We're getting ready for an epic #CNNNYE show hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin at 11 p.m. ET! We want to take you behind the scenes this year and give you an insider's perspective from the platform in Times Square to the party in Nashville, the celebration in Key West and the control room at CNN. Get the scoop directly from Anderson, our correspondents and producers by following them on Twitter on Dec. 31:

Live from Times Square @andersoncooper

The AC360 account will bring you the latest all night @AC360

Host of the 10 p.m. web show in Times Square @IshaSesayCNN

Producer on the platform in Times Square @jackgraycnn

Correspondent in Nashville @BrookeBCNN

Correspondent in Central Park @GaryTuchmanCNN

Producer in Key West @CNNkimsegal

Correspondent in Key West @CNNzarrella

Producer in Central Park @JoneilCNN

Senior producer in the control room @JennyBlancoCNN

Producer and site manager in Times Square @JulianCummings

Line producer in the control room @AnnieCNN

Producer in Nashville @JMOCNN

Don't miss Isha Sesay's behind-the-scenes show on CNN.COM at 10 p.m. ET! Tweet your New Year's Eve messages using #CNNNYE and you could see it on-air. Also, submit your questions for Anderson and Kathy on our Facebook or Google+ pages.

We're getting ready for an epic #CNNNYE show hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin at 11 p.m. ET! We want to take you behind the scenes this year and give you an insider's perspective from the platform in Times Square to the party in Nashville, the celebration in Key West and the control room at CNN. Get the scoop directly from Anderson, our correspondents and producers by following them on Twitter on Dec. 31:

Live from Times Square @andersoncooper

The AC360 account will bring you the latest all night @AC360

Host of the 10 p.m. web show in Times Square @IshaSesayCNN

Producer on the platform in Times Square @jackgraycnn

Correspondent in Nashville @BrookeBCNN

Correspondent in Central Park @GaryTuchmanCNN

Producer in Key West @CNNkimsegal

Correspondent in Key West @CNNzarrella

Producer in Central Park @JoneilCNN

Senior producer in the control room @JennyBlancoCNN

Producer and site manager in Times Square @JulianCummings

Line producer in the control room @AnnieCNN

Producer in Nashville @JMOCNN

Don't miss Isha Sesay's behind-the-scenes show on CNN.COM at 10 p.m. ET! Tweet your New Year's Eve messages using #CNNNYE and you could see it on-air. Also, submit your questions for Anderson and Kathy on our Facebook or Google+ pages.

Jack Gray
@JackGrayCNN
AC360° Producer/Writer

Starting tonight at 8 p.m. ET join us here for the AC360° Academy Awards Live Blog. The winners, the losers, good swan, bad swan…we’ve got your running commentary on it all. And, sure, considering all that’s going on in the world, the Oscars aren’t hugely important. But if you’re looking for a few hours of fun, then this blog is the place for you.

We should also point out that we’re not encouraging you to change the channel from CNN, but if you’re going to watch the Oscars anyway, you might as well watch them with us.

If you would like to participate in our Live Blog (and we hope you do) please follow our rules.

Here are some of them:

1) Please keep your comments short
2) Don’t write in ALL CAPS (we don’t like screaming)
3) No links
4) Use your real name

Please note that due to volume we may not be able to post all comments.

Join Jack Gray's Golden Globes live blog.

Jack Gray
AC360° Writer/Producer
Follow @JackGrayCNN on Twitter

Welcome to our 3rd annual Golden Globes Live Blog. I'm your host and, in case you're wondering, my qualifications include once meeting Ricky Gervais at the Chateau Marmont and working for several years in a video store/tanning parlor.

I'll be with you from 8pm Eastern Time until the conclusion of the East Coast telecast. Now, to be clear, we're not advocating changing your channel from CNN. But if you're going to watch the Golden Globes anyway, you might as well watch them with us as your running commentary. And frankly, you don't even need to be watching the Golden Globes to enjoy the live blog.

Disclaimer: I'm sure some of these movies/TV shows are connected to CNN through our parent companies Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner. HBO, Warner Brothers and New Line Cinemas are just a few of our high-profile sister companies. But seeing as how another year has gone by and I've not gotten so much as a free hat or poster, I'm not in the tank for anyone. Except for Betty White. Not that she's even nominated. I'm just in the tank for her in general.

Related: Check out CNN.com's Marquee Blog

If you want to take part in our Live Blog (and we hope you do) keep in mind that you have a better chance of having your comment get past our moderators if you follow our rules.

Here are some of them:

1) Keep it short (we don't have time to read a "book")
2) Don't write in ALL CAPS (there's no need to yell)
3) Use your real name (first name only is fine)
4) No links
5) Watch your language (keep it G-rated; PG at worst – and that includes $#&*)

Jack Gray
AC360° Producer/Writer

It was around the time that I explained why I was going to Los Angeles – "Soleil Moon Frye invited me to a Twitter conference at The Kodak Theatre"  – that my friends’ heads exploded. It was as if I had never before flown cross-country to discuss social media with a TV icon at a Hollywood landmark. They had completely forgotten about that night outside Whisky A Go Go and the woman I thought was Alan Alda.

Nevertheless, I’m thrilled to be in L.A., a city I visit far too seldom. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed its palm trees and Kardashians.

Frankly, the reason I don’t come to Los Angeles more often is that I have a slight to moderate fear of flying. Luckily, on my flight out, I was distracted by the gentleman next to me; a man who – for reasons known only to his grocer and/or therapist – kept fiddling with a variety of deli meats.

Transcontinental salami aside; it has so far been a great trip. The only caveat is that I’m nervous about this afternoon. That’s when I’ll be joining Ms. Moon Frye (call her Punky Brewster and she’ll cut you) and businesswoman/writer Jane Buckingham (she’ll hold you down while Punky cuts you) for a panel discussion of Twitter. Hardly a seasoned public speaker, I have no idea what to expect of myself. I suppose I should just play it safe and stick to religion and politics.

Of course, our panel discussion is just one of many over the course of the two-day 140 Conference. And while it and the fake Oscar acceptance speech I may or may not attempt to deliver before being ripped from the stage are stressing me out, it’s nothing compared to the anxiety I feel knowing that my boss, CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein, will be there. In. The. Same. Room. Watching. Me. Speak.

FULL POST

Jack Gray
AC360° Writer/Producer

Good evening and welcome to the AC360° Emmy Awards Live Blog. The winners, the losers, possible Kanye West interruptions…we’ve got your running commentary. And sure, considering all that’s going on in the world, the Emmys aren’t hugely important. But if you’re looking to get away from the bleak news-of-the-day for a few hours, then this blog is the place for you.

As for my qualifications to moderate this blog, well, I once saw Angela Lansbury in the grocery store.

We should point out that we’re not encouraging you to change the channel from CNN, but if you’re going to watch the Emmy Awards anyway, you might as well watch them with us.

And even if you’re not watching them, we think you’ll still enjoy the live blog. I’ll be with you from 8:00pm Eastern Time until the Emmys finish airing.

If you would like to participate in our Live Blog (and we hope you do) please follow our rules.

Here are some of them:

1) Please keep your comments short
2) Don’t write in ALL CAPS (we don’t like screaming)
3) Use your real name

Please note that due to volume we may not be able to post all comments.

Follow Jack Gray on Twitter @JackGrayCNN

Jack Gray
AC360° Producer/Writer

In a way, I now realize, I have always subconsciously considered Ted Kennedy to be immortal. I remember the first time I saw him in person. It was the summer of 1994 and I was at the Yankee Homecoming Parade in Newburyport, Massachusetts, a few miles from where I grew up.

The senator was at the time locked in a tough re-election bid against a little-known businessman named Mitt Romney. From my perch on the sidewalk I heard the crowd down the street start to cheer. And then I saw him. The famous face, the wavy hair, the stylish polo shirt. And then I heard the voice – that inimitable sound.

He bounded down the street with his beautiful new wife Vicki in tow, shaking hands and greeting the crowds in that uniquely Kennedy way. For a teenage news junkie like me, shaking the hand of the man whom I had read about and watched on television for my entire life was a thrill beyond words. He was one of the original political rock stars.

FULL POST

Jack's dog, Sammy, on the west side of Manhattan

Jack Gray
AC360° Producer/Writer

My dog is snoring. It is, as far as I’m concerned, one of the sweetest sounds in the world. Especially considering the alternative – a duo of pub-goers on the sidewalk below my window pondering that age-old question, “Why aren’t you wearing underwear?”

At a time when the future of health care seems more uncertain than ever, it’s worth pointing out that a dog snoring is not just among life's more pleasant sounds but among its healthiest, too. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that having a pet can reduce blood pressure, cholesterol and feelings of loneliness. Unless, of course, your dog runs away, in which case the loneliness thing becomes a bit of a gray area.

My canine health care comes in the form of a Labrador Retriever named Sammy, whose birthday is today. Ah, Sammy – the center of my world, the odor of my studio apartment. I can’t believe she’s already 5-years-old. It seems like only yesterday that I picked her out of a squirmy puppy pile in southern Maine. Now she’s just another maladjusted New Yorker, unabashedly flatulent and all too eager to fornicate in public.

FULL POST