CNN on SNL

If you are a regular CNN viewer you will recognize, and probably get a chuckle out of Saturday Night Live's opening skit. It pokes some fun at CNN's iReports, Twitter, Jack Cafferty, Gloria Borger, Wolf Blitzer and Christiane Amanpour. Enjoy!

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Michael Ware: Back in Baghdad

Well, it's been awhile since I've been able to do an all-Michael Ware post, but here we have one. Michael is back in Baghdad in the run-up to the beginning of the end of the American-led war in Iraq -- per the SOFA signed by the Bush administration, as of June 30th US troops are required to pull out of the cities and can only re-enter them at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

Monday, Michael spoke with International's Hala Gorani about the latest rash of bombings:

A few hours later he spoke with Hala again with the latest death tolls:

On Tuesday, Michael Holmes interviewed Michael for BackStory. It was 8pm in Baghdad, and things were a bit casual; however, Michael apparently felt that if he was going to be interviewed he ought to at least be shod. (I'd say "Crikey!" but he'd probably hurl one of those shoes at me... so instead I'll just quietly grumble about his pesky journalistic ethics.) This very short clip teased the interview (and yes, for you Tommy Evans fans, there he is in the background at his familiar post):

Due to some technical glitches, the interview itself was split into two segments, running Tuesday and Wednesday. This is the full clip as posted to CNN.com:

Wednesday and back on Hala's program after another heartbreaking major bombing:

Domestic finally got some airtime with Michael, as Wolf Blitzer talked to him about the bombings and the increase in tensions. Jack Cafferty also had a comment:

And this morning, John Roberts talked to him briefly as well:

It's always good to hear Michael's perspective on what's going on in Iraq, even though we seem to be heading into yet another very dangerous time there; nobody knows the players and reads the currents as well as he does. (We're also looking forward to the AC360 special that he and Tommy were working on in Pakistan recently, which is slated to air next month.)

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More Odds & Ends and Another Voice Your Opinion

Hey it's me, Phebe, in for BA tonight. Not that this was planned, just a last minute switch. Unlike Book Asylum's thoughtful, well planned posts mine is going to be a 'fly by the seat of your pants' type of thing. First a few tidbits, courtesy of our wonderful Julie.


• Alina Cho must have the most active social life of anyone at CNN. Last Friday night Ms. Cho attended the 'Young Friends of Venice' Ball at the Bowery Hotel in NYC. Her escort was John Dempsey. Cho also attended NY Fashion Week's Tuleh show with Dempsey in February.




• Roland Martin began his stint as Campbell's sub this past Monday. When Campbell was in the anchor chair the program's executive producer was David Doss, also the man in charge of AC360. While Campbell is on maternity leave Scott Matthews will take over as exec producer of NBNB.




• DL Hugley has bid ado to CNN but he told the Daily News TV editor that he hated to leave when the program was so successful (yes you read that correctly). To read more follow the link.




• On March 26th mediabistro.com's Morning Media Menu had Jack Cafferty for a guest. They talked about his new book, "Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream" among other things. To listen follow the link.



I read with interest all of the suggestions you readers had for how to improve the CNN lineup. Most of your ideas concerned the anchors at the newsdesk and the prime time programs. I would be interested in hearing your opinions on CNN's reporters. Who are your favorites and who makes you want to flip the channel. I don't want anything too negative, just your honest picks and pans. ~Phebe

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Now or Never

Jack Cafferty appeared as a guest on a couple of CNN programs this week to talk about his book. On Thursday he appeared on Larry King's program:

And on Friday Campbell Brown had a recorded interview with him:

I love Jack's dry sense of humor and his scathing honesty. And even without ever meeting her, it is so clear that his late wife must have been an extraordinary woman. I can't wait to get this book.

Also, Jack will be appearing on The Daily Show this Monday, March 30. Should be a memorable interview!

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A couple of the world economy pieces ran this week. This first one is from Frederik Pleitgen (in Berlin) and Stan Grant (in Dubai):

This one features Kyung Lah (Tokyo), Stan Grant (near Abu Dhabi), Ivan Watson (Istanbul), and John Vause (Beijing):

And here's an unusual financial piece -- Nic Robertson gives us a look at a "financial boot camp" the Army is running in Baghdad:

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Where in the World...?

SUNDAY: Christiane Amanpour was in Chaghcharan, Afghanistan.

MONDAY: Michael Ware was in New York. TJ Holmes was in for Tony Harris.

TUESDAY: Wolf Blitzer was in New York to cover the President's press conference; John King was also in New York. Betty Nguyen filled in for Tony; TJ filled in for Rick Sanchez.

WEDNESDAY: Don Lemon was in The Situation Room, as he visited Washington for an interview with RNC head Michael Steele; Jill Dougherty was in Mexico City with SecState Clinton; Anderson Cooper hosted AC360 from El Paso, Texas. Fredericka Whitfield filled in for Tony.

THURSDAY: Anderson spent the day in Juarez, Mexico, then hosted from El Paso (above); Randi Kaye and Drew Griffin were also in Mexico; Gary Tuchman was in Tuscon, Arizona. Jack Cafferty appeared on Larry King Live, as a panelist and a guest. Don filled in for Tony.

FRIDAY: Christiane was in New York; Peter Bergen appeared on AC360 to discuss the President's plan for Afghanistan; Jack was on Campbell Brown's program; Anderson was still in El Paso; the second hour of AC360 was the fourth installment of Ali Velshi's "Money Summit" series. Don was in for Tony; Tavis Smiley filled in for Larry King.

That's a wrap for me today. Have a great weekend!

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The economy is tough all over...

As you can imagine, not a lot of international news during the "Road to Rescue" week, but there were a couple glimpses of how the world economy is faring. In this first one (which aired Thursday) we have Paula Hancocks reporting from Galilee about employment problems, Stan Grant from Abu Dhabi about the still-strong tourism industry, and Al Goodman from Madrid on the drop in divorce rates and increase in traffic accidents:

Friday we got this one, which has Matthew Chance reporting from Moscow about the expected drop in birthrate and rise in abortions, and Jim Boulden from London on the rise in internet dating:

Thursday also gave us this report from Barbara Starr that focuses on the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan:

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BookAsylum posted that wonderful interview about Jack Cafferty's new book yesterday, and last Monday Wolf Blitzer spoke to Jack about the book during TheSitRoom. It is heartbreaking to watch Jack's face as Wolf reads the excerpt about his late wife Carol. She sounds like an extraordinary woman, and it is easy to understand why he misses her so much:

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Where in the World...?

SATURDAY: Susan Roesgen was in the NewsRoom for Betty Nguyen.

SUNDAY: Stan Grant was in Islamabad reporting on the riots in Lahore, Pakistan; John Zarella was at the Kennedy Space Center to cover the launch of Discovery. Susan was in for Betty.

MONDAY: Rick Sanchez hosted his hour of NewsRoom from the campus of Georgia State University; Anderson Cooper hosted AC360 from outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

TUESDAY: Anderson hosted from New Orleans.

WEDNESDAY: Ali Velshi was in The Situation Room as he prepared to interview SecTreas Tim Geithner; Anderson was in Warren, Michigan. Don Lemon was in for Tony Harris.

THURSDAY: Recorded reports from Paula Hancocks in Galilee, Stan Grant in Abu Dhabi (above), and Al Goodman from Madrid; Ed Henry was in Los Angeles with President Obama; Anderson Cooper hosted from the campus of Hofstra University. Christine Romans was in for John Roberts (who was in Orlando for the Student Television Network Conference); Don was in for Tony; Lisa Sylvester was in for Lou Dobbs.

FRIDAY: Recorded reports from Matthew Chance in Moscow and Jim Boulden in London; Candy Crowley was in Trenton, NJ to look at how stimulus money is being spent; Rick hosted from the campus of Morehouse College; Anderson was back in the NY studio. Christine was in for John; TJ Holmes was in for Tony; Fredericka Whitfield was in for Kyra Phillips; Lisa was in for Lou.

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Now or Never

Alina Cho attended the New Yorkers for Children reception on March 5, 2009 at Valentino. (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/ Getty Images)

Artist Peter Max, left and Larry King, right, pose for a photograph Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 at the Peter Max Studio in New York. The pop artist's work is on three floors of the museum part of the Clinton Presidential Center for a show that begins Monday and runs through May 25. (Photo credit: AP)

Jack Cafferty has a new book: Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream. Below is an excerpt from a recent interview from Fortune:

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The American dream is in peril, and Jack Cafferty has something to say about it. In his new book, Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our Dream, CNN's irascible commentator takes on the economy, foreign policy, education, health care, immigration, energy, the Bush legacy and Obama's opportunity--nothing less than the future of the country. He even manages to tie in his life story, complete with a hardscrabble youth, alcoholism, and redemption in marriage and fatherhood. Fortune spoke with Cafferty about what he sees is wrong with the country--and what needs to be done about it. Below are excerpts from that discussion:

The title of your book says the American dream is in peril. Why is that?

Well, take a look around. Foreclosures, unemployment, debts and deficit, companies going out of business, bailouts. The evidence is pretty clear.

Who's to blame?

You can't assign blame to a person for the kind of cumulative gathering of storm clouds that we're dealing with right now, but mostly policies of not living within our means and in the case of Wall Street and the banks, a lack of proper supervision for these mortgage-backed securities and some of these other investment instruments that have led to the kind of horrific situation we've got in the financial sector. We've been running deficits and debt for years. George Bush doubled the national debt in the eight years he was in office. He accumulated more debt on his watch than all the previous U.S. Presidents before him combined.

The full interview is available here.

If you'd like to read an excerpt from the book, click here.

This video has also been made available from the book's publisher, Wiley:

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Low Dancing Wolf

Its been one of those nights where I just have too much to put into one post. I'm afraid one of these days, you'll be seeing the left overs. This is what made the final cut:

I was reading about this weekend's News To Me:

One Man's Quest for "Real Change"

His name is Ed Port Ed Needs a Miracle and he has "neurofibromatosis", a rare genetic disorder characterized most notably by benign tumors that, in his case, have disfigured his face. His good friend Michael Murphy, is an artist who is using his talents to find Ed some help. It's a touching story, but a happy ending may depend on you or someone you know. Watch, be moved, and see how you may be able to help!

New Year's Eve Fire at Bangkok Club

It was supposed to be a happy celebration, ringing in 2009. But as one iReporter described it, it was absolute pandemonium! The sirens were wailing as people streamed out of the club, screaming and crying, some were badly burned! It was an inferno that happened in just minutes! We are on the scene with the images and stories provided by you.

Life Under the Big Top!

You know at one time or another every child has dreamt of running off to join the circus... but for one woman, that dream turned reality almost killed her! Kate Meinhardt bloggedKate's Circus Life about her years on the road working with animals and we talked to her about what she calls, "the coolest job in the world!"

The Ed Needs a Miracle report sounds like it is going to provide yet another example of why our health care system just might need an overhaul.

News To Me was at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. Host Eric Lanford provided a behind the scenes look:

There's more about their week on the News To Me Blog.

News to Me airs on HLN on Saturday and Sunday nights at 7:30PM, 9:30PM, and 12:30AM ET.

If you don't have access to HLN (check your local listings to make sure), you can check the News To Me website where they post some of their archived stories.

The Situation Room on Friday afternoon was a real treat! Remember when Ellen Degeneres asked Wolf Blitzer to come on her show? If you need a refresher on the back and forth between the two shows, here are our prior posts.

Well.... Wolf taped his appearance on Ellen Thursday night and had clips to share today on The Situation Room. And YES, he danced!

Jack Cafferty may have a point there.

There's more, just like Wolf said. Here's the second clip:

Wolf's going to leave Anderson Cooper out in the cold!

And one more.... Wolf continued his discussion on the appearance with his panel: Gloria Borger, Steve Hayes, and Candy Crowley.

At the end of that clip, Wolf asked Jack Cafferty about his new book which is expected to be released in March. The title of the new book is: Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream

You can watch Wolf on Ellen on Monday, January 12th.

Just a reminder: Sunday will be the last day that Wolf anchors Late Edition- 11AM ET.

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debate night

Thursday on CNN the focus was on the Vice Presidential debate. Wolf welcomed back former CNN employee, Barnard Shaw, to discuss the debates and advice he would give any moderator. I also found Shaw's comment about certain anchors (not mentioning names.....Lou Dobbs) who deliver the news along with a strong dose of opinion spot on.

The 'best political team on television' took center stage Thursday on Jeopardy. Take a look

For those of you who aren't regulars at our sister site, All Things Anderson, you might not realize that this wasn't Anderson Cooper's first time on Jeopardy. He's actually a former Jeopardy champion and we have the video to prove it.

And congratulations to Jack Cafferty for making The Daily Show's Zen moment. Jack, we love you.

That's it for me this week. Thanks to Sapphire for contributing a few of the uploads. I hope to see you back here soon.~Phebe

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In Memory of Carol Cafferty

Today on The Situation Room, Wolf Blitzer shared some sad news. Jack Cafferty's wife, Carol, passed away Friday morning. Below is a clip from the program and the post from the Cafferty Files blog.

Leslie Cafferty, Jack Cafferty, Leigh Cafferty, Carol Cafferty, and Nancy Collins. (Photo: New York Social Diary)

Jack Cafferty isn’t here today for the Cafferty File because of some tragic news.

His wife of 35 years, Carol, passed away unexpectedly this morning. Carol was everything to Jack. The dedication of his book reads, “for Carol, my wife, my life.”

Jack wrote about how she was the inspiration for him to get sober and straighten up his life: “In all the years that we’ve been married, she has always brought to the table her unshakable grounding in something a lot more real than being on television or being recognized in the corner drugstore. She has been my rock, having done a magnificent job of keeping me from getting full of helium and drifting off the surface of the earth… She was all the incentive I needed to make painful but transforming changes – to get sober and stop smoking. I knew that I’d lose her if I didn’t. She’s an amazing woman who simply wasn’t worth losing.”

One story Jack loves to tell is how he and Carol met – when he was a local news anchor in Kansas City. They started to meet regularly for a quick meal between his shows and became good friends. Whenever Jack had to leave, his exit line was “We’d better wrap this up. Got to get back to the station.” One night Carol finally asked, “What kind of a gas station do you work at? You’re always wearing a tie.”

Jack explained it was a television station. He loved the fact that she had no clue and couldn’t care less that he had been on air there every night for four years. He later described that as one of his life’s “twenty-four-carat moments” that made his heart soar. He said to himself then that he might marry her because “it can’t get any more honest and pure than that.”

Our deepest sympathies go out to Jack and to their two daughters, Leslie and Leigh. Our thoughts are also with Jack’s other two daughters, Julie and Jill, and his grandchildren.

Carol was an animal lover. If you’d like to make a donation in her memory, the family asks you give to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. You can contribute at aspca.org.

Those of us here at All Things CNN would like to express our deepest condolences to Jack Cafferty and his family.

Where Will The CNN Election Express Be?

September 16 - 17, 2008: Street Scene Music Festival, San Diego, CA

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More Light Reading

I have some more light reading for you on this Sunday, but first a quick clip from last week. Jack Cafferty seems to think that Wolf Blitzer has something to worry about.

We should keep in mind that "swag" has multiple meanings. We've heard the term a few times this week referring to "convention swag" meaning "Stuff We All Get." But there's another meaning that could be used for "Blitzer's office swag": A burglar's or thief's booty; boodle.¹

Photo by Will Brumas for Congressional Quarterly

Alex Strachan from the Canwest News Service did an article last week on John King. Here is an excerpt:

The King of CNN

John King doesn't get any residuals from constantly being ribbed by the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

"I wish," CNN's fast-rising election star said, laughing easily during an interview last month in Beverly Hills.

"I get nothing," King said. "Sometimes they say nice things about me on the comedy shows, and other times they mock me. More power to them."

King, CNN's senior White House correspondent from 1999-2005, has been almost as prominent of late on the cable news network as that other King, Larry - no relation.

With his infectious enthusiasm and a high-tech toy that has wowed everyone from political pundits and serious news junkies to Stewart himself - "I want one of those!" the Daily Show host said, when he first saw King spinning the numbers on CNN's touch-sensitive electronic screen of U.S. states, counties and small localities - King has arguably become the face of CNN during the most enthralling U.S. presidential campaign in a generation.

With a flourish of a hand, King can flash hundreds of miles across U.S. state lines, calling up individual electoral districts with the touch of a finger and breaking them down into their constituent colours: blue for Democrat, red for Republican. Or dark blue for Barack Obama and light blue for Hillary Clinton, as he did during the countless Democratic presidential primaries leading up to this week's coronation of Obama.

Why, it's almost enough to make even the most jaded, cynical viewer interested in politics again.

And if Stewart wants to lampoon him . . .

"Hey," King said cheerfully, "everything I do on TV is fair game. If they're getting people to watch and getting people interested, whether I'm their whipping boy or comedy victim, it's fine by me. You have to have a thick skin in this business."

King prides himself on having a reporter's instincts - objectivity is job one ("I try to be fair and stay in the middle, unyielding") - and for being more interested in working sources on the phone than how good, or not-so-good, he looks on TV.

"I get no residuals," King insisted. "People are interested in the election, and that's a good thing. If they don't like what I do, they don't have to watch me. TV is a democracy, too, you know. The remote control is as true a tool of democracy as the voting booth. If people don't like what they see, they can go somewhere else."

King, for one, got a kick out of Saturday Night Live's lampoon in February of how CNN moderators seemingly favoured Obama over his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

"Look, we're far from perfect," King said. "I would remind you, though, that we cover these things in the moment. At the outset, the Clinton campaign presented itself almost as the incumbent. `We are inevitable; we are a powerhouse; we have more money; we have more organization; we have the stronger, more tested candidate.' The Clintons' pitch was that they were coming back to power, and so we covered them as if they were Fortress Clinton. Being the incumbent front-runner does bring tougher questions. It invites a more skeptical coverage. But when Barack Obama started to win, the emphasis started to shift. As much as the Saturday Night Live skit was a wake-up call - and it was - the race progressed, and the coverage progressed with it, as it usually does. I think if you go back in time through history, you will see other examples of the pendulum shifting as the race shifted."

CNN's Soledad O'Brien, herself no shrinking violet, suddenly burst in on the conversation, hauling a suitcase and reminding King that he had a late-night flight to catch.

"I'll meet you in the lobby in 10 minutes," King said, with a quick glance at his watch. "I need to get my stuff, and I don't want to hold you up."

King had warmed to his subject and wanted to squeeze in some last-minute thoughts about November's vote might break down before calling it a night. U.S. politics hasn't been this much fun - or unpredictable - since Dewey beat Truman, he said.

King is not beholden to polls.

"If the question is, do we overuse and over rely on polls, my answer is yes, " King said. "If the question is, should we get rid of them, my answer is no. They can be helpful barometers of how people are thinking.

The rest of the article can be found on Canada.com.

Happy Birthday to John King who celebrates his birthday today, August 31st!

This week's CNN article in the Metro features Tom Foreman with Playing the political numbers. The full paper can be downloaded here.

"You can count on me"

That is the overwhelming message from both Barack Obama and John McCain amid the dog and pony shows that pass for political conventions. “Count on me for a better economy, cheaper gas, national security, affordable health care, better service at the dry cleaners, foot rubs and maybe even a winning season for your football team.”

But there is a corollary both parties better keep in mind: Count on math.

This is hard for me to admit, because I was once an eager young scholar reduced to blank stares and drools by algebra. When geometry came along, I threatened to hole up in the basement with canned goods. I still wake up screaming, “No, no, no, I will not solve for Y!”

All that said, politics has taught me something that my teachers never could. Math really matters.

Presidential elections are all about calculating which states are “safe” for a candidate (meaning they can be safely ignored), which states are leaning a candidate’s way (meaning, like toddlers, you don’t have to hold their hands, but you better keep them in sight) and which states are toss-ups.

Ten states are considered toss-ups on one of our latest CNN electoral maps: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia. They account for 123 electoral votes.

Much has been made about how McCain and Obama, heading into their conventions, were neck-and-neck in polls of likely voters. Undeniably, McCain has been moving up. So much so that even staunch Democrats are privately shuddering that the chill winds of autumn will somehow, once again, blow away their late summer advantage over the Republicans.

But do the math on the electoral votes, and the picture is decidely different. According to our latest calculation, if America voted right now, Obama would get 226 electoral votes, McCain only 189, and they would duke it out for the toss-ups. That means by pumpkin season, McCain has to gain a good bit more ground than Obama to win.

Obama beat Hillary Clinton because he figured out the numbers game. While she was scoring big wins in Democratic strongholds, he was racking up delegates in smaller states. And delegates decide the nomination.

So weeks before she surrendered, the delegate math said she was finished.

Right now, the math still says each man has a good shot at winning. But they better have their calculators humming. The candidate who best figures the tricky equation of toss-up states, days left until the vote, and electoral totals, will get the White House. The other one? You can count him out.

CNNPolitics.com | Catch Tom Foreman on CNN every Saturday at 6 p.m. on This Week in Politics for a look back at the presidential campaign trail.

¹ swag. (n.d.). Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/swag

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Matthew McConaughey On House Call

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with actor/producer Matthew McConaughey for his first television interview following the birth of his son, Levi Alves, for House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

In House Call for Saturday, Aug. 9, the subjects discussed focused on labor and delivery, the significance of his son’s name, life after baby, vaccinations, and saving the cord blood and placenta from the childbirth.

House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta airs each Saturday at 8:30am ET / 5:30am PT on CNN with replays each Sunday at the same airtime. Below are highlighted excerpts from the interview that will air in two parts, on the weekends of Aug. 9 and Aug. 16.

CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta sat down with actor/producer Matthew McConaughey for his first television interview following the birth of his son, Levi Alves, for House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. House Call airs on Sat. and Sun. from 8:30 – 9am ET. Credit: Kyle Christy/CNN

Actor/producer Matthew McConaughey on the significance of his son’s name.

GUPTA: Levi McConaughey, that's his name.

MCCONAUGHEY: Levi Alves McConaughey.

GUPTA: I like that. So where did that come from?

MCCONAUGHEY: Levi is another name for Matthew. Matthew and Levi were the same apostle, the same evangelist. Those are two names for the same man. And I had always like the name Levi for that reason... So a favorite verse of mine in the book of Matthew in the Bible, 6:22 is my favorite verse... all of a sudden Levi comes into the world and... we look up and it is 6:22 p.m. and we just were like, oh, my God, are you kidding me?...And Alves is her last name... So Levi Alves McConaughey.

Actor/producer Matthew McConaughey speaking with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the labor and birth of his son

GUPTA: Did you guys have a plan ahead of time and was she going to get an epidural, was she going to get pain meds? How did that all go?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, we did have a plan. (LAUGHTER) It didn't happen. It didn't happen.

GUPTA: Sometimes the best-laid plans.

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes. We had a plan, we had an ideal that we said, let's go in and do it as natural as possible.

GUPTA: Was it frightening for you? When you're hearing all this go on, the pulse was dropping and they say C-section. What's going through your mind?

MCCONAUGHEY: You see a woman just really digging deep into her soul and bearing pain and being on top of it and you see a strength come out of a woman that you've never seen before... And the baby comes out and his eyes were wide open and he was crying, glad to see the day.

GUPTA: So no regrets about the way that it went?

MCCONAUGHEY: No, it went down perfectly. And even though we went 60 hours to do what could have been done in a few hours, it was a great journey for both of us...we call it the best dance we've ever had. We've gone through something that we're like, I know and you know and only you and I know and that's good for us.

Actor/producer Matthew McConaughey and CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta discuss neonatal cord blood, and a use for the placenta.

GUPTA: A couple of quick questions. Did you decide to store cord blood? Did anyone talk to you about that?

MCCONAUGHEY: I have the placenta and -- yes, I also did the cord blood. Yes.

GUPTA: Do you keep that because you think it might be helpful to Levi at some point in his life? Why did you do that?

CCONAUGHEY: The cord blood?

GUPTA: Yes.

MCCONAUGHEY: I don't know that much about it, I just know it could-- I understand it's a smart thing to do now and we did recycle it and so that is stored. I don't have any real reasons why -- our doctor said it's a great idea and I suppose hopefully I'll find out why it's a great idea later.

GUPTA: And you kept the placenta?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes.

GUPTA: So what's the story there?

MCCONAUGHEY: Well, it's going to be. That's fertile ground, so to speak. So we're going to have -- we're going to plant -- it's going to be in the orchards and it's going to bear some wonderful fruit. There's an aboriginal custom, one of many, but when I was in Australia, they had a placenta tree that was on the river and it was for the women and it was the most fertile land and fertile river and all the placentas of all that tribe, all that clan, whatever aboriginal tribe that was, all the placentas went under that one tree and it was this huge behemoth of just health and strength.

And this tree was just growing taller and stronger above the rest of Mother Nature around it. It was gorgeous.

Actor/producer Matthew McConaughey and Dr. Sanjay Gupta discuss life after baby, including breast feeding and already taking baby Levi to his first John Mellencamp concert.

MCCONAUGHEY: What surprised me the most? Here is what surprised me the most, everyone, or most everyone talked about how, oh, you have a kid, life changes, it's like 180 degrees on a dime full stop, wow. And a lot of them had an insinuation under that like, you have to stop living your life as you live it. That hasn't been the case.

GUPTA: Is that right?

MCCONAUGHEY: And that's been a nice surprise because Camila and I were laughing about it the other night. We took Levi to a John Mellencamp concert. We've taken him out. Everywhere we go, we're getting him traveling with us to get him equipped to be around sights and sounds of people. There's no one in the house, if Levi's sleeping on his crib on the table. You're never told in our house, shh, Levi is sleeping. No. Get used to the ambience. Come with us. That's how I was raised. I went with mom and dad when they played bridge. I went with them when we barbecued. Bring the crib outside. Stay with us.

So our life has not changed. It just takes a little more prep time to do whatever it is you're going to do. And especially with Camila breastfeeding every three hours, she can't be away from the child. So she's got to be there.

GUPTA: Does she plan on breast feeding for a long time? Have you guys talked about that or has she talked about that?

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes. I mean, I know there is different theories. I know we're definitely going up to a year.

Actor/producer Matthew McConaughey speaks with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta on paparazzi frenzy clarifies that a recently published image was not that of his girlfriend and son.

MCCONAUGHEY: that picture you may have seen, that wasn't him.

GUPTA: That wasn't him?

MCCONAUGHEY: He was in the tent. That was a great paparazzi moment. That wasn't Camila either. Camila is in the tent. It was a shot from here, right? And I'm out, I'm here, there's a brunette girl and a kid right here behind her and it says, Matthew McConaughey on the beach while girlfriend Camila and Levi stayed in the shade.

MCCONAUGHEY: The kid is like, almost 2-years-old. So I'm going, you're telling me that at 20 days Levi is -- just jumping up and down on two legs.

GUPTA: He is a McConaughey. (laughter)

MCCONAUGHEY: Yes, I was jogging the other day and he lapped me.

Highlighted excerpts credit: “House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.”

Dr. Gupta was on American Morning on Friday and he talked with Rob Marciano about the interview.

I have one more clip to add to the follicle frenzy following Ali Velshi. This one is from Issue #1 where they felt the need to show us a close up of his facial hair. Don Lemon also shared his thoughts on Ali coming back from vacation.

One other note, it was great to see Christine Romans back on CNN. She was subbing for Geri Willis on Issue #1.

The Cafferty File is one of the segments that I look forward to each day on The Situation Room. Jack Cafferty is always one to speak his mind. In the following clip, the question is about whether or not the President should know how to use a computer.

Now, I can’t say that I disagree with anything that Cafferty said in his commentary. But, I found myself a bit perplexed as I watched. Jack Cafferty has stated on several occasions that he doesn’t even have a cell phone and doesn’t want one. We’re not even talking about a Blackberry (or its equivalent) that you find most reporters carrying these days- but a simple cell phone. I just find that criticizing the lack of use of one modern day tool when the person doing the criticizing doesn’t see the need of another modern day tool…well, a bit odd.

Have you voted in our Hot Fun in the Summertime polls, yet? Well there is still time and some of the races are definitely heating up! Here’s a quick update on where things stand at the time of this post:

Hottest Male Anchor poll: Surprise! Surprise! Anderson Cooper is running away with this one with 66% of the vote so far.

Hottest Female Reporter poll: It is AC360's Erica Hill with a solid lead and 36% of the votes.

Hottest Producer poll: Charlie Moore with 27% of vote is just barely ahead of Tommy Evans' 26%.

Hottest Female Anchor poll: The race is split three ways with Kyra Phillips currently leading with 25%. Betty Nguyen and Robin Meade aren't that far behind with 22% each.

Hottest Male Reporter poll: This is the tightest race at this point. John King and Michael Ware are tied with 33% of the vote each.

How is your favorite doing? The polls are still open, so express your opinion and vote! Click here to be taken to the polls.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.

I Can't Tell You. It's Naughty!

Note for all the Aaron Brown fans out there: Aaron Brown will be a guest today at 5 PM(E)on News Talk Online on Paltalk.com. To log in and talk to Aaron just follow the link.

My Urban Report recently posted an interview with Soledad O’Brien about her documentary Black In America. Below is the first of the three part interview.

Parts 2 & 3 can be found at MyUrbanReport or on BlipTV: Part 2 and Part 3.

Tired of politics and election coverage? On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart has found a new way to measure the state of the 2008 election with the Indecision 2008 Dobb O Meter.

TJ Holmes filled in on Monday's Issue #1 and he made it very clear that he was NOT Ali Velshi. Here are few highlights of Monday’s program including Gerri Willis showing up a bit late and what TJ Holmes is considering doing with his money.

In the clip, Holmes started to introduce a report from Ali Velshi. Here is a later report that Velshi filed from ANWR that has been posted on CNN.com:

Holmes also talked with Jacqueline Whitmore about business etiquette.

My final clip tonight comes to The Situation Room. The clip starts with little blue pills and ends with Jack Cafferty refusing to tell Wolf Blitzer what a certain four letter … word means.

All content, unless otherwise cited, is © All Things CNN and may not be used without consent of the blog administrator.