"A branded toiletry," notes David Ehrenstein in the LA Times, would only complement CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's "arm's-length message discipline." So true! We are all really hoping that the idea of sexless yet chest-hair-baring designer Tom Ford making an Anderson Cooper perfume comes to newsy, sweaty fruition. Particularly since Ford's (You're With Me) Tuscan Leather smells like cocaine, according to New York mag. But what would Anderson's man-perfume smell like? Ponies and butterflies? SPF 60 and sardony? Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and regret?

They're trying to get CNN newsboy Anderson Cooper to stick his moniker on a signature fragrance, and the commenters at homoblog Towleroad have some fun naming suggestions. Our favorite so far is "AC/DC." "Armoire" is just too obvious. Ditto "Cedar Lined" and "Mothballs." And for some reason "Katrina No. 5" made us LOL. [Towleroad]

CNN newsperson Anderson Cooper recycles his jokes on the occasion of making a gay blog's Hot 100 dudes list: "I'm flattered to be on the list. Clearly, they have not seen my pale skinny chicken legs. It's nice to know there is a market for pale, skinny, grey-haired people." (Flashback to 2003!) But God, is there a market for any other kind of people? [AfterElton]

In this light bit on CNN, anchor and reporter Anderson Cooper refers not even very obliquely to the fact that he is a homosexual and therefore not interested in making babies with his co-workers.

Out in Sun Valley at the annual Allen & Co. confab last week, the jolly baby-eating mogul set almost had something regarding conflict, according to Page Six. CNN prince Anderson Cooper was moderating a panel, and Sony king Howard Stringer suggested that Apple king Steve Jobs is greedy. And Anderson was all "peas and carrots, peas and carrots, change the subject la la la" until IAC king Barry Diller said to his yacht-buddy, "Anderson, you're missing something here, Howard Stringer just called Steve Jobs greedy." Now, Anderson has something of a shy streak, but it doesn't show up at work that often, except maybe with Angelina Jolie. Maybe it's getting worse? Is something going on? Can't be good for the job. Does Anderson need some short-term therapy, some assertiveness training? Is he getting weary of this tiresome world of stupid conflict?

Today's developments in the continuing Rupert Murdoch saga:

"Isaiah Washington was a lot of things on Larry King—personable, cool, self-pitying, non-committal, shiny-haired," writes blogger Rich Juzwiak:

In the wake of last night's Larry King interview, Anderson Cooper devoted most of "360" to rehashing the old man's feather-light Paris Hilton inquisition. While Anderson was visibly disgusted by having to cover the subject, hey, you know, ratings is ratings. Anyhow, here's Andy questioning P.R. legend Ken Sunshine as to whether or not Paris should be doing one-hour interviews at all; he's apparently disgusted by "that lip-glossed mouth of hers."

You know how all those long newspaper stories about Rupert Murdoch never say where he is at any given moment? It's because, like Barry Diller, he's always on a boat—and because no one who doesn't already know where they are doesn't need to know. Mr. Murdoch arrived to meet his boat on the French Riviera on the 17th, to attend the Scientology wedding of James Packer and Erica Baxter at the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc. (Actually, they had to marry off-shore, because they hadn't been in France for a month and that's the law there.) Hey, small world! You know who just got back from Nice yesterday? New York Observer publisher Jared Kushner and his friend Ivanka Trump!

Rufus Wainwright tells Spin that Anderson Cooper goes to the gayest gym in New York—the Equinox in the Time Warner Center. Page Six retorts: "Actually, the David Barton Gym on West 23rd is the gayest in the city." Hmm. That may have been true in the 90s—is it still? What about Equinox on Greenwich? What about the New York Sports Club on 23th and 8th? Or even 23rd and Park? (They do call it the New York Sex Club, after all.) And the Crunch on Lafayette? How could B. D. Wong's favorite gym not be the gayest in town? Please to school us, gays and gay watchers.

Anderson Cooper,the handsomest Q-tip in the news biz, recently made the move up a few floors from his old apartment in [redacted] West 38th Street to the penthouse. The move gives the blue-eyed newspuppy more room but more importantly the chance for some interior design retail therapy. The Coopropheliac blog Freakspeaker recently posted interior mockups of Cooper's new apartment. The images are from architect and Cooper pal Andrew Kotchen. Good news for neighbors and us, there's an expansive sundeck where Cooper can watch the sunset reflected in his oiled and convex pecs, rippling down his six pack until it disappears down where the sun doesn't shine. Other points of interest, the Wiemaraner in roller skates looking out over the master bedroom (didn't he see Best in Show?) and his all-white home office/crying room/isolation center.

• The rumor that Anderson Cooper showers in his underwear at the gym? Decidedly untrue. Anyway, who does that? That's crazy! The gym men would have been staring at him and pointing! [Towleroad]
  

• Though Jessica Simpson's rep denies it, rumors are swirling that her dad Joe wants to svengali up Britney Spears. [R&M]
  

For days now, the most important site on the whole internets has been unavailable due to a server move. We speak, naturally, of I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?, the number one hotspot for relaxing pictures of LOLcats. (Don't pretend you don't know about pictures of cats altered to assert script-kiddy humanoid opinions and actions. Don't pretend!) To get us through this horrible gap in our LOLcat consumption, we've wasted most of the morning assembling our very own set of LOLgays. Mmm, Fridays.

• Nike uses the Don Imus controversy for an ad campaign it hopes "will spark continued conversation about race in America." And sell sneakers. [AdAge]
  

Ah, the long arm of the gay mafia. (As anyone who's ever written about Anderson Cooper knows, the experience comes complete with pink-tinged emails that begin "Be nice to Anderson, he is my friend.") Now they've gone and somehow gotten CNN anchor Anderson Cooper's contract upped to $50 million over five years, according to Page Six. "That's a Katie Couric sort of salary," noted TV Newser in its dry way. Well, we certainly hope he doesn't now feel compelled to go the whole colonoscopy route.

Crazy gay eminence Larry Kramer weighs in on Out magazine's cover story on "the glass closet," which stars Anderson Cooper. Today Larry tells Rush 'n' Molloy that Anderson is "real cute, and I hear he wants a boyfriend very bad. And he can't get one being in the closet." Disagree! Cut to, last night: The Coop, dining at Paris Commune with a guy. "Cute couple," says a fellow diner. How about the night previous? "Long intimate dinner" with a fellow in Brooklyn Heights at Noodle Pudding, says a noodle-slurper. (Also lots of Treo typing while the fella was in the bathroom.) So don't worry, Uncle Larry. Anderson's doing just fine. CNN declined a request for comment on the Out story, as they just don't discuss the personal lives of their anchors, dontcha know. Yes, well, neither do we—just the life that happens out in public.

The second gayest moment alive happened when Regis Philbin offered to spot Anderson Cooper at the Reebok Sports Club. Then, Anderson Cooper told about it on TV and that was the first gayest moment alive.

• And you don't even have to be any kind of Equinox trainer! Coopie will be subbing on Live With Regis and Kelly tomorrow and the next day while Reege gets his aorta scrubbed out. [B&C]