Nine Soldiers Killed In Iraq, Virginia Tech Students Return, Raw Politics, Accused In Nicaragua, And Pet Food Recall Fallout (Monday's First Hour)

Hi everyone. I didn't do Friday's show because I missed half of it and I really didn't feel like it anyway. To be honest, I think I might be getting a bit burned out with the reviews and actually, with the show itself. Part of it is me, but I think 360 is in a bit of a slump themselves. As of now I'm not making any decisions to quit, but a fair warning, my blogging might become more inconsistent. Hey, just like the show itself, right? Anyway, we begin the hour with Michael Ware and the BREAKING NEWS that a suicide car bomb in Diyala killed nine US soldiers. I appreciate that they're beginning with Iraq; I really do, but what is up with CNN and BREAKING NEWS? I learned this two hours prior and I bet it wasn't breaking at that point either. When does BREAKING NEWS become just, well, news? I swear they've got their graphic up there half the time I'm watching CNN, which pretty much defeats the purpose, doesn't it? Pretty soon we'll need REALLY BREAKING NEWS alerts. Michael tells us that Diyala is the new front line in the war with al Qaeda, they even collect taxes there. Man, I guess that whole 'death and taxes' thing is true. You can't escape either anywhere. Iraq of course has the 'death' thing down pat.

Next up we have a Gary Tuchman piece on the Virginia Tech students going back to class. We learn that a bell tolled for those lost and balloons were released. Also anyone who didn't want to come back could have taken the grade they had at the time of the shooting. And what else more is there to say? I'm sorry, but the media really needs to move on. I mean, according to this item CNN even went around VA Tech's media rules to air the memorial service. If true, that's pretty disgusting. After Gary's piece we've got some discussion and then an Anderson piece on some of the funerals and Cho stuff. Following that there's a clip from Gary's EXCLUSIVE interview with Cho's suite mates, which they're running for the upteenth time. That leads into a new interview Gary did with one of the guys and in it they bring up the girls who didn't press charges for stalking. Anderson actually brought this up before too and it kind of annoys me because those girls probably feel guilty enough without the national news speculating that they could have prevented the shooting. Obviously they didn't ever think Cho was capable of something like this and they definitely aren't alone in that regard.

Transitioning now to Anderson intro-ing "Raw Politics," with the following: "As the president's top political adviser, Karl Rove prefers to stay in the shadows. He likes to keep a low profile, except when he's rapping." Ha! Oh, Anderson. Please don't remind me. Nighmares people, nightmares!!! Candy Crowley has the honors tonight and we begin with a veto threat from Bush over the bill with the Iraq time tables. Then we learn Chuck Schumer thinks Bush is in a bunker in regards to Gonzales. Dennis Kucinich is making steps to ride the impeachment roller coaster, ...but he's not tall enough to get on and Edwards has a sense of humor about his pretty, pretty hair. Lastly Rove and Sheryl Crow got in a global warming tussle, but we'll hear more about that later.

Moving on now to a Rick Sanchez piece on Eric Volz, an American accused of a murder in Nicaragua. Probably not the first place you'd want to be accused of murder. Anyway, Eric went to the country to start a magazine and while there he dated Doris Jimenez, who later turned up strangled to death. However, this was after they broke up and at the time he was no where near where she was murdered. He even has 10 witnesses to prove it. Unfortunately, a mob mentality outside resulted in a guilty verdict for murder AND rape, which might not even have occurred. Rick and crew tried to see Eric in prison, but weren't allowed in even though they had the proper documents. This reminds me of that movie "Brokedown Palace." The US legal system might suck, but man, you don't want to mess with some of these other places. Oh and thoughout this whole story I had major deja vu. So either this is a repeat or I've seen this same story done somewhere else. It drives me nuts that I can't remember. That dreadful sound effect is back too.

Up next we have a Joe Johns "Keeping Them Honest" piece on the pet food recall. Yep, that's still going on. Remember when they told us that the contamination definitely would never get in the human food supply? Yeah, well, it's in the human food supply. Oh, like you're shocked. Don't freak though, it doesn't seem to be that much and no one's sick yet, so that's good. Apparently some pigs ate some of the contaminated feed. From Joe's piece we also learn that federal budget cuts have made it hard for the FDA to do its job and the Chinese are still being uncooperative. I caught a little bit of Lou Dobbs and he was all over this. It is pretty disturbing we import all this stuff, stuff we consume, and there's no cooperation.

After the piece we're joined by Senator Dick Durbin and Anderson basically asks what's up with China. Durbin doesn't know exactly, but he thinks the melamine was added to jack up the price, which would be economic fraud. Anderson notes he's getting emails everyday from people saying they have no confidence in the FDA. Oh Anderson, I've had no confidence in the FDA way before this thing. He then asks if we now have a handle on the situation and Durbin says we do not. According to him the FDA is the weakest link (goodbye!) in a weak chain and the whole system needs to change. Yeah, good luck with that. But seriously 360, if you want to look further, see who works at the FDA. I guarantee there's at least one "Brownie" in there. The Shot tonight is a raccoon loose in an Ohio house. That would totally happen to me. Too bad I don't have any film of the bird flying around my house. How did it get in?! Sigh. So I take it Anderson is not going back to Afghanistan-at least that's the impression from his latest blog. So he rushed back to stand on a campus for two days. How pointless. The show tonight was okay B.

Oh, I got a press release from CNN today. Vote for the AC360 fansite in the Webby Awards

A 360 Stakeout, Imus Fallout Discussion, Paul Gailiunas Interview, A Green Zone Iraq Attack, And HGH (Thursday's First Hour)

Hi everybody. We're in New Orleans tonight, but Anderson doesn't let us in on the location because we've got BREAKING NEWS. The Rutgers players are meeting with Don Imus RIGHT NOW at the New Jersey governor's mansion. Also CBS radio has joined MSNBC in kicking Imus to the curb. Outside stalking, er, covering the mansion for us we've got Deborah Feyerick, who tells us that CNN has a spy, er, contact inside the meeting. Riveting. She also tells us that the New Jersey governor got in a serious car accident on his way there and is now in surgery. OMG. Oh, but CNN totally doesn't care about him right now. Their bread is buttered by Imus. The assumption is there will be some sort of press conference since all those reporters went through the trouble of spying on their private meeting and everything. Dammit, doesn't that obligate these young women to say something? But for now we're moving on. Don't worry though, we'll be back.

Next we've got an interview with Al Sharpton and Tom Delay. And guess who Tom Delay thinks is at fault here. Liberals! If I ever see Tom Delay I'm totally running up to him and going, "I'm a liberal. Boo!" He starts going after Rosie O'Donnell and pimps his campaign to get her fired. Oh boy. Anderson piggybacks off of some of Delay's other comments and asks Sharpton if he's the PC police. Sharpton is comfuzzled about why this is all of the sudden a partisan debate. Seriously. Do we even know Imus' political affiliation? Or does the Right just automatically claim the racists? Anderson then turns back to Delay and asks what's up with the left/right debate. Delay claims that it's because it's the Left that carpet bombs. Whoa. Projecting much? You are "The Hammer," are you not? Then he brings up the fact that he and Sharpton are both Christians and how they're suppose to love their enemies. Just, you know, not the liberal ones apparently. Sharpton notes that they can forgive and it's not like they're throwing him in jail or something. After the interview Anderson tells us, "We will have more of their conversation, which got heated later on, in the next hour of 360." Liar. Maybe if we didn't waste so much time staring at a damn mansion door...

Moving on now to an interview with Bruce Gordon, CBS board member. Like with MSNBC, he says CBS's decision was at least partly based on maintaining the company's reputation. Anderson wonders if the media companies even really know what they're putting out into the public arena. Bruce says there's so much content out there that it's impossible to absorb it all and he also thinks we've become too tolerant. Wait, what? Actually I pretty much agree with him. Obviously the culture didn't turn to trash overnight. We didn't go from The Andy Griffith Show straight to Pants Off Dance Off. When you take a slow slide into cultural crap you tolerate things that maybe you wouldn't have previously. Speaking of cultural crap, we learn in "Raw Data" that Rush Limbaugh has 13.5 million listeners. God that's depressing.

Transitioning back now to their governor's mansion live shot, which they've been going back to every chance they get. Oh look, a door! I'm on pins and needles here, people. Seriously, the future "Daily Show" jokes will practically write themselves. Anyway, we learn from the spy that inside tears are being shed. And just so we're clear, all of my sarcasm is directed at the idiotic coverage of this meeting, not the meeting itself. Moving on to an Anderson piece on hip hop and its double standard. Parents get the kiddies out of the room because we're currently seeing clips of the worst MTV has to offer. This is why I rarely watch the video channels anymore. This crap is disgusting. Why any girl would want to be in those videos is beyond me, but many many do.

After the piece we're joined by Amy Holmes, who is practically a member of the 360 family at this point, and Jason Whitlock, columnist with "The Kansas City Star." Jason has written on the Imus flap and he believes that the real problem is prison culture in the African American community and this is being avoided. He doesn't think that Imus is so powerful that he can steal anyone's joy and he wishes African American's would stop playing the victim. Amy disagrees, stating that Imus is powerful due to the people he had on and that 80% of the people that are buying into that prison culture are white. That stat always throws me. Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but in regards to overall US demographics, isn't that about right? Jason points out that there is a difference between listening to the music and living the lifestyle. Anderson then brings up his point he loves about the corporations. I'm telling you Anderson, a "Keeping Them Honest." It'll make you feel good.

Transitioning now to Anderson acknowledging that he's actually in New Orleans, specifcially in the Gentilly section. Most of the homes around him have not been rebuilt and he tells us that "normally, there would be people playing on the streets, kids and families." At 10:30 at night? Kids? We're then introed into a Randi Kaye piece on the murder of Helen Hill. You might remember 360's coverage of this story before. Helen was a filmmaker who was gunned down in her own home as her doctor husband, Paul Gailiunas, protected their infant son. Paul himself was also shot, but survived. He has since left New Orleans and moved to Canada. This is his first time speaking publicly about the incident. This whole story is so horrible. They sound like they were a wonderful couple and the person that did this is still on the loose.

Next up we learn there was a "suicide bombing in the Iraqi parliament, in the heart of Baghdad's Green Zone." Oh, so that war is still going on? Because watching before I wasn't sure. Anyway, we then go to Kyra Phillips live, and she tells us this was unprecedented because the bomber had to get through six checkpoints. Her sources are telling her that it was infiltration, maybe through the kitchen help. Anderson notes that the Iraqis had been responsible for security and he wonders if that will now change. Kyra thinks it will and she states that it used to be that when you went through the checkpoints you had all US people checking you, but now it's Iraqis and even hired contractors. Anderson points out that other explosives were found too and Kyra explains that that's standard operating procedure in case something goes wrong. And...we're right back to the mansion live cam. Apparently the hard news junkies were just thrown a bone. But don't worry, we've got important news here too. Don Imus is getting into his car! OMG, look at him walk! Oh, and we learn that his wife hugged every player. Every single one of them! I mean, news like that deserves it's own graphic. Wait, why am I encouraging them?

Our last piece of the hour is from Sanjay Gupta on human growth hormone (HGH). I'm pretty sure this is a repeat from the Anna Nicole Smith coverage. Anyway, I hate to skimp on Sanjay, but I'm giving this a pass. I hope people who were excited to see Anderson in New Orleans stuck around for the second hour because after watching the first hour I wondered what the point was of him even being there. Tonight's show contained quality mixed with utter ridiculousness. I always appreciate when Anderson goes to New Orleans and I think the debates over race and sexism are important. However, can we please move past Imus now? Let's keep discussing the issues, but the man has now been fired (as he should have been), so it's time to leave it alone. Staking out a non press conference? How pathetic. That part of tonight's coverage was cringe inducing. Oh, and it was nice to see Iraq make it back into the news, but how sad is it that it took the freaking parliament getting blown up to do it? And still with the sound effect. C+