CNN.com

The Full Ginsburg posted a video poking fun at CNN for thinking it is breaking news while that news has already broken via Twitter, Facebook and other online sources.

The video features Brendan Collins and Zara Findlay-Shirras as CNN anchors, and it was written by Findlay-Shirras and directed by Eric Cunningham.

Last Thursday WebNewser broke the story that CNN.com Live was shutting down its anchor-driven newscasts, resulting in the layoff of the four main anchors and "several production staffers."

One of those staffers was CNN.com Live senior producer Jenny Wilburn, who posted about her layoff both Friday and today. She doesn't name names, but she's pissed.

Here's some of her Friday post, titled, "The blog returns!!! RIP CNN.com/Live or Pipeline. Whatever you want to call it."

Yes, I got laid off.

It happens to all good CNN'ers after a while. We expect it. Along with the cranky HR rep who refuses to let you say goodbye to your friends.

So now I have over 5 months of severance on my hands and absolutely NO desire to look for a job. Does that make me a deadbeat? I don't care.

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First on WebNewser: CNN.com Live is shutting down its anchor-driven newscasts as of tomorrow.

WebNewser has learned Reggie Aqui, Nicole Lapin, Naamua Delaney and Melissa Long, the four primary anchors of CNN.com Live, are being let go as are several production staffers.

In an email, obtained by WebNewser, CNN.com SVP KC Estenson writes, CNN.com Live will shift resources, "to create a unit focused on streaming major live events, producing video packages especially for CNN.com and increasing our overall on-demand offering."

The shift also means CNN.com will be adding several new positions "focused on original video production" before the end of the year.

Estenson's note, after the jump...

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Because if she did follow @kingsthings, she would have seen this tweet prior to last night's show on CNN:

Also tonight the attorney for the suspected Ft. Hood shooter and Carrie Prejean explains her sex tape. It's a 3 topic night!

But things didn't work out that way, as The Huffington Post reports (and as the video below shows):

Carrie Prejean threatened to walk off Larry King Live Tuesday night (WebNewser note: it was Wednesday, not Tuesday), in the middle of her interview with Larry King. Prejean's threats came after King asked the former beauty queen about the reasons behind her recent settlement with the Miss California USA pageant. King asked Prejean why she agreed to strike a deal with the Pageant and drop her claims of libel, slander and religious discrimination. "Why settle since you had a fight to carry on?" King pressed. Prejean demurred. King asked again: "You can't even say why you settled?"

Prejean, visibly displeased, refused to answer: "Larry, it's completely confidential and you're being inappropriate."

The inappropriate issue at hand isn't King's probing question, but the alleged reason why Prejean settled: TMZ reported that she decided to strike a deal only after the lawyer for the Pageant revealed a home-made sex tape of a 17-year-old Prejean.

That wasn't the end of Prejean's dramatics, though. She took off her microphone and threatened to walk off again as King was taking a call from a viewer. Later that night Anderson Cooper reported that Prejean said "she was told she wouldn't have to take any calls from viewers."

Honestly, is Prejean a beauty queen or a drama queen? And what did she think King was going to talk about? The Twitter fail whale?

Our sister blog TVNewser is reporting that CNN's Lou Dobbs is leaving the network, effective immediately after tonight's broadcast. From Kevin Allocca:

Breaking: TVNewser has heard from multiple sources that Lou Dobbs will announce he is leaving CNN on his program tonight at 7 p.m. ET.

A CNN spokesperson could not confirm nor deny that Dobbs would make an announcement about his future at CNN or that he will be leaving the network.

Dobbs originally joined CNN in 1980.

We will be watching and updating.

The New York Times has a report here.

Update: Here's Dobbs making the announcement at the beginning of tonight's show:

This will be my last broadcast here on CNN, where I've worked for most of the past 30 years, and where I have many friends and colleagues whom I admire deeply and respect greatly. I'm the last of the original anchors here on CNN and I'm proud to have had the privilege to helping to build the world's first news network. I'm grateful for the many opportunities that CNN has given me over the many years. I've tried to reciprocate with a full measure of my ability and my energy.

Over the past six months it's become increasingly clear that strong winds of change have begun buffeting this country and affecting all of us, and some leaders in media, politics, and business have been urging me to go beyond the role at CNN and to engage in constructive problem solving as well as to contribute positively to the great understanding of the issues of our day. And to continue to do so in the most honest and direct language possible. I've talked extensively with Jonathan Klein, he's the president of CNN, and as a result of those talks, Jon and I have agreed to a release from my contract that will enable me to pursue new opportunities.

At this point, I'm considering a number of options, and directions, and I assure you, I will let you know when I set my course.

Here's the video of his comments:

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Nothing is more squirm-inducing these days than watching grown-ups engage in nudge-nudge wink-wink talk about marijuana. But that's what viewers of CNN were treated to when CNN anchors Wolf Blitzer and Jessica Yellin were discussing the August 2007 arrest of Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank's partner James Ready for pot possession.

It starts when Yellin rightly mocks Frank for saying "he would not be able to recognize a marijuana plant because, quote, 'He's not a great outdoorsman.'" Then Yellin asks Blitzer if he would be able to spot a pot plant if he saw one. Blitzer stammers, "I'm not sure I would know. I could smell it. I know what it would smell like. But I'm not sure...let's check in with Lou Dobbs."

(Note to Wolf: If you really don't know by now what a pot plant looks like -- after hundreds of videotaped reports over the years documenting massive marijuana-growing busts -- you should get out of the news business now. Now.)

Blitzer then says, "You could smell the marijuana, Lou, but you probably couldn't recognize a plant. Am I right or wrong?" Dobbs seems to put an end to the embarrassing nonsense when he replies, "Well, you're dead wrong. I would recognize it rather readily." After giving Frank credit for providing some unintentional comic fodder to the adult world, Dobbs concludes, "By the way, you and Jessica I think got out of that just in time to save both your careers."

Lou, please tell us you were kidding.

Last Friday WebNewser offered a preview of the six-months-in-the-making, totally redesigned CNN.com. Well, the curtain has been lifted, and you can go visit the new CNN.com and judge for yourself.

At last Thursday's press unveiling, CNN.com SVP and GM Kenneth "KC" Estenson said one goal was to do a better job highlighting video. Mission accomplished.

As my colleague Kevin Allocca wrote, a beta feature called "NewsPulse" ("like an iTunes for news") enables visitors to see how popular particular stories are. Topping the list Monday morning: "'Jane Doe' found in N.Y. identified," followed by "Morrissey in hospital after collapse."

Several readers asked WebNewser over the weekend whether CNN.com Live was still online. Fear not. You can reach it by typing in the URL yourself (CNN.com/live) or going to the Video and clicking on the "Live on CNN.com" hyperlink below the banner to the right.

The redesigned site also offers a higher profile for iReport, which allows users to submit news articles.

But the real question, as always, is how the new CNN.com is playing in the Twitterverse. Some sample tweets:

"I'm impressed...at first glance it's a very clean, well presented UI." -- @pepperjamceo

"new CNN.com almost gave me a heart attack. Sweet Jesus, when did that happen?" -- @kristinmc

OK, someone cut off Kristen's caffeine supply. We don't want any tragedies.

Call me crazy, but I like CNN.com's redesign. -- @karstendick

Diggin' the new CNN design. Very nice. Give me a solid grid and I'm happy. -- @AisleOne

The newly redesigned CNN.com: Lipstick on a pig. Just sayin'. -- @tindogcoffee

"CNN.com re-design goes live tom'w, promises 'easier access to stories about car chases and missing white children.'" -- @willmckinley

You have to admit that last one is funny.

After six months in development, the new CNN.com will arrive on Monday and it was "unveiled" to the press last evening at an event in Manhattan.

This latest iteration of the site is not too different from its predecessors, except that it will do a better job of highlighting previously buried content and video. The homepage will feature three columns: one for breaking news, one for features and video, and one for customizable weather, sports, and news content. There will also be topic boxes, which better organize stories from many categories across the site.

There are some new additions. Adapting what was learned building CNNPolitics, the new site will feature CNNOpinions and CNNEntertainment, which will deliver content from a partnership with EW and People.

The new site will feature an area of "first person storytelling," which includes web series like "Americans in Afghanistan" about NGOs and "Freshman Year," about freshmen congressmen.

Describing the current site as "a machine that spits out breaking news," Kenneth "KC" Estenson, the dynamic SVP and GM of CNN.com, told the crowd, "We're gonna be there in Iraq. We're gonna be there in Afghanistan. We're gonna be there for the seminal moments of time. But, it's this type of content that shows the distinctive breadth and reach that we think is unique to CNN."

We sat down with Estenson after the unveiling, and he told us that CNN decided to hold back updates over the six-month development to release them in a big way like this. "I think at a news organization, it's usually breaking news that drives innovation," he said. "We're trying to detach those things and put out products off the news cycle that we just think are great consumer experiences and get them ready so when we have breaking news...you're going to see that on the homepage."

Photo and more after the jump.

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Producers can now browse the CNN ImageSource video archive whenever they want, wherever they want, following CNN's launch of a free, on-demand, online customization service.

The CNN ImageSource site offers more than 500,000 items, made up of both CNN-owned footage and content from its more than 650 U.S. news affiliates. The archive also contains content on science and technology, business, travel, entertainment, sports and user-generated content from CNN's iReport.

CNN ImageSource vice president for licensing and content sales David Sheehan said:

With an expansive archive of CNN's award-winning reporting and compelling stock footage, CNN ImageSource is in the unique position to now offer an easy-to-use Website for producers to research video on their own schedule, and customize and download screener material to their desktop for free at any time.

Here's the latest on Rick Sanchez's Twitter account, which appeared this afternoon to have been suspended. From a CNN PR person:

His Twitter feed does appear to be displaying an error message - we're looking into it and hope to be connected again soon.

Btw, Rick was able to log in and see his tweets; this appears to be affecting users viewing the site online....

So @ricksanchezcnn works only for Rick Sanchez, which to me means it still doesn't work. But at least it's not suspended, according to his spokesperson.

Here's the original, panicky post.