Sharpton Sort Of Outs Anderson Cooper: Put That On A Shirt CNN

I imagine coming out of the closet is a sensitive and highly personal issue. And as a successful news anchor at the top of his game, Anderson Cooper may not want the extra attention he'd undoubtedly get should he ever decide to discuss his sexuality. But since Cooper's sexuality is the worst kept secret in Hollywood (though it was temporarily one-upped by that Wentz/Simpson baby) it is funny to watch others dance (not so delicately I might add) around it.

Everyone's favorite commotion-starter, Al Sharpton was on Anderson Cooper 360 last night with some other folks talking about religion and politics. In one fell swoop, Sharpton outed the newsman, sort of doomed him to hell, then forgave him. One of the other panelists also got in on the fun of talking about just where Cooper would end up in the afterlife. Ever poised, Cooper played the very awkward moment off with humor and grace.

You can watch the whole thing go down right here.


Photo: IAmATVJunkie

Get 'Em While They're Relevant...Too Late

Did you guys pick up your "Anderson Cooper, you're not my boo" t-shirts yet? No?

Have no clue what I'm talking about? I need to start blogging in the morning.

Take a gander here and see what all the fuss is about.



Here's hoping this hubbub puts Usher's underrated duet with Alicia Keys, My Boo, back on heavy rotation. That was my jam!

The Mole Is Back! Better Than Before?

Dare I say I don't miss Anderson Cooper. Tonight's return of The Mole was great. I was hesitant when it was announced that parts of the game would change. From the looks of it, the only thing worth mentioning is that there are a few less questions on the quiz...other than that, it's the same show I fell in love with years ago.

The games are just as suspenseful and fun as I remember with an exciting combination of mental and physical prowess. The Robinson Crusoe game was very telling. The players selected Nicole as the whiniest person out of the bunch. This meant she got to control the rest of the game. Nicole got to select the players who'd serve as scavengers, timers and appraisers. Some of her selections were spot on (way to pick the old woman as an appraiser, she might love antiques) and some were a little suspect (the heavyset guy probably wasn't the best choice to be running back and forth on the beach in a time crunch).

Now what happened next was not shocking to anyone who's ever seen the show before but these people seemed kind of surprised. Whenever the host asks you to pick someone out of the group, this person inevitably gets a privilege. This time, Nicole had to sleep on the island by herself (ala Robinson Crusoe) while the rest of the players went back to the mansion. However, this also meant she didn't have to take the quiz, effectively earning an immunity.

How did Nicole get selected as the whiniest person in the group? She raised hell the night before and complained about sleeping outside to anyone who'd listen.

The Mole frequently meets with producers and knows what's coming up the next day. She could just be a bitch, but I think it's more calculating than that. Nicole knew they were going to ask about who whined the most, so she took the opportunity to label herself as a complainer, thus ripping an exemption from one of the players. Plus, in spending a night away from the game the other contestants didn't get to know her. That's less information they'll have for the quizzes. It's a great way to start the game.

Think about it.

It's early yet, but that's my guess after one episode. We'll see what happens next week.

ABC won't let me embed clips but you can check out some highlights , player bios and even take an online Mole quiz right here.

Welcome back Mole. You were missed.

Hump Day Update

There's no good on tonight so here's whats happening in TV news.

• Anderson Cooper had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his eye. Apparently the cancer hadn't spread anywhere else and he's doing just fine. I bet his hospital gown was Prada and gorgeous. That is one sharped dressed man.
  

• John Adams brought huge numbers for HBO. Apparently it's the best miniseries debut for the network since 2004. I watched the first and second segments and it really is fantastic, plus one of Adams' speeches to the Continental Congress felt very relevant for 2008.
  

• TV Land is re-branding itself as the network for 40-ish crowd. Their moving away from re-runs and running some originals targeted at this highly coveted demographic. None of them sound very good though.
  

Writers Strike: Day 4

Today I signed this petition supporting the WGA and their strike. If you are any kind of person at all then you will too.

They're near 7,000 signatures already in just a matter of hours. It's nice to know that people are sticking by them. I hope this well of good will doesn't dry up once people realize the writers seriously aren't writing and the new episodes of their favorite shows will end very soon.

It did make me think of which reality shows I would like to make a comeback in the interim though. I'm pulling for The Mole! That is probably the most underrated reality competition of all time. If you don't remember, the show was about a group of people participating in different spy like challenges to win cash and prizes. The catch? There was a mole in the group, a person working to throw the games and keep them from winning prizes. Every episode, players took a quiz about the mole's identity and the person with the lowest score was kicked off. It was genius and hosted by Anderson Cooper. What more could you ask for?

The full season of UK Mole is streaming online for free right here.