job, bearing witness, camcorder in hand, he's documented the demonstrations and the deaths. he was just 24 years old when he died, shot we're told apparently by a sniper. as it was so many other times, his camera was taping at the moment of his death, his own death this time. we're going to show it to you. you see no blood, no fight for life. this is how people die. if you've not been warned of what you know from death from movies, you might think it's more dramatic than bhawhat it i. in syria people die every day. people die and the world does not stop. some may mourn but the world keeps spinning. bazil al saeed died and this video was posted on youtube. that's him in the body bag, family and friends mourning him. in a country where the truth is as ugly as these pictures and silence is enforced under penalty of death, the only answer is showing the pictures and breaking the silence and trying to tell the truth. bazil al saeed lived and died trying to do that. he was murdered in a city where the regime promised to pull troops out of but instead put snipers on rooftops and kept tanks in the streets. here's what it looked like today as seen and posted on youtube. [ gunshots and yelling ] >> opposition members say at least 35 people lost their lives today in demonstrations across syria. the rallies are being called a crawl to freedom square because of all the sniper fire. this is what happened to protesters in a town farther to the east. [ gunfire ] this is all taking place with 75 arab league observers on the ground. sometimes as it did today, shooting breaks out moments after they leave. [ gunfire ] >> sometimes the shooting takes place right in front of the observers. one of them, by the way, has come to focus on the protest. he is the former head of sudan's military service and is accused of atrocities back home. the observers were sent in to monitor promises by the assad regime to pull forces out of populated areas, release political prisoners. instead as we all saw the delegation arrived and the military stepped up its assault on places and now opposition members tell "the new york times" that the regime has started dressing troops as policemen to give the appearance of keeping its word while continuing to target ordinary syrians for extraordinary brutali brutality. this is new video of security forces roughing up a woman in the down of dara, syria taking a page from egypt where even women are targeted. children are targeted as well. we've known that, we've seen that for months, taken an tortured. that's how this all started in dara ten months ago. people from all walks of life can be rounded up for any reason at any moment and simply made to vanish. it doesn't matter to the regime, they do it and then lie about it. thanks to people like the late bazil al saeed, their lives don't always go unanswered. the videos come with the disclaimer we can't independently verify the stories because the regime won't let us in for ourselves. that said we obtained exclusive video from a foreign journalist who managed to sneak in and spent days there. for his protection, we're keeping his identity a secret. what he's capturing is how brutality actually works day to day as the regime tries to make life impossible in homes right down to getting a carton of cigarettes or a loaf of bread. >> i am almost like a sports challenge to get the cigarette bags out from the sniper range. they have been happy when they could and they started to throw it from one car to the other and they started to throw the bread because they were not able to cross, so everything they needed on the other side, they throw it over the streets. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: we need to cross the street to buy bread and other food but the snipers have surrounded this area. it's a huge danger. >> that's a portion. yesterday he looked at the armed resistance, including defectors from the army. >> they smuggle fighters in and out of the neighborhood they control, evading government checkpoints. at night they search everyone entering and leaving the area to stop government death squads, from getting in. >> translator: the street you see over there is controlled by the shabia. they are known to kidnap our women and children. we try to prevent this. when strangers come here, we stop and search them. >> the people of this part of homs are not afraid to take to the streets. after months of casualties, they have long lost their faith in nonviolent protests. many believe that real change in syria will only come from the barrel of a gun. >> the battle for the future of homs remains overwhelmingly one-sided. as you'll see in this latest report treatment for the wounded often comes down to two choices, none or slim. >> amid the destruction in this neighborhoods, there is a little medical care for the victims of snipers or indiscriminate shelling. people who could be saved with the right treatment are dying of their injuries. this is a makeshift hospital in a secret location. when i arrived, the doctor, who did not want to be recognized, was treating two casualties. >> translator: we can only treat the wounded in our homes and only do mask first aid. the government hospitals are infiltrated by militias who would harm the patients. >> while this is fairly well stocked the setup is rudimentary. no x-ray machine, no life support machines. and the blood banks, it's in the refrigerator next to the groceries. >> primitive conditions. the wounded either up able because of snipers are terrified of going to city hospitals which are infiltrated by members of the secret police. this goes against every principle of medmedicine, but i not doctors who are in charge. the dictator whose medically trained hands are strangling cities like homs. i spoke with an opposition member who's there. despite the violence, many, many people still came out in syria today. why are people so determined to have their voices heard today? >> well, we don't have other choice. we have already passed the unreturn point. we gave a lot of blood. and we can't -- our brothers and friends who were killed from the beginning of the revolution. >> at this point do you feel that there is no going back? >> we don't have other choice. the first phase of the revolution we were able to accept a kind of settlement with this regime. with real reforms. but by continuing killing people, innocent civilians, women, killing kids and the brutal torturing of the activists, so the regime -- we have to continue, we sacrificed a lot. we are not sure that all of us will see freedom, but we are sure that our kids have the right to live in a free country. >> do you have any confidence in these arab league monitors? >> well, we don't have other choice. we can't -- we can't be so optimistic. we can't expect that much from them because we know that by the end, the arab league cannot impose anything on the ground, and to allow international media to enter the syrian territory. but nothing, nothing has happened. why cnn is not now inside syria. we want cnn to come and enter homs city to see the catastrophe here. >> and i hope you know we want to be there too. as you know the syrian regime continues to refuse to allow us to be there. what do you want the world to know right now? >> i want the world to know that we are just innocent people fighting for their basic human rights. we want freedom and we want peace for us and for all the people around us. we want to live in dignity. now we don't have food, electricity is cut off from most of our areas. we just want the ability to take our wounded civilians to the hospitals. we can't take them to the public hospitals because security forces are there. they kidnap them and torture them. >> you're taking great risk in talking to us, thank you very much. we will continue to talk with you in the days ahead. as i mentioned, he would like nothing more than a chance to see what's happening in syria. sadly, our repeated requests have been denied. joining us a senior fellow at stanford university's hoover institution. we've seen some of the biggest turnout today of protests. obviously it's friday, a day of prayer where people traditionally gather and protest afterward. what does it say that -- i mean are they trying to make the most of the fact that this delegation is on the ground and get their voices heard? >> just as i said, for the syrian people there is really no return. they have broken with the past and i think the interview tells it what fo what it is. look at it this way, anderson. his father was hafas. there is an ambition there. there's a tyranny that's 40 years old and the people have broken with it but tragically they can't yet overthrow it. here you have 250,000 people turn out in the city, 70,000 people turn out on the outskirts of a town. they don't have much faith in the monitors but are still giving it a try. >> in terms of what -- there was a report that the u.s. is at least starting to look at options for dealing with the syrian opposition. what are the options out there? it doesn't seem like there's any good options. >> i don't think there are any good options and i think the syrian people know this. again, the syrian people keep thinking of libya. just as the libyan people were rescued, they hope they too may be rescued but the geography is different, the issues are different and the resources of the tyranny of this regime are much, much better. but still, we can't accept the spectacle, the slaughter. there are things that can be done. the french are talking about humanitarian corridors, supplying the cities and giving them a lifeline, if you will. there's a possibility of setting up maybe even a no-fly zone. that would make a tremendous amount of difference. it would encourage army defections. it would tell the defectors they are not alone. we may begin to think about recognizing the syrian national council. >> there's also, obviously, given what people are now seeing in egypt of all the troubles going on in egypt, the rise of the muslim brotherhood and other groups, there's a lot of skepticism about what lies ahead for syria even if the regime is overthrown. >> absolutely, because in fact bashar has succeeded in doing one thing. he has made the argument, either this tyranny or possibly -- what he ends up saying is the opposition to this is all muslim brotherhood. but the opposition is much wider than that. but there is this argument out there that it's either the dictatorship or the deluge after assad. and it is the argument that has to be defeated, it's the argument that has to be challenged. there is something we have to admit. there are -- the minorities in syria are still on the side of this regime. the christians are on the side of this regime. the community is on the side of this regime. so you're right the prospects for deliverance for the syrian people from the outside don't look good. >> and it's not like libya. i mean because with all the countries that surround this country, if there is a civil war, there's all these outside countries and groups which would be more than happy to spend money and arms to support their proxy groups inside syria. >> absolutely. in fact if you take a look at the geography, we did it yesterday, it's a tinder box. as one gulf diplomat said to me, he said, listen, you can't even throw a firecracker into that tinderbox. look at the geography of syria. i think these things work to the advantage of the regime. >> to you see it then just devolving into civil war? >> well, i don't know what we name it. sometimes the famous question of shakespeare, what's in a name. there is already a civil war in syria. there is a fight between the regime and the people. there is also -- we can't really dodge this. there is the sectarian fault line between a principally sunni opposition and a minority regime. and i think for the syrian people we can say one thing here as americans. there is no taste in this country, there is no ground swell for intervention in syria. president obama, the biggest applause line he's going to get in charlotte, north carolina, when he's renominated, is that he ended the iraq war. he is not going to go into another campaign, so in fact when you look at the libyans, it was a solar lunar eclipse. they were lucky. sarkozy worked for them and they were delivered. >> thanks for being on. let us know what you think. we're on facebook, google plus. follow me on twitter. i've been tweeting already tonight. up next, why newt gingrich got misty-eyed on the campaign trail today. and we have new numbers on polling from iowa. we'll talk to people on the ground there and our political panel with the caucuses just days away. later, a case of the -- well, we'll preview tomorrow night's show in times square, ringing in the new year with kathy griffin. kathy will be here. how worried should i be for tomorrow night? >> you should be very worried. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ [oinking] [hissing] [ding] announcer: cook foods to the right temperature using a food thermometer. 3,000 americans will die from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. just four days now until the iowa caucuses. mitt romney and ron paul are basically tied for the lead according to a new poll which echos what our poll showed two days ago. romney and paul are just two points apart at 21 and 23%. rick santorum third at 15%. rick perry is fourth at 14%. newt gingrich now at 13. michele bachmann at 6. former house speaker gingrich kind of teared up at a campaign event today, not over his poll numbers. he was talking about his mom who had bipolar disorder and depression. she died in 2003. here's what he said. >> and my whole emphasis on brain science comes in directly from dealing -- see how -- from dealing with the real problems of real people in my family. so it's not a theory, it's in fact my mother. >> newt gingrich today. when asked yesterday if he would stay in the race if he finished fourth on tuesday, he said he would. let's bring in our political panel, candy crowley, hilary rosen and sherri jacobus. kaen candy, you're on the groundsurp newt gingrich getting emotional like that? >> i think reporters were. but we do tend to see this sort of thing. it's a combination, it's holiday season, a tough campaign and really long hours. they tend to get tired. i don't know if you remember when hillary clinton sort of had to take a beat when she started to choke up in new hampshire. it's just been tough. we have seen newt gingrich's fortunes rise. now they're falling. lots of long hours. and he's talking about his deceased mother to a roomful of moms. and it was just -- you know, it all sort of came into that perfect storm where you see a candidate kind of show that human moment. >> sherri, you spent time with newt gingrich over the years. were you surprised to see this? >> yes, i was. you don't see newt gingrich showing that kind of emotion very often. he can be very fiery and passionate and sometimes you'll see a flash of anger and he can be very jovial as well. but this was a very personal moment. while, yes, he is tired and they're at that point in the campaign, i think that's important about this is that he wasn't tearing up because he's losing or thinks he's losing, which was the case with hillary. this had to do with his family, something everybody can empathize with and it was a genuine moment. even the most cynical among us can read this than anything other than genuine. and it was good to see this in him even if he's a little embarrassed by it. >> hillary, those new nbc maris numbers out today are very similar to our poll earlier this week. it looks like a battle for first, another battle for third place. both of those are basically neck-in-neck. were you surprised that ron paul was leaving this weekend and going back to texas? >> well, i think that ron paul probably has had the longest stay in iowa with the most organized ground operation and almost never left since 2008. he's got his diehards and whether they show or not is probably not going to matter much whether he's there or not. but also, i think you have to take those polls and almost take ron paul out of it and say, wow, there really is a race for maybe it's first, maybe it's second, maybe it's third. who are going to be the candidates who are still standing after iowa. >> why do you say take ron paul out of it? >> because i just don't think that outside of iowa he's really a serious candidate anywhere else in the country. nationally his poll numbers are way below that number. you know, 2, 3, 4% he maxes out at. iowa he does well because he's got such an organization there. but his views are so far out of even the republican mainstream that i just don't think he's serious. so you look at people like rick perry, newt gingrich and rick santorum, that's really the battle here. we know mitt romney is going to be in this for the next several states. we think -- i personally think he's going all the way, but who are going to be the people who challenge romney for this nomination after iowa. that's what everyone is really paying attention to. >> sherri, do you discount ron paul in that way too? >> yeah. actually hillary took the words right out of my mouth. i would have to take him out of the mix. aside from the one person who from bachmann's campaign who went with ron paul, you don't see supporters of other candidates with the second choice as ron paul. you don't see ron paul supporters with anybody else as their second choice. and anybody else in any caucus in any primary, they're going to have a second choice. so he's like an appendage that the party doesn't know what to do with. i would be surprised if newt gingrich didn't have a bit of a surge over the weekend. i think there's a good chance that he can move ahead of perry. again, you would have the romney, santorum, gingrich as our three an i think those could be our top three heading out of iowa. >> candy, i think a gingrich spokesman the other day said that they'd be fine with a fifth place showing in iowa, that they're really looking more to south carolina and florida. is that true do you think? i think someone -- >> i think that would be fine. i don't think they'd really be fine with it but what are you going to do? he's running about fourth or fifth now. you know, it's not that you can't carry on if you want to, the problem is that donors look and now donors want to sign up with a winner. they don't want to just fuel a campaign that's going know where so iowa begins to dry up money for people. newt gingrich had a great three or four weeks, but if he can't show, you know, some power here, that money is going to dry up. sure, you can fly yourself somewhere but i think he would tell you right now that part of the reason he fell so quickly within a three-week span, 19 points, is that others had the money to put ads up against him. so it's very difficult to run, even if you say i'm going to go on and be happy with a fourth or a fifth. i don't think they will be. >> hillary, about half the ads were against gingrich in this past month. he's clear low been targeted by a lot of other candidates. what about romney, he didn't enter into iowa in huge numbers with staff the way he could have earlier, but he always had a ground force there, didn't he? >> well, you know, from the democratic perspective, you look at romney's campaign, it's the best organized, it's the best managed. they have the ability and the strategy to move resources in and out of different states. they move the candidate around much better and more efficiently than other campaigns have. so he's clearly in this for the long haul. you know, i think we're likely to see a santorum surge here. but this is consistently in this republican primary since last summer been about who is going to be the alternative for mitt romney. the republicans are still not satisfied with mitt romney as their nominee, an so you still see these other candidates getting a look-see, a kick the tires moment constantly. i think we'll see that for the next couple of primaries. >> hillary, is there a candidate you think will do better than polls suggest in iowa? >> my instinct that rick santorum will do better, that the evangelicals will fall away from bachmann and rick perry and line up behind rick santorum in the second or third balloting there. >> we've got to lee it there. hillary, cheri, candy, thank you so much. a christmas day house fire that left a woman's three kids and both parents dead. firefighters shaken by the scope of the loss. tonight recordings from the firefighters' radio transmissions as they tried to save the familiar a. also preparations under way for the big new year's eve celebration at times square. heavy security, police officers on horses, bomb-sniffing dogs. still nothing that can protect me from kathy griffin. i'll be co-hosting with her. we did a little interview right before air time tonight and we'll play that in a few moments. here's a quick look at some of what kathy and i talked about. >> if you were stuck on a desert island choosing between nancy grace or jane velez-mitchell, who would you pick? 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[ sniffling ] [ male announcer ] not sure what to take? now robitussin® makes finding the right relief simpler than ever. click on the robitussin® relief finder. click on your symptoms. get your right relief. ♪ makes the cold aisle easy. ♪ robitussin®. relief made simple. let's check in some of the stories we're following tonight. susan hendricks here with a 360 bulletin. >> newly released dramatic radio transmissions from the stamford, connecticut, fire department paint a heart-breaking picture of that fire that killed three little girls, ages 10 and 7-year-old twins and their grandparents on christmas day. the firefighters struggled to reach the family inside that house, but had to back away because of the intense flames and heat. take a listen to this. >> we've got victims trapped on the second floor. we're going to rescue mode with the ladder. >> we've got a report from one of the thickets. >> heavy fire right above your head. back out, back out. >> all units on the interior, all units on the interior, back out. back out. >> you can hear the panic and how hard they tried to reach that family. they did not. two doctors are in jail and face murder charges accused of performing abortions on late-term viable fetuses. police say they found several fetuses in a freezer at the maryland clinic where the doctors work and sent them to a medical examiner's office. in north carolina we're also following this. a turkey farm owned by butterball is under investigation for alleged animal abuse. the animal rights organization called mercy for animals infiltrated the farm and released this video, seemingly showing employees kicking and throwing turkeys. giant pandas are mostly vegetarians, but video from a nature reserve in china caught a wild panda on tape maybe eating meat. some reports say the panda is eating a dead antelope. others say it is a wildebeest. what is for sure is the snack is not bamboo, which according to experts which make up 99% of the panda diet. the secret is out, they may eat meat. >> what if they're secretly eating meat without us knowing about it. it's a big secret among the pandas. time for tonight's shot. this video is just incredible with gorillas. this was shot by a wildlife photography near a national park in southwest uganda. the mountain gorillas have been socialized so they're used to humans. they don't normally do this but take a look. >> no way, john. no way. he's preening me. he's preening me. >> that's basically -- the big gorilla to the right is a silverback which is head of the pack and the fact that all these gorillas were setting so close. at one point the gorilla kisses this guy or pecks him on the cheek. it's unbelievable. i've done this in the congo but it's an extraordinary picture. >> didn't you have a similar experience? >> yes, we did. there's video of it actually a little bit. >> you have a gorilla behind you. >> i can feel the gorilla behind me. any advice? >> just ignore her. >> ignore the gorilla? >> just ignore her. >> this is a gorilla named berry. she's three and a half. she was rescued from poachers about a year ago. they stole her from her family and hoped to sell her on the black market. she's now smelling my armpit. >> i also saw in are you warowa >> i love that you said any advice? oh, just ignore her. >> but it's the most amazing animal experience you can have. susan, thanks very much. coming up, once again getting ready to brave the cold in times square and take the heat from kathy grifb. we'll talk to kathy next. also our top ten ridiculist countdown. the number one ridiculist of the year, we'll show it to you tonight. >> sorry. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪ it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. 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[ding] [fans whirring] announcer: chill raw and prepared foods promptly. one in 6 americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. check your steps at foodsafety.gov. preparations are under way here in new york city for tomorrow night's big party in times square. they drop the waterford crystal ball, the confetti, and for the fifth time i'm getting ready to host it can kathy griffin. it fills me with kind of excitement but also kind of dread. it's a potent combination really. just a little while ago, kathy was here. i talked about the tv magic we're going to make tomorrow night and whether she's going to get me fired. take a look. okay. >> what do you have, andy? >> we've been doing this for five years. >> we're a drinking game. >> what do you mean? >> my tweeters say every time i call you andy, they drink. >> this is how they first started. >> people apparently enjoy drinking on new year's. >> so i've heard. you're not a drinker. >> no, i don't want to loosen up and i don't think you want me to either, any more. >> yes. i don't want you any looser than you already are. >> yeah. by the way, i was looking at your blackberry. do you want to tell your viewers that you have old lady giant font? you and my 91-year-old mother have the same size font. >> my eye completely gone. it's really sad. >> what is -- >> i know. it's not really old lady font. >> it was like flash cards for a first grader. >> i do keep it from time to time thinking why don't they make these screens bigger. >> these kids today with their tiny print. the world's ending. >> i am constantly -- i have notes from producers and stuff for research -- >> too tiny. >> it's tiny. >> of course it is, baby. you need big, giant letters for your pretty eyes. now, do you want to tell the world about our dinner last night? are you willing to admit it or not? >> yeah, sure. yes. we had dinner. we had a new year's eve hosts dinner with ryan seacrest. >> mr. cypher. >> why do you think ryan seacrest is the devil? >> it was ryan seacrest, carson daly, you and i. >> carson daly has been trying to kill me and rupe yin you. >> he's always nice to me. >> of course he's nice. did ryan seacrest say he's a member of al qaeda? are you sure? >> he did not say that. >> i thought he did. >> why would you sit next to him at dinner and go to this dinner if you feel -- >> not like you blabbing to anybody that will say hi. sorry. also we went to a fancy restaurant. i won't say the name. but i showed up in a beautiful gucci dress. >> yes. >> and also worn by -- >> madonna. >> thank you. you showed up in a -- >> t-shirt, a white t-shirt. >> you looked like a hobo. do people still say hobo? you should have had an old co coonhound and a stick with a bandana. seacrest had a suit on. >> i wear the same thing, which is jeans and a t-shirt, a white t-shirt. >> let me tell you something. ryan seacrest takes a shower in that suit. he is ready to work at all times. he's watching you. >> i could have gone live. i was ready to go live. >> really? >> yeah. >> by the way, you do know that ryan seacrest rehersz farses fo year's? >> i was surprised to do that. we clearly do not rehearse. >> no. >> yeah. >> because we do not have to. we have a gift. >> how worried should i be for tomorrow night. >> you should be very worried. >> for those of you who have not been watching and yes, i'm addressing the public. >> are you addressing the world? >> yes, i am. i'm addressing the world. if you have not watched previously -- >> did you say if you have not? >> yeah. >> what happened to if you haven't. why don't you talk like the people sometimes. >> if you have not. >> is that what they taught you. >> i'm talking to the people. if you haven't watched, i would understand why but i would suggest giving it a try. every year kathy sort of ups the ante and does things which in any other organization might get her fired. but somehow we don't have a collective memory -- >> just because i'm on the set, there are people that when i walked into the cnn building went how did you get back in? so we're not trying to hide that. >> i think we're all a little amazed. >> i know, it's a showbiz shocker, as a.j. hammer would say. if i could do the show tomorrow night with a.j. hammer, i'd be so excited, i couldn't stand it. what is paul doing? >> i don't know. would you like him to call in? >> yes. >> you watch a lot of cnn and hln. >> i truly watch your show every night and i never miss jane velez-mitchell's going deep with the story. if nancy grace can't cover it, i will. i love jane and i love nancy grace. she kind of talks like a morning dj but has a lot to say and she's filled with outrage. she's often outraged about the miscarriages of justice. love it. as amazed to hold on, hold on, i'll unleash the lawyers. >> have you met nancy grace. >> i finally met nancy grace in person, which was extremely exciting for her -- for me. >> because you do a whole thing on nancy grace in your last routine that i saw. >> yes. and also if i can address my camera. >> please. >> anderson and i will be recreating nancy grace's infamously nip slip. i will be showing one full breast because it's nature and it's beautiful and that's our little hook so don't tell, you know, the competition. are you having one of your fits. >> i'm starting to cough, yes. you're making me cough. >> you can't just call in sick. if you think you're laying the groundwork for i'm not feeling well today. >> there's no way that they would allow you to do it solo. >> you stuttered. >> i have a stutter. >> but it's when you get nervous. >> no. it's -- i think -- i tend to think -- >> it's chaurpg. >> -- charming. >> as i put it on today -- >> does he just come to your house and dump off boxes of clothes? >> no, i go and buy the clothes. >> okay. i've seen on cnn those like jury professionals, you know. you look go aheaded down when y the word buy. you have not purchased clothes since you were 6 months old. >> i buy -- >> you just did it again. no. designers line up outside your house saying please wear my clothes. >> in news you're not allowed to do that. >> you looked down and said news. you know you're not doing news. >> i'm looking right at you the i'm looking right at you. >> this is for the daytime show, right? >> no, the evening show. >> why? it's exciting entertainment. one thing is i want people to tweet a name for us. >> just for the record, i buy all my own clothes because you're not allowed to get them as a reporter. >> boy, keeping him honest. i love this part. this is the part where you try to look smart. i -- can you actually show me your degree because i feel like it's a lot of this and not so much this so if you have a copy -- >> i think they missed you on the camera. >> it's a lot of this and not so much this. are you going to be giving the blue steel tomorrow night? when in doubt, just pose. who's doing your hair and makeup? >> oh, look, my phone is ringing. >> is a big giant tweet with big letters? >> if you were stuck on a desert island choosing between nancy grace and jane velez-mitchell, who would you pick. >> wow. easy sophie's choice. that's actually more difficult than sophie's choice. i would probably -- it's tough, but i would pick nancy. >> because? >> i could spend the rest of my life hearing "hi, friend." i love jvm, don't get me wrong. if you had to choice between -- who's the dude with the wacky eyebrows that comes on? fuwad? when are you going to trim his eyebrows, seriously? >> come on, he's a very smart, a great speaker. i like hearing his opinion on things. you like hearing his take on the changes going on in the world. >> but what if you did one of those dr. phil makeover shows with some of your political pundits. >> who else do you want a makeover on? >> i want david gergen to get a more youthful look. james carvel maybe a nice toupee. and frank lutz. >> that's another network. >> oh, i'm sorry, no other network exists. >> i'm just pointing that out. >> so you actually think you can call in sick to your own show. >> i don't know if i can make it. >> okay. i will call poppy harlow in two seconds. where i go, poppy follows. >> i knew you were going to pull poppy harlow out of the hat. >> tomorrow night, i'm looking forward to it. >> yes, the whole gang will be there. >> thanks, kathy. >> can't wait. >> be sure to join us tomorrow night, ring in 2012 with the one and only kathy griffin live from times square. the party starts at 11:00 eastern right here on cnn. we'll be live all the way through 12:30. still ahead, verizon's record fast flip-flop on a fee that enrage eld customers. also we'll tell you what investigators think are responsible in fire erupting tonight and the number one ridiculist. [ female announcer ] splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet... and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®, you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. and now get even more with splenda® essentials, the only line of sweeteners with a small boost of fiber, or antioxidants, or b vitamins in every packet. just another reason why you get more... when you sweeten with splenda®. ♪ ♪ takes everything you've got ♪ wouldn't you like to get away? ♪ ♪ ♪ sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ you want to be where you can see ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same ♪ ♪ you want to go where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ the number one ridiculist, which also happens to be probably the most embarrassing ridiculist of my entire life is coming up in just a moment. first let's check in with some of the other stories we're following. susan hendricks back. >> hi, anderson. we start in los angeles where investigators say an arsonist started 19 fires in vehicles that firefighters battled overnight. this is in the hollywood area. six of the fires spread to nearby buildings including a house where jim morrison once lived. no injuries reported. here is how a very rocky year for stocks shook out. the dow is up 5.5% over last year, the nasdaq is down 1.8%, the s&p 500 fell less than a point from last year's close, the smallest annual change in history, by the way. a 24-hour 180, you could call it. today verizon said it is getting rid of the controversial $2 fee it announced just yesterday. irate customers ventinged their outrage on line and it seemed to have worked. the fee would have applied to a one-time bill payment using debit or credit cards online or by phone. british actor russell brand has filed for divorce from singer katy perry. they wed just over a year ago. in a statement russell brand told cnn this, quote, sadly katy and i are ending our marriage. i'll always adore her and i know we will remain friends. they always say that. >> sad news. susan, thanks very much. we're counting down the top ten ridiculists of the year. tonight is number one based on your votes. i'll tease it the way i teased it back in august. gerard takes a leak on the plane. the top ridiculist of 2011 is coming up next. [ nadine ] buzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz, you know, typical alarm clock. i am so glad to get rid of it. just to be able to wake up in the morning on your own. that's a big accomplishment to me. i don't know how much money i need. but i know that whatever i have that's what i'm going to live within. ♪ ♪ all right of the tonight is the night. it is the last installment of our count down of the top ten ridiculists of the year based on your votes. it's a story that, well, it trickled into our consciousness back in august amid the sweltering summer heat. there emerged a cool little airplane, gerard depardieu and his urgent need to pee. appropriately it's number one on the list tonight. take a look. >> time now for the ridiculist. tonight we're adding gerard depardieu. noted french actor, academy award nominee, public urinator. last night he reportedly peed on the floor. apparently the plane was on the tarmac and the flight attendant told him he'd have to wait to use the bathroom until takeoff so he created his own little jet stream or as the french would say, weewee. when i first heard the story i thought there was no way it was real. but they confirmed it. they vaguely tweeted about it. as you may have seen on the news, we are busy mopping the floor of one of our planes this morning. we'd also like to remind all passengers that our planes are fully equipped with toilet facilities. hmm, cityjet. i would have guessed he flies incontinental. while the airline was putting the p back in pr, some of the passengers started spilling their versions of the incident to the press. can you blame them? they saw an actual thespian, actually thes peeing. some say he was visibly drunk but i think there's another explanation. as a celebrity he's not accustomed to being told he can't do things that he wants to do. he's probably used to being pampered. i'd go as far to say as he depends on it. we'll put a graphic in case you didn't get the reference. depends on it. but it's kind of sad, this guy has been in hundreds of movimov. will he be remembered for green card? nope. this ips denncident is likely t down as his number one role. although there is a bright side. stop laughing, it's distracting. now that we know he doesn't have any stage fright when it comes to public yourination, maybe he can get together and they have have a pissing contest, kind of a p off, because the movie was about piov. so after gerard took his solo flight to your natiu urination, had to go back to the gate and some unlucky crew had to deal with the tinkle. they had to thank their lucky stars it wasn't depard two. that made be giggle every time i read it. he hasn't commented on this incident. depart two. i know you got it. all right. sorry. [ laughing ] sorry, this has actually never happened to me. you see this thing on youtube and you don't think it will happen to you. all right. sorry. he hasn't commented on the incident, but if i know the european celebrity's spin machine, and i think i do, there will probably be some excuse like he was doing research for a movie role. as we speak i bet somewhere in paris i bet a screen writer is typing a piece about the drunk ventures of a 2-year-old. he discreetly tried to pee in a