"I don't do vacations very well..."

Anderson was once quoted as saying, "I don't do vacations very well, by the second day, I'm bored." I realized last week I don't do Anderson's vacations very well either...by the second day, I'm bored! Hope Anderson enjoyed his vacation and took the opportunity to relax and regroup. I also hope he is back in the anchor chair tomorrow. In the mean time, here's a collage representing Anderson at leisure.

Some of you may have watched a repeat of Anderson's interview with Michael Phelps on 60 Minutes tonight. I couldn't resist using a picture of Anderson in the pool for our Sunday puzzle.

In the Pool Jigsaw Puzzle

In response to a suggestion I received from Phebe, I have created a new Anderson quiz. As most of you know, Anderson has appeared on several magazine covers in the past few years. In this quiz, you will attempt to match the headshot of Anderson with the magazine cover it appeared on. To make it a little more difficult, all the text, background etc has been removed. I think it's a little challenging. When I tested the quiz, I missed one and I created it! Have fun with it and good luck!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

Have a great week!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

I Might Get a Mohawk

Looking for something new to put on your iPod?
Here are Anderson's choices in a 2006 Blender Magazine article.
(Click on pictures for larger version)

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.
All Things Andersonis a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

John King Takes it for the (CNN) Team

Hello everybody. Hope you have had a great week. I came home from work today to see John King hosting Situation Room and my first thought was wow John is gonna pull a double header. He is right up there as one of the hardest working people at CNN. If we cant have Anderson, John is a great substitute for sure.

The show opened with Ed Henry reporting on the latest news on Sotomayor. Maybe it is just me but we are in such tightly PC world now. I don’t take offense by anything Judge Sotomayor said but that is me. There are so many things that the Supreme Court will have to deal with so I hope that the Senate of the Unite States will look at Judge Sotomayor qualifications and not just one statement.

John spoke with Lionel Sosa and Joe Johns about the Latino prospective of the Soyomayor nomination.


Erica Hill did a one-on-one interview with former Secretary of State Madeleline Albright about the North Korea crisis with the firing of test missiles


Hidden underworld under LA freeway. Paul Vercammen reports. This story is insanely scary for the safety of these people who were staying there.


David Mattingly reports on Amanda Knox, an American exchange student on trial for murder of her roommate in Italy.


John spoke with Amanda’s father Curt Knox about the trial.

Erica reports on Prince Harry’s visit to New York City. On Friday Prince Harry visited the Ground Zero, a fire hall & the British Garden….I am sure Princess Diana is looking down so proud of what Harry is doing.

The shot is just to cute for words…..81 years of marriage…God Bless Them!!!!

Julie came across a couple of Anderson related articles. Anderson is now mentioned in a hip hop song WOOT WOOT!!!

Here are some details on the charity auction Anderson was taking part in

Anderson’s piece on Michael Phelps will be re-airing on Sunday….A topless Anderson is a great reward for an Anderless week

Have a great week everyone. Until we meet again ~ Sapphire

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

What a Difference a Day Makes

We were on a roll the last few nights, what happened? We went from two nights of great AC360 to one similar to what we've been watching for the last few months. There were a few highlights but the rest was a disappointment and yes I did turn the channel at times.The program opened with John King not in NYC (maybe back in DC?). The big story of the night were the attacks today in Pakistan by the Taliban. Reza Sayah was in Islamabad with details of strikes on government buildings, military targets and civilian areas. The attacks seemed highly coordinated and the result of the Pakistani governments effort to disperse the Taliban tribes. Fareed Zakaria also talked with King at length about the events of the day and said the Taliban has moved from the hills of the country to the more urban valley areas, thus posing a more significant threat.Great so far but this is where things went south for me. Joe Johns filed the story on the priest who defected from the Catholic Church to the Episcopalian Church on Thursday. Newsworthy and interesting, but I did not need 2 full segments of talk with Bishop Leo Frade (Episcopalian) and Rev. James Martin (Catholic priest) that followed. Why does AC360 feel the need to fill time with chatter that doesn't add significantly to the story? Erica Hill's 360 Bulletins:
•President Obama spoke of his hopes for the West Bank
•GM will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Monday
•21 students from a Maryland school are quarantined in China because of a suspected exposure to swine flu
•An Austrian woman found a 10 month old lottery ticket worth 10 million dollars
•Forces around the world on on high alert because of North Korea's actions this week
•The first tropical storm of the season is forming off the Atlantic coast
•Mary Tyler Moore is speaking out about her Type 1 diabetes
•A man is arrested because he called 911 about a juice box that he didn't get with his fast food orderMichael Ware's look at the corruption and violence along the Mexican border was the best segment of the night. I was surprised to see actual video of a drug cartel's prison break. The highly organized operation was successful due to cooperation from guards on the inside.
Michael said there were only a few ways to stop this violence related to drug trafficking over the border. One was to legalize marijuana in the US and the other was to deploy large numbers of US troops on the border. I'm fine with either of these options, just do something. As Ware said both the US and the Mexican government realize that the war cannot be won using the current methods.Abbie Boudreau took an 'Up Close' look at the taser death of a 16 year old boy in Detroit. This report left me with more questions than answers. The term 'learning disability' was used numerous times to describe the young victim. Learning disability is so generic that it doesn't serve alone as an excuse for the young man's actions. What was the extent of his impairment and how functional or dysfunctional was he? I can't imagine the family's grief and anger and understand the need to assign blame to anyone but their son. I would certainly do the same, but their child's actions would raise alarms for any law enforcement officer. I'm sure the officers had no intention of killing the victim, but to immobilize him so they could investigate his actions. Reports like this tend to add fuel to an already volatile situation, but at least it gave the victim's family a voice and I hope that was of some comfort to them.
And again another discussion, this time with police expert Lou Palumbo.

There was a 'Beat 360' for the first time this week and then 'The Shot' which was from the National Spelling Bee. Nothing clip worthy for either.

I was hoping to end my blogging week on a high note, sorry I couldn't. Have a good weekend everyone. ~Phebe

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

Another Night with the King

I'm off to a late start tonight and I missed both the live program and the repeat so I'll be speed blogging tonight. For that I'm sad because I love when John King is in the AC360 anchor chair. But a girl has to get her beauty sleep! And speaking of beauty, Mr. King looked fabulous on Wednesday night. I'm not sure who wins the battle of the plaid dress shirt, I'm calling it a tie (no pun intended).
•Can you believe that the far right has labeled Sotomayor a racist? Candy Crowley gave us the very 'Raw Politics'. Sotomayor's statement about a Latino woman making decisions vs that of a white male was controversial, but her record reflects her ability to dispense justice according to the letter of the law. Alex Castellanos and Maria Echaveste (former WH deputy Cheif of Staff) discussed the racist label with John King.• The stalemate with North Korea was topic number one at the dinner I attended tonight. I was shocked to hear several of those in attendance say we should just nuke North Korea and be done with them. Cooler heads prevailed on AC360 in Retired Brig. General David Grange and Mike Chanoy (author of 'Meltdown'). Grange was almost Pollyannish in his analysis of the situation, Chanoy explained it was posturing by the North Korean leader to position his son to follow in his footsteps.

• Is the recession over? Economists are saying the recession will end later this year. Ali Velshi reported from GM headquarters with the good news (housing sales are up) and the bad (GM will file for bankruptcy on Monday). Erica Hill's 360 News and Business Bulletin:
•3 suspects are in custody for the bombing in Jahore, Pakistan
•An America soldier was killed in Baghdad today bringing May death toll to 20
•305 Banks and Thrifts are on the troubled list
•Maryland has replaced lawn mowers with goats on some State highways
• Drew Peterson is now a comedian? The man is nuts
• A white tiger in New Zealand mauled its keeper in front of tourists
• Adam Lambert fans are not going quietly into the night. Cries of voter fraud are being heard
• Robert Gibbs is the funniest Press Secretary in recent history

•Tom Foreman took a look at the continuing controversy about California's Prop 8. George Bush's Solicitor General Ted Olson and Al Gore's lawyer David Bois (both who handled the Florida recount) have joined forces to oppose the California proposition and try to get it overturned in Federal court. Thank God for men like this who recognize and are willing to fight for equality for everyone of us.•Joe John's 'Crime & Punishment' report centered on an attorney Paul Bergrin who is now on the wrong side of the law. He is accused of witness intimidation and possible murder of a witness.

•'The Shot' was of men chasing a wheel of cheese down a hill in England. I love John King but he and Erica should just skip the banter....it's strained and not funny. Wonder what's happened to 'Beat 360'?

I read with interest some of the comments today criticizing those who say they enjoy John King's reporting over Anderson's. I really don't want to get into a big brouhaha BUT I did want to add my two cents worth and please remember this is strictly my opinion. I admire both JK and AC as reporters and anchors and think that both have different strengths and weaknesses. John King has paid his dues in Washington and has incredible contacts with those in government. In my opinion, Anderson is more visible and famous beyond the news business but must sometimes rely on CNN and/or his producers for access to the inner circle since he has not spent the time in Washington that King has. But conversely Anderson has contacts among the movers and shakers in this country (IE Oprah, Bill Gates, etc) that John King will never have. I read recently a complaint by Roland Martin that CNN didn't work hard enough to secure important political guests for him when he subbed for Campbell. Maybe that too is the case with Anderson. We'll never know. But when JK is in the chair I do think that some of the guest and panelists are of a higher quality then those that 360 usually gets. Again, just my opinion.

I'll be back to do it all again on Thursday, hope you'll be here too. ~Phebe

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

The King is Back!!!

Raise your hand if you had a feeling we were going to be Andersonless tonight. I think most of the old timers had an inkling. There were huge news stories tonight and if AC couldn't be anchoring then we got the next best thing.....John King. I think even if you didn't predict AC's night off you could have predicted what stories would dominate Tuesday's AC360. The Sotomayor nomination, the gay rights decision in California and the North Korea's nuclear test.

Candy Crowley gave us the back story on the Supreme Court nominee and Joe Johns caught us up on the Raw Politics of her time on the bench. Then White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, talked with King about the selection and his expectations for the confirmation process. The requisite panel discussion was with Jeff Toobin, Charles Olgetree (Harvard Law) and Wendy Long (former clerk to Clarence Thomas). Could AC360 not have found someone less annoying than Wendy Long to be the voice against Sotomayor? I think she actually rolled her eyes at one point when Toobin was talking. The only thing that made her bearable was watching her squirm while Olgetree's strongly disagreed with her.Lt. Dan Choi, the Arabic translator who was dishonorably discharged from the military under 'don't ask, don't tell' was featured in a Randi Kaye 'Up Close' segment. 360 re-aired a portion of his interview with Anderson Cooper and talked with him about the decision in California.
John King then interviewed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome. He feels all is not lost and the battle will continue. It seems that the California Supreme Court did leave the door open to civil unions, even though they are not as desirable. Erica Hill did two 360 News and Business Bulletins on Tuesday's program. Her first story was of Mike Tyson's 4 year old daughter who died on Tuesday morning. EH didn't go into detail, just saying she died from her injuries in a treadmill accident. Since Tyson lives in Phoenix this has been the big news here today. His daughter got a cord from the treadmill wrapped around her neck and it strangled her. I tell you this because you might want to consider removing anything like this from your treadmills. I have one on mine that I never use (I think it's an auto shutoff that you're supposed to clip to you, or something) and I plan on discarding it after this tragedy.

• The 13 year old cancer patient is back home and going to undergo court ordered treatment

• OJ's lawyers have filed to have his case reopened (JK said there is always OJ news when he subs for AC)

• 2 more New Yorker's have died of Swine Flu

• Stocks surged on Tuesday

• A Huston police chase that gave John King pause about teaching his son to drive North Korea's actions over the weekend were given a closer look by Tom Foreman. There was Breaking News of more missile testing and the possible reopening of a nuclear plant. Christiane Amanpour sat down with King to discuss North Korea's options and motives.Gary Tuchman's story on the Highway Robbery in Texas continues to grow. This time a county sheriff defends the policy of seizing valuables from citizens to sell at auction to raise money to support the police department. A Texas legislator that was almost a victim too was interview and vows to change the law.
The Shot' was of Susan Boyle's appearance in the semi-finals of Britian's Got Talent. I'm sure if you missed it on 360 it's up on YouTube.
I have an 'ATA Shot' for you that my DH sent to me and I thought you might enjoy. It is a series of pictures taken at the Grand Palace in Brussels last August of a huge carpet made out of begonias. I thought it most spectacular, hope you enjoy. ~ Phebe

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All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

"Extreme Challenges: The Next 100 Days"

On the night of Memorial Day, Anderson enjoys the long weekend while a pair of repeats run. So tonight we'll take a closer look at the "Extreme Challenges" that face the president, as discussed by CNN's own experts in the field.

The first segment covers THE WARS and the panel is Christiane Amanpour, Fareed Zakaria, David Gergen, and Michael Ware. How the country handles the exit from Iraq and the increasing threat in Afghanistan will be part of President Obama's lasting legacy. (This clip had to be cut into two sections due to Blogger's limitations.)

The second segment covers FOREIGN POLICY and has the same panel of Christiane Amanpour, Fareed Zakaria, David Gergen, and Michael Ware. The Israel/Palestine issue has been an issue for generations, while Iran is now the focal point for a whole host of new problems.

Next up is THE ECONOMY, with panelists Ali Velshi, Fareed Zakaria, David Gergen, and Candy Crowley. The crisis may be over, but the recovery may take longer than we like and may leave us with a vastly different American Dream.

Segment four is about the plan to change AMERICA'S HEALTH. At the table are Ali Velshi and David Gergen, with Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining in via video. Will Congress get behind this? (Will we-the-people force them to?) And does it really tie into a piece of the economic recovery?

The next topic is the SUPREME COURT, with panelists Joe Johns, David Gergen, and Jeffrey Toobin. The president's first selection will be made sooner than anyone expected and, sadly, while the Republicans are still determined to oppose everything the new administration does. How will this president -- a former Constitutional scholar himself -- leave his stamp on the court?

The final segment looked at the president's desire for CHANGE IN WASHINGTON, and the panelists are Candy Crowley, Joe Johns, David Gergen, and Jeffrey Toobin. Can he play the game well enough to make actual changes? So far he has looked and sounded very impressive, but if his opponents continue to throw out anchors and are able to drag the ship of state to a halt, how long will he be able to maintain an even keel?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A couple items from the ATA mailbox ... first, a tip from an anonymous reader that Anderson will be co-hosting Regis & Kelly on June 4th and 5th (which would be the Thursday and Friday of next week).

Also, last week I was able to meet 360 regular (and ATA fan favorite) Reza Aslan at a book signing, and wrote about it on ATC. Sadly, I had a fatal camera error that night (okay, I forgot to charge the battery beforehand!) and got no pics of the event; however, my friend Lynda decided to check out one of his appearances in the LA area, and sent these photos to share:

Okay, that's a wrap for tonight. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

The Memory Shall Be Ours...

Your silent tents of green, we deck with fragrant flowers; Yours has the suffering been, the memory shall be ours. -Longfellow


Anderson_Flag Jigsaw Puzzle



Remember our soldiers who continue to serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe.

Anderson with our Troops:



"Dispatches from the Edge-Iraq Part I"



"Dispatches from the Edge-Iraq Part II"



"Dispatches from the Edge-Afghanistan"


A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~Joseph Campbell
All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator. All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

Hammerhead = Brillance Part Trois

Anderson mentioned Friday night that he may stop by Philadelphia, Mississippi this summer when he's in the area attending the Cooper family reunion. Instead of giving the time of day to some sorry former mayor, there are things to see so he should have the new mayor take him to the Pearl River Resort featuring two casinos, a water park, and golf course and if he goes in July he can go to the Neshoba County fair infamous for featuring state and national politicians giving stump speeches next to 200 shanty cabins occupied for 1 1/2 weeks that sell for around $200,000.

Anderson has mentioned the Cooper family reunion before and a couple of years ago I posted an excerpt from Wyatt's Families book that talks about family reunions. I know I've posted the item below twice below but I figured Anderfans don't get tired of reading the excerpts.

Those were joyous occasions for me. To see all those colorful people of such variety gathered in holiday mood, with their jokes and their laughter and their familiarity with eachother, was as exciting a thing as I knew. It was better than Christmas.

When the sun sank low in the west, we would begin to depart. Children would be tired and quarrelsome; some of us at least, having stayed too long at Little Bit's banana puddin', would be throwing up.

Here are some more excepts that may explain where Anderson gets some of his physical attributes.

The similarities and resemblances among us, or the lack of them, were discussed, analyzed, and compared, as were our virtues and our failings. It was agreed, for instance, that my nose and my conceit were pure Cooper but that my coloring and quiet manner came from the Andersons, my mother's people. I was considered lucky to have inherited a head shaped like that of Grandpa Cooper - it stuck out behind something like the back end of an old-fashioned hammer. I shared this inheritance with only one of the dozens of Cooper cousins, and it was assumed that with it went Grandpa's brilliant mind. We were, accordingly, expected to do the family some credit. In the case of my cousin, Frank Rose, the assumptions found fulfillment, either because there was somethig to the idea to start with or because the expectations spurred him on to notable achievement. In high school he was already dazzling; as good-looking as anybody you'd ever want to have around, as popular as a movie star, a top athlete and a top scholar, he was elected president of any campus organization he happened to saunter near. By the time he was twenty-nine he was president of a college, and later performed brilliantly as President of the University of Alabama during years of intense crisis. Time and Life magazines might have been impressed, but there was nothing remarkable about it to my aunts. To them the honors paid him had nothing to do with hard work, clever planning, or diligent study. It was just Grandpa's head, that's all. With that head, what did you expect? As for me - well, my head never did jut out as far as Frank's anyway.

My aunts, Jewell Smith and Addie Flowers, came with their families from Laurel. They had a city look, with beads and earrings and makeup-Aunt Jewell with her high cheekbones, her light reddish hair and fair skin, and Aunt Addie with her china-blue eyes, her prematurely graying hair, her pretty girlish dresses and her flirtatious girlish manners.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.
All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.

Lovin Old School AC

Hello Anderworld. Hope all is well. I am back and missing the boat. Not missing this nauseous feeling that is finally starting to go away but stories for a different blog. This week has been so crazy for me I don’t think I have made it through a 360 this week without falling asleep. Not due to content or anything of that sort…just catching up on sleep I did not have while on my cruise. So lets get into Friday’s 360.

President Obama to name a Supreme Court nominee in the next few days. Ed Henry reports on the latest news about the Presidents pick. It could come as early as Tuesday. The president has not officially made up his mind but the front runners are all women.

Anderson spoke with Bill Bennett & James Carville about the continuing debate between President Obama & former Vice President Dick Cheney over the closing of GitMo & torture tactics.

Philadelphia, Mississippi has elected its first African American mayor. What a sign of the times. It is a wonderful moment. Anderson shared an old interview with a KKK member. Who did not love seeing the old clip of Anderson from a few years back.

We have been asked for the clip of Anderson's interview. Here you go.

Ed Lavendra reports on the new mayor of Philadelphia, MS. James Young.

In Keeping them Honest Sean Callebs reports on FEMA trying to get people out of the trailers. This story makes me so mad. Mad that after 44 months there are still people living in these trailers to begin with. It is disgusting and hopefully the people in New Orleans will get so much needed help soon.

Anderson spoke with Wendy Murphy, a law professor about the latest news on the Peterson trial.

Up Close took a look at Michelle Obama and other first ladies. Tom Foreman reported

There was of course the Anderca banter and who does not enjoy that!

I will see you all again next Friday…..peace out until then ~ Sapphire


All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things Anderson and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

All Things Anderson is a blog dedicated to CNN's AC360 and its host Anderson Cooper.