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Anderson Cooper And Rachel Maddow Top Out’s Power List

» 29 comments

Out magazine’s annual list of the most influential gays and lesbians has been announced and CNN’s Anderson Cooper again tops the list of media names, coming third for the second year in a row. Although Cooper and fellow power-lister blogger Matt Drudge (he dropped from 6th to 15th) have never publicly acknowledged being gay, that doesn’t stop Out from consistently counting the two men–as well as actress Jodie Foster–when tallying who is gay and lesbian.

Saying Cooper “threw himself full-force into covering January’s Haitian earthquake with his usual journalistic rigor,” the magazine noted that Coop’s coverage of Haiti sparked a rumor that he  “and his companion, New York club owner Benjamin Maisani, were adopting a Haitian child.”

Falling right behind Cooper at 4th was MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who was described as “the most compelling voice of liberal dissent on television.”  Also making the top 20 was Rolling Stone‘s Jann Wenner.  Ellen Degeneres topped the list.

The New York Times’ Richard Berke landed at 22nd place, but makes the list for the first time on his own.  The infamous NYT gay mafia–which includes Ben Brantley, Frank Bruni, Stuart Elliot, Adam Nagourney, Stefano Tonchi, and Eric Wilson–has previously made the magazine’s list, but Berke’s ascent to National Editor means the remainder of the “cabal” has been left behind.

Also making the list are Perez Hilton (26th), Andrew Sullivan (31st), Gawker’s Nick Denton (34th), Martha Nelson, group editor at Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment Group (39th), New York magazine’s Adam Moss (40th), and GQ editor in chief Jim Nelson (46th).

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  • MarkStr82Hell

    Wow, I didn’t know Anderson Cooper was out?
    Since we are including closeted homosexuals you’ll need to include Dylan Ratigan and Keith Olbermann

  • MarkStr82Hell

    and then there’s the closet queens at FNC:
    Bill Hemmer and Shepard Smith

  • Cecelia

    ADORABLE Patrick Healy is gay?!

    Women everywhere are in mourning!

  • The Real Royal King

    Good mourning to you, Cecelia.

  • The Real Royal King

    Speaking of Drudge, I see he’s doing his nasty, sordid little Lambada with the truth again. Under a teaser about taxpayers footing State Department legal bills, there is a picture of Hillary! boozing it up on an airplane. I am sure we all recall this picture from the 2008 primaries!

  • m

    Whoa, Drudge is gay?

  • The Real Royal King

    R U b-ing “ironical”, M?

  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    What on earth would cause Adam Lambert to be “powerful”. I mean, even if he was a token musical performers, there’s a lot of other candidates. What makes it doubly confusing is that I don’t see him in the illustration, so maybe it wasn’t done to sell magazines.

  • libra blue

    Prove Anderson is gay.

  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    @libra blue: Anderson is obviously gay. He just chooses not to talk about it.

  • libra blue

    @Magister, Yeah, I have heard rumors about that for years, but I am still not thoroughly convinced Either way it doesn’t matter to me, I judge him on his performance not his sexual orientation.

  • MarkStr82Hell
  • TylerDurdin

    Strange, they all look gay.

  • libra blue

    @MarkkStr82Hell, Come on Gawker? They have been on this kick for years without proof. That’s just the back of some guy’s head, it could be anyone since his identity was never confirmed. You could be right, but like I said, most of this is just rumor.

  • TylerDurdin

    Hey, look at this one:

    Rufus Wainwright thinks 50 Cent is gay.

    “I love, love 50 Cent,” Wainwright tells Details. “I think he’s just the sexiest, and a brilliant writer. And I know he’s gay.”

    When asked to explain why he’s so sure Fiddy is gay, Wainwright said, “That cute little voice of his. It’s okay, 50 Cent. Feel free to call me anytime. My boyfriend and I are experts. You can come over for dinner. And maybe dessert.”

    50 Cent’s rep did not return calls to the New York Post.

  • Munch

    Perez Hilton is gay????????

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  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    @libra blue: Perhaps the greatest sign is that Anderson keeps getting outed and usually he says nothing, but has also invoked “don’t ask, don’t tell”.

    Personally, I’m among those who think Brian Moylan can go to extremes in his quest for Anderson to just come out, but I can understand why he’d like for it to happen and on this line of gossip, Gawker is as good of a source as anyone, particularly because Brian is so obsessed.

    Of course, I also believe that Mr Cooper has a right to keep his private life private, or as private as his relationship will allow. After all, it’s up to him and his partner, as to when or if they’d like to get married and/or raise a child.

  • ImNotBlue

    I still don’t understand how someone’s sexuality is relevant in talking about their “influence” or “power.”

    I think I’ll create a new magazine called, “BALD.” It will be all about folks without hair, or thinning hair. Then I’ll rank their “power and influence.” What being bald has to do with power or influence, who knows… but apparently someone (at least Mediaite) cares. Why, exactly… I don’t know.

  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    @ImNotBlue: A magazine targeted toward homosexuals listed the “most influential gays and lesbians”. It’s pretty straight-forward and not unlike the hundreds of other ranking lists.

    I tried to find the website for the “Bald Headed Men of America” and though it looks like their annual convention might still be on, the website (baldusa.org) resolves as unavailable, so though I kind of remember seeing one a few years ago, I can’t find their similar list.

  • libra blue

    @Magister, So if Anderson does not deny a rumor you would consider it true? Don’t forget, these rumors are also good publicity.

    As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    @libra blue: I’m old and married, so I don’t care if Anderson is gay or not.

    I just think that if website after website, magazine after magazine says something and if he’s perennially named as the most powerful homosexual in media and he doesn’t address it, then it the implication is clear. Not to mention that if a major tabloid says that he and his partner will be adopting and he tweets “don’t ask, don’t tell”, then denies the adoption rumor, basically it’s confirmed.

    Again, I don’t have any kind of designs on Anderson, so it’s no skin off of my nose and he’s free to address his personal life on his own terms. Clearly, OUT thinks he’s gay and that was why he was mentioned in this post and if for some reason Anderson doesn’t want to be on their list, then he’s free to say.

  • ImNotBlue

    Magister says:
    April 15, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    I just don’t understand how being a homosexual, is relevant to influence or power! Power and influence are one thing… sexuality is another. If someone is influential when speaking about homosexual issues, that’s something. Otherwise, it’s just a coincidence. I just don’t see the value in it.

  • http://www.sailrabbits.com Magister

    @ImNotBlue: What does being rich have to do with being one of the wealthiest people in the country? I’m guessing it’s similarly important as being homosexual, when one is named among the most influential gays and lesbians or being from Mississippi, when one is called one of that state’s most eligible bachelors.

  • nam

    Personally I think Nick Denton should be considered more powerful than Perez Hilton. Also, it is totally crazy that Perez Hilton is on this list but Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ and focal point of the TMZ TV show, is not. TMZ has much more impact than Perez’s site.

  • libra blue

    @Magister, “Clearly, OUT thinks he’s gay and that was why he was mentioned in this post and if for some reason Anderson doesn’t want to be on their list, then he’s free to say.”

    You might be right, maybe that is why Anderson never denied those Final Pixx photos of him and the baby.

    I don’t think anyone should care if Anderson is gay or not, but how can someone be chosen as an “influential gay” if he doesn’t acknowledge that he is gay?

  • ImNotBlue

    Magister says:
    April 15, 2010 at 3:30 pm

    Huh?

  • AmericanCowboy

    Anderson Cooper is a fudge packer? I did not know that.

  • TylerDurden

    Anderson drives the Hershey Highway every day.

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