Were You Expecting Something Different???

Hello everyone. Ms. Phebe and her family have headed out East so I am covering for her tonight. Not gonna lie, I am seriously gonna half ass blog because it is all Michael Jackson again. I understand that this is a major story and most of you are frustrated with the coverage but I don’t see this changing until at least after the funeral.

Nurse Cherilyn Lee spoke with Anderson over the phone. Michael had spoken with her 3 months ago looking for a drug called Diprivan.

Sanjay Gupta and Drew Griffin spoke with Anderson about the newest twists in the Jackson story.

Londell McMillian (Michael’s attorney), Burt Levitch (Katherine Jackson’s attorney) and Diane Goodman(Katherine Jackson's attorney) join Anderson to talk about Michael’s will, his kids and other topics.

Anderson reports on Michael and Katherine Jackson’s relationship.

Randi Kaye reports on who may be the father of Jackson’s kids? Seriously why are we questioning this after the man’s death.

Sanjay Gupta reports on medicating the rich

Michael Jackson’s This Is It Tour – the dancers. A really interesting segment

Erica Hill covers so other news of the day. South Carolina Governor Stanford confession, Plane crash in Yemen one survivor – a toddler, Farrah Fawcett funeral, Palin Vs. Obama in article.

Leaving Iraq – Tom Foreman reports on the raw politics of the Iraq war

Anderson co-hosted Regis & Kelly this morning. I was able to get the host chat and Julie will be sharing more clips with you tomorrow evening. I could not stop giggling as Anderson would say I was at Studio 64….with my mom!!

Julie will be posting more clips from Regis & Kelly in tomorrow night’s post.

That’s it for me tonight. To my fellow Canadians I wish you all a very Happy Canada Day!!! I will see everyone again on Friday ~ 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.

Marathon Monday

A 2-hour 360 starts with ... wow, can you guess? And I should post a WARNING right here and now: anyone who is NOT sick to death of all the Michael Jackson coverage already probably does not want to read my comments. Just look at the pretty, play the clips, and skip the rest. Because I hit saturation several days ago, so tonight was absolute hell for me to watch and the only reason I did not start drinking heavily about 45 minutes in was because I was so angry I thought that imbibing flammable liquid might cause some sort of combustion.

*deep breath*

Drew Griffin has a recorded update of today's events in the death of Michael Jackson. Dr. Murray's lawyer spoke with several anchors today, we see a clip of the one from The Situation Room. Somehow they skip the part where the cardiologist was performing CPR wrong. For 25 minutes, minus the time spent running downstairs to get help. Whatever. (Doesn't anyone watch CSI?) Also, the only reason he "isn't a suspect" is because this isn't yet a criminal case. (Doesn't anyone watch Law & Order?)

Anderson talks to Murray's lawyer ... and does ask the question about CPR. Of course, the lawyer says just what you think the lawyer would say. Murray is not board-certified ... doesn't this sound like the guy who killed Kanye West's mother?

Don Lemon reports on Joe Jackson's weird comments at the BET awards. And Janet's weren't much better -- to the public Michael was an icon, to his family he was family? Uh... yeah. Kinda obvious, there.

Al Sharpton, who can be counted on to push himself front and center of any situation involving an African-American, is on next. Does anyone care what his opinion is about this? He doesn't even grasp the issue about Joe's comments. I do not understand why we are listening to him.

Erica Hill does the first 360 Bulletin: Iraq marks US pullback (and they'd best spend some more time on this tonight!!!); Iran recount complete; white firefighters win Supreme Court appeal, overturning Sotomayor's ruling; Governor Sanford's mistress speaks out and says her computer was hacked to get those salacious emails.

Anderson says Michael Ware will be on later, and I rethink slashing my wrists since there is now some hope of non-MJ news tonight!

Erica updates the questions about who may get custody of the kids.

Anderson talks to Deepak Chopra. (Oh, and right here is where the "Breaking News" banner makes my last nerve snap. It isn't. It hasn't been all night. Have these people never read Chicken Little? *sigh* If he was mentioning the airplane crash that happened right before he went on-air, THAT would be Breaking News.)

I appreciate all the difficulties that Jackson went through, and Chopra is very compassionate -- but I have to ask, at what point do you say, whatever I went through as a child, I am now an adult and must accept responsibility for myself? There are children who were sexually abused, who witnessed true horrors (not over-pampered showbiz childhoods), who faced every kind of nightmare imaginable... and they pull themselves together without having anywhere near the kind of resources he did. I'm not saying he didn't have issues, and certainly he had more than enough enablers around him... but seriously.

Anderson next talks to Tom Mesereau, who defended Jackson in the child-molestation charges. Wow. It's no wonder that Jackson remained child-like with people like this around him. Dude, he wasn't Gandhi.

Oh, thank god... we're going to talk about Bernie Madoff next.

Jeffrey Toobin joins Anderson. Madoff gets 150 years. His "apology" sounded like someone talking about a car accident: "I didn't mean for my car to skid on the ice and kill those people, and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life." Bernie, you knew damned well what you were doing. They also talk about today's SC ruling about the white firefighters whose promotion test was voided and what might happen if MJ really didn't leave a will.

360 Bulletin #2: Billy Mays' death; Honduras military coup; LGBT rights WH reception; ugly-dog contest. (Why does anyone care? I mean...)

The Shot: (Check out the nuns under the Michael-as-Crusader poster!)

2nd hour starts with Drew's report again. Then Anderson speaks with Lou Ferrigno, who was a long-time friend and trainer. He didn't see signs of fraility nor drug use.

Gary Tuchman takes a look at the financial mess swirling around Jackson. Oh, jeeze, they're gonna talk about his purchase of the Beatles rights as "shrewd"? Yeah, tell that to Paul McCartney.

360 Bulletin #3; Madoff sentenced; Supreme Court ruling re white firefighters; beef recall; how old is old?

Replay of the Chopra interview.

Tom Foreman looks at Jackson's physical changes. Marcus Mabry talks to Anderson about race.

Iran confirmed the election results. (Big shock.) Reza Sayah is on from Atlanta.

Finally, Michael Ware is on. The night is redeemed. And I loved how he stopped Anderson to just take stock of the moment, the importance of this day:

360 Bulletin #4: Billy Mays autopsy; Hondouras military coup; gay-rights reception; ugly-dogs.

Beat 360 leads into another, longer look at the Thai prisoners:

Okay, I'm heading to the bar now.

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 Life and Stylings of Anderson

Many of you probably saw the clip of Anderson speaking about seeing Michael Jackson at Studio 54 when he was 10. I didn't get the full story but if any of you did, please pass it along. Thinking about Anderson's comment brought to mind his very unique childhood. Can you imagine having dinner with the likes of Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, or Charlie Chaplin? Imagine being included in gatherings with the kings and queens of stage and screen or spending a day in the company of a renowned artist or fashion designer. I wonder if at times the memories seem surreal even to Anderson. During Friday's program, I also noticed that Anderson was very concerned about Michael's children and their being allowed to stay with their nanny. If you have heard Anderson talk about his relationship with his nanny, I think you understand his concern. In the end, the news this week reminded me how different life is when someone in your family is famous. Sometimes I think these folks and their families pay an unbelievable price for fortune and fame. In June, 2006 Anderson was interviewed by Andrea Sachs for Time magazine. I think a statement he made to her is appropriate. Anderson said,

"I didn't really know my mom was famous until I was probably about 12. That's when she was doing fashion stuff and her name became much more talked about. I'd met famous people as a kid, like Charlie Chaplin when he returned from exile, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol. What was cool about my parents was, my brother and I were expected to sit at the adult table. There was never a kids' table. To me, the greatest privilege of the way I grew up was realizing at a very young age that these people are just as unhappy as everyone else. Once you realize that, it frees you up from believing that fame or riches are going to bring you happiness. I think it takes a lot of people a long time to figure that one out."

In addition to his heritage and unique upbringing, Anderson is recognized for his sense of style. He was among the top ten men on Vanity Fair's international best-dressed list, which was published in the April 2004 and he appeared again on the international best-dressed list in the magazine's September 2006 issue. Our puzzle tonight is a tribute to Anderson's affinity for the camera and his ability to project "cool". Enjoy a classic look at Anderson in front of the camera.

Posing in NYC Jigsaw Puzzle

I don't disagree that Anderson has style but I do find it a bit ironic that he is so often recognized for it. If you follow his program and public appearances, you quickly realize Anderson is a creature of habit, and then there are those white sock episodes...just sayin! We are all familiar with some of his favorite "looks". Having covered haircuts and ties, I thought it would be interesting to see which overall Anderson style you prefer.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

THANKS TO PEBSCHUA....

I now have Anderson's blog about Studio 54. For anyone else who may have missed it:

AC360 Blog- June 25th, 2009 11:13 pm ET

I only met him once, when i was ten. It was the opening for the Wiz and i ended up driving in a car with him to studio 54. I didnt really know who he was at the time. My mom was friends with the director. Girls were chasing the car, screaming “Michael!!” I will never forget watching him dance at studio 54. It was 1978, so he must have been 19 or 20. He was extraordinary to watch up close.

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.

A Couple of Interviews with Carson Daly

A couple of weeks ago I posted the interview Anderson did with Craig Ferguson. So tonight I thought I'd post the two interviews Anderson has done with Carson Daly.

From November 3rd, 2004:

From September 2nd, 2003:

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.

Mourning MJ

Hello everyone. Long time no blog. A lot has changed since I blogged last. I finally got live Anderson (Yea!!!) but the world lost so many greats. This week has been an emotional one with the loss of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. As a almost 28 year old all three of these people played a roll in my upbringing. I have not known a world without them. As news broke of Michael Jackson’s death yesterday I called both my mom and dad and relived memories of dancing in out living room to Billie Jean and me running out of the room screaming when watching Thriller with my dad. The shock of Michael’s death may have passed but my numbness & sadness still remains. Michael to me was like Elvis to many of our readers. I will always remember where I was when I heard the news. There will never be another Michael Jackson. I pray for his children and family during this sad time.

With that I will jump off my soap box and get into Friday’s AC360 which of course focused on the life of Michael Jackson.

Ted Rowlands reports on the questions that have arisen after Michael’s death. The 911 tapes were released. Initial autopsy reports Police towed the car the doctor, Conrad Murray had been driving. As of tonight’s program Mr. Jackson’s body is still at the corners office

Deepak Chopra talked with Wolf Blitzer about Michael Jackson’s history of drug use

Dr Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Drew Pinsky talk with Anderson on the possible drug angle of this story.

Erica does News & Business – Obama cautions Iran, climate change bill barely passes, Bernie Madoff could face 150 years in jail, S.C governor Sanford returns to work.

What will happen with Michael’s three children? Erica Hill reports on the scenarios that can happen.

Tom Foreman reports on the similarities between Michael and Elvis as Lisa Marie Presley share comments from a conversation she and Michael years ago.

Anderson spoke with Berry Gordon the founder of Mowtown Music about Michael

Breaking barriers how Michael broke the racial divide. Anderson spoke with Jehmu Greene and Emil Wilbekin.

The Shot ~ The Filipino prisoners will be honoring Michael with a dance Saturday. Also Anderson and Erica share some favourite MJ moments.

Anderson will be co-hosting Regis & Kelly on Tuesday June 30. Guests will be Seann William Scott and Kristinia Debarge.

Congrats to Anderson and CNN for “winning” the rating race in the MJ breaking news coverage last night. When it comes to breaking news more people go to CNN – it’s just a fact!.

That is it for me this week. Hope all of you have a great week. Until next time ~ 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.

Time For a Change

Dear Readers,
I have found no pleasure in blogging lately, mostly because of the negativity of some of our commenters. I'm not talking about our regulars, they are with us day in and day out and are entitled to call it like they see it. I'm talking about those that hide behind anonymous. When I looked back through the posts one thing stands out, the bulk of the negativity comes from these anonymous people who never like anything AC360 does and feel they have the right to tell Anderson Cooper how to live his life and run his career.
So it is time for a change. Beginning immediately you will have to have a Google account in order to comment on any post. We've done this in the past and it has helped. I hope many of you will take the time to establish this account and Blogger identity because we really do want to hear you opinions and constructive comments. ~Phebe


PS: If you are having trouble establishing an account just ask us for help. ATA's blog address is on the sidebar.

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.

Sadness & Sympathy

What a terribly sad, sad day. The entertainment industry lost two giants, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. One was expected and came earlier in the day. Someone from AC360 tweeted saying Anderson was on his way home from Paris and would devote a large portion of Thursday's program to covering the story. But when the totally unexpected and shocking death of Michael Jackson broke quickly it became the story of the day, week, month and probably year. If you are old enough to remember when Elvis died (it's one of those moments where you remember where you were and what you were doing) this was that kind of day. So the focus of the program quickly shifted to MJ and the producers and Anderson put together two great hours of AC360 with the best tribute to Michael Jackson that I've seen anywhere.
Just a partial list of those interviewed on MJ's death include Sheryl Crow (crazy old video of her with huge hair and singing on stage with Jackson was shown while she talked), Rev. Al Sharpton, Clive Davis, Jeffery Toobin, Debra Opri (former Jackson family attorney), John Norris (former MTV) and Ben Brafman (part of Jackson's defense team).
CNN's Ted Rollins reported live from UCLA Medical Center, Randi Kaye filed a report, Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked with AC about medical possibilities that could case Jackson's death, Roland Martin talked with Anderson about his phone call with Marlin Jackson and Erica Hill did a retrospective of the impact of his career.
Erica Hill's 360 News & Business Bulletins:
-More arrests in Iran and the government continues its crackdown
-The Arizona student that was stripped search for drugs won her case before the Supreme Court
-SC Governor will reimburse the State for his earlier trip to Argentina
-Tens of thousands attended an anti-American demonstration in North Korea
-Republicans & Dems are fighting over global warming legislation
And the lightest moment of the night came when Anderson told Erica about the time he meet Michael Jackson at Studio 54. Take a look:

If you didn't say up for the second hour the highlight for me was Anderson's tribute to Farrah Fawcett. I understand why MJ dominated the news tonight, but I feel that FF deserves to be honored for the talented actor she was and the pop icon she was too. Here's AC's tribute:
If you're keeping tabs on Anderson's day yesterday; he flew home from Paris, did an hour show with Campbell and two live hours of AC 360, plus voice overs and a prerecorded phone interview with Clive Davis on Thursday. Me thinks he wins the 'hardest work' award for the day.

That's it for me for a while. I'm heading to the East Coast next week and won't be back to posting until July 7th. I leave you in the very capable hands of the ATA team and will try to say hey in comments occasionally. Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July. ~Phebe

I've had this Michael Jackson song in my head all day, IMO it's one of his most beautiful and seems the perfect way to end the day.





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.

Tout Arrive En France

What luck, I'm back after a very long weekend(thanks to Cyn for the extra night off) and so is Anderson Cooper. Only he has popped up in Paris and I'm sweltering in sizzling Phoenix. The little thermometer thingy in my car topped out at 112 today on my drive home. And it is no longer a dry heat. Sweating is so gauche, but sweat I did. Tomorrow I'm staying indoors with the AC on all day (now there's a lovely thought). And speaking of AC he was enjoying a comfortable 63 degrees when the broadcast began at 4 AM Paris time. I guess CNN found it necessary to put a Paris bug on the screen even though the Arc De Triomphe and the Champs Elysees are in the background. I was hoping for Anderson at the Tour Eiffel, but maybe next time. (Ask Believe, Receive?)AC360 began with another fallen politician. I think, in the name of time management, it might be more efficient to just highlight the politicians who espouse family values and DON'T cheat. It would be a very, very short list.
The story of Governor Sanford of South Carolina was particularly juicy given his cover story of hiking in the Appalachians (code words for doing the horizontal boogie in Argentina).
How totally selfish to sneak out of the country to have an affair and leave the State without anyone in charge. Man that little lady in Argentina must be something special or he's been hitting the Viagra way too hard.
The story was covered (and may I say almost to death) by David Mattingly, Joe Johns, Candy Crowley, Dr. Drew Pinsky, press coverage footage and quotes from the couples emails.Amateur video from Tehran, television confessions and more heavy handedness by The Supreme Leader topped Iran news on Wednesday. Ivan Watson (who is quickly becoming one of my favorites) talked with AC about the possibility of escalating violence in Iran. An audio account of purported crowd beatings was played describing what a woman saw happening to protesters. Reza Sayah then joined AC to talk about his ouster from Iran. He was given an opportunity to stay if he would only report positive stories. If he refused the government could no longer guarantee his safety. He wisely chose to return to the US.After the break Abbas Milani of Stanford joined Reza and Anderson to discuss the crackdown in Iran. The Professor said the opposition is rumored to be trying to organize a nationwide strike. Reza told of plainclothes police who blend in with the masses working normal jobs until a crisis arises. They are called into service by the government and through beatings, shootings, etc they work to stem the movement toward an overthrow. While looking for information I found these pictures of the Basij Reza talked about riding motorcycles in Tehran and aiming guns at unsuspecting citizens. To read the 'Rotten Gods' blog just follow the link.

Erica Hill's 360 News and Business Bulletin:

- A bomb ripped through a market place in eastern Baghdad killing 62 people
- Signaling problems may have caused the subway crash Monday in DC
- Citigroup is boosting salaries
- Italian Prime Minister is denying paying for sex
-Former high school football player shot and killed his coach
-The researcher who found a lump in her breast while living at the South Pole has died at age 57
- Tricky Dickey's audio tapes are the gift that keeps giving. In the newest installment he talks of abortion being justified for interracial pregnancies
- French tennis player Michael Llodra ran head first into a ball girl on the sidelines. Both are OK.
And congratulations to Kay Jones, 360 Producer par excellence who won Wednesday's 'Beat 360'. So Kay you managed to get AC to say 'crap' on air, next time try for 'WTF'!

So there you have it for the Wednesday edition of AC360. Not sure what to expect tomorrow night. I know the Roxana Saberi special is scheduled along with stories of other imprisoned journalists, but is it repeated in the second hour or do we get a live AC360? Stay tuned.~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.

TV isn't bad for you?

Hey, it's Cyn again -- Phebe is taking the night off. (I imagine many of you are, too!)

Campbell Brown sits in tonight, and I have to say she annoyed me right put of the box with the cutesy intros. Whatever.

When we get into the news, we start with an update of events in Iran, and thankfully Ivan Watson is there to handle this with some seriousness. Sadly, things seem to be dying out because there is no leader to help focus the protestors. There is some hope that the Shia 40-day mourning period may give a way to reignite the protests, as they did 30 years ago, but that remains to be seen.

Candy Crowley gives a glimpse of the women who have risen up and stood strong in the face of the violence from the state. Campbell then speaks with Fareed Zakaria and Azar Nafisi (author of Reading Lolita in Tehran) about the current situation and the reason so many women are fighting for their rights. Fareed also talks about the people who have been scooped up by the regime (including Newsweek's correspondent) and whether the state will throw out their own rule of law.

Erica Hill has the 360 Bulletin: President Obama sending an ambassador to Syria; investigators continue to look at the DC Metro crash; Swedish ambassador was allowed to visit Laura Ling and Euna Lee; home sales rise as prices drop; Ed McMahon died today at 86 years old.

Two Iranian-American women who have just returned from Iran talked to CNN. One woman has a broken ankle and thumb from being trampled by a crowd trying to escape the beatings by the Basij thugs. Tom Foreman covered Obama's tough statement today, which of course was not enough for the Fox News crowd. But anything we say is fuel for the regime's claim that we are orchestrating the events in the streets.

Campbell talks strategy with Hilary Rosen and Dylan Glenn (Former National Economic Council Member) about whether Obama is being tough enough. I really don't think this is a debate, but I have had it up-to-here with the people on the right who are against anything Obama does. If he personally handed every American a million dollars tax-free and at no cost to the country, they would still find a way to criticize him. Hey, y'all remember when you guys considered it unpatriotic to say anything negative about the president?

South Carolina's governor Mark Sanford is supposedly no longer missing. David Mattingly is at the Columbia, SC airport, where he found the gov's car; inside, he can see a canvas bag, running shoes, and a sleeping bag. Hmm. The governor's wife has not heard from him, the Lieutenant Governor has not heard from him... Dude, seriously, you need to cover your tracks better than this.

Abbie Boudreau reports on the program to built a tunnel to get turtles safely under a busy roadway rather than having then be squished. It sounds like a nice, humane thing to do, but somehow I doubt the turtles will like the new expensive tunnel any more than they do the old one. And the point is that the stimulus funds were not meant for projects like this that will create a handful of short-term jobs. If there was less paperwork involved in getting things "shovel-ready" this whole stimulus thing might be working better.

The second 360 Bulletin: swine flu may have started in Asia rather than Mexico; no prison time for a Chicago cop who viciously beat a female bartender for refusing to serve him; Obama answers another question about his smoking habit; 9-year-old survived in the woods because he learned it on a TV show. Erica points out that he could have learned that from reading Hansel & Gretel. (Or from being a Boy Scout!)

The Shot: a recant from the 18-year-old Belgian girl claims she fell asleep while a tattoo artist put 56 stars on her face... gosh, she lied because her dad was upset? I'm shocked. As are Erica and Campbell, of course.

A sorta-kinda bonus -- Anderson is interviewing Roxana Saberi for Thursday's program. The graphic:

That's it from me this week. No, really, I mean it this time...!


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.