick Barbarossa; since that time they have often been called the Three Kings of Cologne

As requested... have fun!

He is always at Whole Foods...

another Anderson Cooper Sighting... with proof! He surely loves his Whole Foods Pizza...

Gupta is the New CNN "It" Boy this Year...

With more health specials on CNN to come, including one with Lance Armstrong in a few weeks about what else, cancer, and a new book as well as his new CBS duties, I've already seen too much. Good thing I like him and find him informative. Maybe Sanjay is taking his cues from last year's CNN "It" boy...

Check your bookstores in April friends.

Observations this third day of January...

Anderson Cooper on Times Square: "So it's actually — you know, I grew up in a much different New York where Times Square was kind of dirty and seedy. And we kind of liked it that way."

Uh huh....right. Times Square used to be porn and peepshow capital of the world. Anderson, you may need time in the naughty chair my friend.

Also seen in NYC...

Perhaps I need the naughty chair as well...lol.

On the Eve of 2007

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. ~Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

I still think going out on New Year's Eve is lame, so if you can't make it to Times Square, I recommend curling up with someone and watching it on TV.
~Anderson Cooper

New Year's Eve can do strange things to people. It's like in the final scene of the movie "When Harry Met Sally." Harry hunts down Sally at a New Year's Eve party and tells her he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Sally doesn't bite - at first.

"I'm sorry Harry," she says. "I know it's New Years Eve, I know you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me and expect that to make everything all right. It doesn't work this way."

For most people, New Year's Eve does work this way. It's a chance to clean the slate, start fresh and do the things you've always wanted to do. Harry pleads it's not because it's New Year's Eve, but because: "when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of the life to start as soon as possible," he says.

I believed Harry loved Sally, but I can't help but think it was New Year's Eve that gave him the final push. It's a holiday notorious for producing high expectations and delivering big disappointments. But nonetheless every year, with optimism by our side, we don a party hat, clink champagne glasses and vow through resolutions to do things differently in the year to come. For Harry, it was to live not a day more without the love of his life.

And like some of you, my expectations for this evening are high. I'm spending the evening with someone I didn't expect to spend another holiday with ever again. I'm hoping that he will be possessed by Harry's spirit and make a declaration of his undying love for me. If you listen closely you can hear the soundtrack music in the background, but as I pull my head out of the clouds, I will undoubtedly wake-up with the realism that it was one perfect evening and that there is nothing that can't be fixed with good hard run and a dose of reality as real versus reel life comes back into focus.


Everyone has their own way of celebrating, how will you be ringing in the New Year?

Thanks to Cassie Pence for the perfect inspiration. And thanks to an Anderfan for the photos!

Waiting for George...

Poor Trump, he must be the poorest man on earth

He might be worth "billions" - including his debt and credit lines - , might "own" women, buy them expensive gifts. But all the money in the world can't buy him CLASS. I'm surprised that someone who claims to be so well educated don't have dominion of his own language! Can't he afford a Thesaurus?

 

 The only words he seems to be able to say are loser, ugly and fat. Probably because it is what comes to mind whenever he looks at a mirror...

His behavior presents him as a rude misogynist. And I'm surprised that those who made an issue about the Ripa/Aiken controversy are mute over this blatantly offensive rant. Not only due to his homophobic undertone, but how offensive it is for women in general.

I hope the viewers will tell him You are fired! pretty soon.

There is a saying in Spanish that says:  Dime de lo que presumes y te diré de lo que careces...which loosely translates in Tell me of what you flaunt and I will tell you what you need.

At least for me it is clear...

BREAKING NEWS...

So long Saddam...

6:31pm, NBC News: We "have been told by U.S. military and intelligence officials that the execution could take place within the next 48 hours or perhaps as early as tomorrow," Richard Engel reported from Baghdad.

From CNN today...

CNN Offers Live Coverage of Ford Remembrance

Extensive Reports include Former President’s State Funeral Services, CNN Pipeline Feed of Public Viewing

As the official remembrance begins on Friday, Dec. 29, for former President Gerald Ford, CNN will provide extensive live coverage throughout the week of tributes to Ford in California and Michigan, the transport of his body to Washington, D.C., his body lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda and his memorial service at the National Cathedral on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Throughout Friday, CNN will provide reports from Palm Desert, Calif., where the Ford family plans to hold a private service at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.

On Saturday, Dec. 30, live coverage continues from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as officials transport Ford’s body to Washington, D.C. As ceremonies move to Washington, D.C., CNN’s live reports resumes at 5 p.m. with a special edition of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Jeff Greenfield anchoring coverage of the landing at Andrews Air Force Base, the procession to the U.S. Capitol, the state funeral at 7 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda and the start of a public viewing.

For Sunday, Dec. 31, CNN will air a special Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Blitzer and Greenfield will anchor the network’s live coverage of the National Cathedral Memorial Service on Tuesday, Jan. 2, beginning at 9 a.m.

Coverage concludes on Wednesday, Jan. 3, in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Ford’s will lie in state for a public viewing at the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and Museum. Coverage includes a final funeral service at 2 p.m. at Grace Church and internment in a hillside tomb on the grounds of the museum.

Question: Should Cooper fly to Iraq and report on the execution, given that at this time Cal Perry and Arwa Damon are the only people in Baghdad OR should he cover the state funeral of Gerald Ford? Your call...

Ford Funeral Won't Get 'Reagan-style' TV Coverage

When the news broke late Tuesday that Gerald Ford had died at age 93, the broadcast and cable news networks were tasked with remembering an unelected president who served a little more than two years in office.

As plans solidified Wednesday for a state funeral in Washington, followed by another service and burial at the Ford Presidential Library in Grand Rapids, Mich., the networks said they would cover the funerals and other appropriate aspects of the nation's farewell to the 38th president.

But it's unlikely to be the deep coverage afforded 2004's state funeral of Ronald Reagan, who served two terms and was an enormously popular and sometimes controversial president.

That distinction became clear early, when ABC and NBC broke into programming shortly after 11:30 p.m. EST, but CBS covered the news with a crawl over "Late Night With David Letterman" on the East Coast. The cable news channels went into crisis mode, with Fox News Channel staying on live all night with coverage.

CNN's Anderson Cooper announced Ford's death near the end of his two-hour show, while the MSNBC telecast included NBC anchor Brian Williams as well as Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell, who covered the Ford White House and knew him well.

Ford's death still was the top story all day Wednesday on the morning and evening newscasts as well as on cable, though to varying degrees. Plans weren't immediately firm but the networks expected to carry at least some coverage of the former president's lying in state under the Capitol Rotunda and his state funeral, expected Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington.

"It will not be on the magnitude of Ronald Reagan who had two terms and was a dominant figure in American politics," former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw said. "I think the Ford family knows that. But it (Ford's tenure) was vitally important because he not only said 'our long national nightmare is over' but he dedicated himself to the case in the next two years, I think historians will judge him very well."

But Ford's legacy will continue to be covered by the networks. Several anchors, including CBS' Katie Couric and Fox News Channel's Shepard Smith, are returning from vacation. Both NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charles Gibson weren't on vacation and anchored their respective newscasts Wednesday.

"You did not have the experience of millions of Americans making him president," Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace said. "I don't think there's the connection that the public had with Ronald Reagan or other former presidents who in effect rose to power through their votes. He was only president for a little over two years."

CNN analyst Jeff Greenfield said there was no time in Ford's short tenure as president to establish a "Ford doctrine" or an overarching vision.

"He has to be understood in reference to history. He came in after this amazingly unprecedented public scandal that drove a president from office," Greenfield said. "He came in and in his first weeks sounded the right note that lowered the temperature politically."

Article courtesy of NewsMax.
Screencap courtesy of Anderloads.

Anderson Cooper's Rockin' New Year's Eve...

CNN’s Anderson Cooper will host live coverage of the New Year’s Eve celebration at New York City’s Times Square on Sunday, Dec. 31, from 11 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. (ET). For “New Year’s Live with Anderson Cooper,” CNN anchors and correspondents will provide reports from celebrations across the country and around the world, including Sean Callebs in New Orleans; Robin Meade, anchor of Robin & Company on Headline News, in Chicago; Kyra Phillips from Time Square; Rick Sanchez in San Antonio and John Zarrella in Key West, Fla.

The program will feature musical performances from the Killers in Los Angeles; the B-52s in Atlantic City, N.J.; the Goo Goo Dolls in Anaheim, Calif.; Sister Hazel in Orlando, Fla.; Montgomery Gentry in Lexington, Ky.; Preservation Hall Jazz Band in New York; Lionel Richie, Smash Mouth, OK Go and Rockstar: Supernova, all in Las Vegas; Nelly Furtado in Mumbai, India; and Scissor Sisters in Berlin.

During the program, Cooper will reveal the winner of the Anderson Cooper 360° “Keeping Them Honest in ‘06” contest. Based on the program’s weekly segment “Keeping Them Honest,” the contest allows viewers to submit nominations for citizens who challenged authorities to do the right thing this year. Viewers may vote on the submissions beginning Thursday, Dec. 28, by visiting the Anderson Cooper 360° Web site at http://www.CNN.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/

Anderson Cooper 360° is a wide-ranging, unconventional news program that takes a full 360-degree look at the world’s events. The program showcases CNN’s worldwide newsgathering capabilities as well as Anderson Cooper's unique sensibilities and perspective through a diverse range of live reports and interviews. Anderson Cooper 360° airs on CNN/U.S. each weekday from 10 p.m. to midnight (ET) and also airs on CNN International.

Screencap courtesy of legion.

From the FreakSpeakers...

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now.

Where are your table manners Mr. Anderson Cooper?

This is addictive!



I bet Gloria didn't teach him those manners!
Thanks Marie!

A Little CNN News for Your Friday...

Well, it's been a LONG week and I've barely had time to watch Cooper, thankfully I was home in time last night to catch a truly funny Anderson Cooper as we all watched the Rosie and Donald Show (I meant soap opera). While I'm having the festival of wrapping today, I plan on watching the highlight reel of the shows I missed this week. Thanks to my TiVo for recording them!

God bless the second slowest news week of the year, it gave us the AnderSnark we all know and love (and missed these past months!).


Here is some updated CNN News from the most trusted source for news...and no, it's not TVNewser...

Rick Sanchez, a CNN anchor and correspondent, becomes the new prime-time weekend anchor for CNN Newsroom, it was announced today by Jon Klein, president of CNN/U.S. Sanchez, who is based in the network’s world headquarters in Atlanta, will also continue reporting for Anderson Cooper 360°.

“When Rick is on camera, you’ve just got to watch,” Klein said. “His passion for the news and natural gift for storytelling will be a welcome addition to our weekend coverage.” Since joining CNN in September 2004, Sanchez contributed to the network’s coverage of hurricanes such as Ivan and Jeanne and anchored CNN’s coverage when the New Orleans levees broke following Hurricane Katrina.

He has been part of the Anderson Cooper 360° reporting team for the last year, offering memorable stories such as the government’s airlift of illegal immigrants and, just last week, winter survival techniques for stranded hikers. He frequently uses his fluency in both English and Spanish to access unusual stories, as when he reported for the Anderson Cooper 360° special edition, “24 Hours on the Border.”

He also provided such coverage from Mexico City following congressional elections there and from Caracas, Venezuela, following President Hugo Chavez’s harsh criticism of U.S. President George W. Bush at the United Nation. Throughout his career, Sanchez has reported on major events across the United States and around the world, including on-the-scene coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Sanchez has also reported on wars in Afghanistan and Nicaragua, the invasion of Grenada and the fall of the Duvalier regime in Haiti. Additionally, Sanchez – who was born in Cuba and came to America at the age of 3 – has traveled to report live from Havana, Cuba, numerous times. Sanchez has also interviewed several prominent newsmakers, including Laura Bush, Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, Bill Clinton, Michael Gorbachev, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Manuel Noriega, among others.

Before joining CNN, Sanchez was an anchor for WTVJ/Channel 6 and an interim anchor for WBZL/Channel 39 in Miami. Prior to his tenure with the NBC affiliate, he worked for two years as a correspondent and anchor for MSNBC. Sanchez started his career as a television journalist at WSVN-TV Miami in 1982. He briefly worked as an anchor at KHOU-TV in Houston but soon returned to WSVN-TV. In Miami, he became the first person to both anchor a television news program and host a talk show on Spanish-language radio, El Show de Rick Sanchez. Sanchez joined MSNBC in 2001 as a correspondent and also delivered breaking news for CNBC and filed radio updates for NBC National radio. Sanchez’s professional honors include an Emmy Award and an American Medical Association “Distinguished Journalist Award.”

Sanchez studied journalism at the University of Minnesota.

I wonder how hard he studied because he kinda sucks, but that's just my opinion...

Thanks to liberation 337 for the cap.

What is a Catholic? with some other rantings...

Hi everyone again!

I have to admit that last night AC360 made me laugh, and God knows I needed to! I'm really liking the What is a Christian? series. As someone who was raised in a predominant Catholic country and private schools, I am surprised to know how "invisible" the Roman Catholic Church is in the USA, how different it is of what the Church calls "Separated Brothers" and how apart they are in political views. For Catholics, everyone non catholic will just go to hell, don't bother in even thinking otherwise. I can't recall to ever discuss the Book of Revelations nor the Rapture ( a core for Evangelicals ) in any Bible class. They also sort of play it cool with Muslims - until the PapaNazi-, because contrary to Protestants and Evangelicals, they acknowledge the Virgin Mary, and the Jews... well lets just leave it there... what can you expect from a church that brought you the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Opus Dei? Have you ever ventured within an Old Catholic Church or Cathedral? Are you familiarized with its art? They are the pioneers of S&M! If most of the USA population would have been exposed to it, probably they wouldn't be so scared of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. And the women's role in the church... well think more of the Taliban. After all there is no difference between the Burqua and a Nun's Habit. And some nun's - The Carmelites - are not even allowed to be seen by men. The church believes that women are to serve men. That's it!

• The madness, Rosie is a train wreck waiting to happen, and "The Donald" is just a plain misogynist homophobe douche bag.

• Nick Denton's stable got it all wrong, it is called AGING.

• And after all the bickering, attacks and questioning, the former AP photojournalist's story was corroborated, again, this time by CNN Senior Producer, Charlie Moore, so yes, there is a great possibility to meet people of other media when you are attending a junket...

And this I just have to share with you... is this guy on crack? Check the last item!

Technorati tags: Anderson Cooper, What is a Christian?, Catholic, Gawker, AP, Gallo, Rosie, Trump

Anderson Cooper Couldn't say it better!

What do you do when you are stuck in the middle of a cat fight?
Wise man that Anderson...


As always, thanks Marie!

Congratulations!

Time Magazine named us all Person of The Year! Definitely the latest Internet technology has changed the way people communicate, receive the news, and entire entertainment conglomerates, such as NBC, are crumbling down. The Web 2.0 revolution is here and ironically this was one of the factors that gave birth of what we have called The FreakSpeakers project.

Not long ago a reader asked us why we started this blog and just didn't just participate in the ones already established. Well, although Anderson Cooper brought us together, our concern of the lack of context and reliability of the information and the treatment of some topics guided us towards our editorial line. And time and again we were proven right! As our manifesto states:

"Today accountability is masked behind anonymity, Bylines hidden by zeros and ones. Armed with digital devices, Everyone publishes, everyone is "in the know". Ethics are non existent. Reputations are destroyed. Speculation is king. The truth is masked, a victim, a hostage."

Some people didn't understand what we were on to, and took it personally (... eat me!) and started a hate campaign against us, but we are very thankful that the concept has found its niche. And we want to thank our loyal readers, visitors and commenters of making this space alive.

Dr. 007

A Florida psychology professor has admitted being a Cuban spy. Carlos Alvarez, a professor at Florida International University, said Tuesday that he had been spying on Miami's Cuban exile community for nearly 30 years.

Alvarez and his wife Elsa plead guilty to avoid a jury trial.

"...The FBI said Alvarez continued his criminal conduct until June 22, 2005, when he admitted his activities to U.S. counterintelligence agents.

"This investigation unmasked a Cuban intelligence agent who served for many years as an educator, all the while spying on South Florida's Cuban exile community for his Cuban handlers," said United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alex Acosta in Miami.

In Washington, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Wainstein said the plea "demonstrates our firm commitment to protect our country and our citizens against the agents of foreign powers."--from CNN.com

I feel so much safer; don't you?

In other news:

Anybody else sick of hearing about Tara What's Her Name, aka Miss USA?

And hey, be careful with those gift cards. That's the new scam, apparently--thieves are stealing the numbers off the back of gift cards, waiting until the cards are activated, and then spending the cards online. When the gift card recipient goes to use the card, it's been drained by the thief. So make sure you buy cards from behind the counter.

The best story of this morning:

Reality check: 95 percent of Americans had premarital sex

Go here to read the article.

They had to do a study in order to come up with these results?!?

Bits 'n Pieces

Awww, poor Perez Hilton. Looks like people finally got tired of him stealing their pictures and posting them at his blog. He's being sued by X17 Inc., a Los Angeles photo agency, for $7.6 million.

Anybody feel sorry for him?

Didn't think so.

A 37-year-old Tesco employee was arrested in the Ipswich prostitute murders. Interestingly enough, he had his own MySpace.

Wonder if Ted Bundy would have had his own MySpace? Hmmm.

Looks like AC360 has a new hook--a place on the website where you can send in your own "Keeping Them Honest" stories. They're gonna feature some of the stories on the New Year's Eve show.

Oh, don't forget to watch Wednesday night to get the location code to win the trip to NYC. You may or may not win a chance to get "behind the scenes of 360," but a visit to the Big Apple would be fun, right?

Another Anderson Cooper Sighting! With a candid pic to prove it!

UPDATE! Here is another one, he is talking to the exhibition tour guide

Image courtesy of:concepfu, Gracias Eric!

Yes, and with his civilian uniform: jeans, parka and baseball hat.
Very nice exhibition BTW If in NYC check it out: 11 Spring - Wooster on Spring - Street Art ExhibitionSpring - Check their site !

P.D. he was alone and wasn't dating anyone in the pic

Anderson Cooper plays with his Rubik's Cube

The poor kid was nervous. And Anderson wouldn't shut his mouth... it was fun!
Thanks Marie for the video

A fight for equality or just cheap exploitation?

Many visitors of this blog knows my personal view about the gossip blogs and sites. Some people have gone so far as labeling me as homophobic for not wanting to address the Anderson Cooper controversy. The truth is I'm far from it. I've been very lucky to have extraordinary gay people in my life. I've been witness of the pain brought through discrimination, illness, religious bigotry, family rejection and the lack of equal rights. And have admire how most of them have overcome this and live their life as full as the law allows them to be. One of the happiest days of my life was to attend my friend's marriage in Madrid to his long time lover.

Today I came across with an article that finally pin points my position, presented by gay organizations and activists which I want to share with you.

• "It's not our policy to out people. We only out people when they have come out to us personally or when they have been previously written about by other publications." - Corey Scholibo, The Advocate's A&E editor
• "Media speculation about a celebrity's orientation is not something we support. This kind of gossip can lead some people to the decision to come out, as we've seen recently, or it may drive others further into the closet. People are going to become more guarded and secretive and not less, because they don't want to create any opportunities [for anyone to out them]." - Damon Romine, spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
• "I do not outright call people gay. I do not feel it is my place, or anyone else's place, to make people come out of the closet. Being shockingly hurtful just to get attention is not my style." - Trent Vanegas, blogger Pink Is the New Blog
• "I don't understand why we profit from having some bitter miserable person exposed against his will. How does that make a gay teenager happy to be gay? What kind of a role model does that establish? I don't think it does anything for anybody." - Bruce Vilanch, comedy writer
• "Spreading gossip is just your average pedestrian variety of immorality. Claiming that you're doing it to further civil rights is an outright sham." - Japhy Grant, screenwriter and author

So I think their position makes them "homophobes" like me.

Editorially it is a hard call. But what about the rumors that we pass on, knowing full well they're probably not true? I've been thinking about this for some time, and aside from the obvious answer (celebrity gossip is fun!).

We can find hundreds of Anderson sightings on the Internet, but all that makes him, I believe, is a man that walks and eat - and God knows he can gain some pounds - but that won't make him gay … or straight, for that matter.

Granted, his sensuality is something public, there is no surprise of all the people that are drawn to him. He is a very attractive man. But his sexuality is his, and it is no ones business and he has made that point loud and clear. His career, like almost all respected jounalists, is not based in his sexuality. We don't know absolutely nothing about Michael Ware's private life. And that is the way it is supposed to be. There are people who make their career solely based on their sexuality, but this is not Anderson Cooper's case.

Sometimes the news industry walks a thin line between its governing ethics and the entertainment factor. CNN's marketing campaign isn't helping either - I simply can't imagine ABC' website with Charlie Gibson fansite -. Personally I find it cheesy. Unfortunately for most viewers visibility is becoming more important than credibility. That could explain the "panty gate" and how it overshadows more important things. I would like CNN to spend more money in the actual production of the show than in ads.

And we have keep within the proper perspective where all the comments come from. People, who like ticks, live from the blood from others. And to answer last night's anon question that was not directed to Jade or Marie (I could bet it was towards Courtney and me):

"Anderson Cooper
Madison and E 62nd St.
Manhattan
December 13, 2006 @ 4 PM
I saw Anderson Cooper and a young woman with long black hair crossing Madison Ave., having an animated conversation.

12/14/2006 9:09 PM

Anónimo dijo...

Sightings, sightings! Thanks anon. I wonder if the people who dislike the posting of sightings of AC feel the same about them when it's reported that he's seen with a WOMAN as in this latest. I'm not directing this comment to Marie or Jade, so please don't get mad! I love this site. :D"

Well with that description it might have well be me, and that doesn't mean we are lovers. So I hope this entire post helps you understand my position.

Technorati tags: Anderson Cooper, CNN, Gawker, Gossip, Gay, GLAAD, Perez Hilton, sexuality, sightings, stalker, Salon, AfterEllen

Gupta Makes Office Visits to CBS

Happy Friday FreakSpeakers! Here's the news...

Following a long line of CNN reporters, Gupta crosses over to CBS. Maybe Anderson can give him some tips to make the transition smooth. It would be nice to see them do a story together for "60 Minutes" as they seem to work well together. The details below are courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter...

NEW YORK -- He's plenty busy already, but neurosurgeon-medical reporter Sanjay Gupta is adding another job to his resume. The five-year CNN veteran will contribute to the "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric" beginning early next year. Gupta's agreement with CBS is a lot like his colleague Anderson Cooper's deal; Gupta will remain with CNN and do up to 10 reports for CBS in 2007. This doesn't affect the recent hiring of Jonathan LaPook, a New York-based physician who also covers medical issues for "CBS Evening News." LaPook has what CBS News president Sean McManus calls the "day-to-day role," and Gupta will contribute several pieces from Atlanta and perhaps the field. Gupta joined CNN as a medical correspondent in 2001 and became senior medical correspondent in 2004. He recently signed a three-year deal to remain at CNN as chief medical correspondent, where he hosts "House Call" on the weekends and contributes to CNN shows with analysis, reports and specials like his Emmy-winning "Charity Hospital." That's nothing to say of Gupta's career as a neurosurgeon, where he performs surgery and is associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He also is a member of the neurosurgery department at Atlanta's Emory University School of Medicine.

The self-proclaimed "medical news junkie" said Thursday that he is not too worried about the added workload. He doesn't take many vacations. "I consider a change of activity a form of rest," Gupta said. Gupta said he has been a longtime admirer of CBS' McManus and had lunch with him a few months ago. Gupta wanted to remain at CNN but liked the idea brought up by McManus of working for both networks, like Cooper does for "60 Minutes." McManus said he has been a friend of CNN chief Jim Walton for many years, and the idea came up in discussions with Walton. They were able to work it out so it worked for everyone. "It's a good deal for all three parties," McManus said.The details remain to be worked out, but Gupta believes he will start working on CBS pieces next month. He probably will work with a new crew for the CBS pieces while staying with the same one for CNN. He also will remain in Atlanta.

Anderson Cooper Walks!

Yeah, yeah...I know I said I wouldn't post so-called "gossip" again as to not incite riots and spectacles in the street, but, well, this is from "E!" and one of my favorite men, Ted Casablanca. Hugs and kisses to Ted, I love his snark!

Anyway in case you're interested...

Anderson Cooper, walkin’ and tawkin’ in the Rotten Apple. The silver stud-muffin was "shorter than expected," insist particularly sour New Yawkers, and he was heading down 58th Street with a colleague by his side and a cell on his ear. The Coop was wearing jeans and a down, black parka and was overheard discussing a piece "Diane" just did and its editing style. Sawyer, perhaps? Also takin’ the mean streets of InWhySee was...

Former CNN News Chief To Launch 'IraqSlogger' Site

For those of you not familiar with Jordan, here is a little background...

As Chief News Executive for CNN, Eason Jordan played a key role in planning CNN coverage of world events and conflicts. He worked at the news network from 1982 until his resignation in 2005 and was the recipient of two Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards and the DuPont-Columbia Award.

He studied journalism at Georgia State University. He is also known for having a relationship with Mariane Pearl, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

On April 11, 2003, Jordan revealed that CNN knew about human rights abuses committed in Iraq by Saddam Hussein since 1990, but the network refrained from coverage of them in order to gain better access to information on Hussein's government. Jordan maintained that complete reporting would have jeopardized the lives of Iraqi informants, and confidentiality was ensured to protect the lives of anti-Hussein Iraqi activists and translators.

In November 2004 at the News Xchange conference in Portugal, Jordan claimed that United States armed forces were arresting and torturing non-coalition Arabic journalists in Iraq. He also claimed that American troops were intentionally killing these journalists. [1] That month, U.S. forces detained al-Arabiya reporter Abdel Kader al-Saadi for 11 days without explanation during U.S.-led attacks on Fallujah. [2] The U.S. has twice dropped bombs on Al Jazeera offices in Afghanistan and Iraq and on November 22, 2005, Britain's Daily Mirror carried a story on the minutes of a meeting between George Bush and Tony Blair in which the U.S. president appeared to propose bombing Al Jazeera headquarters in Qatar. The meeting between the two leaders took place during the height of the first battle for Fallujah.

On January 27, 2005, during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jordan was reported to have said that American troops were targeting journalists in Iraq. He has since backtracked from the statement. Tapes of the event have not been released to the public.

On February 11, 2005, Jordan resigned to "prevent CNN from being unfairly tarnished by the controversy over conflicting accounts of my recent remarks regarding the alarming number of journalists killed in Iraq." After leaving CNN, Jordan founded Praedict, which describes itself as a "war zone-focused media company providing customized, up-to-the-minute news, intelligence, and safety tips to those in harm's way."

(NEW YORK) – For the past four years there has been no shortage of news and views on Iraq and the long-running war there. What’s been missing: a one-stop-shopping clearinghouse for nonpartisan information, including material coming out of Iraq itself from natives of that country, not from foreign correspondents.

Now that need is finally being addressed in the form of IraqSlogger, in Beta at www.iraqslogger.com, but due to be officially launched next week. Its director is the former CNN news division chief, Eason Jordan, who quit that post suddenly in 2005 after 23 years with the company. The name of his new venture, he says, was inspired by a Donald Rumsfeld reference to this war being a “long, hard slog.”

The concept, Jordan tells E&P, “grew out of the feeling that I think many people shared that there was no one place to go. Individual news organizations do terrific work but you can spend the better part of a day going from one site to another and one TV outlet to another,” searching for a full picture.

“Iraq is the story of our time,” he declares. His goal for the site is for it to become nothing less than “the world's premier Iraq-focused information source” -- and with no “political slant.”

His site includes everything from links to op eds and articles in mainstream U.S. papers to “viral videos” and jokes from Iraq. Jordan points to “nuggets” missed by the U.S. media, such as Iraqis getting “addicted” to the TV series “Lost,” or the latest kidnapping of contractors. Not merely a collection of links, it will focus on what he calls "original reporting from Iraq beyond the traditional."

One of the site’s unique and most valuable services is a daily roundup of news from Iraqi newspapers that few in the U.S. media have ever bothered to translate. Jordan has Arabic speakers here and in Iraq providing this service, and so far this week, these columns have gotten "far more" traffic than anything else on the site. A staffer in Iraq also monitors blogs there.

When have you ever seen coverage of what’s dominating the front page of the U.S. military’s Camp Victory paper, the Victory Times? IraqSlogger reports today that on the current front page there, “military doctors are calling on U.S. troops in Iraq to stop smoking.”

Taking a page from Slate, the site will offer a morning roundup of stories in U.S. papers. At the same time, it will present in-depth profiles of little-covered Iraqi cities. Up right now: a look at Hawija. Another item on the site wonders why the Iraq Study Group report said there were 5000 contractors in Iraq when the Pentagon has claimed 100,000. And surely it is the only site featuring the Kirkuk Police Blotter.

IraqSlogger is an “offshoot,” Jordan says, of Praedict, “a news and information company that focuses on hot spots around the world.” Jordan is founder and CEO. Praedict intends to launch a series of news and safety-focused sites, with IraqSlogger the first. It will soon be joined by a premium, subscription-only adjunct called IraqSafetyNet, aimed at providing “intelligence” and “security” tips to employers (both private and governmental) of people in war zones.

Jordan, who now lives in New York, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Committee to Protect Journalists. He has won various Emmy, Peabody and Headliner awards and directed war coverage for CNN in Somalia, Yugoslavia and Iraq. He exited CNN in the wake of the uproar over his off-the-record comments (which he insisted were misinterpreted) at a Davos meeting concerning U.S. military involvement in the accidental deaths of several journalists in Iraq. He had co-founded the Iraq News Safety Group to help protect media workers there.

Others affiliated with the site include Nir Rosen and Robert Young Pelton.

So what's an example of Iraqi humor these days? From the site:

--An Iraqi guy has a new girlfriend and wants to know whether she is Sunni or Shia. But he is too shy to ask directly. Finally he asked her, "Where does your family bury your corpses?"

Deck the Halls

Deck The Halls | Send To Friends | Funny Animations at JibJab

from JibJab.com

Stupid Criminals and Other Things

WICHITA, Kan.(AP) - A Wichita man called 911 to report he was the victim of an armed robbery. The theft? A pound of marijuana worth about $1,100 that he had been trying to sell at his home.

The victim told police Thursday that a buyer had pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and stole the drugs.

Police brought in a drug-sniffing dog to the house and located more marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

The victim was booked into Sedgwick County jail on several charges, including possession with the intent to sell drug.

The thief has not been found.
*****

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas lawmaker is aiming to allow the blind to hunt. Texas State Representative Edmund Kuempel has introduced a measure that would allow blind people to hunt any game that sighted people can currently pursue.


He hopes it will be passed after the legislature reconvenes in January though he does not expect it to come into affect until 2008.

"This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great," Kuempel told Reuters.

The bill may find little resistance in Texas, where politicians of all stripes endorse hunting, which is wildly popular in the state.

Under the bill, blind hunters would be required to have a sighted hunter with them and would be allowed to use laser sights and other devices that are currently not allowed.

"A blind person can shoot a rifle by mounting an offset pistol scope on the side of the rifle instead of on top," said Terry Erwin, the Austin-based Hunter Education Coordinator with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

"This allows their companion behind them to peer over their shoulder and help them sight it, but the blind person can pull the trigger," he told Reuters.

Only in Texas, right?

Mrs. Betty Bowers' Dispatch from the Front Lines of America's War on Christmas

Dear Soldiers for the Baby Jesus:

Once again, pagan combatants, wielding verbal grenades made of non-specific cheer, are on a militant rampage to retake the Winter Solstice, a holiday invaded and occupied by Christians over 1,700 years ago.

Friends, we stole December fair and square -- and are going to stay the coarse ones in turning a season devoted to love and joy into an vitriolic turf war all about us!

The first shopping skirmish of the season occurred when my Personal Shopper spotted secular insurgents maraudering behind the Estee Lauder counter. I personally overheard several of these "Happy Holidays" extremists, uniformed in the Lauder infantry's blue, paramilitary smocks, boldly declare a jihad on the Baby Jesus' birthday. As I feigned interest in an egregiously harloty shade of bright red lipstick, I overheard the make-up militia chant such bellicose, Christmas-hating greetings as "Have a wonderful holiday!" to civilian shoppers. They also brandished IEDs (introductory exfoliating devices) to Christian foundation buyers, Bible-believing bargain hunters simply looking for a Christmas gift that came free with a $35 purchase.

Moments later, bell-ringing infantry from the Salvation Army were called in to drown out the battle cries of "Ho! Ho! Ho!" from a sidewalk Santa. This invasion appears to have been based on faulty intelligence as it turns out that the Santa bellowing "Ho! Ho! Ho!" was merely greeting Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears as they drunkenly stumbled out of Neiman-Marcus. Before Baptist mercenaries realized this mistake, angry Pentecostal militia had already rounded up striped-stockinged enemy combatants (pint-sized operatives calling themselves "elves"). They were wrestled to the ground just outside of their bunker, a Styrofoam gingerbread house in Bloomingdale's window.

Bill O'Reilly and I undertook a reconnaissance mission to undercover anti-Christmas propaganda militants. Holiday hostilities began after I resourcefully used a "Noel" candle from Pottery Barn (which Bill mistook for a candy-striped pagan tribute to Jeb Bush's crackwhore daughter) to ignite an appalling "Peace on Earth" banner dangling just outside a notorious secular stronghold called Sephora. As Bill jumped up and down on the flaming banner, he screamed at frightened eye-shadow and fragrance browsers, "Peace on earth? You can take your anti-troops, anti-Bush, pinko pacifistic agitprop and shove it right up your --"

Fortunately, a resourceful spritz of "Hillary Duff with Love" Eau de Parfum Spray not only prevented Bill from completing his proctologic entreaty, it also caused so much collateral damage to bystander shoppers that "Hillary Duff with Love" has replaced Polonium-210 as my favorite disabling spray during our current campaign to retake the fur department at Saks for Jesus.

As all of you arm yourselves for CHRISTmas shopping this season, know that your comrade-in-arms, Mrs. Betty Bowers, is with you in the AMEX-accepting trenches. Your Commander-in-Cashmere wishes all of you a joyous Baby Jesus Day and asks you to remain vigilant against secular uprisings, such as shockingly rude cards that wish so-called "nice" things without pandering to your particular brand of faith. And a special word of warning to you lady shoppers out there: Watch out for Pastor's notoriously inaccurate missile-toe!

So Close To Jesus, I Still Haven't Forgiven Him For Stretching Out Last Christmas's Lovely Elie Tahari Paulo Sweater By Allowing The Entire Trinity To Try It On All At Once,

Mrs. Betty Bowers
America 's Best Christian