Anderson Cooper punk’d on his own CNN broadcast with childhood photo

Never a dull moment with Anderson Cooper!

Most of the time, of course, the silver-haired CNN anchor is rushing to a disaster area or war zone to produce hard-hitting on-site reports, or grilling Libyan government spokesmen and fake presidential candidates. But sometimes the host likes to have a little fun on the air.

Here he is getting silly with Kathy Griffin on New Year's Eve. Here, yucking it up with Chelsea Handler. And in this clip, from Monday night's edition of "Anderson Cooper 360," he makes with some self-deprecating banter in the wake of a photo bait-and-switch perpetrated with the help of CNN International anchor Isha Sesay. You can watch a video of the exchange between Sesay and Cooper after the jump.

During a segment running down recent celebrity news, Sesay was telling Cooper about how "Justin Bieber's being called a brat" by "CSI" star Marg Helgenberger. But instead of the expected shot of the Canadian teen-pop heart-throb, the screen flashed a picture of a young boy in a fuzzy purple Russian-style hat and a similarly hued uniform, replete with silver epaulettes. This was a shot of the boy Cooper. "Wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute," the adult Cooper said. "Where did this picture suddenly materialize from?

Sesay looked to be in on the joke but couldn't keep a straight face. Cooper seemed stunned and confused and then proclaimed in jest that the people who punked him were going to lose their jobs. "I'm being told in the control room it was a technical glitch," he said. "I don't believe that for a second!"

So what was the ridiculous outfit all about, anyway?

"I was pretending to be Wally Norden, the world's youngest bear trainer, on 'To Tell the Truth,' " Bob Stewart's classic American game show, Cooper explained. Sesay tried to get back to the Bieber news, but Cooper interrupted: "I'm not hearing anything, I'm just thinking about people I'm gonna fire," he announced amid a rising chorus of in-studio laughter.

Cooper's "To Tell the Truth" cameo is not the only embarrassing game show stint that's come back to haunt him. In 2001, Cooper hosted ABC's primetime reality show "The Mole," which pitted contestants in crass competitive situations for a cash reward. But CNN pranksters may be out of luck if they set about to loot the Mole archives: It seems like the evidence has been destroyed.

Khloe Kardashian And Lamar Odom's New Show, 'Khloe & Lamar,' Premieres April 10 at 10pm on E! (Trailer)

When Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom said "I do" in 2009, it was front-page celebrity news throughout the world. Now, the power couple is putting their life together at the center of a new television series, when the cameras begin rolling on "Khloé & Lamar" (working title) in early 2011. In the new series, the outspoken Kardashian sister and the Los Angeles Lakers star will invite cameras into their home, where Khloé’s brother Robert Kardashian has become a semi-permanent houseguest. "Khloé & Lamar" (working title) was announced today by Lisa Berger, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Programming for E!

"Khloé and Lamar are such a dynamic couple that we just knew we had to give them their own series," said Berger. "They are fascinating individuals in their own right, and together the duo are a powerhouse. They are funny, dramatic, opinionated, and we intend to capture all this, along with the unvarnished reality of their lives together and apart, since each is constantly followed by their own celebrity spotlight."

The most vocal and opinionated of the three sisters, Khloé was a viewer favorite in E!'s mega-successful "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" from the very beginning. In "Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami," she hosted her own call-in radio show, and then in 2009 Khloé sent shockwaves through the family when she announced just one month after they began dating that she would marry superstar L.A. Laker Lamar Odom. With just nine days to plan it, mom and manager Kris Kardashian Jenner pulled together a lavish wedding fit for a queen, which was attended by Los Angeles’ elite and which, like the bride herself, made headlines throughout the world.

Now that they have their first year of marriage behind them, Khloé and Lamar are blowing the lid off their home life and allowing the E! cameras to capture the private world they used to call their own. Sharing space under the Odom roof is Khloé’s brother, Robert, who is embarking on his own career in the music industry now that he is no longer living with mom Kris and step-dad Bruce Jenner.

We’ll also follow Lamar both in Los Angeles and as he hits the road to fulfill his professional duties as a member of the world-famous L.A. Lakers. Born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, Odom's background is a world apart from the privileged upbringing Khloé enjoyed in Los Angeles. With all the drama and laughter that is certain to be a part of this new series, could Lamar's expressed desire to "start having children right away" come into play? If so, viewers will likely be the first to find out.

The eight-episode series will be produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Bunim-Murray Productions. Ryan Seacrest serves as Executive Producer for RSP, while Jon Murray, Jeff Jenkins, Gil Goldschein and Farnaz Farjam are Executive Producers for BMP. Kris Jenner is also an Executive Producer on the series.

Fashion Faceoff: Khloe vs. Kim

We all know the Kardashian clan likes to share everything from their colorful opinions to waxing tips with each other, but they're generally pretty territorial when it comes to their clothes. So to see Kim and Khloe both sporting the same Bebe bandage dress within days of each other comes as a bit of a shock. This fashion battle pits sister against sister ... and you know those Kardashian girls fight dirty!

Khloe Kardashian in Hollywood, September 21, 2010. Michael Buckner/Getty Images Kim Kardashian in Los Angeles, September 24, 2010. Maciel-WL/X17online.com

Mrs. Khloe Kardashian Odom was first spotted wearing the form-fitting frock on September 21 at the AXE Music "One Night Only" Concert Series in Hollywood. The 5'10" reality star accessorized with classic bumps, a slim clutch, and long, loose locks.

We all know the Kardashian clan likes to share everything from their colorful opinions to waxing tips with each other, but they're generally pretty territorial when it comes to their clothes. So to see Kim and Khloe both sporting the same Bebe bandage dress within days of each other comes as a bit of a shock. This fashion battle pits sister against sister ... and you know those Kardashian girls fight dirty!

Khloe Kardashian in Hollywood, September 21, 2010. Michael Buckner/Getty Images Kim Kardashian in Los Angeles, September 24, 2010. Maciel-WL/X17online.com

Mrs. Khloe Kardashian Odom was first spotted wearing the form-fitting frock on September 21 at the AXE Music "One Night Only" Concert Series in Hollywood. The 5'10" reality star accessorized with classic bumps, a slim clutch, and long, loose locks.

Just three days later, her big sister Kim -- who's all of 5'2" -- wore a matching bandage mini with a subtly different color scheme. Kim paired her dress with leopard-print peep-toe heels and a black clutch.

OK, the dress is from the Kardashian by Bebe collection, so that explains why Kim would be willing to be seen out in the same frock as Khloe in the same week. The dark gray flatters Khloe's figure -- and she looks cute -- but Kim seriously fills the dress out in all the right places, so for me, she's the clear winner.

Just three days later, her big sister Kim -- who's all of 5'2" -- wore a matching bandage mini with a subtly different color scheme. Kim paired her dress with leopard-print peep-toe heels and a black clutch.

OK, the dress is from the Kardashian by Bebe collection, so that explains why Kim would be willing to be seen out in the same frock as Khloe in the same week. The dark gray flatters Khloe's figure -- and she looks cute -- but Kim seriously fills the dress out in all the right places, so for me, she's the clear winner.

The Stig's ID is 'Top Gear' secret no more

AP – This photo combo shows an undated file photo of the driver for the BBC motoring programme Top Gear 'The …

By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 1, 12:01 pm ET

LONDON – The opaque visor of one of Britain's most famous helmets has been lifted.

The identity of The Stig, the always-anonymous test driver on the popular television show "Top Gear," has long been a closely guarded secret. On Wednesday, lawyers said the BBC had been refused an injunction blocking publication of a book revealing the identity of the character.

Shortly after, publishers HarperCollins said in a statement that a 33-year-old racing driver named Ben Collins "has a great story to tell about his seven years as The Stig, which will appeal to a wide audience beyond just motoring enthusiasts."

Calling it a "victory for freedom of speech," HarperCollins said the book will be published in Britain on Sept. 16.

The white-suited Stig is the second in the role; the first Stig, who wore a black suit and helmet, was Perry McCarthy. He left the show in 2003 after his identity was revealed.

The show has a long-standing policy of not commenting on The Stig's identity. A "Top Gear" spokeswoman said no decision has been made on whether the character will be back when the show returns.

"Top Gear" is one of the BBC's most successful programs, and is seen in more than 100 countries around the world. Alongside the show's three garrulous hosts, The Stig is an always-silent presence, fearlessly navigating the show's test track in glamorous cars.

Speculation over his identity is a favorite pastime for fans of the show, and the "Top Gear" website sells T-shirtsSpeculation over his identity is a favorite pastime for fans of the show, and the "Top Gear" website sells T-shirts proclaiming "I am The Stig," "I am not The Stig," and "I am The Stig's fat cousin," among others.

"The whole point of The Stig is the mystique — the bizarre characteristics he has, the wonderment created about what he might think, feel, do or look like," producer Andy Wilman said in a post on the show's website. "Kids adore the conceit, and I believe adults, although they know it's a man in a suit (or is it?) gladly buy into the whole conceit because they find it entertaining."

The Stig's Facebook page — which more than 2.5 million people "like" — says he was recently attacked by a goose, that his ears "are not where you would expect them to be," and that he thinks the movie "Star Wars" is a documentary.

The BBC said it sought the injunction — the hearing was held in private — because viewers like the mystery surrounding the driver's identity and it's "vital to protect the character of The Stig."

The broadcaster said that the judgment does not prevent them from taking the issue further in the courts.

'The BBC will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise," the broadcaster said in a statement.

Collins' website says he has raced on the Formula Three and NASCAR circuits, and drove James Bond's Aston Martin in the 2008 film "Quantum of Solace."

Meet The YouTube Stars Making $100,000 Plus Per Year

Provided by the Business Insider, August 19, 2010:

There are 10 independent YouTube stars who made over $100,000 in the past year, according to a study done by analytics and advertising company TubeMogul.

From July 2009 to July 2010, TubeMogul used their viewership data to estimate the annual income for independent YouTube partners, which they define as anyone who is not part of a media company or brand.

Here's how they got their estimates:

* Revenue only comes from banner ads served near content (we ignored pre-roll or overlay since we can't easily isolate by publisher).
* Since YouTube banner ads have a two-second load delay, we estimate 2.59% of viewers click away before an ad loads based on separate research.
* Ads were served near all videos that loaded (since there are partners, this is generally true).
* CPM for the banner ads was $1.50 (Google auctions a lot of this inventory off; we rounded this 2009 estimate down to be conservative).
* YouTube is splitting ad revenue with partners 50-50.

Basically, take their views from the past year, assume a few don't stick around long enough for an ad to load, divide that number by 1,000, multiply by $1.50 and divide that number in half.

Conservative estimates? Sure. But with that math, you get a pretty decent estimate of how much these YouTube celebrities are making from just the banner ads on their channel. So, without further ado, here are the highest earning YouTube stars!

1. Shane Dawson – $315,000

Shane Dawson is so popular that he is three different YouTube channels. His most popular channel consists of his comedy skits and music video parodies. Dawson created a second channel as a vlog and for a separate series called "Ask Shane," and his third channel only has videos taken from his iPhone.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 431,787,450

2. The Annoying Orange – $288,000

The Annoying Orange is a comedy web series that takes place in a kitchen and is about talking fruit. Dane Boedigheimer is the mastermind behind the series and is also the voice of Orange.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 349,753,047

3. Philip DeFranco – $181,000

Philip DeFranco uploads a new video onto YouTube every Monday to Thursday for his show – The Philip DeFranco Show. His video blogging topics range from politics to pop culture.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 248,735,032

4. Ryan Higa – $151,000

Ryan Higa makes comedy skits and is a video blogger who turned into a viral star with his "How to be Gangster" and "How to be Ninja" videos. Even though he doesn't upload as many videos as his fellow YouTube celebrities, Higa is still the top dog at YouTube with over 2.6 million subscribers.
July 2009 - 2010 Views: 206,979,909

5. Fred – $146,000

Lucas Cruikshank plays "a lonely six year old named Fred" who uses his mom's video camera and posts videos on a YouTube channel. As the second most subscribed to YouTube channel, Lucas Cruikshank's immensely popular Fred character even has a movie coming out backed by Nickelodeon.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 200,656,150

6. Shay Carl – $140,000

As a radio DJ, Shay Carl started making comedy skits and put them on YouTube for the world to see. He claims to have held 20 different jobs before settling down with his DJ and YouTube gigs.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 192,309,247

7. Mediocre Films – $116,000

Greg Benson created Mediocre Films initially for a sketchy comedy TV series called "Skip TV." The show lasted for one season, and now Benson makes low budget comedy videos for the web.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 159,030,703

8. Smosh – $113,000

Smosh is the comedy duo of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, and with over 1.7 million subscribers, they make up the 5th most popular channel on YouTube. They first shot to viral fame with their "Pokemon Theme Music Video" which became YouTube's most viewed video in Spring 2006. However, due to copyright reasons, the original video was removed from YouTube.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 154,936,876

9. The Young Turks – $112,000

The Young Turks is a political talk show that also airs on Sirius Satellite Radio. Founded and hosted by Cenk Uygur, The Young Turks talk show and their vast viewership has proven that the Internet can be a viable broadcast platform.
July 2009 - 2010 Views: 153,807,362

10. Natalie Tran– $101,000

Under the user name of communitychannel, Natalie Tran is the most subscribed to YouTube user in Australia. Like most others on this list, she is a video blogger and occasionally uploads comedy skits.

July 2009 - 2010 Views: 138,871,829

World Cup boosts TV viewing figures

The World Cup and the economic downturn contributed to the boost, Thinkbox said

The World Cup contributed to a rise in the number of hours people spent watching TV in the first six months of the year, according to research.

Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb) data suggests that, in the year to June, viewers watched an average of 28 hours and 15 minutes each week.

That is up 48 minutes on the same period last year.

Commercial TV marketing body Thinkbox said the rise could also be attributed to more Britons staying at home.

It suggested people were staying in because of the economic downturn - and were tempted to watch more TV because of the increased choice in channels as more households went digital.

The findings were reinforced by financial results from cinema chain Cineworld, which reported a 3% fall in admissions in the first half of the year.

Thinkbox chief executive Tess Alps said new ways of measuring viewing - which more accurately captured second TV sets and watching on-demand - had also been introduced.

"We know that technology is also making TV ever more attractive and we should never underestimate the fundamental importance of compelling content," she added.

'Lack of variety'

The figures, published in Thinkbox's half-year viewing review, only include shows watched on TV sets, which were viewed live or within seven days of broadcast.

The data suggests that commercial TV accounted for 62% of viewing.

Recorded programmes and on-demand services accounted for 7.1% of all TV watched in the UK while 80.4% of "time-shifted" viewing took place within a week of original broadcast.

Meanwhile, a report by media regulator Ofcom suggests that more than half of people aged 65 and over think TV programmes have become worse.

Ofcom interviewed 2,044 adults between April and October 2009.

Of those adults who thought TV had got worse in the past year, 65% cited an increase in the number of repeats as a reason.

A third of of those who thought it had deteriorated cited "lack of variety".

The report also suggest that people in the UK spend seven hours a day watching TV, surfing the net and using their mobile phones.

50 Cent's "Twelve" Co-Star Talks Filming, "He Was Getting Tattoos Lasered Off While We Were Shooting"

Actor/Rapper 50 Cent's Twelve co-star Chace Crawford has opened up about filming their new movie together and shared a few behind-the-scenes details about the rap star.

According to Crawford, Fif was in the middle of having tattoos taken off his body during the movie's filming process.

"I got to work with him a bit," Crawford said in an interview. "He's a bear. He's good. He's an interesting guy. I thought he might have some sort of persona he was trying to project, but he's easygoing. He's not trying to create some character. He wants to be a serious actor. I respect it. He was getting his tattoos lasered off while we were shooting and we had some good talks. I mean, he's cool. He lives in Connecticut and he's a super nice guy. Very intellectual." (MTV)

50 recently said he began removing his body tattoos to help limit the amount of time he needs for make-up when filming new movies.

"It cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up," 50 Cent says about his decision, which he calls "an ongoing process." Still, don't expect him to rid himself of all the ink. His arms may be tattoo free, but 50's vowed to keep a tattoo on his back. (PEOPLE)

Earlier this week, 50 hit up "The View" to speak on his portrayal of a fictional drug dealer.

"It's a totally different experience for me because I've been away from that for a very long time," 50 Cent said in an interview on "The View." "In this actual project, the character's actually darker. I've never done anything with those motivations. There's a scene in the actual film where he's excited to trade the drugs for a woman's virginity. That's darker than anything I've experienced...Well, I mean just my motivation. I didn't come there to actually hurt anyone. It was just what the environment provided for me without any requirements...Like they don't say, 'You need a master's [degree] to be a drug dealer.' Everyone's eligible. You have two hands [and] two feet... Run, the cops are coming." (The Boom Box)

Details on the film's overall plot show 50 playing the back-up to Crawford.

Do rich kids and drugs go together like peas and carrots? According to movies like "Cruel Intentions," "Black and White" and the upcoming "Twelve" thriller, starring Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, they most definitely do. In Joel Schumacher's latest film, "Twelve," high-school dropout White Mike (Chace Crawford) sells drugs to his wealthy former classmates. When White Mike's cousin is brutally murdered in an east Harlem project, he quickly finds himself on a collision course with his own destiny. (Tr3s News)

The movie is now slated to be released on Friday, August 6th.

Check out 50 Cent speaking on the new movie below:

Justin Timberlake: 'I'm Insecure'

JUSTIN Timberlake is “insecure” about his talent.

The 29-year-old star — who shot to fame aged 12 as a member of the New Mickey Mouse Club — claims he is still not fully comfortable either as a singer or a performer, despite winning several awards for his work.

“I think I’m equally insecure about both of them,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for two thirds of my life and I still consider myself pretty young but I think that’s the part you battle with all the time.

“When you’re creating your art, that’s the best part. Your senses are on a creative high and then the part where everyone gets to see it and comment on it, that’s the part I think you battle with until you die.

“It’s absolutely terrifying.”

Justin doesn’t want to be known only for either his acting or singing talents and thinks his early work on the children’s TV show gave him a solid grounding in both professions.

“It’s no secret I was trained as a very young kid on a TV show with a lot of other extremely talented actors and singers — Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling,” he said.
“I think we were all trained in the arts, be it song, dance or acting.”