RELATED: Pat Sajak Admits To Hosting Wheel Of Fortune Drunk Back In The Day

Sajak’s confession came from an inexplicable interview with inexplicably existent show Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable, a program on ESPN2– so, ostensibly a sports show?– where host Dan Le Batard and his loud and hilarious Cuban dad talking about literally anything (for example, here they are discussing the acceptability of men with earrings, and here is Dad salsa dancing for no reason). It is arguably the best thing on television. But I digress: on this program, Pat Sajak felt comfortable enough to discuss his outings to “Los Arcos,” a local Mexican restaurant that made great margaritas, in between tapings of the show. Cooper took the interview bit by bit, starting with Sajak’s claim that the segment where the winners use the money they won to “buy” prizes was the most boring bit of television of its time. “I’ve got to stop him right there because I beg to differ,” Cooper objected, “that part, where they chose the prizes, that was TV gold.”

He then got to the part where Sajak admits to his inebriation. “I need to buy a vowel because OMG,” he commented, playing a clip of Sajak and White from back in the day and stating incredulously, “there’s no way Vanna could twirl like that and turn all the letters if she were tanked on tequila.” He ends with the suggestion that they may have exaggerated, and that Sajak claims to be “too old now to even entertain such an idea.”

The clip via CNN below:

RELATED: CNN Celebrates Anderson Cooper’s Birthday With Actual Dog And Pony Show

Cooper noted that, a few months ago, Sesay had conducted a report on a man dressed as Gumby arrested for robbery, with the caveat that she did not understand “who or what” Gumby was. She followed that up with a report on the demise of Hostess, where she noted she had no idea what a Twinkie or a Ho-Ho was, and had never eaten one before. So in honor of her birthday (happy birthday!), Cooper presented her with a series of Hostess treats on a platter– delivered, of course, by Gumby.

“You are much more– attractive?– in person?” Sesay told Gumby hesitantly. Then, somehow, a news segment where Gumby shows up with a platter of twinkies got even stranger when Cooper began to insist that a concerned Sesay have her first twinkie. As she nibbled on the pastry somewhat disgusted, Gumby began to excitedly jump around and clap in the background. It’s delightfully weird.

The clip via CNN below:

RELATED: Here We Go Again: Donald Trump Tells Greta He Is ‘Not A Major Believer’ In Obama’s Birth Certificate

“The banner to nowhere,” Cooper calls his “Ridiculist” segment tonight, noting the amount of money and effort that went into World Net Daily‘s “Where’s the Birth Certificate?” plane that was summarily flown over a football stadium… with an intact retractable roof. “It’s a bird, it’s a plane! My bad,” Cooper joked, “it’s just a roof.”

He went on to note that WND was calling the campaign something of a success, and joking that it “has more spin than a club DJ reading Spin magazine while sitting on a washing machine.” Not only that, but they have gone out of their way to note that the plane (and the helicopter they fly beside it to take pictures “cost thousands of dollars,” funding by items such as $7 “Where’s the birth certificate?” yard signs.

The segment via CNN below:

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.

Yes, Cooper took on the pair of lovebirds for a second time. Previously he defended them from “romance haters” in a bit dripping with so much sarcasm, the Daily Caller thought he was actually pro-teen brides. Now Hutchison and Stodden are back on Cooper’s “RidicuList” after getting kicked out of a pumpkin patch for inappropriate attire and PDA.

The whole thing is, well, ridiculous as well as, like we said, easy fish-shooting, but watching Cooper accuse a 17-year-old reality TV “star” of looking like she’s “eating her own face” makes the whole thing worthwhile.

Watch the clip from CNN below:

Cooper opened up with a broad question asking to elaborate on what Jeffress considered a “cult,” and he explained quickly that he considered it a “theological cult as opposed to a sociological cult” because it was founded by a human being– Joseph Smith– and not a divine leader, as well as because they consider the Book of Mormon a new revelation that follows the New Testament. “They have never been considered a part of historical Christianity,” he concluded, adding that “a lot of people say that are Christians, and they are not.” To clarify, Cooper asked him to weigh in on other religions– while he did consider Catholicism to not be a cult (as it was founded by Jesus Christ himself), he did consider that the “basic tenets are contrary to the teaching of the New Testament” because good deeds were necessary to be “made right with God,” and not just faith. Pagan religions he hesitated little to designate cults.

RELATED: Mike Huckabee Would Vote For A Mormon ‘In A Heartbeat’: ‘It Is Not A Disqualifier’

Jeffress also explained why he believed religion played into the election cycle, and why he would prefer to vote for a Christian like Perry as opposed to a “non-Christian” like Romney, citing abortion and birth control funding in Romneycare as an example of the sort of governing he would like to avoid. That said, he did not consider being a “non-Christian” an end-all, be-all in gaining or losing his vote: “I’d rather a non-Christian like Romney who accepts biblical positions than a professing Christian like Barack Obama who accepts non-biblical views,” he explained. This sounded to Cooper as if he did not believe that President Obama was a real Christian, a point he attempted to hammer home several times despite Jeffress noting that he could only say the President was a “professing” Christian because, unlike in Perry’s case, he had not sat down and conversed with the President about his beliefs.

RELATED: Oops? Romney Suggests He’s Middle Class During Miami Town Hall

While Jeffress said he understood the word “cult” was “loaded,” he did not adequately explain how he considered his comments appropriate in a political climate. Sure, Jeffress is entitled to his definition of the word, but observers are equally entitled to look askance at the timing of his comments– Perry’s honeymoon period with primary voters is marked over– and at his subtle attempts to feign naivete at how his comments could sway voters already queasy about the LDS Church.

The segment via CNN below:

“People in this hall really did groove on much of what they heard,” he noted, thinking back, perhaps, to some of the night’s much discussed cheering. “And yet, there are huge number of people and an equal number of people who I think were horrified by what they heard in this room.”

Watch the segment from Anderson 360 below:

h/t Breitbart.tv

Rollins was emphatically sincere about his reasons for taking on a smaller role in the campaign, telling Cooper that “I’m 64 years old, I had a stroke a year and a half ago… I just don’t have the endurance to go for fourteen-hour days.” He added that he still had “great affection” for the campaign and the candidate, and that he wasn’t “going away,” just assuming a different role.

Cooper then inquired on how Perry had redefined the race since entering it, which Rollins answered was a good question as “Rick Perry is a very serious candidate” and means that “we now have two very serious money people” in the race (Jon Huntsman, despite having a strong economic backing, seemed not to concern him). Perry had several challenges to face, however: “the vast majority of people don’t know who Rick Perry is outside of Texas,” he noted, which meant that polls, to him, would not show the extent of his popularity until his name recognition improved. That said, he admitted that “we’re going after the same voter base” and that his entry “took a lot of the momentum that we would’ve gotten out of the straw poll victory” away.

That the race was “Romney-Perry” also seemed not to disturb Rollins too much: “it was different and better than we thought,” as Rep. Bachmann was “very much in this thing.” That said, King then turned to ask him about the optics of this change, and whether “for a candidate who has a new competitor” and a history of gaffes, it will be interpreted as “another misstep.” “People will say that,” Rollins responded, “but it doesn’t matter.” “The key here is, ‘Where did you win?’” Rollins concluded, noting that Perry “has to win somewhere” to remain relevant, and the first three races are far more winnable for Rep. Bachmann or Romney.

The segment via CNN below:

Rep. Paul opened by repeating the controversial claim that garnered him headlines: FEMA had been around “since 1979 and since then don’t have a very good record,” perhaps “the worst reputation of almost any” federal agency. In order to avoid the mad inefficiency of FEMA, he argued, “why not look at before we had FEMA?” as he did by citing 1900. He added to a follow-up question that “you create more hazard with the government” by making individuals and state governments dependent on the federal administration.

After the quick primer, Cooper cut to the meat and potatoes of the matter– the claim that we should look to 1900. The 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, Cooper reminded Rep. Paul, resulted in terrible devastation: “6,000 people died in that storm,” partly due to the local officials not paying to construct a sea wall to protect the city. “Wouldn’t you be setting the stage for life or death decisions or gambles in poorer areas of the country?” Cooper asked.

Rep. Paul replied that Galveston “survived without FEMA and they did rebuild the city,” and that the sea wall was built well before FEMA was established in 1979, even if not soon enough to protect against the 1900 hurricane. He added that a federal administration keeping track of all the nation’s levees and other protective constructions was, to him, unmanageable. Which led Cooper to ask whether Rep. Paul believed there is “absolutely no role the federal government can play” in disaster relief. Rep. Paul replied that he did believe in rescue operations, and that the federal government could take a “modest and reasonable approach” by cutting federal spending– preferably overseas spending– and using the money to help clean up natural disaster messes. “The economic situation is dire,” Rep. Paul concluded, too much so to spend money on fixing the damage caused by natural disasters that local governments could spend.

The segment via CNN below:

Describing the situation of the journalists in the hotel as “grave,” Chance told Cooper that they had taken one floor of the hotel for themselves, but not quite dared leave it and were very concerned that they were in one of the few remaining Gaddafi strongholds. He noted that he had had contact with the Gaddafi forces, as they were patrolling the hotel and keeping the lobby closed. “We asked to leave the hotel, we’re not happy being here anymore,” he told Cooper, but they were not allowed. “We feel that they feel that we’re valuable,” Chance explained, which made the journalists feel slightly safer, but not by much.

Cooper asked what the forces’ response to requests to leave had been, which Chance replied that they were arguing that “it’s not safe for us to do that” and that they were only in the hotel “to protect us.” This contradicted their claims that they still had control of Tripoli, however, and that “they have control outside,” which the journalists inside know from reports on the outside is not true.

The report via CNN below:

Cooper analyzed job statistics tonight on the program to find two major problems with Perry’s campaign claims: aside from the fact that much of the job growth occurring in Texas has nothing to do with policy and everything to do with a large influx of immigrants, the jobs created in the state are mostly government jobs– private sector job numbers are actually in decline. Cooper noted that “Governor Perry is benefiting from certain advantages unique to Texas,” but even in his doing so he was not doing much to live up to his claims that the private sector was the place in which the economy would begin booming.

Cooper also noted some of the help the state received for its relative economic boom: $6.4 billion in federal stimulus money, which did not get rid of a serious budget shortfall in 2009. Cooper brought in Republican strategist Alex Castellanos and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile to parse these numbers, and Castellanos did argued that much of the federal money was taken from the states initially and so Perry had an argument that he was merely asking for money back that was taken from him.

Castellano also added– though as a detriment to the campaign for obvious reasons– that Perry had asked from TARP money from none other than Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. On those incendiary comments Perry made accusing Bernanke of treason, Castellanos ceded that “a president is someone who has their finger on that nuclear button,” and comments like that “scare swings voters.” Brazile agreed the comments were a “big mistake” that voters should be concerned about, the panel apparently agreeing Perry’s comments could possibly do more damage than hyperbole on the jobs situation.

The segment via CNN below:

“The Tea Party has an agenda,” Zakaria told host Anderson Cooper, and argued “it cannot get it thought the political democratic process.” As a result, Zakaria argues that they have said “we’ll blow up the country if you don’t listen to us. We will hold hostage the credit of the United States, the good standing of the United States and we’ll blow it up.” He noted Krauthammer had called the strategy “counter-constitutional” and agreed. “If you control just one of the three branches of government, you can’t hijack the entire system.” He went on to argue that “they don’t understand the workings of democracy” and “they were not elected dictators of the United States.”

“It’s an extraordinary act of hostage taking,” Zakaria continued, and finally concluded in his frustration that “I hope President Obama is seriously exploring the possibility of invoking the 14th Amendment.”

The segment via CNN below:

“This is like an acid trip or something,” Cooper joked as he was approached by a pony– but not just any pony, a “pony with a horse on it.” The pony walked around on two legs for a while, with the dog still on it, before Cooper walked over gingerly to pet it. Meanwhile, somewhere behind him, the juggling clown was juggling (and being a clown) and reporter Isha Sesay had appeared with Cooper’s favorite cake. All in all the sort of classic cable news moment that viewers– and probably Anderson Cooper– won’t forget.

The birthday greeting via CNN below:

Cooper’s initial conversation with Walsh was interrupted by the breaking news that a blast was heard from reactor 3 at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, while white smoke was seen coming out of reactor 1. Walsh did not appear surprised; the massive amount of water being dumped into the reactor core creates an extraordinary amount of pressurized hydrogen gas, making explosions likely. However, it is still unclear what the nature of the explosion and the smoke is. Before asking Walsh for more guidance, Cooper turned to his crew, asking how far they were from Fukushima (about 100 kilometers north) and which way the wind was blowing (west). Cooper at first attempted to ask Walsh more broadly what the likelihood of Japanese authorities expanding the evacuation zone around the plant was, to which Walsh replied that the evacuation “depended on the particulars of this explosion.” Cooper then asked flat-out, fear palpable in his voice, “should I get out of here?”

Walsh tried to be reassuring, telling Cooper his guess was “that you’re okay,” though it is likely better to “err on the side of caution.”

While Japanese authorities have yet to expand the evacuation zone, Kyodo News is reporting that those within 20 miles of the plant were ordered to stay inside, though AP reports authorities are saying the reactor containers of both are intact.

Meanwhile, NBC reports officials are near confirming the explosion was due to compressed hydrogen:

Japanese officials say they believe a hydrogen explosion has occurred at Japan’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, similar to an earlier one at a different unit in the facility.

A massive column of smoke was seen belching from the plant’s No. 3 unit Monday. The reactor had been under emergency watch for a possible explosion as pressure built up there following a hydrogen blast Saturday in the facility’s Unit 1.

Officials have been racing stave off multiple reactor meltdowns after a devastating quake and tsunami incapacitated the Fukushima plant.

More than 180,000 people have evacuated the area, and up to 160 may have been exposed to radiation.

AC360‘s coverage of the news via CNN below:

Anderson Cooper

Cooper, like a number of journalists in the area, suffered physical attacks and found himself without cameras outside on some days and having to hide indoors for his own safety in various undisclosed locations. In one of his latest broadcasts, he admitted, from yet another undisclosed location, that he was beginning to feel “a little bit scared.”

Cooper’s latest tweet announced that “it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to leave Egypt. CNN continues to have many teams in place. It was a hard decision to leave.” Hopefully Cooper will be able to relay his experiences and the rationale for his departure once he’s stateside again and on the air.

Cooper – rightly, in our eyes – seemed mystified above all else by Cohen’s insistence on the Nazi talk: “I just don’t understand why you have to bring the Nazis into a discussion about health care and your opponents.” Amazingly, Cohen still didn’t seem to see what the fuss was about, even as Cooper pointed out the hypocrisy in making Nazi references when Cohen himself had just penned an op-ed in which he said things like, “Reckless and hateful speech often has a terrible human cost.”

And Cooper didn’t stop there, citing comments Cohen made last year in which he likened the anger of Tea Partiers to the KKK. He tried to justify these remarks by saying the Tea Party and KKK rose to prominence is similar circumstances, not unlike how he tried to compare Republican methods in telling “lies” to Goebbels’ strategy in Nazi Germany. Cooper tried to shoot the KKK comparison down by pointing out the Tea Party could just as easily be compared to “any populist movement.”

Cohen again tried to make himself look better by saying Politifact (not him) that named the idea of a “government takeover of health care” as the lie of 2010. Cooper continued banging his head against the wall trying to get Cohen to realize what he was doing, but Cohen simply concluded, “I won’t say it again, but I was right.” Video of reason failing to get through to abject cluelessness, via CNN, below.

But this RidicuList entry should’ve been asterisked, since Elisabeth Hasselbeck defended the bawling Boehner against the ridicule of her co-hosts, primarily Joy Behar and Barbara Walters.

And so did Cooper:

Aren’t people always saying they want politicians to be more real? And aren’t men always being told now that we’re supposed to be more sensitive, more vulnerable, willing to show emotions? Barbara Walters said if Nancy Pelosi cried so much, she’d be called weak, which is probably true actually. Pelosi has said she doesn’t cry about politics because you have to be a professional. But can you be professional and sentimental at the same time? I’m one of the most uptight people around, believe me, but I’ve been known to shed a tear from time to time. Sure, I, you know, try to keep it limited to a darkened theater while watching Bambi.

He ended the segment with both a plea and a challenge: “Ladies of The View, just let the man cry already. And if you want to shed a tear because you’re on tonight’s RidicuList, go right ahead. We’ll love you all the more for it.”

What a man. Watch Cooper defend a dude’s right to cry in public in the CNN clip below.

[h/t The Daily Caller]

Last time around, on John King USA, Carville squarely said he wasn’t sorry “and I don’t apologize.” He didn’t change his tune on AC 360º– in fact, he used almost the exact same phrasing, adding that, “to me, it’s not that big a deal” and, lest anyone think he has a conscience, “I’m not going to rehab; I’m not praying with my priest; I’m not reconsidering my life” over the joke, he explained.

Unlike last time, however, he went a little deeper in to the reasoning behind his bizarre accusation: “I thought the president should be tough on these banks.” Carville expressed his distaste with the way the bank bailouts were handled, adding that “we should have done something to show that we were unhappy with what they did,” and that he didn’t “blame” the American people for voting Republican as a way of expressing displeasure with the bank policy. That doesn’t quite explain why Carville made the joke in 2008, though he agreed with then-Senator Obama’s logic the first time he deflected the joke– Carville is not in public office, and is in the business of saying eye-catching things. “He’s right,” Carville conceded, “I’m a cable TV commentator.”

Carville’s second CNN non-mea culpa from last night’s Anderson Cooper 360º below:

“How am I the bunny?” the CNN anchor asks the team at the Great Ape Trust of Des Moines, IA. But before he can get an adequate answer, he’s given a used rabbit costume. “Be laid back,” the unsure Cooper said to himself. “See where it goes.”

You can see exactly where it goes in the CNN clip below. Hint: it involves a bib.

“Well, she has held public office. Kim Kardashian – I don’t know, has she ever held a job?” asked host Anderson Cooper.

“She held public office and she quit. She quit her job because she wanted to go out and become a celebrity!” Martin responded.

Watch the full video from CNN below:

The Florida congressman tells Cooper that his intent was “to point out in a vivid way that [Daniel Webster] is someone with an 18th Century name and a 13th Century conception of how women should live in America.” Cooper points out that Grayson had to twist words and edit footage to make his point, to which Grayson responds:

I don’t agree with that. … I’ve seen that speech, and I think that [my ad] reflects exactly what his conception of women actually are.

Cooper then cited the basic tenets of ethical journalism:

We wouldn’t be allowed to do that in news. What gives you the right to do that when you’re trying to get people’s votes?

But the unapologetic Grayson claims that “we’ve moved away from the whole subject of whether he was quoted in context or out of context,” as if it only takes a week for someone to get over being accused of being a Taliban sympathizer on national television. Cooper, too, found this to be disingenuous.

Watch the two duking it out on last night’s Anderson Cooper 360:

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:

The news was first reported by James Hibberd of The Live Feed.

According to the WB release:

Cooper will address water cooler topics and interview the real people, populist newsmakers and celebrities behind these stories. From undercover investigations to hidden camera experiments, the show will give the audience new perspective in an effort to gain insight into relevant issues and social trends affecting women’s lives. In addition, Cooper will hold town hall meetings on hot button issues from race to infidelity to Internet predators.

The full release is below.

CNN released this statement from CNN Worldwide President Walton: “I am pleased that Anderson Cooper has extended his relationship with CNN and will be with us for years to come. I am also pleased to congratulate Anderson on his new relationship with Telepictures. We think it will be good for Anderson, good for CNN and good for Time Warner.”

And Cooper says, “I remain as committed as ever to my program on CNN, and will be with CNN for years to come.”

Earlier this month we talked to Cooper about hosting daytime talk shows. Check it out here. Also, this ends all speculation about him going to CBS to host the Evening News, but no word yet if he will continue what would now be a third TV job – contributing to 60 Minutes.

We’ll continue to examine the implications for Cooper and CNN, but for now, here’s the full details:

Anderson Cooper has signed a deal to host a new, one-hour daily daytime strip, set for national syndication launch in Fall 2011, it was announced today by Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, and Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President, Telepictures Productions.

“Over the course of the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of daytime programs,” said Anderson Cooper. ” It’s fun and interesting to work in daytime television. The format is unique and you can really go in-depth on a wide range of fascinating and compelling stories. With this new program I hope to relay important information and relate to people and the audience in a completely different way. It’s an exciting opportunity to show another side of myself and create something worthwhile and special in daytime.”

“There is a great opportunity in the marketplace for this type of show,” said Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “Fall ’11 begins a transition period when long established franchises are leaving the air and making way for a new generation of shows. Anderson Cooper is one of the most distinctive voices of the next generation of television. His popularity and skills uniquely position him to be the next big syndication franchise.”

“The hallmark of Telepictures’ success has been attracting iconic talent and building franchises based on their personalities. From my early days working with Rosie through our success with Ellen, we have been able to identify great talent at the right time that fills a void in daytime. Anderson fills that void today, and I’m thrilled that we’ll be welcoming him to the Telepictures family. Anderson is one of those rare talents that has a relatable and authentic persona, a keen sense of humor and intelligence and has already demonstrated his ability to resonate with daytime viewers,” said Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President, Telepictures Productions.

Cooper will bring his passionate voice and personal perspective to a topical daily talk show that will tell the stories that are capturing the daytime audience’s attention. The show will have a broad palette that will cover social issues, trends and events, pop culture and celebrity, human interest stories and populist news. Cooper will tap into his compassion and fascination with the human condition and share compelling and provocative personal stories and tackle the issues that will stir debate while bringing his humorous take on what is top of mind for the daytime audience.

Cooper will address water cooler topics and interview the real people, populist newsmakers and celebrities behind these stories. From undercover investigations to hidden camera experiments, the show will give the audience new perspective in an effort to gain insight into relevant issues and social trends affecting women’s lives. In addition, Cooper will hold town hall meetings on hot button issues from race to infidelity to Internet predators. When there is breaking news, he will take the audience along with him right into the eye of the storm, as he goes beyond the headlines and into the lives of those affected. The show will feature audience participation both in the studio and live chats with home viewers. Like his predecessors Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue, Anderson Cooper will create a daily destination for multiple generations of women looking to be informed and entertained, gain perspective, and stay connected to each other and the world around them.

Cooper will continue to anchor CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” a provocative alternative to the typical network evening newscast, airing weeknights at 10 p.m. ET. Cooper joined CNN in December 2001 and served as CNN’s weekend anchor before moving to prime time in March 2003 following the war in Iraq. In addition to reporting for CNN, Cooper, an award-winning journalist, also provides reports for CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Dispatches from the Edge, Cooper’s memoir about covering the South Asia tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and other news events, topped the New York Times Bestsellers List and other bestseller charts. Before joining CNN, Cooper was an ABC News correspondent and host of the network’s reality program, “The Mole.” He anchored ABC’s live, interactive news and interview program, “World News Now,” as well as providing reports for “World News Tonight,” “20/20″ and “20/20 Downtown.”

Cooper graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He also studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi.

The show will be based in New York City and produced by Telepictures Productions in association with StrongChild Productions and Anderson Cooper will serve as an Executive Producer.

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The magazine is published by the Church of Scientology and the cover reads, “Anderson Cooper: A History of Lies.” The Church equates Cooper’s definition of an investigation with yellow journalism and accuses him of refusing to speak with church officials. The magazine’s website, which features most of the issue’s print content, states, “Not only did CNN and Cooper refuse to interview these Church executives, including the International Executive Director, but they weren’t even welcome to drop by CNN studios.”

The Church essentially asserts that Cooper’s reporting is a scam:

But what’s absolutely unbelievable is that Cooper thinks he can get away with this hogwash and pull off what even the greatest hucksters in history failed to accomplish, i.e., fool all the people all the time.

In addition to criticizing Cooper, CNN and the show’s interview subjects in print, the magazine has also included videos. One, in particular, attacks not only Cooper’s Scientology series, but his reporting as a whole–and the clothes he wears while doing it:

“When an earthquake reduces Haiti to rubble, there he is, on site in designer jeans or cargo pants, to verify for himself that the villages were indeed reduced to rubble…

[How can CNN] still get away with calling itself the most trusted name in news? Although for that matter, how does Anderson Cooper get away with reporting from disaster sites in silk T-shirts, to blur the line between anchorman and male model?”

Coincidentally, Cooper happens to be back in Haiti in his borderline male model glory. Toward the end of the video (around the 11:30 mark), the Church literally puts words in Cooper’s mouth by manipulating footage of him with audio of what the Church thinks he should have told viewers.

TVNewser reports that the magazine was distributed outside CNN’s Manhattan offices on Monday. The Church’s response is aggressive, but Cooper’s is not the first investigation they’ve attacked. The magazine “exposed” BBC’s Panorama and the St. Petersburg Times in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Watch the entire video below:

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

Anderson Cooper anchored from 10pm-MidnightET, an hour longer than usual but not a rare occasion for Cooper when he’s on location covering a story. But then the network stayed live. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, also live from the Gulf Coast, anchored from Midnight-2amET. Gary Tuchman and other correspondents contributed throughout the night.

We asked David Doss, Senior Executive Producer for AC: 360, about the decision. He tells Mediaite:

During the 10pm hour, BP’s underwater cameras showed the cap being lowered onto the spewing well. We broadcasted ‘live’ and watched as the submersible robots worked to adjust the fit and attach the cap. Would it work? Would the leak be sealed? CNN’s resources in the region and our commitment to this story made it possible to do an extended version of our show last night and we were on the air live for almost four hours.

Will it show up in the ratings? Not necessarily. Although Cooper’s 10pm program is seeing a definite uptick in ratings since the BP oil spill focus has taken hold, he’s not anywhere near Fox News territory. and as it got later, the ratings likely fell off too – we’ll know soon by how much. How many people are glued to CNN at 1:45amET besides the hardcore news junkies (short answer: not that many, but more than usual with this story).

But this isn’t about ratings. It’s about CNN doing what it does best – devoting its resources to covering a story, and going live while others were in tape. Say what you want about CNN’s ratings woes (and we have), but in many minds they won the night last night.

Here’s a clip from last night:

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

In early April, several outlets reported on “specials” CNN was taping with a studio audience, hosted by Anderson Cooper. “CNN is calling the trial episodes ‘specials’ to keep expectations low in case the project doesn’t make it to the series stage,” reported The Hollywood Reporter at the time.

Regardless of what happened with those initial trial episodes, we hear this talk show special, that airs tonight, was taped this week and features Cooper, a studio audience and a panel of guests. While CNN described the tone of the specials as “conversational” at the time, we hear the tone is mixed – with some harder news segments and other lighter segments.

In fact, it sounds like it could be similar to the traditional AC: 360 episode – except with pauses for applause.

It seems highly unlikely the show becomes studio audience-only – very few shows on cable news are. Mike Huckabee‘s weekly show has a studio audience, but the only regular weekday show with an audience in recent memory was FNC’s Dayside, hosted by Linda Vester than Mike Jerrick and Juliet Huddy and canceled years ago.

And Cooper isn’t unfamiliar with studio audiences. He has frequently filled in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly. But this program sounds more Oprah than The View.

This premiere will apparently air in the usual AC: 360 timeslot at 10pmET, but it could easily slide back to the 11pmET repeat on an occasional basis. Depending on how the show goes tonight, we could see it return in the future. It wouldn’t hurt CNN to shake things up a bit.

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Opponents of this new law in general call it another discriminatory policy from the people that institutionalized racial profiling, though Dyson kept to discussing the actual law at hand. Dyson argued that, because of a history of oppression directly related to certain ethnicities, a focus on that past in America is necessary so as to understand certain racial and ethnic attitudes that, without historical context, seem to have no foundation. In other words, banning ethnic studies perpetuates the kind of ignorance that leads to discrimination.

And in this corner, Horne argued that, while the ideal of every possible ethnic history being taught in schools is positive, the practical implications of ethnic studies programs are that minority children end up being segregated by race into classes where only the history of that race is taught. Rather than classify history by ethnicity, Horne argued, schools should abandon a “race-obsessed philosophy” and teach the same curriculum to students of all backgrounds. In other words, allowing ethnic studies perpetuates the kind of ignorance that leads to discrimination.

The most exemplary exchange in the debate for the general attitude of both sides comes late in the segment, when Dyson argues that “Martin Luther King [he comes up often in this clip] cannot by used to justify xenophobic and racist passions that are dressed up as desires to reform the curriculum.” Horne replies, “I think the xenophobia and racism is on your side.”

Video below:

Lucien didn’t speak much to the cameras, but claimed that, aside from his duties handling luggages, Rekers asked him for “sexual massages,” although they did not have sex, and Rekers did not ask him for it. What Rekers did as for, Lucien, noted, was for him to keep silent about the massage part of his contract, which he has obviously, since then, not done. Asked if he thinks Rekers is gay, Lucien said that the topic had come up but that Rekers had insisted to him that he was, in fact, not, but Lucien expressed interest in being his friend and helping him cope with his issues with homosexuality.

Video below:

The interview gets off on the wrong foot almost immediately, when Lt. Col. Lakin’s lawyer steps in to answer the simple question of whether Lakin really believes what he is claiming in court documents. Cooper, frustrated, addresses Lakin again in the hope of hearing him defend himself, but once again the lawyer intervenes. “Can the Colonel not talk for himself? The guy is an adult!” Cooper tells the lawyer. Apparently not yet, as his lawyer continues to dispute Cooper’s claim that a certificate of live birth is the standard form of the birth document in Hawaii, claiming a certificate of live birth is not a birth certificate.

As the interview goes on and Lakin continues to sit in silence while his lawyer becomes increasingly agitated, Cooper begins to take a few jabs at Lakin, requesting that he not “hide behind your lawyer” and noting that in a Youtube video he released, “you were talking, frankly, more than you’re talking tonight.” Lakin finally pipes up to say that he has used every avenue he could find to spread his message and receive guidance on how to proceed, because “my obligation is to the Constitution.”

Video of the exchange below:

In fact, Maher, whose name has often been thrown around as a possible permanent cable news personality, made the case why he may be exactly what CNN needs.

On one hand, Maher took a hard stance on the suspected Times Square bomber case. First, it was aimed at the Obama administration (and ultimately Janet Napolitano): “I think we should change the no-fly list to the no-getting-on-the-damn-plane list.”

Then it was his unique and intriguing take on the mentality of the with the suspect himself:

I don’t think the problem is that guys like this hate America. I think the problem is that they like America and they feel guilty about it. They come here, they like eating at Chili’s, and they like the waterslide, they like going to the strip clubs. Then they get on their jihadi websites and they feel terribly guilty about it, and they decide, ‘well if things go bad…’

A knock at Muslim religion and culture to be sure, just like this: “People who want to gloss over the difference between Western and Islamic cultures…do so at their peril.”

Meanwhile, when it came time to talk about the other big story in the news, the oil spill, Maher gave his take on why some on the right decided to deem this “Obama’s Katrina.” “In the minds of those who don’t think too far or too deeply, ‘OK, disaster, Louisiana, OK that’s enough. I don’t have to think any further.”

This echoes the dichotomy of Maher’s opinions last week, when he praised Western culture as “better” on Friday and drew connections between racists and the Republican party (but didn’t call all Republicans racist) on Sunday.

The point is – he isn’t “right” or “left.” He doesn’t straddle one particular talking point put out by either the Democratic or Republican party. He’s unique and hard to peg politically (I realize the right, almost universally, thinks he’s a hardlined liberal, but it hasn’t always been this way, especially during his Politically Incorrect years). He can be the sort of personality boost CNN needs. Yes, he’s a comedian. But one of Fox News’ big stars used to be a radio morning zoo host. One of MSNBC’s top rated hosts was a longtime sports anchor. It’s not so extreme to throw a “day job” comedian into a news slot and see what happens, especially someone as politically interesting as Maher.

Here’s the full interview:

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Well it didn’t take long for Brownie to complete the cable news Full Ginsburg – he was on MSNBC with Chris Matthews and later with Anderson Cooper on CNN. Here’s how the CNN interview went.

In his “keeping them honest” segment, Cooper aired a pre-taped interview with Brown, in which he allowed the FEMA director during Katrina to expand on his conspiracy that Pres. Barack Obama wanted the spill (but not the ultimate scope and ensuing damage), while also holding his feet to the fire to produce some evidence of the claims. It was one of the major criticisms Gibbs had of Neil Cavuto‘s FNC interview – although the other major criticism was having Brown on at all, and obviously CNN and MSNBC provided the platform as well. “What evidence do you have of that?,” asked Cooper early in the interview. “As a former government official, I would think you’d choose your words carefully, what evidence do you have this is basically a plot to shut down oil?”

Here is Brown’s new, hedged answer: “Nobody, including the President, wants the oil to spread into the wetlands or around the coast. I said it would. They want to use the crisis.”

Cooper pressed back. “You can argue he wants extreme stipulations on it but again you haven’t provided any evidence and in fact you’re now denying a statement you made yesterday,” he said.

But right at the end of the interview, Brown introduced a new theory – this oil spill is like Katrina, because the President in each situation was such a failure. Yes, Brownie blasted George W. Bush:

What were they doing in the meantime? They left the Coast Guard out there without the additional resources that the Coast Guard, needed just like President Bush left me down in Katrina without the additional resources that I needed, because they were dilly-dallying around back in Washington D.C.

Whoa Brownie. Heckuva job introducing the next storyline that will get you back on cable news today.

Here’s the Cooper interview:

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Perez, a longtime Latin American political commentator who honed his skills alongside CNN host Rick Sanchez at New York’s hispanophone Radio WADO station, attacked the law viciously, claiming that he would certainly be a victim of it just for standing on a street corner in shabby clothes and having an accent, and renaming the state the “Reactionary Republic of Arizona.” Rep. Cavanaugh, who helped draft the bill, responded that Perez was “completely wrong” because suspicious behavior is just as– if not more important– than appearance in determining who gets asked for identification. Perez’ retort was that that law-abiding illegal immigrants will now be afraid to report crimes, fires, or otherwise interact with the government.

Watch the debate below: