Reza Aslan Speaking Event

Reza Aslan will be speaking tonight at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre. Here's the excerpt from the JACCC:

Thursday, November 5, 2009, 8pm: In Conversation with Author Reza Aslan An Evening with Orhan Pamuk. This event is part of [ALOUD] and is a JACCC co-presentation with the Library Foundation of Los Angeles

In announcing the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy said of Orhan Pamuk: his "quest for the melancholic soul of his native city, Istanbul, led him to discover new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures." Pamuk reads from his new novel, The Museum of Innocence, and discusses his life and work with writer and scholar Reza Aslan.

Signed copies of Orhan Pamuk's new novel, The Museum of Innocence, will be available for purchase courtesy of The Library Store with proceeds benefiting the Los Angeles Public Library.

Aratani/Japan America Theatre
$25 General Admission, $20 JACCC Members
$20 Library Associates (purchase directly though the Library)

Tickets may be purchased online at www.aloudla.org or through the Aratani/Japan America Theatre Box Office, (213) 680-3700

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

Out of the Box - 10/07/09

Ali Velshi was recently back on Mediaite Office Hours talking about the olympics, the economy, heath care and his October 10th wedding.

Rick Sanchez is mentioned in Motor Trend Magazine. His current vehicles: a 2006 Mercedes -Benz E350 and a 2007 Dodge Ram.

Roland Martin will be the keynote speaker at the "Political Minds in Action" event in Savannah, GA held by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority on Saturday October 10th at noon.

Roland Martin also has an article in Houston Style Magazine about the White House's stance on NY Governor Paterson running for another term.

Jeffrey Toobin will be speaking on 10/8 at an event for The Brown University Taubman Center for Public Policy's 25th anniversary.

Better Late Than Never:

Nicole Lapin attended Operation Smile's 8th Annual Smile Gala on 10/4. Click the picture for a larger image. Thanks to Phebe for passing this along.

Starpulse.com has posted some pictures of Soledad O'Brien arriving at the ALMA awards on 9/17. Click here for additional pictures.

Soledad also was the keynote speaker for "Something to Chair-ish" hosted by the Methodist Hospital Volunteers in Partnership on 10/2. Her new book, Latino in America, also came out on 10/6.

Reza Aslan was at the West Hollywood Book Fair on 10/4.

On Tuesday, 9/29, Campbell Brown attended a luncheon held for former Secretary of State Madeline Albright in honor of her new book Read My Pins: Stories From A Diplomat's Jewel Box

Wolf Blitzer emceed a gala held by the American Kidney Fund called The Hope Affair on 10/6 at the Newseum.

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

Saturday's Scoop 9/19/09

Reza Aslan has a new article in The Daily Beast titled Osama vs D.C. Lobbyists. Click here for his article.

Christiane Amanpour was on The Colbert Report Tuesday. Here's the clip.

Jeffrey Toobin was also on Tuesday's episode of The Colbert Report. Here's his clip as well.

TVNewser had a great interview with Christiane Amanpour about her new show. Here's a link to their article about her "launch lunch".

Happy birthday to Soledad O'Brien who turns 43 today.

Twitter Pictures:

@sanjayguptacnn having a healthy breakfast (pic from @daniellecnn)

@rolandsmartin's new set

@kiranchetrycnn & @tjholmescnn

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

Saturday's Scoop

Harper's Bazaar did an article on Christiane Amanpour entitled "Christiane Amanpour's Headline Style". Click here for the article.


Reza Aslan has a new article in The Christian Science Monitor called "Should Obama Talk To Ahmadinejad? Click here for the article.

Also, Congratulations to CNN for the following Emmy nominations:


Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newcast
CNN’s coverage of Myanmar Cyclone
Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a regularly scheduled newscast
Anderson Cooper 360: Online Drugs
The Situation Room: Hurricane Giveaway
Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story – Long Form
CNN’s Coverage of the Democratic National Convention
CNN’s Coverage of Election Night 2008
Outstanding Interview
Fareed Zakaria GPS: Wen Jia Bao Interview
Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Graphic Design & Art Direction
America Votes 2008: Election Night
Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Lighting Direction & Scenic Design
CNN’s Election Center


Further information on all the specific individuals mentioned in the nominations can be found by clicking here.

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

Talking to the Taliban

Prior to returning to Iraq last month, Michael Ware spent several weeks in Pakistan, and last Thursday we learned why ... he travelled to the Pakistan/Afghanistan border to give viewers a look at the mountainous terrain that allows Taliban fighters to slip back and forth with such ease (a border that US/NATO forces are unable to cross in pursuit.)

He also got a major exclusive -- for the first time since the war began in late 2001, a Pakistani military commander admitted to him on-camera something long assumed but never before confirmed: that they still have contacts amongst the major players of the Taliban leadership. In fact, the spokesman says they are willing to help open lines of communication between the US and the Taliban, an important first step in ending this war, one that can't be won by force of arms alone.

Here is Michael's original report as it aired on AC360:

Friday, members of the Obama administration were already reacting positively to the news. Here, Heidi Collins gives a brief update, which is immediately followed by a report from Atia Abawi, who is currently embedded with the Marines in Helmand province. The Marines are engaging in the new counterinsurgency doctrine of clearing and holding an area in the hopes of rebuilding the political and social infrastructure of the country:

This morning, more follow-up as Michael spoke with US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke about the possibility of meeting with Taliban leaders and working towards a way to end this war:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Late last week, Reza Aslan was a guest on AC360 to update the latest political maneuverings inside Iran:

And over the weekend, Reza Sayah was in Washington, DC to cover a rally held in support of the Iranian people protesting the stolen election:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Suzanne Malveaux was still in Moscow; Sean Callebs was in Anchorage, Alaska (no word as to whether they could see each other). Alina Cho was in for John Roberts.

TUESDAY: Kiran Chetry anchored from Los Angeles; Anderson Cooper and Soledad O'Brien went on the air at 10:30am PT to cover the Michael Jackson memorial, so Kyra Phillips and Rick Sanchez were not on the air. Alina was in for John.

WEDNESDAY: Paula Newton and Suzanne Malveaux were both in L'Aquila, Italy, covering the G8 summit; Kiran and Anderson were both back in New York. Alina was in for John; Ali Velshi was in for Kyra.

THURSDAY: Joe Johns was in for John; Ali was in for Kyra; Jim Moret was in for Larry King; Erica Hill was in for Anderson (who was on his way to Ghana to interview President Obama at Cape Coast Castle, above.)

FRIDAY: Ed Henry was in Rome. Joe was in for John; Ali was in for Kyra; Kitty Pilgrim was in for Lou Dobbs; Erica was in for Anderson.

SATURDAY: Anderson, Ed, and Suzanne were all in Accra, Ghana; Reza Sayah was in Washington; David Mattingly was in Beulah, Florida. Tom Foreman was in for Fredericka Whitfield.

SUNDAY: Jeffrey Toobin was in Washington. Wolf Blitzer was in for John King; Tom was in for Fredericka.

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

In Harm's Way

Nic Robertson did a piece about the Taliban recruiting and training children in Pakistan as killers and suicide bombers, then selling them to various other groups. The report aired on International Tuesday morning, during one of those lovely times recently that we were getting the International feed on Domestic during the overnight hours:

Wednesday, Rick Sanchez had a long piece about the troops in Afghanistan. He ran some DoD footage of the troops (and he did it without chattering over it, which was great -- too many anchors think we need wall-to-wall narration!) and then spoke with Atia Abawi, who is embedded with the Marines:

Reza Aslan was on American Morning Wednesday to talk about the situation in Iran:

Protests in Iran are erupting again today and once again we are getting word only through cell-phone videos and and Twitter messages. It is amazing to see all of this happening. It could so easily have been swept under the rug, but ... "can't stop the signal." The world IS watching.

Today on NewsRoom, Ali Velshi spoke with Michael Ware about the "surge" in violence in Iraq. Michael points out that it ain't a surge, it's just daily life in Baghdad... and Ali is smart enough to point out that the graphic they are using is wrong:

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

Saturday's Scoop

Reza Aslan has a new article in Time. Click here for the article.

Forbes has published a list of personalities that are "poised 'to become a breakout star' in the world of entertainment". Among them, Campbell Brown, who said: 'I am immensely flattered but, sadly, I fear my talents are limited to good old fashioned journalism.' Click here for the link from mediabistro.com

Best of luck to Alessio Vinci who we learned through Twitter will be leaving CNN.

The video above was posted on Twitter by one of Kyra Phillip's producers. You can follow Kyra through @KyraCNN.

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

Who Runs Iran?

The election turmoil in Iran continues to dominate the news this week, and I have been trying to pull some clips that explain what is happening as far as the political realities within the country.

Tuesday, Ivan Watson (in Istanbul) filed a report explaining what the Guardian Council is and why they are important in this process. Afterwards, Tony Harris asks him questions regarding the various factions of protesters:

Later, the same report airs on The Situation Room, followed by a different comment from Ivan. Then, Wolf Blitzer does a brief bio of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:

Tuesday night on AC360, Anderson Cooper hosts a three-way discussion with Christiane Amanpour, Reza Aslan, and political scientist Kaveh Afrasiabi:

On Wednesday's NewsRoom, Heidi Collins spoke with Reza about the future stability of Iran -- how will things change because of what is happening now? However this resolves, things have changed, spurred especially by the technology of the internet and social networking sites:

Today on American Morning, John Roberts talked with Middle Eastern scholar Fawaz Gerges about the power structure inside Iran:

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

A Slow-moving Military Coup

Events in the Iranian election certainly caught everyone off-guard this week, and in fact devolved so quickly that it was hard to keep up with them. Here, Reza Aslan talks to John Roberts on Thursday's American Morning, before the bottom fell out:

Friday, Reza spoke with Rick Sanchez about what was clearly coming into focus as massive election fraud:

(Reza has a column posted today on The Daily Beast that is the source of the post title.)

Here also are the clips from Sunday's Fareed Zakaria GPS of Christiane Amanpour's report from Tehran and the panel discussion:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Also, a look at the latest move for al Qaeda, reported by Barbara Starr, with an appearance from Peter Bergen:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

MONDAY: Joy Behar was in for Larry King.

TUESDAY: Christiane Amanpour was in Tehran to cover the election; Nic Robertson was in London; Ted Rowlands was still in Wichita, Kansas.

WEDNESDAY: Allan Chernoff was in Miami; John King was in Orlando; Ed Lavendera was in Mexico City; Karl Penhaul was on Fernando de Noronha Island, Brazil; Anderson Cooper was in Los Angeles.

THURSDAY: Don Lemon was in Hamilton, Bermuda; Anderson was still in Los Angeles. Kitty Pilgrim was in for Lou Dobbs.

FRIDAY: Gary Tuchman was in Chicago. Kitty was in for Lou. AC360 was a special report, "American Radical: The Lone Wolf" (above).

SATURDAY: no events

SUNDAY: no events

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

Iran Rocks the Vote; Pakistan Bombing

Christiane Amanpour is in Tehran to cover the elections, and for Tuesday's American Morning, she waded into some of the political rallies in the streets to talk with supporters of both candidates:

Wednesday, she showed more rallies on NewsRoom and then spoke via phone with Heidi Collins:

Immediately following Christiane's report, Heidi spoke with Reza Aslan about the meaning of this election:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday a suicide bomber struck a major hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan. Rick Sanchez spoke with Nic Robertson (in London) about the attack:

Nic was also on Richard Quest's International program to talk about the bombing:

Wolf Blitzer spoke with Reza Sayah about the attack, so similar to one carried out last year at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad:

On Wednesday, Reza also had a look at the Pakistani police officer who recently stopped a suicide bomber from entering a police barracks:

That's it for me this week ... as always, here's hoping that the CNN teams stay safe as they report from around the world; best of luck to the Iranian people as they vote (may the best man win!) and to the Pakistani people as they fight for control of their country.

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

Extreme Challenges ... and Reza Aslan

There will be another program in the "Extreme Challenges" series airing tonight at 11pmET. This looks like another terrific hour of intelligent, thought-provoking viewing:

AC360 is running a special hour, “Extreme Challenges: The Next 100 Days”, on Thursday night. Anderson is the host of a compelling hour of panel discussion with some of the brightest minds at CNN who examine the crucial issues facing President Obama over his next 100 days in office. Topics include The Wars (Afghanistan and Iraq), Foreign Policy (mainly Iran and the Middle East), The Economy, America’s Health (Reforming Healthcare), The Supreme Court, and Change in America (governance). The panelists are David Gergen, Christiane Amanpour, Michael Ware, Fareed Zakaria, Candy Crowley, Ali Velshi, Sanjay Gupta, Jeffrey Toobin and Joe Johns.

(Guess which part of that paragraph makes me very, very happy? Hint: check the photo I chose for the top of the post!)

Another preview clip is available on CNN.com:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Monday, Fareed Zakaria was a guest on The Situation Room, where he discussed the meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Resolving the Palestinian crisis will be a major challenge but is crucial in resolving so many issues in the Middle East:

Also on Monday, Tony Harris had a very interesting three-way discussion with Ivan Watson (in Islamabad) and Stan Grant (in Kabul) regarding the Pakistan/Afghanistan border issue:

Tuesday, Anderson Cooper focused on the fight against the Taliban and the refugee crisis -- now the largest mass-movement of people since the one that occurred during the genocide in Rwanda. First he spoke with Ivan Watson:

That was immediately followed by a discussion with Fareed Zakaria and Peter Bergen:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday night, I was fortunate enough to be able attend a book-signing event with Reza Aslan. As you know from his appearances on CNN, he is absolutely brilliant at explaining the complexities of how the Muslim world views the West and our actions (especially of late!). His first book, No god but God, is essential reading for anyone who is looking for a primer on Islam, and his new book, How to Win a Cosmic War, details the thought processes of those who are fighting not for land or freedom, but for other-worldly objectives. It's one thing to someday be able to sit down with Hamas and talk about negotiating land boundaries and peace treaties, but how do you ever sit down with al Qaeda and discuss the removal of all borders in order to create a Muslim caliphate? "Cosmic" warriors are not interested in events in this world, they are focused on the world to come, which is why they find it easy to martyr themselves and anyone who gets in their way.

(One of the things that I find extremely interesting is the concept of apostasy, which is what allows Islamic extremists to slaughter so indiscriminately, despite Mohammed's explicit teachings that to kill innocents is a violation of Islamic law. But if you decide your neighbor is misguided in how he worships, if you declare him an apostate, then you rationalize a way to excuse it; in fact, it is now essential that you kill him, he is worse than an unbeliever because he sullies your one true religion. This is why Sunnis kill Shias, as we have witnessed for so many tragic years in Iraq. But in his book, Reza lays out the concept as it is used by Jewish and Christian "warriors" as well. It is an easy and effective tool whenever a cosmic war is waged.)

At any rate, yesterday Ms. Sapphire listed the remaining dates from this month's book tour; next month he spends a week in the UK and then is back here for a few more dates... keep an eye on his schedule and by all means go see him speak if you can. He has a wonderful way of cutting through the fog and of puncturing so many of the misguided precepts that were applied to this "war on terror." (Unfortunately, we usually only get to see the very serious, buttoned-down Reza when he appears on CNN; in person he is very, very funny and mocks what so desperately needs to be mocked. We have given more power to these groups by acting as if we are all cowering under our beds because of them.)

Also, for what it's worth, he's a really nice guy. He appreciates "the greatest book store in America." (It really is.) And he started his talk with a swine flu joke ... you gotta love that!

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

Out of the Box May 20

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper will be honored by Conservation International Thursday May 21/09 at 6:30 PM the benefit gala will be held at the Natural History Museum in NYC

Reza Aslan

The following are the remaining dates of Reza book signing tour

Riverside, CA – May 20 http://www.worldaffairsinlandempire.org/index.asp

Brentwood, CA – May 21 http://www.borders.com/online/store/StoreDetailView_56?schid=GLBC%7CLos+Angeles+CA%7C56

Riverside, CA – May 22 http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2083

Orange County, CA – May 26

James Carville

James Carville to speak at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theater on 5/27 along with Charlie Rose and Karl Rove

Soledad O'Brien

Soledad O'Brien to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for MLB Beacon of Change, Life and Hope event on 6/20

Follow Up

David Gergen spoke at the Women's Division of the Jewish United Fund's Spring Event Luncheon at the Chicago Hilton on Monday May 18/09


Soledad O'Brien attends People En Espanol's 50 Most Beautiful on Wednesday May 13/09

Thanks again to Julie. See you al next week ~ Sapphire

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

Still Fighting the Cosmic War

So Reza Aslan has a new (amazing) book out, and has been doing the rounds of TV talk shows. Saturday on The Situation Room, an interview he taped last Tuesday aired. (If you follow Reza on Twitter, you know he was psyched that he was going to be in DC and would finally get to meet Wolf Blitzer after years of speaking to him only via satellite. Well, "psych" was right -- Wolf was in NYC that day in preparation for the 100 Days coverage.) Anyway... another great interview:

Heidi Collins introduces a piece from Ivan Watson about an anti-Taliban protest in Islamabad:

Saturday, Fredricka Whitfield showed Ivan's piece again and then spoke with Peter Bergen about the most effective ways to fight the Taliban:

A couple of television reminders: Anderson Cooper in on The Tonight Show tonight; Tuesday Fareed Zakaria is on The Colbert Report, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Quiet week so far... see you all on Thursday!

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

The Taliban, al Qaeda, and the Cosmic War ... plus a little swine flu

Welcome to my new day of posting on ATC!

Sunday, Ivan Watson explained why it is that the Taliban has been able to gain such a large following in Pakistan: by promising justice to people who are accustomed to seeing only the wealthy gain from such a concept. And if that means virtual enslavement for the women of the country? Oh well...:

Tuesday, Nic Robertson was on from Islamabad to discuss speculation that Osama bin Laden may be dead. Or not. No one really has a clue. (My money is on not; as Peter Bergen has said, OBL's "martyrdom" for the cause will be big news and will be trumpeted by al Qaeda.)

Wednesday, Cal Perry reported on a series of car bombings in Baghdad, most in the Sadr City section of the city:

Also Wednesday, Reza Aslan was on American Morning to discuss President Obama's first 100 days in office, specifically his outreach to the Muslim world:

And what would this week be without some Swine Flu reports? Monday, Karl Penhaul looked at what the ban on public assembly has meant to the pro soccer games in Mexico City:

And Phil Black reported from the college in Auckland, New Zealand that had 9 students and a teacher show symptoms upon return from a trip to Mexico:

That's all for me today ... Saturday I'll be doing a "Where in the World?" post, and then see you on Monday with more clips!


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

Taliban Takeover

It's been quite a week in Pakistan, with Taliban forces accepting a "peace" deal with the government in which they would surrender their weapons in return for keeping control of the Swat Valley region, and then the Taliban doing what they always have done in the past: saying thank-you-very-much and continuing to advance.

Tuesday Reza Aslan was on American Morning to discuss the situation with John Roberts and the possibility of the Pakistani government collapsing:

(I'm currently reading Reza's new book -- it is excellent, of course!)

Wednesday John spoke with Ivan Watson in Islamabad, who reported on the overnight move that brought the Taliban within 60 miles of Islamabad:

Later that day, Ivan had a piece on The Situation Room that showed how Islamabad's residents were reacting to the advance:

An interesting piece from International's Jim Clancy that shows how the Taliban really advances -- by using Sharia law to intimidate their way to power:

Friday, Roland Martin spoke with Ivan about the situation on the ground, and with Peter Bergen about the long-term possibility of the Pakistani government collapsing. Ali Velshi and Erica Hill also take part in the conversation:

So, time for a reality check -- just how close to Islamabad are the Taliban forces? Thursday on International's BackStory, Michael Holmes used Google Earth to show just how far that 60 miles "as the crow flies" is -- and a look at the mountainous terrain is quite reassuring. (Well, maybe not if you live there, but...)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Where in the World...?

SATURDAY: Suzanne Malveaux was in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago with President Obama.

MONDAY: John Roberts co-hosted American Morning from Atlanta, where he emceed a fundraiser for the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children. TJ Holmes was in for Heidi Collins.

TUESDAY: Randi Kaye was in Boston to cover the "Craigslist Killer." TJ was again in for Heidi.

WEDNESDAY: Jeffrey Toobin was in San Francisco; Ivan Watson was reporting from Islamabad; Frederik Pleitgen (above) traveled from Baghdad to Kandahar with an Army unit that specializes in clearing bombs from roads... legendary producer Tommy Evans also traveled with him (clips in Monday's post.)

THURSDAY: Cal Perry is back in Baghdad.

FRIDAY: Nic Robertson is back in Islamabad. TJ was in for Rick Sanchez; Dr. Drew was in for Larry King.

That's it for me today... have a great weekend!

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