Most people know Dr. Sanjay Gupta from their television sets, as CNN’s Chief Medical correspondent. But he’s not just a guy who shows up on TV and then cashes in on the fame with a series of appearances — a practicing neurosurgeon, Dr. Gupta sees patients regularly and performs surgery at XXXX. His familiarity with the brain and how it functions drove him to spend a football season with the Junius H. Rose High School Raprats in Greenville, North Carolina. In 2008, Jaquan Waller, a junior, died from “second impact syndrome,” a fatal swelling of the brain that occurred when he took a blow to his head before a previous concussion injury had healed.

CNN, boo boos, can we talk? I’m getting a little worried about you. Here, sit down. Have some of this Wolf Spritzer I picked up at your gift shop. No, yeah, it’s pretty good. Tastes like berries. Berries and gravitas. So. Are you and Ron Paul having, like. A thing? Yesterday, when Paul sat down with Ali Velshi, Velshi brought up a newsletter (or, at this point, The Newsletter™), sent out two decades ago, which espoused some pretty problematic racist beliefs. Paul, as he has done each and every time he’s been asked about The Newsletter in recent years, maintained that he did not write those things, adding that “those aren’t my beliefs.

90 miles and decades removed from the United States, the island of Cuba persists as a stubbornly living relic of the Cold War, excommunicated from the Western world just enough to make everything from its music to policy to its health care system a mystery. It was to explore this latter element that CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta found himself Havana last week, from where he told Mediaite his first impressions and expectations on the island, and worked on an upcoming documentary on swimmer Diana Nyad‘s attempt to traverse the stretch of water from Havana to Florida.

Noted burger and donut lover Bill Clinton has–brace yourself–become a vegan. Is nothing sacred? In an interview with CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, the former president and junk-food lover has cleaned up his act, dropping twenty pounds and transforming his diet. Gupta reports Clinton “now considers himself a vegan…and he says he’s healthier than ever.” The candidate who worked his way through New Hampshire–and boxes of donuts–had a huge health scare that resulted in heart surgery and advice to step away from the barbeque and french fries.

Global crisis has been the theme of the summer for cable news– and it should come as no surprise. But what does to many viewers is that while “crisis” means stock brokers gripping their cheeks on one network, or the President mincing words on another, CNN has made its top story in August the nightmarish faces of the famine in Somalia. Mediaite spoke to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta this week on the difficulties of bringing a story most can’t bear to watch to viewers, how it has affected him and how to prevent further destruction in the region.

You’ve got to respect the interviewing skills on display over at GQ. A couple weeks ago they got Mila Kunis to talk about commie-hating (enough to be declared a full on patriot hero over on Fox News) and now they’ve asked Larry King how many women he’s made out with. Yes, prompted by King’s decision to begin a stand-up tour, the magazine decided to have a little fun with him make a whole interview out of “sleepover games” like Would You Rather? and F**k, Marry, Kill. We’re not sure what any of that has to do with stand up comedy, but it certainly makes for a fun interview.

A discussion of healthy ways to add years to your life got mildly–and entertainingly derailed–on CONAN last night when CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta asked Conan O’Brien about his sex life: “Are you having regular sex?” Apparently, having “regular sex” is good for you, as is limiting your coffee intake and making sure you floss daily (flossing? why’s it always got to be flossing?) But 30 Rock‘s Tina Fey, sitting next to Gupta, immediately jumped on the adjective “regular.”

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta–who’s been out in front on the story of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords–has another exclusive set to air Thursday night on AC 360: Gupta’s in Houston at TIRR Memorial Hermann, the institute for rehabilitation and research, where Giffords is undergoing rehabilitation and therapy. Gupta’s report for Anderson Cooper–and an expanded story set to air this weekend on CNN’s Sanjay Gupta M.D.–puts Gupta through the paces, learning more about the type of therapy they administer there–specializing in patients with brain injuries, stroke, spinal cord trauma, amputation, and gunshot wounds like Giffords.

Hasn’t Dr. Sanjay Gupta got enough on his plate with becoming a triathlete? I mean, c’mon, man. This week, he’s been doing fill-in duty for Anderson Cooper on AC360. He’s also CNN’s chief medical correspondent, with trips around the world–and notably, doing extensive work on the ground in Haiti after the earthquake. He’s also, you know, not for nothing, but a neurosurgeon and he teaches at Emory University (one of the world’s finest institutions of higher learning, IMHO).

It’s been said before, and it will probably be said again: Ron Paul is not your typical Republican politician. Appearing on AC 360 last night, fill-in host Sanjay Gupta sought comment from the former Presidential candidate on the controversy surrounding what many are calling the “Ground Zero Mosque.” Paul made clear his frustration in blaming the whole of Islam with the acts of a small radical sect, and compared to the bombing of the Murrow building in Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh

It’s official, and straight from the horse’s mouth this time: musician Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti. Jean joined Wolf Blitzer on Larry King Live tonight to explain his decision and what he offers to the people of Haiti.

Mediaite Office Hours is live today from Livestream.com today at 3pmET – with CNN anchor/correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNBC’s Darren Rovell and Politico’s Patrick Gavin. There’s certainly a lot to talk about.

Big Journalism correspondents usually stick to pointing out often legitimate spin against the right wing in the mainstream media, but Archy Cary went one step further to analyze the well-documented media bias against victims of natural and political disasters.

CNN has covered the Haiti story far more than any other cable news network – last week it was four times as much as Fox News or MSNBC. And it continues this week, with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper remaining the most high profile correspondent still reporting on the ground (he’s there all week, and has been since January 13). Mediaite spoke to Cooper today (instead of “Back From Haiti” it’s “Still In Haiti”) while he traveled from “mass graves” to the Hotel Montana, where people are “digging for Americans foreign nationals.”

You can sympathize with Guy Trebay, the incredibly talented fashion writer at the New York Times. With the news focused on Haiti and Leno/Conan, no one is all that interested in fashion, even with the debut of season seven of Project Runway. So you turn on the TV, catch Anderson Cooper carrying kids to safety on CNN in his tight, black t-shirt, and think: now there’s a story. It’s an interesting premise, but still, it all felt a little awkward.

Eight days after the earthquake that struck Haiti things appear to be getting worse not better for suffering and traumatized Haitians. Anderson Cooper’s frustration was particularly apparent last night as he discussed the situation with a seemingly overwhelmed Sanjay Gupta: “They are giving Motrin to people who have had their limbs amputated!”

CNN, like all the news networks, is devoting major resources to the Haiti earthquake tragedy and we’re seeing excellent reporting.

But through a series of Haiti-related occurrences, questions are being raised about the murky line between journalism and becoming part of the story.

Television people are an extremely cynical type. They will see through the biggest line of BS, mostly because its familiar territory. But the story unfolding in Haiti has transcended skepticism – the stories and imagery of destruction and destroyed families have brought the cable news world news to its knees. And when video of sick or troubled child appears before a parent, television standards of dispassionate reporting no longer apply. Case in point? Campbell Brown, mother.

Reminding viewers that CNN is best in crisis mode, Sanjay Gupta was the first U.S. broadcaster to snare and interview with Haitian president René Preval. Speaking in broken English, a distraught Preval did his best to answer Gupta’s questions, shot with a low resolution video camera. When asked for a current death toll, Preval had very little information, except that which he had learned form CNN himself. Video after the jump.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s new book, “Cheating Death,” was released in October, but the celebration took place this week. In the crowd was a mix of talent and executives from CNN and other networks – including a large contingent of TV doctors. How was his boss going to describe him Monday night?

Obama-mania meets Bollywood spectacle as the Washington press corps is going a little starstruck over Obama’s first State Dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Washington Post and Politico are devoting special sections on their websites to the event and CNN is already on the story. Several outlets are planning live video coverage of the dinner and receiving line.

First CelebrityJeopardy, now this. When Wolf Blitzer recently interviewed Michael Moore about his latest documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story, the interview got uncomfortable, and fast. Here are some of the highlights, from Michael Moore comparing himself to the Founding Fathers to Blitzer talking about ATMs:

Yesterday we reported how CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined a growing and star-studded flu victims list, including MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and most recently, goth rocker Marilyn Manson, who shared his diagnosis Monday through a MySpace blog post. During last night’s episode of AC360, host Anderson Cooper raised the Swine Flu bar by realizing that he had the H1N1 virus live on air!

This morning, CNN chief medical correspondent (and onetime candidate for Surgeon General) Dr. Sanjay Gupta revealed that he had swine flu, joining a star-studded victims list, including MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Harry Potter‘s Rupert Grint and most recently, goth rocker Marilyn Manson. So celebrities get sick — where’s the news?