$$ Money $$

March 5, 2009

“Survivor: United States”?

Posted: 10:30 AM ET

Program Note: Make sure to check out the next CNN Money Summit on Friday, March 6 at 11 p.m. ET.

Ali Velshi
CNN Chief Business Correspondent

The TV show “Survivor” picks a new location every year. Gabon, Micronesia and China have been the last three. Considering the state of the economy, maybe next season should be “Survivor: United States”?

Americans are scared about their economic future, and with good reason. Right now more than 11 million people are out of work, and the unemployment rate is fast approaching a dismal 8 percent. Even those who are lucky enough to be employed are nervous about their job security and future prospects.

And what do nervous consumers do? They spend frugally, hoarding the rest of their cash for dark days ahead. They avoid making major purchases, like cars or homes- both of which are seeing their values nose-dive. That in turn hits businesses, which then need to cut costs themselves, which usually leads to…you guessed it: more job cuts!

And so the self-reinforcing cycle continues, over and over, and the U.S. economy spirals down, down, down.

Perhaps we aren’t totally forsaken. After all the president, Congress, and the Federal Reserve are working overtime trying to turn the economy around, churning out fix-it plans left and right. There’s the bank bailout plan, the stimulus plan, the mortgage plan, the bank and credit program, and the billions upon billions of dollars each of those entails.

Can the government really get us out there buying again through pure force of will (and legislation)? And can these huge recovery programs actually have any effect on your mortgage, your retirement savings, or- perhaps most importantly- your job?

We’ll examine these issues on the CNN Money Summit. Send us your questions and tune in for answers on Friday, March 6 at 11 p.m. ET.

Heroes on NBC too

Brian Williams Receives Pleas--for Good News

6-Mar-2009
Written by: John Winn

Brian Williams is no stranger to breaking bad news. As anchor of the “Nightly News,” he’s used to headlines about war and economic distress. Now viewers want something else from him--good news.

According to the AP, Williams has received a flurry of emails in the past several days, pleading for a respite from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the global economic crisis.

"We are always looking for good news," he wrote on his Daily Nightly news blog at dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com. "Here's our request: Nominate good people who are doing good things where you live or work. Perhaps a random or regular act of kindness in a cruel economy. Please read suggestions below."

The concept bears similarities to CNN's “Heroes” segment and awards show, managed and anchored by Anderson Cooper.

The first of several upbeat stories wil premiere on the NBC Nightly News tonight.

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Steve?

One Franchise Fagola Blind Vice

Today 10:50 AM PST by Ted Casablanca

Shocker! There's yet another secret gay actor whose star is rising faster than Chris Brown's temper! Right now, No-Beave Steve has a decent gig making a name for himself playing loveable but hateful characters.

So much so, these semi notorious parts have landed him a sizeable part in a major movie franchise. In seconds, Steve, whose looks are as sultry as his kiss (say his boyfriends), is poised to become the next the, no question.

But isn't it interesting that standing right there, right by Steve's hunky side on all those requisite red-carpets will be...

...not a fake girlfriend. What?! Is this dude on crack? Doesn't he know that's how you get ahead (and stay ahead) in this superficial town of ersatz relationships and even faker People magazine spreads? Yes, he does, actually, and he doesn't give a crap. I so love this guy!

Close buds to No-Beave insist, assure and swear on their equally humpy hearts that NBS has made it an edict that he will not be participating in the only-for-show romance game so many of his movies' handlers have tried to make him participate in. As I said, fab. Just can't wait for the first reporter to call him on what he so obviously plans on not hiding? Will it be Perez? Me? The Star? Harvey Levin?

Or maybe, just maybe, it's gonna be Anderson Cooper...stay tuned.

It Ain't: Ed Westwick, Phillip Rhys, Tristan Wilds

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Ed Westwick plays Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl

Phillip Rhys plays Jude Sawyer in Nip/Tuck

Tristan Wilds stars as Dixon
in 90210

Anderson Cooper plays a journalist... No, wait a minute... Anderson Cooper IS a journalist in CNN, actually, Anderson Cooper is THE BEST journalist in CNN (scratch that) in TV, period.

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March 4-10, 2009
La Dolce Musto
...which married superstar with multiple Oscar nominations went on a cruise with his boy toy, during which time they ordered up every movie the actor has ever been in and cozily watched them in their cabin? I guess to this guy, porn is basically himself. If the trapdoor to his ego ever opens up, he might finally end up stretching his soul like I did this week. To great applause!

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Who are these mystery GAY men everybody talks about but nobody names?

Mr. Postman

Neither rain, nor sleet nor snow nor dark of night...




"Where is Julio, he's three minutes late already and I'm getting all wet!"


"It's March, for crying out loud, why it's still snowing? What ever happened to global warming?"


"Eh... Do you realize I'm not a postman, huh?
Not that there is anything wrong with that."

More Recio

A sequence trio of photographs of Anderson, Recio and their friends leaving Barry Diller's pre-Oscar party on the Saturday before Oscar night. Thanks A_O for your Flickr Photostream.

Are they in San Francisco, that's were the streets are slanted, or Los Angeles? Wherever it is they are in California, according to the licence plates on the car.

As for what Anderson is doing, is he checking the car tires? Looking for loose change? Looking for a place to hide from the photographer? Whom, by the way, must have been hiding in a car across the street. Anderson seems not to realize somebody is taking his picture, repeatedly.

FYI: More Recio (the title of this post) in Spanish translates into Mas Recio = Harder! Not that it has anything to do with the pictures, unless you'd like to make it so.

What Happened to 2006?

Somebody has been keeping tabs on Anderson and his long time S.O. Julio Cesar Recio. Thank God! And thank Karen Kooper for the chronological collage and to A_O for posting the photo on Flickr.

Perhaps somebody could explain the missing year: lack of interest, temporary break up, infidelity?! The plot thickens...

Rushbag

Thursday, Mar 05

Limbaugh: White House "Playing Manipulative Games With Washed Up Talking Heads Targeting Me"

Rush Limbaugh has been the talk of cable news this week. The latest came in Wednesday's Politico story claiming that there is a targeted effort by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and CNN's Paul Begala and James Carville to keep Limbaugh in the news cycle, due in part to his high negatives.

A short time ago on his radio show, Limbaugh responded.

The White House has its chief of staff playing manipulative games with washed up talking heads, targeting me on the taxpayer dime. This country doesn't need another administration playing dirty tricks and making enemy lists.
Last night on Anderson Cooper 360, Begala was pressed by Cooper over his involvement. "You didn't answer the question. Are you working...as part of a concerted effort to do this?" asked Cooper.

"I don't know what you mean by 'concerted effort,'" responded Begala. "I guess the short answer is no. I do what I do."

But Begala ultimately disputed the Politico story: "I have a long history of disliking Rush...I don't take orders from Rahm Emanuel."



Posted by SteveK | 12:45 PM | Politics

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Peter's Comment: Why are they even discussing this item? Paul Begala has always criticized Rush Limbaugh, the White House has always criticized Rush Limbaugh, they don't need a "conspiracy" to criticize Rush Limbaugh. What's the point of this dilemma? It's pointless, useless, it just wastes time and space for real important news.

Diesel, Not Really

I post in here only the last two of what gaywired.com considers "five of the biggest stories in fashion" and only the last one, which is really not about Anderson, but were they mention him the way only fans like us know and love to see in print, real or viral.

But if you are curious about the first three stories, they are about Britney Spears, Paul Smith and Pamela Anderson... I thought so, you're not interested, huh?

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By Matt Bell | Article Date: 3/05/2009 3:00 AM

Got five minutes for five of the biggest stories in fashion? Ready! Set! Go!


Love how your butt looks in some Diesel denim? Then you might just want to rest yours on a little something from the fashion brand's new furniture line. Diesel will unveil the collection this April at the International Furniture Design Exhibition in Milan and prices are said to range from $256 up to $5,195.


Finally, not that you need a reason other than Anderson Cooper to tune into CNN, but we thought you might want to know that they'll be airing the result of their reality camera-style tour with French Vogue editor (and oft-rumored Anna Wintour replacement) Carine Roitfeld starting on March 18th.

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THIS is real Fashion, even if a bit old, but Anderson wears it like the latests styles!






And then there is the best, our favorite,
Anderfashion!

Denver - DNC

Democratic National Convention 2008 in Denver


(Above and below) Anderson with John Jones from The Daily Show. What are they doing here?
Only their hairdresser knows.



Anderson with a group of people I have no idea who they are,
probably crew people and probably I'm wrong.

Anderson with Charles Barkley inside of the CNN Grill.

The Studio

3 pictures of Anderson in the studio.
Courtesy of Facebook.

AC on Facebook

Who's Sharing on Facebook? U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,''Anderson Cooper 360,' U2, Britney Spears, Lance Armstrong, Dwyane Wade, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, The New York Times, CNN and More are on Facebook

Posted: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:28:00 GMT
Author: Facebook
Category: Press Release
News Alerts by Email click here)

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 4 CA-Who's-on-Facebook

Over 175 Million Users Can Connect to the Famous on Facebook

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing that political leaders, celebrities, professional athletes, media outlets, and public figures are always looking for innovative and creative ways to directly reach their audiences, Facebook today introduced new tools for the most popular influencers in the world to broadcast messages instantly and connect with the millions of people using Facebook each day.

Those who use Facebook's new public profiles, currently called Facebook Pages, will be able to share all types of content with an unlimited number of users. Shared content can be brief messages or may include photos and videos and will soon appear in News Feed, Facebook's popular service that streams what people you care about are doing, thinking, saying, watching, photographing and reading right now. Facebook users can then easily make connections, comment on posted content and join the online conversations with the famous - just as they can with a family member, friend or colleague.

To showcase the new, rich features, Facebook partnered with several world-renowned individuals and organizations:

• President Obama is rallying support for new U.S. policies and initiatives"The

• Oprah Winfrey Show" is giving viewers a new way to interact

• U2 is connecting with fans of their new album

• CNN is providing breaking developments to news junkies

• Stanford University is sharing its discoveries and knowledge

• The NBA's star athletes are posting photos and video highlights from their games

• LIVESTRONG is empowering cancer survivors and advocates in the global fight against cancer and raising awareness about the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign

"We are excited about our new presence on Facebook and the new capabilities it offers for us to connect with fans and potential guests," said Sheri Salata, executive producer, "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"Facebook is such a cool and easy way for me to connect with my fans while I'm on the road," said Britney Spears. "I love that I can update my status, blog and post videos and photos all in one place."

"This new Facebook profile for 'Anderson Cooper 360' allows us to have a constant dialogue with a community on Facebook," said David Doss, senior executive producer of "Anderson Cooper 360." "We'll be communicating breaking news and insider perspective directly from the 360 newsroom."

"Connecting our supporters with our new profile helps us build awareness for our cause, spread vital disaster relief information and quickly mobilize millions of volunteers through updates and Facebook events," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.

People can sign up or log on to Facebook at www.facebook.com to connect with any of these celebrities and public entities at the following URLs:

• American Red Cross: http://www.facebook.com/redcross

• Anderson Cooper 360: http://www.facebook.com/andersoncooper360

• Ashton Kutcher: http://www.facebook.com/ashtonkutcher

• Baron Davis: ht'p://www.facebook.com/barondavis

• Britney Spears: http://www.facebook.com/britneyspears

• CNN: http://www.facebook.com/cnn

• Demi Moore: http://www.facebook.com/demimoore

• Dwyane Wade: http://www.facebook.com/dwyanewade

• Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: http://www.facebook.com/joinarnoldGovernor

• Sarah Palin: http://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin

• Lance Armstrong: http://www.facebook.com/lancearmstrong

• LIVESTRONG: http://www.facebook.com/livestrong

• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: http://www.facebook.com/latenightwithjimmyfallon

• Michael Phelps: http://www.facebook.com/michaelphelps

• National Basketball Association (NBA): http://www.facebook.com/nba

• NBA Development League: http://www.facebook.com/nbadleague

• Paul Pierce: http://www.facebook.com/paulpierce

• President Barack Obama: http://www.facebook.com/barackobama

• President Nicolas Sarkozy: http://www.facebook.com/nicolassarkozy

• ServiceNation: http://www.facebook.com/servicenation

• Stanford University: http://www.facebook.com/stanford

• The Colbert Report: http://www.facebook.com/thecolbertreport

• The New York Times: http://www.facebook.com/nytimes

• The Oprah Winfrey Show: http://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfreyshow

• The Today Show: http://www.facebook.com/kathieleeandhoda

• WNBA: http://www.facebook.com/wnba

• U2: http://www.facebook.com/U2


The company has created step-by-step instructions for any public figure or organization wanting to create a presence on Facebook. In addition, Facebook offers best-practice suggestions for public figures, non-profits or other organizations, entertainers and bands. This can be found at http://www.facebook.com/publicprofiles.

Evolving to Profiles for Everyone and Everything on Facebook

Facebook is moving towards offering everyone and everything on the site the same experience as with profiles - personal web pages that currently represent each of the more than 175 million users on Facebook. In the next week, all administrators of Facebook Pages will have the opportunity to make changes to the new design and can publish the updated design for all users to see whenever they choose. On March 11th, these Pages will automatically change to the new profile design.

Public profiles will be familiar to all Facebook users because they have the same look and function as the current profiles, including these popular features:

• Wall - The Wall displays the most recent and relevant information on a profile. The Wall is a collection of what a celebrity or public entity shares as well as what those connected to them are sharing. People can now easily comment on the content posted.

• Publisher - Just as a user can add content such as status updates, photos, and videos to any of their connections' profiles, the Publisher provides a simple interface for sharing content.

• Tabs and Applications - Celebrities and public entities choose the default Tab that all users see when they land on their profile. Some applications that a celebrity or public entity has added to their profile are featured on the Boxes Tab.

• News Feed - Users will receive updates in News Feed from public profiles just like how they receive updates from their friends and family. Every time users visit Facebook, they'll see the latest content from their friends, celebrities, and others they care about.


About Facebook
Founded in February 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Anyone can sign up for Facebook and interact with the people they know in a trusted environment. Facebook is a privately-held company and is headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

Facebook(R) is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Facebook

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Pictures of Anderson from his Facebook site:




Added about 7 months ago

You can get a whole lot more here: Anderson Cooper 360's photos

Or check out his profile here: Anderson Cooper 360's Profile

AC, The Speaker

Journalist emphasizes factual storytelling

Emily Rios
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Life

He's traveled the world covering wars and disasters. He has interviewed political leaders and celebrities and won three Emmys. He his one of our country's best-known journalists.

But CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's main focus is telling stories of ordinary people who are dealing with extraordinary circumstances.

That was the message he delivered on Feb. 17 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium as a contributor to the venue's Distinguished Speaker Series.

Born on June 3, 1967 to writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and designer and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, the anchor had no formal journalistic training, but he graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science.

"I had studied communism, but when the Berlin Wall fell I was totally screwed," he said.

Cooper was unsure of the direction he wanted his life to take, but he did fall in love with the differences he saw in Africa after he traveled there.

After failing to get an entry level job at ABC, Cooper was hired as a fact checker for Channel One, a news provider aimed at teens.

Cooper created his own opportunities-he had a friend make him a fake press pass-and began traveling to war zones by himself to get into the news business.

"Until traveling to Somalia, I had never seen starvation or children die by me," he said " I was educated all over the world. Working in places where pain and loss are palpable helped me realize that I should cover all types of stories."

Covering politics can be frustrating, Cooper said. While he respects journalists whose political shows lean toward certain sides, he said that he feels it is important that his show be balanced, though people should remain open."As a journalist I believe in facts, not opinions," he said. "It is important that we do not close ourselves off from the viewpoints of others."

Cooper emphasized that people must know where their information is coming from. He commented that Hurricane Katrina is the best example of why reporting still matters.

He told the story of Ethel Freeman, a 91-year-old wheelchair-bound resident of New Orleans who along with her son, left her home to seek help at the Convention Center. With no medical care available, Freeman died. Her son, Herbert Freeman, stayed with her body as long as he could before he was evacuated. He wrote his personal information on a piece of paper, stuck it in his mother's pocket, ,and covered her body with a blanket.

In the aftermath of the hurricane countless media outlets used a photograph of Freeman's body.

It took her son seven months to track down Freeman's body at a morgue in Louisiana.

At the close of his address, Cooper was asked how he dealt with being a first-hand witness to the pain of others without letting it cloud his judgment as a reporter.

"I grew up a WASP, so I was bred to suppress my emotions," Cooper joked. "But it is important to be moved by things and be affected, but you learn to control it."

Above everything, Cooper continuously emphasized the importance he sees in covering the stories of people whose names you might never remember.

His advice to young people was to find their voice in their writing and to strive to out-work everyone else.

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