Returning to Anderson Live as Blogger of the Day | December 10th, 2012: The Full Sixty

I returned to New York City early in the morning on December 10th to be Anderson's Blogger of the day! This was my second invitation and I was thrilled to be on a special edition of his show called, "The Full 60." For those of you who don't regularly watch the show, Anderson and his co-host of the day usually spend the first 15 minutes rehashing the latest news, celebrity updates, gossip, etc. It's called the First 15. Viewers love this segment of the show so much, many of them wrote in and said, "We want a whole show like that!" and of course, Anderson delivered, calling it the Full 60. Here's a rundown of what you hopefully didn't miss on the show.

You may have seen her in 27 Dresses or perhaps What Women Want. She is a beautiful and quirky redhead who wasted no time on camera giving Anderson a hard time. After Anderson promised to see her on Broadway, she asked him where he was at yesterday's matinee. Watching Cooper squirm is rather endearing. She costars with Katie Holmes in Dead Accounts.

The DJ prank gone horribly wrong
Moving on to more serious topics, Anderson rolled the video of the two DJ's in Australia who publicly apologized for their prank when the Duchess was in the hospital. Were the tears fake?

My opinion strays from Anderson on this point as he thought perhaps the tears were put on. Very rarely do pranksters intend true harm. No one imagines a silly phone call will lead to suicide and so I'm thinking those were real tears of shock and horror because they may have played a part in such a serious tragedy. It does beg the question: Should public gagging (on TV and radio) even be allowed? In many cases, it is illegal to put someone on the air or on camera without consent. After this incident, we may see prank incidences go down even further.

Judy noted that many pranks today are staged anyhow. Actors are paid to react to gag calls by the radio hosts. What do you think about that?

Anderson's Mom says it best when considering whether or not to pull a prank on someone...

This news story was tragic enough as it is without the new twisted developments. Three years ago, Susan Powell- a mother and wife- went missing. The father was away camping with his two young sons- in the snow. He returned to find her gone.

Strangely the husband was never considered a suspect. He moved on without his wife and in a strange twist when a social service worker tried to check in on the father and his two boys, he locked himself in the house, killed his children, and then killed himself.

The tragedy is more than most families have to bear but it continues to this day for Susan's parents and family. Anderson's desire to bring them on the show was in part to keep the story going- in hopes that the police will finally crack this case. While the rest of the country moves on, these people are still dealing with real trauma and loss. She is still missing...and it has been three years. To make matters worse, police recently uncovered thousands of photos of Susan, taken by her father-in-law who clearly had an obsession with Susan. Is he the missing link in this case? He's serving 30 months in jail.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

This was my favorite part of the show. I'll admit, as an Anderson Cooper fan myself I was hoping to snag the gig as viewer co-host for the day. But alas, the finalist videos were excellent and creative- deserving those final spots for sure!

The winner was announced live on the show through Skype. Christa Fielder, a teacher from the Midwest had created an adorable video of her entire class. Anderson delivered the news and it was almost like Christmas morning. She was thrilled of course and you can tune in to the show on Friday to see her live and in action next to Anderson.

Who doesn't love updates on all our favorite stars, right? Suzanne Zuckerman, senior writer for People magazine sat down with Judy and Anderson and gave us the scoop on Kate Middletown. Just like with Diana, the hoopla surrounding the royal family is incredible. Now with her pregnant and very sick, the world is watching their every move.

Thankfully, she's been released from the hospital and feeling a bit better, but for any mother-to-be who has suffered through extreme morning sickness, you know how absolutely terrible it is. My heart goes out to her. It can't be easy to be sick and pregnant...AND in the spotlight too!

In related news, it seems that Kate and William are intent on being hands-on parents. Rumors are swirling about their desire to NOT have full-time nannies raise their child. Very cool!

A few days before appearing on the show, I read about Aundrea Aragon's scary tale of leaking brain fluid. This woman was dismissed by several doctors as having allergies, but she knew in her gut that something was terribly wrong. Every time she bent over, fluid would pour out of her nose. Talking to her before the show, she told me that she had to walk around with paper towels in her nose to keep from dripping everywhere.

Finally, a doctor discovered a crack in her skull and the fluid coming out of her nose was actually brain fluid! Anderson had her on the show to talk about this rare condition, but also to encourage people to be their own advocate- even when doctors dismiss your symptoms.

I'm so glad she got a proper diagnosis and surgery to fix the crack. Lesson learned- when in doubt, speak up!

After all this talk about leaky fluids, Ed Burns lightened the mood by talking about his upcoming movie The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. Shot on his hometown street, he recounted the surreal nature of shooting a film right where he grew up.

"You know, nothing's changed..." he noted to Judy, who asked if it was weird to be back home with a camera. "I didn't recognize some people- you know...the hair gets thinner, bodies get thicker," he joked.

One serious "awesome factor" about Ed. Since having children, he and his wife have committed to staying in New York with their two boys, nine and six- no more jet setting together without one or both of them home. What a great example to set for other actors.

At the end of the show, a select few lucky guests (and the blogger of the day) get a split second with the dreamy celebrity in his photo booth. I got my chance- for the second time- shook his hand and smiled for that camera. I flaunt the photos wherever and whenever I can. It's not every day you meet someone who's so famous...and down to earth at the same time.

If you are a blogger in the NYC area, you too can be the blogger of the day. Submit your name and information and you might get a call!

During the show, Anderson flashed a photo of the monkey found at an Ikea store dressed in a housecoat. The picture was hilarious of course- as it went viral on the Internet. But what you wouldn't necessarily know about Mr. Journalist Anderson? He loves sloths.

How did all this come up? In an animated discussion about the monkey in question, Judy and Anderson went at it about the differences between monkeys and sloths. It even continued during commercial break.

See all the cool stuff you can learn if you get on the show? If you need a Christmas gift idea for him, buy him a plush sloth. In fact, we should all overtake his New York apartment with sloths. Now that would be a neat prank!