The Family

As I’ve gotten older I've noticed that my family seems to have grown further and further apart. I wonder if that’s the way the ebb and flow of family life goes? When I was in my early twenties and my grandparents were still alive we all seemed to get together every weekend at BBQ’s, birthday parties and more. Now, it seems we go months and months without seeing each other. My siblings all have their own families with their own busy lives so time together is harder and harder to find.

It’s really makes me sad, actually, because it seems time moves on and no one really stops to see that we aren’t going to be around forever…that there will come a day that we will look back and wish we had stopped and smelled the roses and appreciated each and every family member for what they have brought to us. But… by then, it will be too late.

I recently reread a passage (Chapter 2) from “Families” by Anderson’s father, Wyatt Cooper. He’s wondering what happened to the family?

They are saying these days that the family is finished, at least as we have known it. That’s a sad and lonely thought. I suppose they may even be right. Everything passes. Other venerable institutions have vanished. Civilizations fall. Worlds end. Gods, even, have died and are dying, so there is no real reason to think that anything lasts forever.

Wyatt goes on to talk, at length, about his family. Here are some of his conclusions…

The family arena was a battleground on which some skirmishes were lost and some were won; it was a place where rages flared and hatreds blasted, but we cared and we kept track. The family was a community, and once you found your place in it, you were armored for citizenship beyond it in the great Family of Man.

But they tell us now it’s all over. New ways are going to be found. The fashion these days is for change, and the rush for change, the race for the new, is so frantic, the pace so accelerated, that the less venturesome among us can get quite dizzy even standing still and looking on. We hear and read daily about startling new breakthroughs, new life forms and styles, new quick cures for sick souls, new “fun” treatments for ailing lives; and nobody asks what happened to yesterday’s miracle discovery. It would seem, with all the new announcements, that all our problems should have been solved with last evening’s edition of the newspaper. Instead, we look about and see our neighbors standing in shock, exhausted from the running, neck-deep in “How to Discover Your Real Self” books, panic and hunger visible in their eyes, sadly clinging to the hope that tomorrow’s pill will make everything right.

It won’t, and there’s no reason why it should. Our lives are trial and error, joy and sorrow, work and rest, some peace and some turmoil, and our happiness consists of living the good and the bad, of keeping our wits about us, of holding onto a little pluck, of cherishing those things that embellish life and rejecting those things that diminish it. The nirvanas and promises of instant gratification being merchandised these days have about as much substance as the enlightenment of those rich ladies who tell you they went to India for two weeks and found “this marvelous peace” while gazing out the windows of the air-conditioned hotel, presumably past the bodies of dying babies in the streets.

Individual fulfillment is all the rage now. One’s loyalty is only toward one’s own self-realization. We read almost daily, sometimes in admiring account, of mothers and father who, encouraged by their therapists and their envious friends, announce that they are renouncing all prior commitments (made before their consciousness got raised) and are belatedly setting out to find their true roles in the world. Their bewildered and abandoned children are on their own. God knows what is supposed to happen to their fulfillment, their sense of worth. Where are these children expected to find that sense of identity their newly liberated parents are out beating the bushes for? The mind boggles.

Chaos remains chaos however cheerfully it may be disguised as freedom

Let us, then, spare a few worlds in praise of the family before we casually wave it away into extinction; this battered institution that has enabled us to survive all these centuries, and provided the climate, the nourishment, and the soil from which man’s greatness has sprung, let us, at least, take a look at what it has been or what, at it’s best, it has aspired to. Let us reflect upon it’s failings and it’s accomplishments; let us examine it’s past and it’s possibilities.

Sometimes it does feel like the family is dying but maybe that’s just from where I sit in life. Maybe it’s meant to be that way? The older we get the less time we have. Wyatt seemed a bit ahead of his time talking about how hectic life is and will get. He couldn’t have been more right even though he didn’t live to see how much worse it would get.

I guess my point is… stop and smell the roses. Don’t take your family for granted and don’t stop realizing that nothing is more important than those people that are there for you. Whether it’s the family you were born into or a family you made, don’t forget to take time to appreciate them all!

******ATA FAMILY NEWS*****

And on that note, we like to welcome a new member of our family! Everyone welcome Cyn to ATA! She’s the owner of THE Michael Ware blog and will be contributing to ATA a few times a week.

Also, we here at the ATA family would like to wish Sheryn a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Monday! We’d like to take a moment to appreciate her hard work and hope she has a wonderful day.

*Disclaimer* We are using a small excerpt of this out of print book under the Fair Use act. This excerpt is less than the amount legally allowable*

Thank you, sir! May I have another?

People have gotten creative when it comes to raising money for charitable organizations. It's no longer the bake sales, raffles, walk-a-thons, etc. Now you have to be giving away a house for people to donate sometimes.

Well, leave it to the Japanese to come up with an "alternative" to the typical walk-a-thon. I'll let the video of Anderson discussing this "alternative" in his Fundraising to the Nth Degree clip spank speak for itself.

Now that is a creative way to lure Anderson to come to your event!

Two Hours of Anderson!!!!!!

Hello everyone. Hope you are having a great one. All I can say is thank God it is Friday. And speaking of which, where did September go??? Time is marching by and to quote one of my favourite movies Steel Magnolias “One day you realize time is marching on and it is marching right across your face”. Next weekend is Thanksgiving up here in Canada and I know some might not like this but before you know it, it will be Christmas (yipes!!!)

Well after Cyn’s delicious post (thanks Cyn)…on to tonight’s show(a big thanks to Book Asylum for the caps). The breaking news of the night was the good news that Madison, the girl that the nation had been looking for has been found safe and sound today.

Kara Finnstorm has been covering this story all week when the investigators of this case released a picture and the name of Madison to the media in hopes of finding this young girl. The photo which was taken from a video that was found by a man who said he found the video in the desert 5 months ago of this beautiful little girl being repeatedly attacked. Today Madison’s mother called the police and a positive identification was made. The media has been asked to no longer show the photo of Madison as she has now been found and has now shifted focus to Chester Arthur Stiles, the suspect in this case.

The last 15 minutes of the first hour of 360 tonight was the live press conference from Nevada about the Madison case. The saddest thing for me to come out of this press conference was the news that Madison was 3 years old when these attacks took place. She is now 7 years old. I am sure more will come out as the investigation continues.

The other main story covered on 360 tonight was the continuing conflict coming out of Burma (which is also known as Myanmar). Today the government cut phone lines and internet throughout of the country. Details are now very sketchy as it is now even more difficult to get information out to the rest of the world as foreign media is not allowed into the country. The number of dead in this protest ranges anywhere from 9 to several hundred. The protest in Burma began over high fuel prices and escalated when the Buddhist monks joined in on this protest for democracy.

Dan Rivers reported from Thailand and spoke on the protests that were held in Thailand in support of the people of Burma. He also stated that Burma is ranked 164 out of 168 repressed countries in the world in the media according to reporters without borders.

Anderson spoke with Derek Mitchell about the situation in Burma. They discussed the last time a violent upraising happened in Burma which was 1988 where more then 3000 people died. Anderson also asked Mr. Mitchell about President Bush wanting to meet with leaders of Myanmar. At the end of this segment, Anderson talks about Burma being the first story he ever told. I personally have never been to Burma, I have been to China which to me felt very repressive but when I think of how much more of a strangle hold the government of Burma has on the people of that country; it is a very sad story all around. Hopefully the members of the global community will be able to help in the horrific situation happening in Burma.

With such heavy news it is always nice to have a great dose of Raw Politics. Tom Foreman’s comment of contenders and pretenders gave me a good chuckle. It’s time for the candidates to show us the money honey and the number of dollars raised is going to be huge!!!!! As you all know I am Canadian and can not vote but I seriously don’t get why the Republicans candidates are continuously not showing up for these debates. They need all the help they can get to help their party and their parties image. They need to get a clue and start showing up or maybe Americans should start looking at the ones that are showing up to these debates (I like Obama find Mike Huckabee to be the most interesting of the Republican candidates). And last but not least for a good laugh during Raw Politics - Breast not Bombs….enough said (although that is legal in Toronto so it would be no big deal but no one actually does it thank goodness).

You know there are just some things I know for certain. I know the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. I know snow is cold, leafs change color and I know that I will always have a good time when I watch Anderca banter. So tonight Erica gave Anderson a very mini citizenship test that may be used in the future for immigrants trying to obtain citizenship. Well Erica asked Anderson two questions and how well did Anderson do??? He got 1 out of 2 questions right. 50/50 but Anderson was way to cute in getting the second and more difficult question wrong. Now all of us ladies have different ways we put our posts together, for me I take notes and write up things later. Well as I was watching Anderson try to answer his second question and Erica hum the Jeopardy theme song I wrote down “Anderson is a Jeopardy champion”, not even two seconds after I finished typing my thought up Anderson said that he was a Jeopardy champion. It is like I read his mind……not really I am sure we all thought it but still I like to think there is some sort of mental connection there since it happens all the time.

Randi Kaye did a story on a crime fighting tool that would help in solving a lot of cases if actually used. Randi spoke with the parents of Katie Sepich a young lady who was raped, murdered and set on fire. Before she died, Katie fought back and got her killers DNA. The law right now is that DNA is only taken from criminals convicted of crimes. Katie’s parents Dave and Jayann want to introduce Katie’s Law nationwide – which would make it mandatory to conduct DNA testing on suspects arrested in violent felony cases without convictions. Seems like a good idea to me. We will see what will happen with the law as I am sure that Randi will keep up on this story as it progresses.

No more Great Lakes?!?!?! Anderson you could have said Michigan and Ontario to make me happy. Miles O’Brien did a report on the Great Lakes. I don’t believe this is part of the Planet in Peril series but still very interesting piece. Seems like everything is disappearing. I am getting so excited, PIP is getting closer people…..25 more days!!!!!!!!!!

I know it has been a while but is was really nice to have Anderson on for the full two hours. It has been far too long and most likely only because of the breaking news so we will have to wait and see.

Don’t forget this weekend's Special Investigation Unit is Anderson's piece Homicide in Hollenbeck.

Well after a long week and some heavy news, I want to treat you all with a piece of comedic gold featuring our own Anderson Cooper. I came across this video on YouTube and it is one of the best Anderson interviews I have ever seen. It is Anderson being interviewed by Jiminy Glick (done so masterfully by Martin Short) who was sitting in for Larry King. I must tell you there is a whole lot of Andergiggles in this one and I have to agree with Jiminy, I think Anderson is wonderful.



Courtesy of: revolutionnine

Have a great weekend all with the sweet words of Anderson “I will see you Monday night” in your ears and I will see you in two weeks.

"Worms, WASPs, Rivers, and Guns"

Another post by our guest blogger Cyn:

~ Tanya Tucker?!? Am I the only one tortured by the memory of Helen Reddy's number one hit? (And now earwormed by it, thanks so much, Anderson!)

~ Loved the "g and t" reference. We are so very WASP. (I don't suppose Anderson is a Douglas Adams fan, which is a shame. There's a very funny bit about the gin and tonic in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series.)

~ Dan Rivers, who reported last night from Burma, is the CNN Bangkok correspondent. He did a stint recently in Baghdad, and I have to admit to wondering why they were letting a high school kid do such a dangerous assignment. Well, turns out this "kid" has quite an impressive resumé:

Dan Rivers is CNN's Bangkok Correspondent. Based in Thailand he covers news and business stories from across South East Asia and has reported on stories including the Indonesian earthquake, the eruption of Mount Merapi, flooding in Thailand and the release from prison of controversial Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

Prior to joining CNN in April 2006, Rivers was ITN's Crime Correspondent for ITV News. During his career at ITN, Rivers broke the story, in August 2005, that a series of police blunders led to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes who was shot and killed at a London underground station after being mistaken for a terrorist. Rivers' report was subsequently nominated for a Royal Television Society Award in the UK.

While at ITN Rivers covered major national and international stories, including exhaustive minute by minute coverage and analysis of the Hutton Inquiry, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. David Kelly in the UK, for the ITV News Channel.

In March 2003, Rivers was one of the ITV News reporters covering the War in Iraq as an embedded reporter with the Royal Navy, broadcasting live from a ship in the Gulf. He was first with a tip-off of the initial attacks on Baghdad and also filed exclusive reports on mine sweeping operations off the coast of Iraq. During the three weeks after the fall of Baghdad, Rivers covered the unfolding humanitarian and aid problems in southern Iraq. Further international experience includes his coverage of the Asian Tsunami and the break-up of Yugoslavia.

During his first 18 months as a reporter for ITV News, Rivers covered major UK stories such as the Potters Bar rail crash, the foot and mouth crisis, the 2001 UK General Election and numerous high profile trials, including breaking the verdict for the Lord Archer trial as well as the events of 9/11.

Prior to joining ITN, Rivers worked for EuroNews in Lyons, France, where he reported on a variety of international news stories, including the fall of President Milosevic in Serbia.

Before that, he freelanced for LNN on 'London Tonight', producing and occasionally reporting around the British capital. Rivers' first job in journalism was as a journalist and newsreader on an independent local Radio station, Pirate FM.

Rivers studied Social Sciences at Durham University and Broadcast Journalism at Falmouth College of Arts.

Okay, he only LOOKS like a kid... or am I just getting old? Hmm...

~ Finally, since there was so much discussion earlier in the week about Anderson's biceps, I thought I'd share some screengrabs from the June 11th show (in NOLA). Happy weekend, everyone! ~Cyn

Short and Sweet

This is going to be short and sweet for good reason, I slept through the program. Sorry. DH and I ate at a quaint little mom & pop Mexican restaurant on Wednesday evening and I've been paying the price for the last 24 hours. I'm past the ugly part of food poisoning, now all I want to do is sleep. So I've taken a few notes on the program while doing the screencaps and I'll ask you to take pity on me and fill in the blanks.

•Nice to see the short commercial format back again on Thursday's AC360.
•I'm glad AC continues to refer to Burma by it's correct name. I don't believe that the US has ever officially recognized the junta's renaming of Burma and I do not understand why reporters continue to call it Myanmar.
Not to be too sarcastic but there is hope that the Bush Administration might step in to help the Burmese citizens overthrow their dictatorship. Why? There is oil in Burma.
•There are no words for Bush's promise to veto the children's health care bill. Unbelievable. •I don't remember ever seeing Jessica Yellin report for AC 360 before. Is she new? I hope we get to see more of her.
•Another great report by Jeanne Meserve, this time on border crossings.
•I'm not enjoying the mystery at sea story. No good reason, just doesn't catch my attention.
•I am enjoying the Planet in Peril previews. The scenery and photography is just amazing.

And here are a few things that I found on the Internet today.
This Thursday's New York Daily News, a few notes on the EJ benefit by Rush & Molloy:
The evening was emceed by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who said he was looking forward to Elton performing with k.d. lang.
"I offered to do some interpretive dance," said Cooper. "But after a brief audition, I was told my services wouldn't be required."
Turning serious, Cooper went on: "I talk to young gay friends in New York, and some of them seem to think the AIDS problem is a thing of the past. … The reality is that it's getting worse, not better."

CNN.com has a special page for students who are previewing Planet in Peril, complete with homework. As part of the assignment the site says:
'You can ask Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta "just about anything"
Well I'm not a student but I sure could think of a few questions I'd like to ask! To learn more here's the link. And people, behave yourselves.

School House Rock: The Drug Development Edition

Good afternoon, y'all! I'm going to whisper this because I know some idiot sub-lebrity will screw this up but this week's programs have been really interesting. Great mix of topics, good interviews and great pace. I'm so glad that Anderson and his graphics team were just being snarky the other night. While the pre-commercial graphics like "He's not kidding, its really short!" were hysterical, they wouldn't be appropriate night after night!

And of course, you gotta love Anderson's bong comment! Okay dude, I believe you! Yeah right! LOL! I told this story briefly in Phebe's comments this morning but I'll elaborate just to embarrass my wonderful yet naive mother! Now, hand to God, I have never even smoked a cigarette let alone partake in some of the more herbal wonders of life. But I do know what a bong looks like. My roomate in college had a collection of them! My parents brought me home one weekend during my freshman year at college. Well, needless to say, when we walked thru the door on Sunday, my roomate was no where to be found but her bongs were! My mother walked over to her side of the room, picked up the bong and said, "Wow! What an unusual looking vase! Where did she get it?" My father and I looked at her and burst out laughing. That story has been affectionately recalled at almost every family gathering for the past 15 or so years! Sorry Mommy! I had to tell it again!

Playing by the rules in the pharma world
Gary Tuchman's story didn't set well with my husband and I last night for different reasons. First I must tell you that I have spent over 12 years in the Pharmaceutical/Biotech industry and know full well that dealing with the FDA is like banging your head against the wall. The agency is antiquated, understaffed and mismanaged. My husband also works in the industry. However, his role in his company represents the new technological age of the FDA.

Gary said that the FDA has only recently cracked down on these companies but that is not entirely true. Let's take our friend Mr. Malik from Syntho Pharmaceuticals and Intermax Pharmaceuticals. He has been manufacturing and marketing unapproved cold products for quite some time. Gary mentioned that he has felt the "sting" of the FDA. That is true. The FDA lodged it's first warning letter to Malik in March 2003. They issued another letter in May 2003. The FDA then filed a complaint for a Permanent Injunction in August 2006. The FDA also sent a letter out on October 5, 2006 about the injunction of Syntho and other letters it had sent out to additional companies also in violation of the same sinister practices. *

Malik calls himself "I'm a man of integrity," and said that he is "...morally obligated to give you a product that is good." Yet he doesn't believe that the drugs he manufactures should have to be put through the rigorous tests that are required of every pharmaceutical drug and instrument used in this country. Here is what he said about following those nasty rules:

Malik said he believes concerns about unapproved drugs are overblown. He thinks the FDA's testing procedures are too expensive and cumbersome for small companies like his. And despite the lack of FDA approval, Malik said he's not ashamed of his drugs and believes some of them should be brought back to market. (AC360 Transcripts)

While what Malik says about the drug development process being expensive is true, there is a reason why these drugs are put through toxicology, pharmacology, pre-clinical and clinical trials. I'm not sure many people know that it is a long road that a drug must take before it hits the your pharmacies. (Hee, this is like the School House Rock for the drug development process just for your own personal knowledge!) It takes roughly 10-12 years and nearly $1 billion dollars to complete the process. But the pre-clinical and clinical trial period are imperative in the drug development process to ensure that the drug is both safe and effective for each indication it is being prescribed for. Just ask Jacque Gibson White who lost her precious baby because the hospital used an unapproved drug on her precious baby, Rachel Ann. How incredibly sad.

The FDA has in fact been trying to crack down on these companies since 1995, as in the case of Sage Pharmaceuticals. No doubt the agency has a long way to go to get it's act together. For one, they could release that list of unapproved drugs and give it to physicians and pharmacists. But I must tell you that it is probably impossible to account for all of these drugs. And even if this is done, it will not stop doctors from off-label prescribing (a whole different problem). So while I agree with most aspects of Gary's report, I must argue that the FDA should not take full blame for these unapproved marketed drugs. These companies knowingly manufacture unapproved products and sell them to major pharmacies. They know how to use the FDA flaws to their advantage and their illegal practices compromise the public's safety.

Now, why was my husband bothered by Gary's report? Well, he isn't sure that the use of NDC codes was properly explained. Think of an NDC Code as a registration code of sorts. A New Drug Application is filed with the FDA and is assigned this 10 digit code. Each part of the code has a meaning. (I won't further bore you with that info!) This code is more of a registration code than an approval code. That's where my DH was a bit unhappy. In the report, the FDA was getting blamed for these unethical companies twisting the rules to fit their illegal practices. Like Gary said, an NDC code is not an approval code but a tracking or identification number at best. (Well, I just simplified it for you. It is that and so much more.) So again, while I agree that the FDA needs to be proactive and change the way they assign NDC codes so that these companies cannot manipulate the system. But I must argue here that we should also be keeping these irressponsible companies honest, not just the FDA. All responsible pharmaceutical companies play by the rules. These rogue companies find a way to manipulate the broken system to get their products on the shelves.

Listen, I truly believe that reports like Gary's are important so that the public can be aware of these practices. We need to be diligent and question our physicians. We need to do our research to protect our children and ourselves. Unfortunately, it might be along time before the FDA is an efficiently run organization. But I felt like the report aimed it's cannon directly on the FDA and didn't stress that companies like Syntho Pharmaceuticals should share the blame. And I didn't even mention physicians who don't research the products they agree to prescribe in the first place!

*Click here for all data concerning Syntho Pharmaceuticals Warning and Injunction Letters and other FDA letters.

Two more appearances for Anderson Cooper
Anderson moderated a panel at yesterday's session of Clinton's Global Initiatives. The session was entitled, “The Most Effective Strategies for the Most Vulnerable Children.” Click here for video of the panel session.

Also, Anderson Cooper will be speaking at Claremont McKenna College on November 13th at 11am. Click here for more details or go to the Anderson Cooper Event's Calendar.


Thanks for your time today! It's a subject that is close t my heart! Have a great weekend! ~Sheryn

Fire up the bong and pass the doobie?

I know Anderson Cooper will never, ever communicate with me. Why? Could it be because I have this little devil that sits on my shoulder some nights, as I type, saying 'go ahead, I dare you'? And how can I resist? I mean, come on, the gorgeous, suave, debonair Mr. Cooper talking about bongs and doobies? And on the same day he's interview Bill Clinton (who I bet would know about bongs and doobies). ATA's crack research team remembers AC mentioning that his mother came across a bong in his college dorm at Yale. It wasn't Anderson's, but his roommate's. And I bet neither of them inhaled either.
Wednesday's AC360 started with mystery of the 'Joe Cool'. There was a similar story 18 months ago, that happened off the coast of San Diego. In that case 2 potential buyers were taken for a cruise by a couple trying to sell their large yacht. The couple were never seen again and presumed killed and thrown overboard. This story sounds like it might have a similar tragic ending.
Jeanne Meserve's report on the threats to our power grid was truly frightening. I know we need to know these things, at least at some level, but I really don't want to know.
Most of you are aware that I live in a Mormon community. One thing the Mormon's teach their members to keep a 3 month stash of food. Costco's and Sam's Club's, in my neighborhood, sell large buckets of freeze dried meals that keep for eons and only need water to reconstitute. After watching Jeanne's report I really don't think this is such a bad idea. Just keep lots of bottled water and a bucket of the freeze dried meals and you might be able to wait out a power grid failure. Of course an even better plan would be for our government to put some safeguards in place, but maybe that's asking too much? 2% of all drugs prescribed are unapproved by the FDA? The FDA won't supply the public with a list of the unapproved drugs? The FDA won't say how many people have been killed or hurt by unapproved drugs? The FDA won't say which unapproved drugs have killed or injured people? Just what will the FDA do? Not much from the sounds of Gary Tuchman's excellent report.
I love Bill Clinton, no surprise there. But wow did he show some anger and disgust with the Republicans response to MoveOn.org's ad. It was a great interview that focused on the ad and on Clinton's Global Initiative. If you missed the related interview with Ted Turner's and Sanjay we posted earlier today make sure you check it out.
If you check our CNN Events Calendar you know that John Roberts was the Master of Ceremonies for the 9th Annual Drug Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner in Washington, DC on Tuesday evening. The event raised over 1 million dollars for the program. Congratulations JR on a job well done. And thanks to BA for the picture find.
I wish I could say that Anderson was emailing Ms. Quitty happy birthday greetings earlier tonight, but I can't. So I'll do the next best thing and say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, QUITTY!

Thanks to Cyn for sending this to ATA:

Apple Retail Store events Advance Screening:

iTunes Presents: CNN's "Planet in Peril"

Join us for an exclusive, advance screening of a 40-minute excerpt from the new CNN documentary "Planet in Peril," featuring Anderson Cooper. Special guests will be on hand to discuss the making of this four-hour film about our planet's greatest threats. October 21 at these Apple Retail Store locations:

North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

San Francisco, California

Third Street Promenade Santa Monica, California

SoHo, New York City with special guest Anderson Cooper

Pure Squee

Okay, usually I'm all business but today I had to just let loose and do a great big squee post! I'm sorry, there are just too many beautiful photos from last night that I've found. How could I launch into a discussion about politics. I will say that I LOVED Reza Aslan last night! I just think he has great insight to Middle East politics. I appreciate his views and wish Anderson Cooper would have him on the show more often!

Okay, I know you are patiently awaiting the awesome photos but before I give you the Gorgeous, I'd like to kill you with cuteness first! It seems that New York Magazine sent a reporter to last night's Elton John benefit with one purpose: To get the scoop on Anderson's biceps, FROM Anderson himself!

Iraq Trips Hamper Anderson Cooper's Gym Schedule

Last night we sent a reporter to Elton John's AIDS Foundation benefit with a mission: Find Anderson Cooper and ask him about his bodacious new biceps. Bennett Marcus, our intrepid interviewer, took on the task and confronted Cooper about his ginormous guns. Below is what transpired:

Your biceps are really big lately. How are you working out?

“Wow. What is my workout routine — I’ve never been asked that question! Um, I don’t know [Ed. note: At this point, Cooper appeared to be dying of flustration.], I’ve just been … working with a trainer and uh, I don’t know, lifting a little weight, and running a little. I don’t know.

Is that new? The trainer and the rest?

Uh, you know, I just turned 40, so yes, I’m trying to be a little bit healthier now and trying to eat a little bit more sensibly. And also, with traveling so much, you know, it’s tough when you’re in Iraq to do anything, so I try to work out when I’m here. [Ed. note: Best. Quote. Ever.] This is really … I sound ridiculous.

They gave me this question, I’m not kidding.

Wow, well, I didn’t know that New York Magazine would notice my biceps. My trainer will be thrilled. I’m going to pass this along to him. His name is TJ. He’ll be very excited.

Of course we noticed, Anderson. It's like you took Angelina Jolie's breasts and hung them from your shoulders! (Except somehow you made them whiter.) Don't tell us you didn't want us to look. Now can we talk about this TJ guy? You don't happen to have his phone number, do you?

**********************************

And when asked about Elton John's Tantrums:

Did you ever see Elton John throw a tantrum or anything dramatic?

“I’ve seen a documentary where he threw a tantrum, but I’m waiting. I’m hoping maybe tonight, if I really screw it up or something.”

OMG, I'm sorry but I can just picture Anderson answering these questions! Can't you?

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures
Well, here they are without further adieu. (I'm just going to credit WireImage, Getty Image, ACI Online, Film Magic, and AP Photos) Enjoy!

Alrighty then, I'll just let y'all enjoy the Gorgeousness and whisper "Good Night!" ~Sheryn