Bye, Bye 2006!

Photo Courtesy of BCFraggle

Can you believe we are entering our 8th year of this decade? The end of 2006 is only hours away...that means its almost time for Anderson's New Years Eve show. If you didn't get to catch last year's show, here is a clip of the highlights.

Gotta love Sushi! Anywho...It is that time of year when you make your New Years Resolutions. Even Anderson wants you to send a video of your New Year's resolutions. I have the usual New Year's resolutions (eat healthy, exercise) but what are y'all's New Year's resolutions this year? Do you think Anderson makes New Year's resolutions? If so, what do you think Anderson's New Year's resolutions are?

Here is what I think should be on Anderson's resolution list:

Photo Courtesy of StillLife

- Buy & wear a new shirt in the field.
- Stay home for more than a week.
- Take a real vacation (without the Blackberry).
- Gain 5 pounds.
- Take mom to lunch more often.
- Blog more often.
- Say at least one snarky thing during every show.
- Read All Things Anderson daily and post a comment at least once.



Also for the New Year's show, Anderson wants you to send him pics and video of your New Year's Celebrations. Now keep it clean!

If you can't wait until 11PM ET for Anderson, you can start watching some of his specials from 2006 starting at 1PM ET. Here is the AC360 special schedule:

1:00PM Breaking the Code: Davinci
2:00PM A Death in Belmont
3:00PM Beyond the Frontlines
4:00PM Afghanistan: The Unfinished War
5:00PM Homicide in Hollenbeck
6:00PM What is a Christian?
7:00PM Polygamy Special
8:00PM Inside the Sago Mine
9:00PM Unforgettable Stories of 2006
10:00PM Angelina Jolie: Her Mission and Motherhood
11:00PM Anderson Cooper LIVE from Times Square
1:00AM Angelina Jolie: Her Mission and Motherhood






I hope each and every one of you have a safe and fabulous 2007 with all of your dreams coming true.

It's been quite a year my friends

(screencaps courtesy of JLD1119, bcfraggle, liberation and merryfitzmas)

I’ve had this post planned for over a week now. Its actually been really fun to write. I’ve been going back over the past year and documenting all of Anderson’s accomplishments. Reading through all of my old posts on my old blog, I actually felt exhausted just thinking about all of the things Anderson has done in just 12 short months. The year began with breaking news out of Upshur County, WV and ironically is coming to a close with three breaking news stories in the last week of this year. All three breaking news stories signal the end of an era in one way or another. Of course, Anderson’s final broadcast of the year will come on Sunday night beginning at 11pm EST in Times Square.

But let’s look back on what has been one amazing year for Anderson Cooper and AC360. January began with the heartbreaking story of the 12 miners who perished in Upshur County, WV. I watched the entire story play out before my eyes. We all did. I remember hanging out on the couch with Pipeline and my TV going at the same time, just waiting for word on the trapped miners. When word came that the 12 miners were alive, I remembered thinking to myself, “Finally! Finally Anderson gets to cover a story with a happy ending.” I was really relieved for Anderson as much as I was relieved for those 12 families. Something told me not to go to bed. Something just wasn’t right. And much to everyone’s dismay, we watched as Anderson got word from Lynnette Roby and her children that 12 miners had perished and only Randy McCloy had survived. It was just gut wrenching to see Anderson’s reaction and how horrible he felt reporting the wrong story. Much of the fallout on how the media reported this story landed in Anderson’s lap. I felt that was completely unfair and sent a note to Aaron Barnhart saying so. It was on that day that I decided to start my old blog, Sheryn’s Anderations.

I didn’t want this post to be a recap of the news stories of the year, AC360 did that already. I did, however want to focus on all of Anderson’s accomplishments. I think the first big accomplishment came on Anderson’s mother birthday, February 20^th. On that day, Anderson blogged that he had finished his book and had sent it on to his publisher. I went back and read that post. You have to go back and read it now that the whole book whirlwind is over. It is really cute!

In the first quarter of 2006, Anderson had returned to New Orleans a couple of times, reported from that gigantic tunnel found on the Mexican border and returned to the border for what became one of 2006’s major political issues and Lou Dobbs’ platform, border security.

On March 15th, Anderson was honored by NARSAD, the Mental Health Research Association, for his “open reporting on depression and mental illness.” Anderson was introduced by Mike Wallace. I remember reading a transcript of his acceptance speech and it was truly moving. In fact, his speech brought the crowd to their feet and they honored Anderson with a standing ovation.

In April, Anderson did a 2 hour special on Sebastian Junger’s new book, A Death In Belmont. The show was awesome. The odd part of that night was, the 1 ½ hours of the show was taped so that Anderson could attend the PEN Literary Gala. The Anderson came back live for the last ½ hour of the show! Wow, he really is a hard-working guy! But the big event for Anderson that month was to come a few days later. CBS had reported on April 27^th that they were hammering out a deal for Anderson to become a contributor to 60 Minutes. Anderson had agreed to do 5 shows in the upcoming Fall TV season. He is also allowed to air those stories on his own program at CNN. Judging from the first story we saw this month, Anderson Cooper fits right in with the 60 Minutes team!

May was a huge month for Anderson! First, he made the cover of the June 2006 Vanity Fair magazine. In that issue, we got our first glimpse of Dispatches From The Edge. We were all a buzz! Anderson’s ratings seemed to be getting a bit of a boost as well! He made an appearance at the BookExpo and gave the Yale Class Day speech all in the same weekend! And then came Anderson’s big day: May 23, 2006. Dispatches From The Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters and Survival was released! I don’t know about you but I was so proud of him that day! I read Anderson’s blog post thru tears.

That month started the onslaught of publicity appearances. The Early Show, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson, Charlie Rose, Oprah and Regis & Kelly. And this was only the beginning!

June was a great month for not only Anderson but Anderfans as well! Not only were the reviews in and they were mostly great, on June 1^st Bookscan had reported that Dispatches reached #1 for weekly sales! Not bad for his first week! Anderson and AC360 had returned to NOLA at the beginning of June and then we finally got to see the Larry King Live interview. (for some reason, they kept rescheduling that one!)

Now here’s where we Anderfans got a special treat. Anderson’s book tour started on June 6^th. I was a huge success. I know because I was there to witness hundreds of people turn out to get their copies of Dispatches signed by our favorite anchor. Not only were New York’s book signings a success but ALL of his book signings were jam-packed full of fans! It was so exciting just reading everyone’s accounts of how gracious and sweet he was to everyone. His last book signings were appropriately in NOLA where he also attended the ALA conference in the Convention Center.

By June 10^th, Dispatches reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list! No easy feat, I must say! Anderson also did radio interviews as well as Good Morning America and The Daily Show. Oh yeah, and he also scored the biggest interview of the year: Angelina Jolie. That caused quite a stir!

July brought an interview with David Letterman which was the last time we would see Anderson in the States for a month. On July 14^th, Anderson and the 360 team went to the Middle East to cover the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. AC360 did a terrific job traveling between Israel, Cyprus and Lebanon to give us all the angles on a very important story.

Anderson finally came home in time for the 1^st Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. AC360 returned to NOLA to cover the story for two days. The coverage was marred by polygamy and John Mark Carr. During that visit, the city of New Orleans honored Anderson in a ceremony that some of our Anderfriends attended. I heard it was very moving.

In September, Anderson and AC360 contributors were honored with two Emmys for their work in Niger and New Orleans in 2005. Anderson also covered September 11th from an American base in Afghanistan. And in October, Anderson and Sanjay joined Jeff Koinange in covering the devastation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan in Chad. It was some of the best reporting Anderson and his team had done all year. Anderson and CNN knew that this story was not a ratings grabber but they put their hearts and souls into this story and it showed. All of the reports were wonderful. And yes, the gorillas are still my favorite part!

If you aren’t already exhausted from this lengthy recap of Anderson’s terrific year, I’ll go on to tell you about his extremely productive November! AC360 started out the month covering key issues that would shape the upcoming mid-term elections. One of those issues was stem-cell research. Anderson sat down with Michael J. Fox in Washington to discuss the controversy. It was an educational and moving interview. CNN did a terrific job covering the mid-term elections. I was on vacation but got to see bits and pieces in the airport! The ratings were great! I also enjoyed AC360’s special, “Coming Home” prepared for Veterans Day. Anderson gave a couple of speeches at the University of Buffalo and Southern Methodist University. I’m told that the speech he gave to the students during the day at SMU broke attendance records! November ended with Anderson in Turkey and Jordan to cover the Pope’s visit and Bush’s sit-down with the Iraqi Prime Minister.

This month has also been a huge one for Anderson. Another Emmy award for AC360 and 60 Minutes aired Anderson’s first piece on December 10^th. I was like a proud mama! (I actually cried for the first 2 minutes of the show! I know, its strange!) This past week has seen breaking news of all sorts. James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, and former President Gerald Ford have passed. And now, today, December 30^th (Iraqi time) former Dictator Saddam Hussein was executed. Anderson has covered all of these stories with such grace and dignity.

Looking back over the past year has been fun. I’ve also remembered my personal achievements as well as the many wonderful friends I have made. Its been one heck of a year blogging about Anderson Cooper! I’ve learned much, I’ve seen much, and I’ve heard much. But one thing I know for sure: Anderson Cooper is the hardest working journalist in the business!

This is my last post of the year and I want to wish all of you a very Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year! - Sheryn

Donald Trump is an ASS!

Donald Trump is an ASS! Do you think he'll sue me for saying that? I know by name- calling I've lowered myself to his level, but come on - can he be any more asinine? As I stated before I'm not a Rosie fan, but no one deserves to be called a slob, a fat ass, a loser, etc. ever, especially in a public forum. Very creepy guy. Watching Anderson interview Trump tonight was a study in polar opposites. Breeding and class shone through for one of them, and it sure as shit wasn't Trump.
I asked myself an interesting question tonight. Yes, I know I'm weird, but hey I'm on pain meds and they cause me to do odd things. 360 has been great the last few weeks, even though it has only been on for one hour. Would you prefer one hour of snarky, fast-paced 360 or 2 hours of what we've been seeing the last few months? I vote for the one hour show, I have found these last few weeks particularly delicious.



A reader emailed me a link to a blog that mentioned Anderson and Gloria had lunch together, at the St. Regis Hotel, in the Astor Court, the day after Christmas.
I did a little research and discovered the Astor Court to be just the kind of place I think Gloria would enjoy. Very refined and elegant. Here's an excerpt from the website description:
The menu offers international dishes such as sheepsmilk ricotta ravioli with fava beans or tuna tartare and American fare like buffalo steak tartare with quail eggs and grilled New York sirloin. Porthault linens, Limoges china and Waterford crystal set the tone for an elegant dining experience. Tea is served daily and both lunch and tea have live background music.
And to think I was excited when DH took me to Sam's Club for a hot dog today. Boy, who says life is fair?


Have you noticed that AC360 has picked up a new sponsor recently? Viagra. This got me to thinking (danger Will Robertson, danger). I like the good, old sponsors,
Just a Trim
Active On

Head On
So here's the thinking part. What if Head On merged with Viagra? Would the advertising look something like this?

Oh, just once I'd like to see those ads on 360. That's it for now, enjoy your Friday.
(Thanks Lori, I owe you one!)

Keeping Them Honest 2006

(credit: Phebe)

Hey everyone! I’m blogging from bed today. My throat hates me apparently! But the good news is I’m getting pampered, and that I love! I haven’t eaten soup and toast in bed in quite a long time! I feel like a kid again! I’ve got a survival kit here as well that consists of my laptop, a bottle of water, a bottle of Advil, a hand-made get well card from my little girl, the first season of QAF (thanks to my good friend!), The Mole 1 & 2 and all 5 remotes (I never know which one to use!). I’m all set for the night!

I wasn’t even going to post today but then I went on the AC360 website to see if voting had begun for the Keeping Them Honest contest. Normally, I wouldn’t have been too concerned with the contest since it kind of makes me feel like a slug for not being active in my community this year, but I read Brian’s comments at TVNewser and decided to investigate further. Brian believes that 360 has cheapened the KTH brand name by turning it into a contest. Normally I would have balked at this too. But really it’s a stroke of genius, IMO! The contest really serves two purposes. Yes, it pushes the Keeping Them Honest brand name and AC360 gets more attention. But, it also rewards people for their commitment to their communities. These aren’t light-weight stories that have been submitted. These four people have worked hard to bring about legislative changes in their communities.

For example, Richard Bernstein, a blind lawyer from Michigan fought to reform the public transportation system in Detroit to be more accommodating to its disabled passengers. Tanya Harris took on Mayor Ray Nagin and New Orleans officials in order to save the Lower Ninth Ward. She got certain deadlines delayed and made the city fix water and electricity lines so that potable water and electricity could be restored to the Lower Ninth Ward in order for citizens to return to their beloved community. Filmmaker Ian Inaba started the organization called Video the Vote in order to document voting irregularities going on in some key communities. His organization was present to keep the voting honest during the 2006 mid-term elections. And 14 year old Sidnee Mercer has worked with the TSA to reshape the way baggage screeners handle medicines to ensure passengers' medicines are not damaged during security screenings.

I’m glad that AC360 has decided to bring stories like these to the forefront because all four individuals have helped shape public policy. Why is this idea genius? Besides the fact that people should be recognized for their efforts, these stories may inspire others to take a more aggressive role in their community. And that my friends, is so important in today’s society!

Please take a moment to go to the Keeping Them Honest 2006 website and watch all four videos. Their stories are truly inspiring. I must confess, I had a very hard time picking just one person to vote for!

Have a peaceful evening and I’ll see you all tomorrow!

(Keeping Them Honest screencap courtesy of JLD1119)

Wednesday's AC360

I'm back after a few days off and I feel like I need another vacation. Christmas just flew by and my normally tranquil home was like Grand Central Station. Everyone has cleared out for a few days so I've begun my preparations for our annual New Year's Eve party. I wish CNN would do the celebration from Times Square with Anderson on tape delay. Do you know how hard it is to get a room full of people (non Anderfans) interested in watching the festivities 2 hours before midnight?
Before we get to tonight's show I've got a surprise for you. Our annual Andercalendar is finished and ready for downloading. Here's the link and enjoy!

2007 All Things Anderson Calendar

There isn't much I can add to Wednesday's 360. The coverage of President Ford was interesting and emphasized just what a wonderful man he was. It seems to me that he was the perfect President to help us heal after Nixon. I wonder if we'll be lucky enough to get someone like him to help us heal from all the divisiveness that George Bush has brought to our country?

Two reminders that Anderson mentioned on Wednesday's show. Don't forget to vote today in the 'Keeping Them Honest' contest and send in those New Year's Resolutions. We love to hear your resolutions too, if you'd like to share.



And one final thing before I try to catch up on my beauty sleep. Did you notice Anderson nonchalantly reach for his Blackberry at the end of the show? Hmm....hot date maybe?
Well any date with AC would be hot. On that note I'll sign off for now.

What a pleasant surprise!

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a peaceful and loving holiday filled with family, friends, laughter, and of course, presents! I’m blogging today because Ms. Phebe is completely worn out from her after-Christmas shopping extravaganza! Lord bless her, I can’t even find my way out of my living room because there are so many toys in here! Goodness, you’d of though Santa dropped his entire bag of toys in my house! One day when Anderson actually takes a vacation, I’ll tell you all the story of how Ruby Slippers and I schlepped two large bags of American Girl paraphernalia all around New York City just because I’m too cheap to pay for expedited shipping! Note to self: $50 shipping costs are much easier to handle than bleeding fingers!

Okay, so how many of you tuned in this evening to watch Tom Foreman’s special? How many of you were pleasantly surprised to see Anderson Cooper live in New York? How many of you scared your spouse to death when you screeched, “OMG, Anderson’s on!” TeeHee, its okay, I’ve become a Playstation 3 widow so Anderson Cooper 360 is all I’ve got now!

On with the show!
So it took me about 10 minutes to actually focus on what Anderson was saying tonight. I was so consumed by the pretty! Damn that was one fine suit! Loved the whole ensemble! But after the shock wore off, I did watch the show for content and IMO, tonigt's show was one awesome!

I have to say, Anderson did a terrific job with the James Brown tribute. I don’t normally like Al Sharpton but this interview was wonderful. I had no idea that he was greatly influenced by James Brown. It was nice to see a different side of Reverend Sharpton. Loved the SNL clip! I got the best screencaps from this interview! I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!


I also thought it was sweet when Anderson told the missing climber’s sister that he was thinking of her and her brother over Christmas. Anderson is a truly thoughtful person who, I believe, is moved by tragic events of all kinds. He is one classy guy.

And of course, you have to love that he just can’t let this Donald Trump thing go! Yeah, here I am dreading the first week of 2007 when I get my credit card bills from all of my Christmas purchases. Did I really need to hear just how much money this butthead has and I don’t! Jeez, depressing, huh?


On a far more spiritual note, I loved Delia Gallegher’s piece on Padre Pio. I have a friend who has been on pilgrimages to Padre Pio’s tomb as well as his home town and places where various miracles have occurred. Padre Pio is definitely awe inspiring. Monica has told me many stories about this boy and what a miraculous event this was. If you would like to know more about Padre Pio, here is a link to his foundation.



And last but not least, congratulations to Yoray Lieberman and his wife Sarah on the birth of their handsome baby boy, Shiloh. Yoray Liberman has gifted us with his wonderful photography for Anderson’s Reporter’s Notebooks. Best wishes to the Liberman’s!


New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper
Today, CNN released a press release detailing Anderson’s New Year’s program. I’m so excited because the musical guests are kicking! The Killers, the Goo Goo Dolls, Nelly Furtado, Smash Mouth and here’s where I get uber excited: the Scissor Sisters!!! OH YAY! I absolutely love the Scissor Sisters! Way to go Anderson! Here is a excerpt from today’s press release:

Anderson Cooper Hosts New Year’s Eve Coverage Live from Times Square 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.

I won’t be home to watch the actual broadcast this year but you can bet your sweet boopy that I’ll be taping it!

New Pocket Andy
There was a second part of that press release that I never even bothered to read. Thank goodness, Ms. Purple Tie did though! There is a link to the updated AC360 fansite. Oooh, Pocket Andy in jeans with confetti and balloons! What more can a girl ask for? Oh yeah, did you notice that they added one more clip of David Doss in the Behind the Scenes section? He talks more about Anderson in this one. Its cute!

Here is the second part of CNN’s press release with the link included:

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/

Breaking News:
Before midnight, Anderson came back with breaking news that President Gerald Ford died today at the age of 93. Gerald Ford had been the longest living former U.S. President. He is survived by his wife, Betty and four children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

I’ll leave you tonight with a screencap of tonight’s Shot. How beautiful was this picture? Today is the 2nd anniversary of the tsunami. What a moving tribute that must have been to see in person.

Well, I’m off to bed now. I’m still trying to recover from the holiday blitz! So, did anyone get any cool gifts for Christmas or Hanukkah? I’d love to hear about them, even if they are not Ander-related!

Dalton School

Many times I've read in different bios about Anderson that he attended the Dalton School in Manhattan but I didn't really know much about the school. After I heard the name of the school brought up on a rerun of the Sex in the City I wondered if it was more prestigious than I thought. So, I did a bit of research and found out some interesting things about Dalton.

The school is k-12th grade with two different locations in NYC. Teacher, Helen Parkhurst created something called the Dalton Plan in the early 1900's. This plan was a progressive way to educate students. It focused on not only 2 R's but also on the interests, abilities, and intellect of each child. It was a 3 part plan consisting of House, Assignment and Lab.

According to their website....

House - "The House is home base in school for each Dalton student, and the House Advisor is the parents' key contact with the school. In the First Program and Middle School, House is comprised of students in the same grade. In the High School, House includes students from each of the four grade levels, creating a microcosm of the larger High School community."

Assignment- "The Assignment represents a contract between student and teacher. In addition to defining common obligations for daily class work, long-term projects, and homework, Dalton Assignments are uniquely structured to promote the internalization and refinement of time-management and organizational skills, while offering students opportunities to develop their individual strengths and address their specific needs"

Lab- "The word "Laboratory" refers to the one-to-one and small group sessions between students and teachers which augment the traditional classroom instruction, combining study, research, and collaboration. Students and teachers schedule these Labs at specified times throughout the school day to discuss Assignment projects, expand upon questions of interest that arise in class, clarify issues, and explore new facets of a topic they want to pursue."

Some other interesting facts:

-member of the "Ivy Preparatory School League."
-In 2003, percentage wise, was the 5th ranked school (public or private) in the country of graduating students accepting into Ivy League schools.
-Christian Slater, Max Dlugy (grandmaster of chess),Noah Emmerich (actor),Mary Stuart Masterson (actress) are among some of the people that attending Dalton during the time Anderson was there.
-Chevy Chase, Claire Danes, Jennifer Grey, Traci Pollan and more have attended the school.
-Notable parents of attendees, Tom Brokaw, Michael J. Fox, Mia Farrow, Dustin Hoffman, Ralph Lauren, John Lennon, Sidney Lumet, Rupert Murdoch, Robert Redford, Diana Ross, Neil Simon, Wesley Stipes, Barbara Walters.

Merry Christmas to All

Last Christmas I was inspired to take an old poem and give it an Andertwist. After I posted it, to my surprise, someone sent me an Nth degree where Anderson rewrote the same poem (it's the one the Quitty posted last night). Here's my version. Merry Christmas to you from all of us at All Things Anderson.

with acknowledgment to Clement Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the loft,
not a creature was stirring, 'twas all quiet and soft.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Anderfans were nestled at home, in their beds,
while visions of Anderson danced in their heads.
And Andy in his PJ's with Molly on his lap
had just settled in for a long winter's nap.

When outside the loft there arose such a clatter,
Andy sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Thinking a news story was about to be broken,
He knew what to do, no words need be spoken.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave just enough light to broadcast a show,
he'd need a film crew, there must be a way,
But wait, what was that, a miniature sleigh?

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
Andy thought for a moment it must be St. Nick.
But he knew he was wrong the closer they came,
Who was that whistling and shouting out names?
"Now Miles! Now Larry! Now, Erika you vixen!
On, Rob! On, Chad! On Sonjay, Wolf Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
Anderson knew what to do from watching the sky
so up to his penthouse the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and oh my God, Aaron Brown, too!

And then, in a twinkling, Andy heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As he drew in his head and was turning around,
down the chimney Aaron came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of resumes he had flung on his back,
and he looked like an unemployed newscaster just opening his sack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
Aaron asked if newspaper headlines were still being read ,
AC said no, that and Nth degree are gone, buried, dead.
The bump music has changed, as have the sets,
Aaron smiled and said "All is good, I've no regrets".

My golf game is aces since I've been put on the shelf,
and Andy laughed when Aaron said that, in spite of himself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Let Anderson know he had nothing to dread.

Aaron said with a sigh "I'm still out of work,
but don't you feel bad, it's Klein that's a jerk."
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

'Twas "the Nth" Before Christmas

A few weeks ago I ran across my old, tattered copy of "The Night Before Christmas". I remember it being my favorite book to read around Christmas time. Back in 2003, Anderson spoofed it AC360 style. Below is the video of that Nth Degree. During the entire clip the bottom of the screen says "Chestnut". Does anybody have a clue why that's there? A nickname or inside joke maybe? In any case, enjoy!

'Twas "The Nth" before Christmas, we finished our jobs. Not a creature was stirring, not even Lou Dobbs.

The Nielsens were tracked by the suits with great care. In hopes the good ratings soon would be there.

The anchors were nestled all snug in their beds while personal assistants brought rugs for their heads.

When outside the set there arose such a clatter, I clapped on my lights and said, "oh, what's the matter?"

Away to the window the camera pans, revealing a gaggle of CNN fans.

"Hey Cooper, where's Gupta, where's Hemmer, that vixen, where's Woodruff, where's Carlson, where's Carville or Blitzer?"

I spoke not a word but went back to my work, and read all the copy then turned with a jerk.

And lifting a finger made clear to the mob, that stalkers are not a fun part of this job.

I sprang to my feet, to my crew gave a whistle. And the fans, they took off like a patriot missile.

But they heard me exclaim, "at least, next time, name me." Happy Christmas to all and to "The Nth Degree."

I would like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and safe holiday.

Speaking of staying safe, I was driving home tonight and ran across 5 or 6 deer on the side of the road. Thankfully, none of them decided to dart in front of my car. While you are driving to see family and friends over the next few days, keep you eyes out for critters on the side of the road.

If you are interested in reading some Anderfiction, check out Ellee's new Anderchronicle Christmas story HERE.