Gosh, I’ve been MIA for a few days and it seems like a YEAR!! I guess I get caught up in all the extra ‘holiday’ activity and, well ... I get off-track just a little – I admit it ...
From Friday – the news from the AC360° blog came from show booker Kay Jones – about the upcoming NYE festivities – I’m still pondering about who the ‘special guest’ will be?? I hope it’s announced soon! And I totally agree with Kay - Earth, Wind & Fire will be awesome – they are one of the very best groups to have survived the seventies and are still going strong! Here’s her blog entry:
Friday, December 07, 2007
Countdown to New Year's Eve Live
New Year's Eve is fast approaching, and a few of us on the 360 team are busy trying to set up the CNN New Year's Eve show. Anderson will be back in Times Square and we've already confirmed a special guest who will be hanging out with Mr. Cooper all night. That person is sure to bring us some great laughs. Can you guess who?
Also, we are working on some fantastic music acts, with up and coming country artist Miranda Lambert and one of my all-time favs, Earth, Wind, & Fire, already confirmed for the show. We're still trying to confirm a few more acts and when we do, I'll let you all know.
This year, we are going to ask for your help with the show. Although we'll have reporters in many locations around the world, we want you to bring us even more! Do you have a cool party you are throwing, a great destination where you'll be ringing in the New Year or a tradition that is just fantastic and you want the world to see? In the next few days we'll tell you how to send us your information.
What better way to ring in the New Year than to watch Anderson having a ball in Times Square while showing the world how you celebrate?
Moving on to Sunday – the “Kings of Congo” report on “60 Minutes” from Anderson – about the survival challenges faced by the mountain gorillas in the Congo – was fantastic! I enjoy watching almost anything about mountain gorillas - and as wonderful as Anderson's report was, it was oh-so-difficult to see what had happened to the gorillas that were killed by rebel soldiers operating in the DRC. But it's necessary to see it to fully understand the senseless nature of the killings. And now I know a new phrase that I wish I didn't have any knowledge of - "charcoal mafia". The rangers who have trying to protect the land and the gorilla families are so brave and you can easily see how frustrated they are about the current situation in the DRC. I do hope that at the very least, there can be an alternate fuel source introduced to eliminate the need for 'creating' coal by burning down the forest - which directly and indirectly threatens the very continued existence of the mountain gorillas!
If you missed the segment, it will be repeated on 360° this week (as described in yesterday’s blog entry from Anderson) or you can check out the video here at the 60 Minutes web site.
From last night’s AC 360° program –
Colorado church shootings: Now we have to have armed security officers at our churches. Thankfully, there was at least one this past Sunday in the New Life Church in Colorado Springs. Imagine the number of fatalities we’d be counting if Jeanne Assam hadn’t been on duty that morning? The bravery she demonstrated reaches far beyond a description such as ‘admirable’, and her subsequent humility is characteristic of someone who is a selfless hero - and able to navigate through a harrowing ordeal because of her faith.
But this incident and the earlier shooting in Arvada at the ‘Youth With A Mission’ facility not only cause chills in the spine – they raise a larger question - what is our society moving towards when we can longer be assured of basic safety as we worship?? Or shop in a public place? Or attend school? Will it be necessary to regress back to the times when everyone walked the streets with a holster? Or – in modern terms - an uzi? Is that where we’re headed? Perhaps one of these infamous ‘government commissions’ can address the very real security concern that Americans are facing in regards to public safety in these types of situations.
Sean Callebs provided a rundown of the logistics of what happened in the New Life Church shooting, and Anderson interviewed Larry Bourbannais, an eyewitness and shooting survivor. His account of the sequence of events was chilling – especially when you consider that people had gathered to worship – and one of the last things they’d expect to hear is the sound of gunfire inside the church! Anderson also spoke on the phone with Richard Werner, a former roommate of shooter Matthew Murray, who gave an equally chilling account of Murray’s description of the ‘voices’ he was hearing.
Oprah-bama-palooza: Did I get it right? If you were even just listening to the report from Candy Crowley last night about Oprah appearing with Obama over the weekend – without the visual – wouldn’t you think you were hearing a revival meeting? And if you add in the pictures – well, you DID have a weekend revival meeting – or three of them, to be exact. A revival of intensity within the Barack Obama ‘camp’, at least. Will it translate into votes? Perhaps. Maybe more so than just about any other celebrity endorsement. But what I haven’t heard anyone mention yet is that part of the reason this is so unique is that Oprah has never even endorsed, let alone campaigned for, any previous Presidential candidate. So on top of all other descriptions used, Oprah’s involvement can also be characterized as ‘historic’.
Daily ‘stat-fix’: I like statistics – not sure why – sometimes for what they don’t say, as much as for what they do say. There are always so many underlying reasons as to why certain stats turn out the way they do – perhaps that’s why I’m intrigued? The results of the latest CNN National presidential poll released yesterday shows the rise of some campaigns and – I’ll be gentle – the mild erosion of others.
Anderson discussed the new poll numbers with Candy & John King – particularly the almost ‘meteoric’ rise of Mike Huckabee in a very short period of time. And it’s not all due to evangelical Republicans – there are GOP-leaning independents who are taking a look at him as well. I’m not sure if the Wayne DuMond story will ‘stick’, as they say – perhaps because people may very well be tired of the old “Willie Horton” line of negativity at this point. What may have traction – and it certainly does for me – is Huckabee’s 1992 statement about AIDS (see below). And his continuing defense of it. That’s pure ignorance on the part of a high level government official who should know better. As Anderson pointed out, the statement was made in 1992, not 1982 – and it would have been just slightly less ignorant and only slightly more defensible even if it had been stated back in 1982.
Vick sentence: Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months for his involvement in an illegal dog fighting ring. I'm thankful that he didn't get the rumored 12-18 months that was being pushed for by his attorneys, but I do hope that this acts as some kind of deterrent to others who may be involved in this type of cruelty. I also think he should have gotten more time – maybe even quite a bit more! We’ll see if he ends up being able to return to his former career after time served.
Anderson & Gary share some laughs: Gosh – last night was quite an amusing night – in some instances. There was humor in the story about Dana Perino not knowing anything about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Another scholar in a high level position within the Bush administration – what a revelation!! And the “Nutty Buddy” invention (no pics – watch the video on YouTube) – and then the airport foam ‘shot’ of the day – is anyone surprised at Gary’s admission that he was one of those ‘naughty’ kids who didn’t follow the rules about not setting off the fire alarm? And oh yeah - what WAS that animal sitting on top of Bill Schneider's head??
The BIG news from this morning (so far) is that Season 2 of the Mole will finally be broadcast on the Fox Reality Channel later this month! It’ll air on Saturday, December 22nd (Episodes 1 -8) and Sunday, December 23rd (Episodes 9 -13), so set those recorders!! The ‘marathons’ start at 2:00 PM EST each day – check your cable provider for specific channel listing!
Interview Reminder – if you’d like to submit a question for our upcoming interview with Gary Tuchman, please e-mail me at newsblooz@yahoo.com – preferably either today or tomorrow! We’ve got a lot of interesting topics to cover, so please feel free to ask about his current assignments, past stories, questions about journalism in general - you get the idea! :-)
Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!
9 comments:
Newsblooz: Anderson’s report on the rangers and the gorillas was wonderful! I was so impressed that he actually went there to talk to the rangers to shed a light on what these courageous individuals are going through to try to protect these magnificent creatures. They work for little or no pay at times because they care so much for these animals.
I am so glad that Anderson showed the gentle side of these beautiful animals. Hopefully, it will help people understand what a tragedy their loss would be to the world. Sitting there watching them seems almost like a spiritual experience.
The fighting between the army and the rebels continues to be fierce and the rangers are worried about what listening to all of this shelling is doing to the gorillas. I can’t help but imagine how frightened those poor creatures are. Finding an alternate fuel source to charcoal is paramount in order to limit the loss of habitat for the gorillas.
Jeanne Assam is truly a hero; she saw what had to be done and did not hesitate. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that, like many shooters before them, Robert Hawkins in Nebraska and Matthew Murray in Colorado seemed to have been ostracized or ignored by society. In the light of these shootings and the New Hampshire incident, maybe we should take a closer look at the accessibility and quality of mental health care and I think it would be a good time to re-examine the easy availability of guns in this country. This is what happens in a society that chooses to worship guns.
There is a God! Michael Vick gets more than the usual sentence for his crimes! Now let's see if he serves it.
“Gary I think you were being kind, but I am not so sure that Bush knows what the Cuban Missile Crisis was.”
Gary and Anderson were very naughty last night; maybe they got into the eggnog a little early! I have a feeling we have not seen the last of the "Nutty Buddy" video; I think Anderson will be filing it away with his "Seamanship" video, among other favorites. Poor Bill Schneider didn’t stand a chance! Those two had quite a laugh at his expense.
"Anderson and Gary, you better behave yourselves; Santa is watching!"
Great caps of Anderson and Gary!
Newsblooz-A lot of good topics last night. It is hard to believe that someone would go into a church and start shooting. Those poor people. I just don't know what this world is coming to.
They have had some good topics on politics lately and I am sure we will be getting a lot more. So far nobody is a standout.
I loved the "shot of the day" and the nutty buddy story. Gary and Anderson seemed to be having lots of fun last night.
Cant wait for Gary to answer our questions.
Newsblooz: I see that the "360 Blog" now has a "Morning Buzz." Does that word Buzz sound familiar to you!?!
Newsblooz: I meant to comment on Anderson 60 Minutes piece. Anderson did a great job telling the story of the gorillas, but it really bothered me that these poor gorillas had to die for charcoal. It just seems unbelievable, that these gurrillas would kill these beautiful animals.
I just watched the 5 a.m. repeat of last night's show and really enjoyed Gary Tuckman. I especially like the fact that his segments with Anderson are "live" during the show, rather than pre-taped, as they are with Erika. His revelations about his younger days and that he was a big Led Zep fan were so funny. Perhaps a question about his other favorite rock groups way back when would be fun for the interview. Loved the pictures of him with long, curly hair too.
@Stardust - I am in awe of the dedication that the Congo rangers have when it comes to protecting the gorillas - they truly have hearts of gold.
And there is definitely something that gets passed around when AC + GT 'team up' for the bulletins - eggnog at least!
Thankfully Santa has a sense of humor, so the 'guys' should be OK - I know this because otherwise, I certainly wouldn't have gotten any presents for a number of years at this point!!! ;-)
@blue_eyes - I love politics, if only for the amusement and absurdity of it all. So this is one of the more interesting races - overall - in quite awhile!
And yes, the rebels in the DRC are causing SO much destruction in SO many ways - and they've been allowed to do it for SO long - it's time for it all to END!!
And I really enjoy AC + GT doing the bulletins - it's a different "take" on humor than with Erica - still (very) good and funny - but different - and that's (very) good too, as we sometimes need a small break from the intensity of the 'other' news!
@l3go.orz (I think it's l3go.roz, right?) ;-) ...
I do like the 'live' bulletins as well - AC does 'humor' better that way, it seems (IMHO) - and oh, yes - there may just be some 'youthful' caps of Mr. Tuchman showing up on the blog - thanks to the 360 staff and apparently, Mrs. Tuchman!!!!! :-)
@Stardust (second comment) - yes, I DID notice the 'new' Morning Buzz feature on the AC360 blog yesterday - and it would make my day (or my year) to think that there was any particle of 'inspiration' drawn from this little endeavor - but that's doubtful! ;-)
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