At 36 - Sage Stallone, eldest son of Sylvester Stallone, died

Sage Stallone in 2006
(Photo by Albert L. Ortega/WireImage)

Sylvester Stallone mourns about the death of his son Sage Moonblood Stallone. The 36-year-old son of the actor was found dead in his apartment Friday, July 13. According to sources quoted by The New York Post, that "there is no suspicion of foul play or criminal activity," and presumption are made on death of an overdose of pills.

Sage Stallone was Sylvester Stallone's eldest son from his first marriage to Sasha Czack. The couple got divorced in 1985.  Sage Stallone is survived by his brother Seargeoh, and his three half-sisters Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet. 

Sage starred alongside his father in "Rocky V" as Rocky Balbao's son in 1990, and having participated in numerous other movies. Aside having acting skills, he ventured into movie productions.

Sylvester Stallone has not yet released a comment.   

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Jennifer Lopez to leave 'American Idol,' too

CALIFORNIA --- A teary-eyed Jennifer Lopez shared live on radio how painful and sad her exit at America's most successful prime time reality TV, American Idol, is. After having been a judge for two years, season ten and eleven, she says "The time has come".

Candid moment: Jennifer Lopez emotional during a contestant's performace

Jennifer Lopez made her announcement during the "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" last night, just a day after rocker Steven Tyler said he is leaving American Idol to be back in the studios and stages with his band, the Aerosmithes.

A successful team (l-r): Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jeckson and host Ryan Seacrest.

The American singer, actress, dancer and businesswoman ("If you had my love" , "Jenny from the Block" and many other music hits) was troubled for weeks about her decision, sharing with Seacrest, who is the stage host of American Idol, and the listeners  that "It's been a long thought process. I really have been torn... but even last year, it was super tough to decide. Something has to give. That's where I am right now."

Lopez continued by saying, "You know, I was really dreading this phone call with you. I honestly feel that the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I've put on hold because I love 'Idol' so much." She said, "I have to come back to, like ... you have a lot of other responsibilities and things that you do. You have to pay attention to do that, too. I just feel like we had an amazing run."

Seacrest emphatized and responded to La Lopez with the words, "You've made up your mind. If you are leaving the show, I'm sad, but I understand you've got to do what's best for you and your family."

Lopez added, "It's really going to be hard to go. It's one of those special things."

There have been reports that Randy Jackson would step down too as a judge, and that Mariah Carey and Adam Lambert are in serious talks to join the new panel of judges.

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Rolling Stones Celebrate 50th Anniversary

NEW YORK --- Today, on the dot exactly, fifty years ago had the Rolling Stones their very first gig at one of the most known jazz clubs in London, the Marquee Club. The band made featured singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones – the latter of whom was using the stage name Elmo Lewis – pianist Ian “Stu” Stewart, bassist Dick Taylor and future Kinks drummer Mick Avory, to stars and idols to this very day.


The Roling Stones (from left to right: Charlie Watts, Ron Wood, Keith Richard, Mick Jagger) at the 
BerlinFilm Fesitval. (Wikipedia)



Mick Jagger (right) and Ronnie Wood (left)
during a concert in Chicago, 1975.
(Wikipedia)


Although the Stones apparently didn’t overwhelm the Marquee crowd, according to the author Christopher Andersen, who has just published the biography Mick Jagger quoting Taylor saying, “It was a case of instant dislike. The sight of us, and particularly Mick, was more than they could handle.” An observation that could have contributed to the fact that the club was for jazz lovers and not for rockers.


The Rolling Stones most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music.
For the 50th celebration, the band will be releasing a large hardback book, entitled '50'.


Members have been widely reported as preparing for another world tour in either 2012 or 2013.


Happy Birthday to the Rolling Stones!!! Keep it rollin'!

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During Coldplay concert: Chris Martin kisses wife Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow and Martin, a dream couple.

MIAMI --- What a fantastic concert... The band Coldplay played live at Miami's American Airlines Arena in front of thousands of fans. But what made the concert so extraordinary was the sweet surprise of lead singer Chris Martin to his wife.

A amateur shot during Coldplay's Miami conert: Martin kissing
gently his wife before returning to stage.

Catching lead singer Chris Martin (real name: Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin) and his wife, none other than Oscar-winner actress and singer, Gwyneth Paltrow, together on a picture is quite rare ever since they started back dating in 2002 and getting married in December 2003. The beauty and the rocker are rarely seen walking down the red carpet together or do appearances together in any public shows; Paltrow is often away on on movie shots and Martin is on tour with his successful band. Despite their hectic schedules and being parents to their two children, the couple has no scandals or whatsoever.

In the contrary, they have been in love ever since.... during that concert in Miami, there had been one magical moment - not just for the audience and the paparazzi. During a song, Martin leapt from the stage and ran through the excited crowd searching for his wife. After spotting her, he gave her a kiss and returned to stage to finish the song "Clocks". According to reports, Paltrow was surprised herself by her husbands affection, hiding her blushing face behind her hands. Even after the said concert, she had been all smile.


Martin later in the show sang the song "Yellow" dedicating it to his "incredible wife Gwyneth," according to E!online.


Even after the concert at the LIV nightclub at Miami's Fontainebleau Resort, "Chris and Gwyneth drank champagne and she was all over him," quote from the PEOPLE magazine, "They looked so much in love. Gwyneth danced all night." -- Isn't love wonderful!?


Martin and Paltrow have been married for nine years and have two children, Apple Blythe Alison Martin, 8, and Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, 6. 

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Stunning Discovery: Lost Ancestral Village of the Wendat at Lake Ontorio

ONTORIO, CANADA --- Once upon a time, when New York wasn't the metropolitan how we know it today, at the north shore of Lake Ontorio in Canada there rose a new world, a center point of social and economic growth in the northern region. Never heard before of this story? This might be well true, because it was 'once upon a time' - A story of an ancient metropolitan that seemed to have vanished after the settlement of Europeans in early times, was uncovered by archaeologists to the world.

Huron-Wendat group from Wendake (Lorette) at Spencerwood, Quebec City, 1880,
Jules-Ernest Livernois, February 11, 1880 (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Lake Ontario was between A.D. 1500 and 1530 the so called Mantle site and occupied by the Wyndot (or Wendat in their native language), also known the Hurons. The Hurons are indigenous people of North America. Researchers estimated that up to 1,800 people lived in Mantle, which has the size of Manhattan.

A team of archaeologists excavated between 2003 and 2005 the area and uncovered 98 longhouses, a palisade consisting of three rows which seems to be of high fences made of robust wooden stakes made for defense against intruders. Aside the impressive architecture, about 200,000 artifacts were obtained that showcase a range of cultural heritage of the folks that time, restoring the importance of man and hunting and animals.

"This is an Indiana Jones moment, this is huge," said Ron Williamson, an archaeologist and founder of Archaeological Services Inc., a Canadian cultural resource management firm, who led lead the excavation at the site.

"It's the largest, most complex, cosmopolitan village of its time," said Williamson, also of the University of Toronto, in an interview with LiveScience. "All of the archaeologists, basically, when they see Mantle, they're just utterly stunned."

Mantle Site - looking west from Byers Pond Way.
(Photo courtey: Wikipedia)

According to reports, the site remained hidden for hundreds of years, because the structures were mainly made of wood and are not easy to detect. It was only by mere chance, when a new subdivision was about to be built, that constructions made the discovery.

The people of Mantle, it seems, were on trading relations with the Iroquois of the St. Lawrence, which was revealed by the art and pottery that shows elements from their cultures. An interesting fact knowing from history books that the Wendat and the Iroquois were mortal enemies.Today:In Summer 2011, Wendat ceremonies were held at the site and it was renamed the "Jean-Baptiste Lainé" Site.

According to Wikipedia, the Huron are considered part of the larger Iroquoian cultural and language family. The Huron-Wendat Nation is a First Nation whose community and reserve today is located at Wendake, Quebec. The Huron as well as other local First Nation peoples have urged towns and developers in York Region to preserve aboriginal sites "for worship at the places where [their] ancestors are buried."

In 2012, a two-hour documentary film on the Mantle Wendat-Huron Village Site was produced, entitled "The Curse of the Axe" - surely, worth a watch.

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Sweet 40th birthday gift: Sofia Vergara engaged

MEXICO --- During the 40th birthday celebration of Sofia Vergara on July 10, her boyfriend popped the "will you marry me?"-question.

The witty Columbian actress, comedian, host and model celebrated her 40th birthday bash with her family and friends in Mexico, when her bofriend Nick Loeb proposed to her while they were seeing the site of the Mayan achaeological ruins of Chichen Itza - of course, she agreed most willingly.

The couple met at the Golden Globe Awards in 2012 and got together a few weeks after, briefly split in May before rekindling their love by early June this year. Loeb, 36, is millionaire entrepreneur and the son of John Loeb Jr., who served as ambassador to Denmark under President Ronald Reagan.

Sofia Margarita Vergara's hits in American TV were lending her voice to the cast of The Smurfs (2011), Happy Feet 2 (2011) and The Three Stooges (2012), aside having the main role of Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in ABC's successful series "Modern Family". She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Comedy Actress. 

Vergara has been married once before at the age of 18 years to Joe Gonzalez, whom she has one child with, son Manolo.

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At 95 years - Farewell to Ernest Borgnine

L.A., CALIFORNIA --- The world bids goodbye to actor Ernest Borgnine who died on Sunday (July 8) at the age of 95 years. This was released by the actor's spokesman and actor's manager, Harry Flynn to the Associated Press.

Borgnine suffered from a kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai who was in the presence of his family.

Ernest Borgnine was born as Ermes Effron Borgnino on January 24, 1917. He was born to Anna (born: Boselli) and Camillo Borgnino who both emigrated to the U.S.A from Italy. 

His acting career counts more than sixty years on screen and stage. Borgnine a actor veteran with heart and soul. Maybe it was the famous gap-toothed smile. Maybe it was the deep, hearty laugh he generously spread. Maybe it was his expertise in playing mostly villains that generations welcomed him into their living rooms as the feisty skipper in McHale's Navy and his role in "Marty" that bagged him ultimately the Oscar for best actor. 

Borgnine with Grace Kelly, receiving the Oscar

He is also known for his roles in films in "Airwolf", "The Single Guy", "From Here to Eternity", "Conspiracy of Silence", "Dirty Dozen", "Wild Bunch" or "1997: Escape from New York". Aside having played in significant box office movies, he has stared as well in small screen, where he graced in series like "Ship Ahoy" or "The Love Boat". Borgnine earned an Emmy Award nomination at age 92 for his work on the series Emergency Room (ER). His great performance in the last scene of that episode in ER bagged him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, his third nomination and his first in 29 years (since being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special in 1980 for "All Quiet on the Western Front".

Myself, I love to remember him with his amazing voice as the Mermaid Man in Spongebob Squarepants, an animated television series. With a lot of self-irony this actor possessed, he made appearance in an episode of The Simpsons, of course, playing himself.

In 2010, Borgnine played once more beside the creme de la creme of Hollywood (beside Bruce, Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren), in "RED" and action-packed movie on retired, yet extremely dangerous agents. Since then, Borgnine has participated in two projects, "Snatched" and "The Genesis Code". The date of release is yet to be known. 

In 2011 he was honored with a recognition of the career receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Borgnine was married five times and has four children. His fifth and last marriage was to Tova Traesnaes, whom she married on February 24, 1973. Traesnaes is a Norwegian-American business-woman, the founder of the "Beauty By Tova cosmetics". Her products are featured on QVC shopping network since 1990.

Thank you for the laughter. We bid good bye to you, Marty!

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Frankenstein-corpses speculated to merge lines of descent

SOUTH UIST, SCOTLAND --- Archaeologists discovered mummies off the coast of Scotland. The corpses have resemblance to a 'Frankenstein-like composition', which speculates the theory that different ancestries were combined to a single lineage

In 2001, the bodies were first lifted from the ground underneath a 3,000-year-old roundhouse on an island in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland called South Uist. According to the researchers, the site was once very populated during the Bronze Age (2200 B.C. to 800 B.C.). The roundhouse, one of three discovered, is located in the prehistoric village of Cladh Hallan close to the modern graveyard.

The researcher team found what were apparently the remains of a teenage girl and a 3-year-old child at the site. However, they discovered two other bodies that look different than the others: the remains of a man and a woman found that were laid in a fetal positions or crouch burial position. Researchers are quoted saying, "as if they had been tightly wrapped up, reminiscent of "mummy bundles" seen in South America and other parts of the world". The report says that the two bodies were still "articulated", meaning to say that they are still in the same positions as they were in life. Evidences how that the sinew and most probably the skin were still holding them together when they were buried. Carbon tests revealed that these remains were buried up to 600 years after death, which let the researchers concluded that it must had been on purpose, since the remains of animals which are also buried at the same site were decayed.

Another evidence is the fact that the bones were entombed in acidic surroundings like peat bogs, that would have stopped microbes from decomposing the bodies. However interesting the bodies may seem, researchers have found a strange discovery. the man's remains were composed of bones from three different people: the torso and limbs of one man, the skull and neck of another, and the lower jaw from a third, probably taken of a woman - and according to Sheffield University's Prof Mike Parker Pearson said the composite were assembled at different times. 

According to Yahoo!News, mummification apparently took off in Britain about 1500 B.C. "at a time when land ownership — communal rather than private, most likely — was being marked by the construction of large-scale field systems," Parker-Pearson told LiveScience. "Rights to land would have depended on ancestral claims, so perhaps having the ancestors around 'in the flesh' was their prehistoric equivalent of a legal document."

"Merging different body parts of ancestors into a single person could represent the merging of different families and their lines of descent," Parker-Pearson, one of the researchers, said. "Perhaps this was a prelude to building the row of houses in which numerous different families are likely to have lived."

In another interview with BBC, Parker-Pearson explained that "I don't believe these 'mummies' were buried immediately, but played an active part in society, as they do in some tribal societies in other parts of the world."

He said as part of ancestral worship, the mummies probably would have been asked for spiritual advice to help the community make decisions.

Mr. Parker-Pearson said he believed there may be more examples of deliberate mummification in Britain that have been missed by archaeologists up until now.

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High-quality Ancient Mosaic: Bible Story Discovered

HUQOQ, GALILEE — Archaeologists discovered during an excavation in an old Jewish village of Huqoq an ancient, stunning mosaic floor decoration depicting Samson, a biblical hero, who sought revenge on the Philistines. The mosaic decorates part of that Galilee synagogue which are said to be from A.D. 400 to 500, the Late Roman period.

In the Huquq Synagogue: Mosaic with female face and inscription. (Photo courtesy by Jim Haberman.)

According to archaeologist Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the mosaic “not only depicts an unusual scene — Samson tying torches to foxes’ tails in order to burn his enemies’ crops — it’s also remarkably high-quality.”

In a mosaic, “the smaller the cubes, the finer the work,” Magness told LiveScience. “Our cubes are very small and fine.”

Huqoq is an ancient Jewish village situated about two to three miles west of Capernaum and Migdal (Magdala). The mosaic can be found in an eastern wall part of a synagogue. At this point of

time, Magness along with her team (consisting of David Amit and Shua Kisilevitz of the Israel Antiquities Authority, under the sponsorship of UNC, Brigham Young University in Utah, Trinity University in Texas, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Toronto in Canada. Students and staff from UNC and the consortium schools are participating in the dig) were able to excavate that portion, but it still remains unknown how big the synagogue was in reality. But Magness suggests that the building must be of significant size since the structure was made of “beautifully cut” blocks of stone.

(photo courtesy: Yahoo.com)

In details, the mosaic seems to be incomplete. However, several scenes seems to showcase various events. There is one scene, wherein two female faces flank a Hebrew inscription about rewards for people who perform good actions. In another scene, Samson, of the biblical story Samson and Delilah, ties torches to pairs of foxes. This is a described scene in the Book of Judges in both the Christian and Hebrew Bibles.In chapter 15 of the Books of Judges, Samson, a hero, falls in love with a woman from the other tribe, the Philistines. The Philistines were people who ruled Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath in the ancient Middle East, which were depicted as the enemies of the Israelis in the Bible.

“This discovery is significant because only a small number of ancient (Late Roman) synagogue buildings are decorated with mosaics showing biblical scenes, and only two others have scenes with Samson (one is at another site just a couple of miles from Huqoq),” said Magness. “Our mosaics are also important because of their high artistic quality and the tiny size of the mosaic cubes. This, together with the monumental size of the stones used to construct the synagogue’s walls, suggest a high level of prosperity in this village, as the building clearly was very costly.” (a passage excerpted from http://www.antiquities.org.il/about_eng.asp?Modul_id=14)

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Italian art historians discovered lost Caravaggio paintings

MILAN, ITALY — Italian art experts have reportedly discovered about 100 raw drawings and paintings by the Renaissance master Caravaggio. Those long lost paintings could be worth over $860 million (or 700 million euros) as of an report released last Thursday (July 5).

The cardsharps

Carravagio’s Abraham sacrifices Isaac.

After two years of thorough analysis, the Italian experts namely Maurizio Bernardelli Curuz and Adriana Conconi Fedrigolli, discovered the pieces among a collection held at Milan’s Sforza Castle since 1924 and said that they found “remarkable similarities” to Caravaggio’s latest work. The collection showcased art works by pupils of painter the painter Simone Peterzano with whom Caravaggio studied from the age of 11 as an apprentice.

According to Curuz, “The pieces were the work of a “strong, quick… hand” showing “the faces, bodies and scenes the young Caravaggio would use in later years.” (La Repubblicadaily)

His art works depict preparative anatomical sketches to religious scenes.

“It was impossible that Caravaggio had left no trace of his activity between 1584 and 1588 at the workshop of a painter who was famous and sought after at the time,” was Bernardelli Curuz quoted La Repubblica.

The two experts also claimed to have come into possession of a small scrap of paper with Caravaggio’s signature and say it has been authenticated by handwriting experts.

It is believed that the artist, whose actual name was Michelangelo Merisi, developed distinctive styles and techniques in those early years that created the basis for the rest of his career.

One of the most striking matches was between a sketch of an old man’s wizened, wrinkled face and a figure in Caravaggio’s ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’, painted in 1598, which shows the widow Judith decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes.

La Deposizione de Cristo

Caravaggio lived from 1571 to 1610, was notorious for his mercurial temper and penchant for brawling.

In his early years, he had to leave Rome for Sicily after a fight in which he killed a man. He later became involved in a brawl in Malta in which he wounded a knight.

He died at the age of 38 in Porto Ercole on the coast of Tuscany. Malaria, an intestinal infection and lead poisoning are said to be the causes, but rumor has it that the artist was murdered on the orders of the Knights of Malta to avenge the attack on one of their members.

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Claire Danes: first baby on the way!

NEW YORK — A lucky star had been above the career Claire Danes, but the upcoming news lets her star even bright shinier than ever. Jodi Gottlieb, Claire Danes' representative to the media has confirmed the good news of the actress’ pregnency. It will be her first child with husband Hugh Dancy.

Expecting parents for a first, Danes and Dancy. (US Weekly)

Danes, 33, and Dancy, 37, met way back on the set of the film “Evening” and tied knots romantically in 2009 in France.

We love to remember Danes in the role of Angela Chase in “My So Called Life” where she won a Golden Globe Award in 1994 and was also nominated for the Golden Globe. Unforgotten her role as Juliet beside Leonardo DeCaprio in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo+Juliet, Terminator 3 and Stardust. Her current role in now running its second season of “Homeland” will keep her quite busy, but surely, the expecting mother will step back a bit favoring her family. Yet, Dancy is schedule to sat in the upcoming NBC series “Hannibal,” adapted from the novel “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris.

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Young Spider-Man enters cinema: A hit.

LOS ANGELES — A record opening of $35 million has made “The Amazing Spider-Man” to a new box office hit of the month. The new and younger version of spidey hit the cinemas on  July 3, 2012

The latest movie from Marvel Comics was directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield as the new, young Spider-Man. Among the cast: Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors.

This sequel of Spider-Man will give the audience the beginning of the young Peter Parker, who still beats highschool and discovered his super powers after being bitten by a spider. In the movie, Parker falls in love with Gwen Stacy und eventually discovers the truth behind the sudden death of his parents.

The new launch for the Marvel Comics superhero played out the previous best Tuesday, “Transformers”, which debuted with $27.9 million.

Spider-Man was originally created in August 1962 by writer-editor Stan Lee (also known for X-Man, Hulk, etc) and writer-artist Steve Ditko.  Their creation has featured in several comic book series, and  is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes of Marvel Comics.

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World bids goodbye actor Andy Griffith

People will be always remembering Andy Griffith Sheriff Andy Taylor on the “Andy Griffith Show” in the 1960s that marked his beginning as TV personality. The next generation might know him as the smart county defense lawyer from Atlanta as Ben Matlock in “Matlock” which ran in the mid 80s and 90s. Andy Griffith, a comdian, an American actor, a writer, a television producer, a musician,  died at 7:00 am on July 3, 2012, at his home on Roanake Island in Dare County, North Carolina, at the age 86.

The Governor of North Carolina, Beverly Perdue, said “North Carolina has lost its favorite son,” and that “Andy Griffith graciously stepped into the living rooms of generations of Americans, always with the playful charm that made him the standard by which entertainers would be measured for decades … In an increasingly complicated world, we all yearn for the days of Mayberry.”

Andrew Samuel ”Andy“ Griffith was born as the only child on June 1, 1926. He had first the serious intentions of becoming a Moravian preacher,  but he changed his major to music and became a part of the school’s Carolina Play Makers. At the University of North Carolina he earned a degree in dramatic arts in 1949 and started performing in singing groups along with his frat bros of the Phi Mu ALpha Sinfonia. Later on, he shifted from doing comedies to acting in over 13 films and in more than 30 television works, playing many and various roles, like a small-town sheriff in a television episode of “The Danny Thomas Show,” which led eventually to his big break in the “The Andy Griffith Show.” He was four times nominated for the Tony Award.

The Daily Woodhouse and the rest of the world bids an unforgettable icon good-bye.

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Anderson Cooper: “The fact is, I’m gay”

NEW YORK — On July 2, 2012, renowned TV journalist Anderson Cooper announced openly his sexual orientation in a letter to Andrew Sullivan. 

Sullivan,  who is a British author, editor, political commentator and blogger, was doing research for thedailybest.com on a story about the social impact of famous people who opened up about their gayness, and reached out for Anderson for his point of view.

Anderson writes in his letter: “There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.”

“The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.”

“I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.”

Anderson Hays Cooper was born on June 3, 1967 to  writer Wyatt Emory Cooper and the artist, designer, writer, and heiress Gloria Vanderbilt. He is a known American journalist, author and television personality. His primary anchor show on CNN network, “Anderson Cooper 360°), is broadcaster live from a New York City studio. Since September 2011, he hosts also a daytime talk show that carries his own name, “Anderson”.

According to the New York Times, he is “the most prominent openly gay journalist on American television.”

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