Earlier in the week came the earth-shattering (or at least childhood-confusing) revelation that game show hero Pat Sajak and beloved American icon Vanna White would knock back a ton of margaritas before doing the show and more or less forget what the alphabet is. It so struck Anderson Cooper, who admitted to loving the show, that he put Sajak on the Ridiculist on Friday for the admission– and for claiming that the 1980s Wheel of Fortune “shopping” segment was “boring.”

CNN’s Isha Sesay is noticeably British, and in so having grown up, seems to have missed out on a number of things Americans take for granted. Sesay celebrated her birthday yesterday, and in the tradition of Anderson Cooper 360º, host Anderson Cooper gave Sesay an absurdist image for her birthday: Gumby, a character Sesay was unfamiliar with, holding a plate of Hostess pastries, which Sesay had never tasted.

Anderson Cooper dedicated his “Ridiculist” segment last night to a phenomenon that, sadly, apparently still exists: President Obama’s birther brigade, centered at right-wing blog World Net Daily. World Net Daily, Cooper narrates, has taken to flying planes around areas with high concentrations of people– high concentrations of people under roofs, where they cannot see the planes.

Mocking some public figures is like shooting fish in a barrel. For other public figures it’s like shooting fish in a tupperware container. And, for 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison and his teen-bride Courtney Stodden, mockery is like taking a fish out of the water, holding a gun to its head, and shooting it execution style. It’s just that easy. Seriously.

However, if Anderson Cooper continues to fill his fish receptacles (of whatever size) with lead this funny, we will gladly let him keep his fishing license.

Evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress stole the Friday news cycle with his comments that Mitt Romney, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was a “non-Christian” in a “cult”– shortly after having introduced Rick Perry as speaker at the Values Voter Summit. Jeffress elaborated on his comments last night to Anderson Cooper in an interview where he argued Catholicism defied the New Testament and suggested President Obama’s “purported” Christianity was not enough to sway his vote.

CNN senior political analyst David Gergen noted last night on Anderson 360 that many Americans were “horrified” at what they heard during Monday night’s Republican debate. ”I was getting notes about, they ought to keep these people locked up and not let them out — don’t let them do anything to the country,” he said. “People [...]

Rep. Michele Bachmann‘s campaign manager and longtime Republican strategist Ed Rollins announced today that he would be stepping out of the presidency and into an advisory role for his candidate, and explained on CNN tonight that his decision was based primarily on health reasons. But he also had some fascinating insights for Anderson Cooper and John King: it’s currently a Rick Perry/Mitt Romney campaign, but in order to remain relevant, Perry has to win either Iowa, New Hampshire, or South Carolina: all uphill battles for the Texas governor.

During a weekend defined by the fear of the inevitable destruction of nature, Rep. Ron Paul stood out among the 2012 Republican candidates for blasting FEMA’s work during a speech and calling for America to be less dependent on the federal government, “like 1900.” As 1900 is a year defined by one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Rep. Paul’s district, Anderson Cooper took him to task tonight on the claim, demanding to know whether Rep. Paul believed the government had any role in disaster response at all.

While the situation in Libya remains entirely unstable and reporters outside face the risks of battle, the journalists still inside the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli are facing their own challenges, as Gaddafi loyalists still have control of the building and are preventing reporters from going outside. On tonight’s Anderson Cooper 360º, host Anderson Cooper spoke to Matthew Chance from inside the hotel, where he reported journalists were “not happy being here anymore,” but couldn’t escape. Update – they have been freed from captivity.

The crown jewel of the Gov. Rick Perry presidential campaign so far appears to be the great number of jobs created in the state during his tenure. On his program tonight, Anderson Cooper splashed some cold water on the claim by showing both President Obama and Perry “created jobs,” but, unlike on a national level, Perry benefited from an extraordinary population growth that created great demand for jobs. “The idea that one creates, the other destroys them is a stretch, at best,” he argued.

CNN host Fareed Zakaria is deeply concerned for the future of America, and on last night’s Anderson Cooper 360º took the Tea Party to task for what he considered the “hijacking” of the nation by the Tea Party. Citing the strange bedfellow Charles Krauthammer as a level head on the issue, Zakaria called the Tea Party’s opposition to raising the debt ceiling “fundamentally anti-democratic” and hoped the President was “seriously exploring” the 14th Amendment escape hatch to passing a budget.

On the tail end of Friday’s show, Anderson Cooper probably expected to wrap up the show with some hard news. What he got instead was cake, circus animals and Rob the Juggling Clown. The special occasion? The anchor’s birthday, for which his colleagues decorated the set with old photos of him and brought him some light entertainment.

Anderson Cooper has made a career out of risking his life to gather news, and rarely has the CNN anchor appeared as rattled as he did tonight reporting from Japan. Discussing the possible meltdown ongoing at Fukushima’s Dai-Ichi plant with nuclear expert Jim Walsh, Cooper received the news of a new hydrogen explosion on the same complex. Upon hearing the news, Cooper turned to his crew, asked where the wind was blowing, and, in a moment of visible frailty, asked if it was time for him to go.

Anderson Cooper has been through some tough spots throughout his career, but his latest foray into the Egyptian revolts last week proved to be the most dangerous for him so far, and after a brutal week of earnest but frustrating attempts at keeping up with the news, Cooper announced today on Twitter that he will be coming home.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) recently stirred up a controversy when he inexplicably voiced his frustration with Republican opposition to health care reform by injecting Joseph Goebbels and Nazis into the conversation. Tonight, Cohen appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to face up to, but not back down from, his remarks – remarks Cooper was clearly none too happy about.

Is Anderson Cooper getting a jump on starting a beef with his soon-to-be rivals of daytime television? The future star of Anderson saw the ladies of The View mock the House Weeper-elect John Boehner on Monday, but he wasn’t laughing along. No, the CNNer slapped the women onto the RidicuList, his PG-rated version of Keith Olbermann‘s Worst Person in the World. “Since when did the ladies on The View turn into Dr. Evil from Austin Powers?” he asked with disappointment.

A few days ago, James Carville resuscitated a 2008 campaign joke about the respective number of testicles President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton possess. This joke was about as well-received as it was in 2008 (not at all), and Carville visited John King USA to explain just how much he didn’t regret it. This apparently wasn’t enough, however, as he took his case to Anderson Cooper last night, as well, and was just as unapologetic.

“Who should be the bunny?” Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh asks two half-sister bonobos, superstar apes in the world of science. The bonobos have achieved that status because researchers say they possess an unusually high comprehension of the English language. Apparently the apes are also familiar with the concept of humiliation—they answer Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh’s question by pointing to Anderson Cooper. Anderson Cooper should be the bunny.

While discussing Sarah Palin‘s new reality show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, CNN contributor Roland Martin suggested that Sarah Palin is like the “Kim Kardashian of politics.”

Most everybody discredits and disdains the ‘Taliban Dan’ ad commissioned by Rep. Alan Grayson. Well, everybody except for Grayson, who’s still defending his attack ad on cable news networks. Last night he visited Anderson Cooper, who plainly accuses Grayson of misrepresenting his Republican opponent Daniel Webster, saying, “You can’t argue that.” The wily Grayson responded: “I don’t know why you keep saying I can’t argue this, that, or the other thing.”

Anderson Cooper is adding a daytime talk show to his busy schedule, signing a deal to host a one-hour syndicated program for Warner Bros. and Telepictures beginning in Fall 2011.

He stays on with CNN, and according to CNN President Jim Walton, he’s “extended his relationship” with the network in a new multi-year deal. All the details after the jump:

In March, Anderson Cooper spent a week of his show, Anderson Cooper 360, investigating the Church of Scientology and reports of its abuses and violence. More than three months after the series, titled “Scientology: A History of Violence,” aired, the Church has decided to strike back. It has devoted an entire issue of Freedom magazine to attacking Cooper and CNN.

CNN consistently makes the case that they are the newsiest of all cable news channels. They are putting significant resources toward covering the oil spill – but so is every network.

But they were certainly the only network to cover the story live until 2amET last night.

Last night Anderson Cooper 360 producer Jack Gray tweeted: “tomorrow night 10pmET, 360 Friday, a different format for #AC360. We hope you’ll tune in. Should be fun. #CNN.”

We hear this “different format” is the much-discussed studio audience special, debuting tonight.

Arizona has doubled down on its racially-charged controversies this week with a new law opposing ethnic studies in public schools. Last night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper invited Tom Horne, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (and Attorney General candidate) and sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson to debate the issue, and rather than come to a concensus on what’s best for students, both sides came to the conclusion that the other is racist.