How much in danger are you? The place where I’ve been staying, Kiryat Shmona, has been hit really hard, particularly in the last several days. A couple of reservists were killed here.

I’ve seen rockets fall. Everyone has experiences where they’ve seen rockets fall. There’s constant shelling here, most of it outgoing. That you ignore. But you very quickly adjust to the sound of incoming. For outgoing it’s boom-whoosh. For incoming it’s whoosh-boom.

So when you hear the whoosh first, you know you’re in trouble.

Do you get frightened?  Yeah. Anybody who claims never to be scared is a fool or a liar or probably both. I’ve been doing this for 15 years. There are some things I’m used to, like being around soldiers and being in a combat environment. The things that scare me go beyond. Kidnapping, that really scares me. Being taken hostage really scares me.

The Houston Chronicle has a great article today titled, "CNN’s Cooper sees rockets fall, but he’s staying" about Anderson Cooper’s experience on the frontlines in the Mideast.  "It was one of the most unpleasant experiences of one’s life," Anderson said. Above is an excerpt of the interview.  Bigger pictures in the gallery!

Check out Anderson’s blog entries from the Mideast:
Getting personal with Katyusha rockets (July 26)
Seeing red in Israel (July 31)
Tracking Hezbollah with a Puma (August 7)
History repeats: Blown up once, blown up twice (August 7)

Anderson Cooper talked with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show the night after his interview with Angelina Jolie on Anderson Cooper 360°. He talks about his interview with Angelina Jolie, his new book "Dispatches from the Edge", and his frequent visits to New Orleans.  Be prepared, he giggles a whole lot during this interview. You can watch the video below — Anderson Cooper on The Daily Show.

Angelina Jolie and CNN’s Anderson Cooper pose for a photo during the taping of an interview to air tomorrow, June 20, 2006 on CNN’s "Anderson Cooper 360." Angelina will give her first U.S. television interview since giving birth. She talks about baby Shiloh, Brad and her passion for refugee relief. Angelina tells Anderson, "Next, we’ll adopt… it’s going to be the balance of what would be the best for Mad and for Z right now." Angelina on being inspired by the people she helps in her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador "You think, ‘Jesus, the things these people go through,’ I owe it to all of them to get myself together and stop whining about being tired and get there and get focused because, God, it’s the least I can do with what they live with."  Bigger pictures in the gallery!

UPDATE :: Added Anderson Cooper’s blog post regarding his interview with Angelina Jolie.  Check it out after the jump!

One-on-one with Angelina Jolie

When Angelina Jolie came into the room, just four days after returning from Namibia, she was alone. No handlers, no entourage. True, elaborate precautions had been made to make sure no photographers followed her to the hotel where we met, but there she was, by herself, walking into the hotel suite, smiling, ready to talk.

There are a lot of ridiculous stories circling on the Internet, spread by alleged "insiders" who claim that CNN or its parent company Time Warner somehow paid for the chance to talk to Angelina. These anonymous "sources" claim that People Magazine and CNN had some kind of joint deal to secure rights to photos and the interview.

I have no idea what People Magazine did or did not pay for those photos of the Jolie-Pitt family. It’s been reported they paid as much as $4 million, which was donated to a variety of charities in Africa, but I have no way of knowing if that is true or not. What I do know is that CNN did not pay anything — directly or indirectly — to get Angelina Jolie to sit down for an interview.

So why did she do it? And why talk to me?

Both are valid questions. I’m sure there were plenty of news programs requesting interviews with Angelina Jolie. The truth is, mine wasn’t one of them. They called us. I was told that they were aware of my interest in Africa and knew that as a broadcast we have devoted a lot of time to reporting stories from the continent.

Tuesday is World Refugee Day. Angelina Jolie was interested in discussing the plight of refugees, so we sat down to talk about what she has seen and learned in refugee camps around the world. She had no movie to promote, no product she was pitching. In fact, I have no idea what her next movie is and we did not discuss any upcoming films. There were no ground rules. I was free to ask whatever I wanted.

A lot of celebrities have causes and show up to talk about them when cameras are around, but the truth is that Angelina Jolie knows what she is talking about when the subject is refugees. To use a cliche, she doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk. She has traveled to some 20 countries over the years as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and she says she donates one-third of her income to charitable causes.

I’m not sure what I expected before I met her, but to say I was impressed would be an understatement. She is smart, funny, self-deprecating, and intensely passionate about her children and her work on behalf of refugees.

Tuesday night, you will hear Angelina Jolie talk about some of the experiences in refugee camps that have changed her life. Yes, you will also learn about Angelina’s family — Maddox and Zahara as well as Shiloh Nouvel — but the focus of the interview is the plight of refugees. During the two-hour program, we will take you to the frontlines of some of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

It’s going to be an interesting broadcast, and I hope you watch.

• I guess we can call off the baby bump watch now.  Jennifer Lopez definitely doesn’t look pregnant in this bikini she’s wearing…
• Free household products!!  Pick up a Swiffer Sweeper, Dyson Vacuum Cleaner, and Tide Detergent!
• Now it’s sister’s time!  Jessica Simpson’s nose job.
• Brandon Davis wearing a TEAM FIRE CROTCH t-shirt.  Classy.
• Natalie Portman and Gael Garcia Bernal Back Together?
• Be sure to check out CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° on Tuesday for Angelina Jolie’s interview. It should be absolutely fantastic hearing both of them giggle at the same time.  Giggle heaven.
• Sounds like Cameron Diaz will be getting a nose job of her own…
• Beyoncé gets confronted by two PETA members at NYC’s Nobu restaurant for her usage of fur in her clothing line, House of Dereon..  How embarrassing!
• Check out the pictures of the youngest Hanson brother’s wedding photos — Zac Hanson.

• Excepts from Angelina Jolie’s interview with Anderson Cooper –
  

  – "You know, because you’re there for the birth, which I wasn’t for my first two kids, you’re just suddenly terrified that they’re not gonna take a first breath."

  – "That was my whole focus. I just wanted to hear her cry."

  – "[Brad] was in the operating room, yeah, yeah.  And we had amazing doctors. And everybody was so lovely."

Anderson Cooper did a "Stupid Human Tricks" segment during yesterday’s 360, his last day broadcasting from Los Angeles.  He did his own version of the 200 liters of Diet Coke and 500 Mentos mints video by lowering a string of Mentos into a bottle of diet coke. It’s hilarious!  And does he really say, "Mentos: The Freshmucker?" The video is below, screencaps are in the gallery, and a  Time magazine article is after the jump!

10 Questions for Anderson Cooper

The host of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 is famous for withstanding hurricanes and war zones. Now Cooper, 39, has successfully taken on the challenge of memoir writing. Dispatches from the Edge will hit No. 1 on next week’s New York Times best-seller list. And this fall he will add stints on CBS’s 60 Minutes to his busy schedule. Cooper talked with Time’s Andrea Sachs about growing up with a famous mom, dealing with family tragedy and learning lessons from Katrina.

You write about growing up as Gloria Vanderbilt’s son. When did you realize you had an unusual situation? I didn’t really know my mom was famous until I was probably about 12. That’s when she was doing fashion stuff and her name became much more talked about. I’d met famous people as a kid, like Charlie Chaplin when he returned from exile, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol. What was cool about my parents was, my brother and I were expected to sit at the adult table. There was never a kids’ table. To me, the greatest privilege of the way I grew up was realizing at a very young age that these people are just as unhappy as everyone else. Once you realize that, it frees you up from believing that fame or riches are going to bring you happiness. I think it takes a lot of people a long time to figure that one out.

You were 10 when your father died. What impact did that have? When my dad died, I felt like my life restarted. The person I was disappeared, and this sort of new person was formed. Sometimes I get glimpses of the person that I was, but it’s just shards of memory.

Your brother committed suicide when you were 21. How do you handle something like that? I don’t know that you do handle it. Suicide is such a strange thing. It’s still shrouded in mystery and, for some people, shame because of their religious beliefs or whatever reason. It’s like someone steps out of the shadows and stabs you with a stiletto. Then you have to figure out how to move on from there.

Was it tough to pick between TV and print journalism? I’ve been addicted to TV since I emerged from the womb. I recently found a schedule I made for myself in fourth grade, which was all blocked out based on the TV schedule. When I got home, it was Magilla Gorilla, then The Andy Griffith Show. I think I allotted 15 minutes for dinner, and homework was done in front of the television. News was always on the schedule as well. I had a reading problem when I was a kid, so writing came a little slow.

Your specialty seems to be war and disaster. Why? I sort of numbed myself after my dad’s death and certainly after my brother’s death. I wanted to go places where the pain outside would match the pain that I was feeling inside. War seemed like really my only option.

In what way was Katrina life changing for you? There’s always this expectation that it wouldn’t really happen here and that, if it did, there would be a safety net. To see it actually happen here was an eye-opening experience.

After Katrina, you challenged Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu about what officials were doing. Did you step over the line? I don’t think I did. I’d been on Larry King several nights that week, hearing politicians thank one another and talk about how this was an unpredictable and unprecedented disaster. And you know what? It might have been unprecedented, but it was certainly predicted. There was a lot of anger out there. People were desperate for answers. The least our elected representatives can do is try to provide those answers.

You’re like a movie star now. I don’t know about that. I’m on basic cable. I come with a package, so it’s not that big a deal.

Does fame hurt your reporting? If someone knows me and likes me or my work, they’re more likely to allow me to tell their story. But it also cuts the other way. The thing I love about reporting is being able to blend in with any group, whether that’s neo-Nazis or pedophiles. Frankly, I’m the same person I’ve always been, and I’m pretty good at blending in.

Will you stay where you are? I love what I’m doing. CNN is a cool place to work because I’m able to anchor and still do a lot of field reporting. But I’ve never hung anything on the walls in the offices I’ve had because nothing seems to last very long in TV. Who knows what will happen down the road?

Last year was insane. From tsunamis and hurricanes to the insurgency in Iraq, all manner of calamity reared its ugly head in 2005. During all the madness, one of the few constants was Anderson Cooper on our TV screens. Unlike other talking heads on the front lines, he delivered the news in a sincere way that stood out. Viewers recognized it, making Cooper the breakaway star of cable news. Now the host of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° has a new book, Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival. In it, Cooper shares stories from the scenes of last year’s tragedies while also looking back at the deaths of his own father and older brother and the start of his journalism career. He took time out from informing the masses to talk with us.

Of all places, CNN’s Anderson Cooper (wearing a matching New York Times blazer and tie!) is featured in the July 2006 issue of Stuff Magazine with former Wild on E!’s bikini-clad Brooke Burke on the cover. Anderson is currently the most trusted name in cable news is now the most trusted name on your bookshelf!  Read the full interview after the jump where we learn that Anderson gets his haircut every three weeks (he pays for it himself!).  And I think it’s time to drop the Steven Seagal story.  I’ve heard it over three times already.

Your book can get a little depressing. Are you a total stick-in-the-mud at cocktail parties? [Laughs] Actually, I don’t even go to cocktail parties. I’m kind of a loser in social situations. But yeah, the subject matter is pretty serious. I just didn’t want to write that sort of cheesy book that’s easy to churn out.

Why didn’t you write a really boring book like Tim Russert? [Laughs] I haven’t read his book.

Neither have we, but the back seems really boring. So all you have to do is read the back? Then I’m in trouble.

In a press release, HarperCollins describes you as "a prototype for a 21st-century newsman." Please translate that for us. Oy. I don’t know what that means, frankly. Although maybe the prototype for a 21st-century newsman wouldn’t know what that means. There you go. Maybe there’s layers to it.

Last year was obviously crazy. What was the most boring thing that happened to you in 2005? I find getting my hair cut to be the most boring. The thing I don’t like about it is it constantly seems to happen. Like, every three weeks.

CNN does groom you, right? We have an extensive grooming process. [Laughs] What are you talking about? I work in basic cable.

You ‘re telling us you have to pay for your own haircuts? Of course! Do you think someone shaves me every morning? We’re pretty bare-bones, but I like it this way. I mean, I take the subway to work. The thing I find about this job is that I don’t really have time to see friends, so the subway allows you interaction with people.

Are they friendly? People are really nice. What’s interesting about being on television is that it makes living in New York similar to living in Mayberry. It’s like, "Hey, Andy" when I’m on the street.

What do you think of all the billboards with your face on them around New York? I try not to notice that sort of thing. It’s a little weird, but I just don’t pay attention. I haven’t sat there and gazed at them fondly.

In the book, you mention all the celebrities who showed up in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Does any one encounter stand out as the most bizarre? Steven Seagal. A cop car pulls up, and I’m thinking, Weird, that guy looks like Steven Seagal. Then I realize that it is Steven Seagal. And it’s not just Steven Seagal; it’s Steven Seagal in uniform out on patrol with the Jefferson Parish SWAT team. I was oddly transfixed, so I went up to him. He was like, "Yeah, I’m just out here doing my thing. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it." The next day I saw him on MSNBC with Rita Cosby. I’m like, Oh, OK. Real D.L. Then when he leaves, he makes eye contact and does a little Buddhist bow—that little sensei thing. [Laughs] It’s hard to beat that one.

You’ve said before that an event jumps the shark once Ricky Martin shows up. Did these disasters become sideshows? It was actually very limited and, frankly, it’s now at the point where I’m all for any celebrities that go down there, because they need as much attention as they can get.

So does the American public not care anymore? I was just down in New Orleans, and there were about 10,000 college kids on their spring break volunteering instead of going to Cancun and, you know, taking off their tops for Joe Francis. To me, that’s a sign that people do care.

Well, there are 51 other weeks in the year when you can take your top off for Joe Francis. [Laughs] Yes, there’s always time for that, I suppose.

What do you think about tabloids? There’s nothing wrong with sneaking a peek, but it seems like there’s a lot of obsession about the same four people. I don’t know them, but it doesn’t seem like they’re all that interesting.

If you didn’t have your job, what would you be doing? I have no actual skills, so I don’t have many options. That’s the great thing about a liberal-arts education: One graduates without skills.

You did do a good job grilling Vin Diesel when you subbed for Regis. Maybe that’s an option. I can take Vin. [Laughs] It’s a whole different kind of thing to fumble my way through. But it’s fun.

Do you ever go on vacation? I just went to Morocco. I had always wanted to try a camel safari. They are miserable animals. It’s like a glorified pony ride. There’s a guy holding onto the camel while you’re riding, and he’s on his cell phone. It’s totally not Lawrence of Arabia. I was sitting in a bedouin tent getting e-mail. It was ridiculous.

How long before you burn out because of your schedule? I don’t know what the life span is. Another anchor said to me, "They never give you the crown." There’s never a moment in this business when you feel comfortable.

You were just an answer on Wheel of Fortune, so you must have some staying power. Really? You know, as a former Jeopardy! champion, it’s hard for me to watch Wheel of Fortune. See how I worked that into the conversation?

How long ago was that? It was quite long ago for me to still be talking about it. [Laughs] And it was the dumbed-down version. Like Washington, politico Jeopardy!

Whom did you take down? Maria Bartiromo and Kweisi Mfume. I crushed them. It got to the point where I was giving clues during the commercial breaks— how to work the buzzer and things like that. I was pissed because there was no Tournament of Champions. It just ended.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, 38, served as a co-host alongside Kelly Ripa this morning, filled in for Regis Philbin.  Below is a video clip of Live with Regis and Kelly (pictures in the gallery after the taping — across the street from Gramercy Cleaners?) and to the right of that is Anderson Cooper sounding off on K-fed. More pictures in the gallery!

Anderson :: I’m not down with K-Fed.  Not yet.
Erica Hill :: Word
Anderson :: Alright. Out.
Erica Hill :: Catch ya later.

• Ashlee Simpson dressed like a boxer on the set of her new music video, "Invisible."  You can watch the full music video below.

• Looks like Scarlett Johansson is totally getting a wedgie.
• Hurry, claim your free $500 gifts cards from: Kenneth Cole and Home Depot.  Or maybe a $250 Olive Garden Gift Card!!
• 90210’s Brian Austin Green gets groped by girlfriend Megan Fox (NSFW).  Nastiness!
• More candid pictures of the shrinking Janet Jackson.
• I’m sure many of you will be thrilled to hear that the Aishwarya Rai rumors are not true.  She is, in fact, still alive.
• Faye Dunaway falls victim to Madamism (one too many face lifts).
• Paris Hilton shoots a music video of her own on the beach… wow, in a one-piece.
• Candid pictures of Jessica Simpson shopping at Kitson… without hairdresser Ken Paves.  Say what?
• Lost’s Michelle Rodriguez starts jail time… then vows to leave the U.S. for good.  Makes sense.
• Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen will be launching, of all things, a nutrition TV show. Ummmmmm…….
• CNN’s Anderson Cooper no longer watches My Super Sweet 16 (it has gone downhill this season) because he watches Tiara Girls!
  

  But you do have a lighter side as well. Like your affinity for My Super Sweet 16?  Oh, yeah. Totally. But now I’ve moved on to Tiara Girls. My god, they should all be lined up and shot. It’s fantastic! And these parents… I don’t know if you saw the promo, with the mother encouraging her daughter to get liposuction?! The girl’s already getting collagen and the mother’s like, "How about some liposuction." I’m also addicted to Idol.