Friday, October 31, 2008
Haven't We All Been There...
I admit it: I'm a CNN addict
Sarah Hampson
shampson@globeandmail.com
October 31, 2008
Iam not alone.
I know, because at dinner the other night my friend confessed the same thing.
"Lou Dobbs," she moaned in mock exasperation. "I can't manage without Lou Dobbs."
And that's when I admitted it, too, right then and there, over my fettuccine.
My name is Sarah, and I am a CNN-a-holic.
I started to check in with Wolf and Lou and Larry years ago, whenever big news warranted it. But now, with the dramatic American election next Tuesday, I have reached a new level of CNNism.
Last week, I actually thought of leaving a production of Dirty Dancing at intermission so I could go home, put on my PJs and see what Anderson Cooper had to say.
It's all part of the entertainment reality show of contemporary American politics. There are the compelling narratives of the candidates, and then, on CNN at least, the hosts who embody archetypes of modern American society. Who needs to watch soap operas? Or read novels, for that matter?
A night with CNN is like checking in with a colourful array of characters, straight out of central casting. Who has a name like Wolf Blitzer except some construct in a white beard who addresses the nation's ills in a news set called The Situation Room?
Still, it's Lou, Lou with his nuclear teeth, that really gets me going. His veneers are so white they're like brand new halogen headlights on an old, beat-up Buick. He is Mr. Independent, we are told, and he huffs and puffs and goes into great shows of indignant disgust over the actions of John McCain and Henry Paulson and Barack Obama - anyone, really, as long as they are in the news. He shamelessly panders to the disaffected and undecided voters. It's all part of his shtick, his brand of crotchety-buzzard punditry. Sigh, no one annoys me so perfectly.
At 8 p.m., Campbell Brown follows with her "No Bias, No Bull" hour on politics. There's a lot of Campbell Soup about Ms. Brown, who looks like a soccer mom out on a date. (And did you hear her personal news on Tuesday night? She announced that she's pregnant with her second child.) When she admonishes the politicians in a short monologue at the start of her show, it's hard not to feel that she's lecturing a bunch of poorly behaved schoolboys. She is asking for the truth - no bias, no bull - just like a mother with her hands on her hips who wants to know where in the world her 14-year-old has been until God knows what hour of the night.
Then comes Larry King. Is it me or is he becoming more bad-tempered? The king of the softball questions has taken to jutting his jaw out in the manner of a grandpa adjusting his dentures.
Anderson Cooper, at 10 p.m., is Mr. Ralph Lauren. The son of socialite and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, he has the entitled air of someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But he tries so hard to hide it! He goes to hurricane hot spots and reports from flooded streets in hip waders, like a Ken doll reporter-dude who can empathize with the masses and get dirty, too.
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__________________________________________Of course, the pundits and reporters the hosts bring on - often the same ones, hour after hour - are addictive, too. They are, as we are incessantly reminded, part of "the best political team on television." Comedian Jessi Klein even sent an early Valentine to David Gergen, Mr. Bad Comb-over, the respected adviser to several presidents. "Keep on being all adorable and Gergeny and we will keep loving you," she said in a videotaped message, likening his voice to "white-noise machines that make ocean noises." She made her tribute as a joke on Mr. Anderson's show while Mr. Gergen was there. (Don't be fooled by Mr. Anderson's silver hair, by the way. He's such a boy-scout type, but he likes to play pranks on his guests.)
People have other media addictions this election season. On Saturday, I phoned a friend who said she couldn't talk right then because she was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the Internet. "It's my fix," she explained. She also can't stop checking in with politico.com and huffingtonpost.com.
I like all those, too, but it's CNN that has changed my habits.
"Mom," my 21-year-old son said in horror the other night. "You're watching CNN again?" He looked very concerned, like a parent. "You're becoming one of those people..." he trailed off, suggesting I was on the slippery slope of midlife, couch-potato decline.
"Yes," I replied calmly. "I am."
For now. Rehab starts Wednesday, the morning after the election.
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Pictures and graphic from Peter's archives.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Election Day at CNN
Thursday, Oct 30
CNN's Election Night Plans
CNN's Election Night in America coverage kicks off at 6pmET on Tuesday, with Wolf Blitzer leading the BPTOT and Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper anchoring as well.John King will work the "Magic Wall," throughout the night, while Soledad O'Brien and Bill Schneider handle exit-polling data (on "two 103-inch interactive plasma screens").
Lou Dobbs contributes throughout the night, as well as hosting a live Lou Dobbs Tonight at 9pmET on Headline News. American Morning starts at 3amET on Wednesday morning.
Also back — the CNN Grill, which was a popular spot for bloggers at the conventions.
After more than a year and a half of debates, primaries and political rallies, the U.S. presidential election will culminate on Tuesday, Nov. 4, with live, comprehensive programming and in-depth analysis across the powerful resources of CNN Worldwide platforms.
CNN's "Election Night in America" coverage begins at 6 p.m. (ET) – one hour before the first polls close – with Wolf Blitzer leading the Best Political Team on Television along with Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper from the Election Center headquarters in New York.
As he has throughout most of this presidential election cycle, chief national correspondent John King will use the latest technology as well as his reporting from every battleground state of this campaign to zero in on hotly contested states and provide analysis – down to a county-by-county level – to explain CNN's projections in each state. Using CNN's "Magic Wall" and a 3-D, 6-foot-long virtual U.S. Capitol, King will break down data about the presidential race and report on updates to the House and Senate balance of power.
In addition, Soledad O'Brien and Bill Schneider will, for the first time, showcase exit-polling data simultaneously from all 50 states with demographic comparisons. By using two 103-inch interactive plasma screens, the team will display a state-by-state breakdown of polling data according to any number of demographic and political groups. The new way of presenting polling information will allow viewers to compare how others in their state voted compared to those in different states.
Throughout the evening, senior analysts Gloria Borger, David Gergen and Jeffrey Toobin and political contributors Paul Begala, Bill Bennett, Donna Brazile, James Carville, Alex Castellanos, Amy Holmes, Roland Martin, Ed Rollins, Hilary Rosen, Leslie Sanchez and Tara Wall will provide analysis and commentary. CNN political correspondents Candy Crowley, Suzanne Malveaux and Jessica Yellin will report live throughout the evening from Sen. Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in Chicago, while correspondents Dana Bash and Ed Henry will be on the ground at Sen. John McCain's headquarters in Phoenix. In addition, CNN correspondents will be on the ground reporting from key battleground states.
Adding to what promises to be one of the most technologically advanced events in CNN's 28-year history, CNN will enhance interviews with remote correspondents and guests using hologram projection. The network has built sets powered by hologram technology at both campaign headquarters making it possible to project three-dimensional images into the Election Center. From the New York set, anchors will exhibit more natural conversations with newsmakers and CNN correspondents in the field by interacting in real time with their 3-D virtual images.
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__________________________________________CNN Programming Pre- and Post-Election Day
Amid CNN's multi-platform coverage, anchor Lou Dobbs will provide his independent perspective on this pivotal election. Special editions of Lou Dobbs Tonight will air live on Headline News on Monday, Nov. 3, and Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 9 p.m. (ET).
CNN's live pre-Election Day coverage begins on Monday, Nov. 3, at 6 a.m. and will continue through Thursday, Nov. 6. On Monday evening, CNN’s prime-time coverage kicks off with Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull and includes two live hours of Anderson Cooper 360 followed by a live midnight airing of Larry King Live. CNN/U.S. will remain live from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., at which time American Morning with anchors Kiran Chetry and John Roberts will begin its Election Day coverage. On Wednesday, Nov. 5, American Morning will follow-up on the election news of the day before beginning at 3 a.m. (ET)
CNN Coverage of Voter Irregularities:
On Election Day, CNN will assemble "go teams" of correspondents and producers who will report on breaking election news and voting irregularities. Throughout the day, CNN’s Ali Velshi will anchor reports on voting irregularities from the "go teams," and legal experts will track and analyze such issues across the country.
As announced earlier in the month, CNN launched the Voter Hotline at 1.877.GOCNN08 (877.462.6608) to assist voters in reporting any problems or irregularities noticed at the polls. To date, the hotline has received more than 15,000 calls with the expectation to handle hundreds of thousands of calls by Election Night.
CNN.com Election Coverage:
As the premier online destination for Election Day coverage, CNN.com will showcase real-time election coverage and live results for national and state races, detailed exit-polling data, video and audio feeds, photo galleries and games. Users can customize their online experience by selecting the races they most care about and viewing results by state and county, as well as scorecards, maps and live streams of speeches.
CNNPolitics.com, the site's political news gateway, will feature complete coverage and analysis as the results are tallied. Members of the Best Political Team will share their insights on the Political Ticker, the Internet's No. 1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online. Also, through The Forum, CNN.com's destination for social and political self-expression, users are empowered to engage in real-time discussions with other registered members and invite their Facebook friends to join in the conversation through the recently launched Facebook Connect.
CNN.com Live will stream "Election Night in America" in its entirety, plus provide real-time election results and commentary from CNN analysts, contributors and correspondents. Throughout the day, CNN.com Live anchor Melissa Long will co-anchor a live Election Special from the CNN Election Center in New York with various guests, contributors and members of the Best Political Team on Television. As results start coming in, CNN.com Live will have special Election Night coverage with Long from New York and Reggie Aqui, Naamua Delaney and Nicole Lapin from CNN Headquarters in Atlanta. CNN.com will also offer users the ability to watch past candidate speeches online through video on-demand, CNN.com Live and full text transcripts.
CNN Grill/Times Square Viewing Party:
Building upon the success of the CNN Grills at both conventions as well as 2006's "CNN Election Nite Blog Party," the network will open a CNN Grill inside the Time Warner Center Park Café from 6 p.m. to midnight (ET). Internet reporter Abbi Tatton will report live for CNN.com Live from the Grill throughout the night. Comments from bloggers in the Grill will post at CNN.com.
Also on Election Day from noon to midnight, CNN will hold a viewing party in Times Square in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance. The public, on a first-come, first-served basis, will be able to view CNN's election coverage on Spectacolor HD, ClearChannel Spectacolor’s digital display, located at the corner of 47th Street and Broadway. Similar viewing events for Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speeches attracted more than a thousand spectators to the heart of Times Square.
CNN's International Coverage:
Viewers from around the world also will also have the opportunity to follow the U.S. presidential election as CNN International simulcasts many hours of CNN's non-stop coverage. The network has teams in place in more than 32 countries with correspondents in Obama's ancestral home town in Kenya as well as in Iraq, Israel and key capitals of Europe, Asia and Latin America. CNN Espanol also will provide rolling coverage of America Votes 2008. In addition, CNN-branded global networks and digital services such as CNN IBN in India, CNN Turk in Turkey, CNN+ in Spain and CNNArabic.com, CNN's Arabic language Web site will provide on-going coverage of "Election Night in America."
CNN Radio/CNN Newsource/CNN Students News:
CNN Radio will have continuous anchored Election Night coverage by CNN Radio Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins and CNN anchor Kyra Phillips. It will be available to CNN Radio affiliates worldwide and streamed online at CNN.com beginning at 7 p.m. (ET). CNN Radio correspondent Jim Roope will report live from McCain campaign headquarters and CNN Radio correspondent Amanda Moyer from Obama campaign headquarters. Also contributing will be CNN Radio correspondents Steve Kastenbaum, Ed McCarthy and Dick Uliano along with members of CNN’s Best Political Team on Television. CNN Newsource will provide its affiliates access to custom reports from correspondents Kate Bolduan and Sandra Endo and RunningMate correspondent Samantha Hayes.
The day after voters head to the polls, CNN Student News will focus on the last-minute campaigns and voter turnout and present the results of the presidential and congressional elections at its regularly scheduled programming time. Teachers, parents and students can visit CNN Student News for election activities and discussion questions about the elections. The “Talking Democracy†link provides additional free content that focuses on election-related concepts, such as the right to vote, campaign finance and debates. CNN Student News is a 10-minute commercial-free program on Headline News at 4 a.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, streamed online at www.CNNStudentNews.com or as a free iTunes podcast.
Posted by SteveK | 04:04 PM | CNN
Halloween Is Coming!
A cabbie picks up a Nun. She gets into the cab, and notices that the VERY handsome cab driver won't stop staring at her.
She asks him why he is staring. He replies: "I have a question to ask, but I don't want to offend you."
She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."
"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."
She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic."
The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"
"OK" the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."
The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
"My dear child," said the nun, "Why are you crying?"
"Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess; I'm married and I'm Jewish."
The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Anderson and I'm going to a Halloween party."
NOTE: Of course, the original joke didn't have Anderson as the nun; but I couldn't resist. Happy Halloween, Anderson!
She asks him why he is staring. He replies: "I have a question to ask, but I don't want to offend you."
She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."
"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."
She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that: #1, you have to be single and #2, you must be Catholic."
The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"
"OK" the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."
The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.
But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.
"My dear child," said the nun, "Why are you crying?"
"Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied and I must confess; I'm married and I'm Jewish."
The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Anderson and I'm going to a Halloween party."
NOTE: Of course, the original joke didn't have Anderson as the nun; but I couldn't resist. Happy Halloween, Anderson!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Snore Ad
News Brief
SnoreStop To Air Political Spoof Ad Friday
Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008 -- 2:03 PM ET
To tie in with the waning days of the presidential election, the makers of SnoreStop will air an ad on Friday during CNN's "Larry King Live," "Lou Dobbs Tonight" and "Anderson Cooper 360°."
"Who do you want answering that phone?" a voice asks as viewers see a nighttime shot of the White House and hear a man loudly snoring, drowning out the sound of the phone's ring. "How about someone who can hear it?" a sarcastic wife asks. It ends with a tagline of, "Your wife approves this message."--Nina M. Lentini
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(00:10 min.)
From: snorestop97
Added: October 13, 2008
Description: Parody of the 3am commercial a reminder that you don't even want the president to be snoring away in the White House
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjqxos3693Q
Politics Are Good For Us
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
CNN #1
Tuesday, Oct 28
October Ratings - CNN's Demo Victories at 3, 4, 5, 10 & 11
With a strong October, Anderson Cooper 360 is now the #1 show at 10pmET in the A25-54demo for the year. AC360 leads FNC's On the Record by a slim 4% in the demo. Greta Van Susteren's show still leads in Total Viewers.
CNN was also #1 in the demo at 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 11pm ET. Twitter phenom Rick Sanchez averaged 312,000 viewers in October compared to FNC's Studio B with 309,000 and MSNBC Live's 178,000.
CNN is #1 at 10p in 2008 Among Adults 25-54
CNN has the Most Growth in Prime Time During October
CNN Tops FNC at 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11p in 25-54
HLN Grows by Double-Digits Every Hour in Total Viewers and the Demo
CNN.com Breaks Multiple Records in September
Year to date, Anderson Cooper 360 remains the #1 show at 10p among cable news networks with 461k in 25-54, 4% ahead of On The Record's 443k and 77% ahead of MSNBC's Countdown replay (260k).
In prime time (M-Su), CNN grew the most during the month of October versus last year, increasing by an impressive 241% among adults 25-54 (840k vs. 246k), FNC grew 160% and MSNBC was up 212%. Beginning at 7p, CNN showed record growth in October with Lou Dobbs Tonight increasing 115% in total viewers (1.333 vs. 621k) and growing 110% among adults 25-54 (428k vs. 204k). At 8p, Campbell Brown: No Bias No Bull (formerly Election Center) increased more than any cable news program in the hour, up a whopping 190% in total viewers (1.604 vs. 554k) and increased 202% in 25-54 (610k vs. 202k). Larry King Live at 9p also posted significant increases, up 93% in total viewers (1.962 vs. 1.014k) and increased 128% in adults 25-54 (674k vs 296k). Anderson Cooper 360 at 10p posted the greatest growth in its hour with an increase of 238% in total viewers (2.451 vs. 726k) and up a staggering 297% in 25-54 (989k vs. 249k). Anderson Cooper 360 at 11p continued to post the most growth in its hour with 256% increase in total viewers (1.699 vs. 477k) and 263% in 25-54 (770k vs. 212k).
CNN is now the #1 network among adults 25-54 during five key hours: 3p, 4p, 5p 10p and 11p. At 3p, CNN Newsroom hosted by Rick Sanchez averaged 312k in 25-54 in October compared to FNC's Studio B with 309k and 178k for MSNBC Live. At 4p, The Situation Room ranked #1 with 341k in adults 25-54, compared to 334k for FNC's Your World and MSNBC Live's 203k. At 5p The Situation Room posted 369k compared to 336k for FNC's Election Headquarters and MSNBC Hardball's 313k. At 10p Anderson Cooper 360 ranked #1 for the month with 989k in the demo versus 862k for On the Record, and 512k MSNBC's Countdown. At 11p, the second hour of Anderson Cooper 360 ranked first with 770k versus FNC's O'Reilly Factor repeat 597k and MSBNC's repeat of Rachael Maddow trailed with 351k.
During October, CNN's coverage of the presidential debates rated #1 among cable news networks in 25-54 (three of the four debates aired in October). Additionally, CNN's coverage of the vice presidential debate set a new record for the network in 18-34 with more than 3.166 million tuning in, the highest number for a scheduled broadcast in the network’s 28-year history.
Headline News grew its total viewer and demo audience by double-digits during every weekday hour and in every daypart in October. The network showed impressive growth with an 82% increase in total viewers in M-Su prime (666k vs. 365k) and a 94% increase in demo viewers (262k vs. 135k). Nancy Grace posted the most growth on the network with an increase of 127% in total viewers (1.191 vs. 454k) and 149% increase in 25-54 (454k vs. 182k).
CNN continues to reach more viewers in October with 79,012,000 total viewers tuning in during the month, FNC had 62,927,000, MSNBC 57,904,000, and HLN 55,323,000. Among 25-54 CNN again ranked first with 36,378,000; MSNBC was second with 28,235,000, FNC had 27,222,000 and HLN had 25,797,000.
In September, the CNN Digital Network ranked #1 among all Current Events and Global News sites, registering 1.7 billion total minutes for the month. This is the highest month on record for CNN.com since tracking began in 2001. (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel, September 2008)
During September, the CNN Digital Network also:
• Ranked #1 in share among all Current Events and Global News sites; (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel)
• Registered 44.4 minutes per person, the highest average time per person among the Top 5 News and Information sites based on reach -- and the highest average time spent on CNN.com in more than two years; (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel)
• Registered 37.3 million unique visitors in September, CNN.com’s second highest unique visitor count since tracking began (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel); and
• Generated 1.9 billion page views, the highest monthly count in almost three years. (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel)
• Served 144 million videos, the highest month ever for CNN.com video. (Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, Global)
September was also a record-setting month for CNNMoney.com - CNN's exclusive business site and the online home of FORTUNE, MONEY and FSB: FORTUNE Small Business magazines ' as its reach and engagement grew more than any other site in the business and financial news category according to Nielsen Online. CNNMoney.com's year-to-date numbers have also increased significantly with 142% growth in page views, a 121% increase in total minutes, a 73% rise in time per person and a 30% increase in unique users over this time last year. (Source: Nielsen Online and Omniture SiteCatlyst, Global)
In September, CNNMoney.com's month-over-month percentage increases were the highest among the top 10 business and financial news sites; and the site generated record-breaking traffic:
• 10.4 million unique visitors - up 46% versus prior month
• 257.2 million page views - up 58% versus prior month
• 192.8 million minutes - up 67% versus prior month
Additionally, CNN.com set multiple records on its political news and live video platforms during the month of September. On Monday, Sept. 1, the day Hurricane Gustav made landfall and the first day of the Republican National Convention, CNN Digital garnered more than 43 million page views and brought in more than 5.4 million unique users (Source: Nielsen Online Home/Work Panel). Also on that day, CNN.com Live served a record-breaking 1.8 million streams, a 124% increase over CNN.com Live's previous high on Feb. 21, when it served more than 700,000 streams amid the Democratic presidential debate in Austin, Texas. (Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, Global)
During the four days of the Republican National Convention, CNN Digital was the most used online news entity with 207.6 million usage minutes, 42.5 million more than Yahoo! News and 45.6 million more than MSNBC Digital.
On Friday, Sept. 26, the day of the first presidential debate, the CNN Digital Network ranked #1 in unique visitors, total minutes and page views. Also, on Sept. 26, the Political Ticker, the #1 political news blog according to Nielsen Online, set a new daily traffic record when it generated 4.8 million page views, nearly doubling its previous daily record, while CNNPolitics.com generated 12 million page views, a 91-percent increase over the prior four-week period. (Source: Omniture SiteCatylist, Global).
Posted by Chris | 02:47 PM
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Does He or Doesn't He?
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According to MediaMatters*, Mr McCain said in 2001 that he didn't support the tax cuts for the rich; but, according to this video posted on their own web site, it seems that he has changed his mind.
*MediaMatters is the conservative equivalent of what MoveOn.org is for the liberals. According to their web site, they report and "document conservative misinformation throughout the media."
Or, as illustrated in this report, mix-up and confuse the conservative issues some more! And lie about Mr Obama's real position on the tax cuts issue.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Big Guns, Big Anderson
Sunday, October 26, 2008
2 Videos
-- both very funny.
Enjoy!
(00:30 min.)
Description: Anderson Cooper travels and meets the Gringos
Added: Jul 15, 08
By TheAnderworld
URL: http://www.livevideo.com/video/EBC8617A23684BD7A0C0D688D14FEB43/anderson-cooper-travels.aspx
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WARNING: If you are a strong supporter of Sarah Palin viewer discretion is advised.
(02:32 min.)
From: unvetted
Added: October 23, 2008
Description: A Dr. Seuss style telling of the McCain and Palin tale.
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03fcGelz8Hw
Hollywood Loves Anderson
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Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a famous, 45 foot tall landmark in Los Angeles. It's was erected in 1923 as an advertisement for a new development and has since appeared in countless pictures, TV shows and movies. You can make your own Hollywood Sign here!
You can make your own "HOLLYWOOD" signs (plus a whole lot more) here: GlassGiant.com. Just type in your own message, then right hand click, copy and save it.
This is for entertainment purposes, I do not make any commissions from GlassGiant. It's a free, fun program to work (and dream) with.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Anderson Cooper is today's Edward R. Murrow
Posted Oct 25th 2008 8:33AM by Allison Waldman
Don't tell Keith Olbermann -- he of the Countdown special commentaries -- but CNN's Anderson Cooper is the Edward R. Murrow of our era. That's according to Lisa DePaulo of Elle, but the popularity and proliferation of Cooper, from CNN to CBS's 60 Minutes to anchoring Times' Square on New Year's Eve and filling in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly, backs up her assertion."He is our generation's Edward R. Murrow; that is, if Murrow were this good-looking and had lived in a world with Gawker and TMZ," DePaulo writes. "This is not just because of Cooper's exacting standards of journalism-hard work, legwork, no-divaness. He's a purist, really-like Murrow."
Olbermann does follow Murrow's tradition of advocacy journalism. That's what his commentaries are all about. If you saw Good Luck and Good Night, or if you've seen clips of Murrow, you know that he inserted his opinions into his reporting. That's Olbermann.
Anderson Cooper is like Murrow in that he does news, especially going to cover stories around the globe, as well as popular news entertainment. Murrow's interview show, Person to Person, was all about interviewing celebrities in their homes. It was something very different from his news reporting. On Thursday, November 27 -- Thanksgiving -- Cooper wlll host a celebration of everyday heroes, for instance, CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.
I interviewed Anderson Cooper last year and he really impressed me with his dedication to the craft. He told me his vacation time from CNN was spent doing stories for 60 Minutes. But he wasn't complaining. He loves it all. "I'm fortunate now to be at 60 Minutes that is also a place where they are obviously incredibly talented. I'm learning different ways of interviewing people and different styles of shooting there, so it's like exercising different muscles, including those in your brain. I do think it's important to keep growing and to keep getting better."
It may be true, then, that he is our generation's Edward R. Murrow.
CNN Heroes 2008
updated 4:38 p.m. EDT, Fri October 24, 2008
'CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute' to air Thanksgiving night
(CNN) -- Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute" will honor the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008, as selected by our Blue Ribbon Panel.
The telecast airs globally on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español on Thanksgiving, November 27, at 9 p.m. ET (November 28 at 0200 GMT). Each of this year's honorees will receive $25,000 and will be profiled in a documentary tribute. The program will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year, chosen through an online vote by visitors to CNN.com/Heroes. Voting ends November 19. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year
Celebrity presenters and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Award-winning producer/director Joel Gallen returns to executive-produce this year's program. Among his numerous credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of both the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. He won an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes."
Kodak Theatre is a 3,400-seat venue that opened in November 2001 and is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Vets Night with MTV & CNN
Friday, Oct 24, 2008
Anderson Cooper, 50 Cent Rock The Vote
It was a coming together of two big name cable channels for a good cause — aiding veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The partnership was a little odd at times, but the audience, mostly vets and their families, thoroughly enjoyed it. 50 Cent kicked off the festivities, and Sway introduced Anderson Cooper, who voiced several features on vets that aired during the program. Cooper also spent nearly half an hour before the event signing autographs and taking pictures with thankful attendees.
Meanwhile, Headline News' Robin Meade was in the crowd, interviewing veterans and even turned one interview into a proposal between a vet and his girlfriend. D.L. Hughley, fresh off his premiere taping, appeared to introduce a musical act.
"A Night for Vets: An MTV Concert for the BRAVE," airs tonight at 8pmET on MTV.
Posted by SteveK | 12:58 PM | CNN
Get Ready For Halloween!
FreebiesHalloween '08: Pick the Mask of Your Choice
We're all trying to keep costs down during these turbulent economic times. And have you see how much costumes cost? We figured we'd do you a favor and set you up with your very own Halloween outfit. And for free, too! How does it work? It's simple. You pick a mask, you tell us where to mail it, and it's all yours. And you get to choose between seven exciting variations! Instructions, larger pictures of the masks, and a bit of helpful costume advice below.
If you click through the slideshow on the left, you'll see larger images of the masks. Yes, they're free. All you have to do is: a) be a registered Cityfile.com user; and b) fill out the form at the bottom of the page, so we know which mask you want and where to mail it. Supplies are limited, though. As soon we run through this stack of glossy paper, you'll have to figure out what to be for Halloween all on your own.
Your choices:
The Andy
The Anderson Cooper mask is ideal for straight men confident with their sexual orientation, or gay men sick of dressing up in drag. Pair it with a dark-colored suit, white shirt and tie, and you should be able to breeze past the CNN security desk without a problem.
The Mario
Mario Batali is a excellent choice for foodies (or just men who happen to be generously-proportioned). A chef's outfit and a pair of orange clogs is all you need to finish off the costume.
The Anne
This cheerful mask of Anne Hathaway is an excellent choice if you happen to have a male friend who is willing to dress up as Raffaello Follieri in prison stripes. (We're not offering up a Follieri mask, though, so you'll have to sort that one out on your own.)
The Keith
The elections are just days away and Keith Olbermann has never had this much attention focused on him in his life. If you've ever thought about dressing up as Olbermann for Halloween, this is the perfect year to do so.
The Al
An oldie that never goes out of style. Throw on a three-piece suit to achieve a more "modern" Sharpton look. Or go retro and throw on a track suit and gold medallion, and the outfit is complete.
The Nina
If you're a fan of Project Runway, you can't do much better than this mask of Nina Garcia. If this is the mask you pick and you examine it closely, you'll notice that her eyes look a little funny. That's because she has a lazy eye, for your information. Not our fault!
The Vikram
This mask of Vikram Pandit is really only suitable for bankers planning to attend a Halloween party that will be attended by other bankers. No one else will get it. But if you're looking to capture the current economic climate, it's an excellent choice. Plus, if you happen to run into someone dressed up as Hank Paulson, you'll have a perfect excuse to walk over and demand that he give you all the cash in his wallet.
Important Notes, Caveats, Etc.
You'll need to be a registered user to get a free mask. So if you don't have an account, you'll need to set one up (for free) before proceeding. You'll need to enter your username below, so make sure you remember it.
One mask per person. And please don't complain if the mask doesn't meet your high costume standards. Our intern would like you to know that he has no professional mask-making experience and did the very best job he could with what limited time he had. Also, we're only sending these to people in the U.S., so if you live abroad, you're out of luck. Oh, and you should also know that your privacy is totally protected. We're not collecting your mailing addresses or signing you up for the LL Bean catalog.
Instructions
On the left, you'll see what "the Andy" looks like in action. You'll need a pair of scissors to cut the head out, and you may also wish to snip out the eyes (so you can see) and the mouth (so you can breathe). We'd do it ourselves, but it pains us to cut into Anderson's great, big blue eyes, and your eyeballs may be a millimeter apart for all we know, so it's probably better you do it yourself. If you plan to actually wear the mask, you'll probably want to staple some sort of elastic band to the back. Or you can attach it to a stick so you can hold it up to your face. Finally, we'll be mailing the masks out on Monday, so you'll have it in time for Halloween. If you have any other questions, you can email us here.Click here for your mask
Posted at 11:57AM on Oct 24, 2008
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Vogue
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Plus a few more I am not aware of or I have not been able to find.
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