Infomercial superstar Billy Mays died suddenly at age 50.

Ali Velshi, sitting in for Rick Sanchez, interviewed A.J. Khubani, a TV marketing guru and close friend of Billy's. He says Mays, "had the right feel, had the right look, and appealed to the common man." It's a fond reflection from someone who genuinely liked Billy Mays and is sad that he's gone.

By the way, do you know WHY Mr. OxiClean shouted so much? Watch the interview and you'll find out.

This clip also includes the frantic 911 call Billy Mays' wife made when she found her husband unresponsive.

After you watch this clip, read this look back at Billy Mays' life and career.. It's called "When Billy Mays shouted it, people believed"

A teenage boy is lying on the floor. Adults are standing over him screaming, "I CALL MY HOMOSEXUALITY OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS!"

This is a church. You'll see the clip here.

The church's pastor says people come to her altar to be "delivered from any spirit that causes them to not be able to function." She says this young man had the "homosexual spirit".

Does she think the young man is better now? Watch the clip. She was a guest on Rick's newscast today. Ali Velshi asks her about the teenager, and about her small congregation's passionate philosophy.

This clip will make your blood run cold.

A home invasion in rural Arizona. Inside the home are a man, his wife, and their daughter. The armed intruders, dressed as U.S. Marshals, are actually alleged members of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, a civilian group self-described as devoted to the security of the southern U.S. border

Listen to the 911 call the woman made to police after she watched the intruders shoot dead her husband and little girl.

Click here to read the entire story on CNN.COM.

Look who's sitting in for Rick Sanchez this week: Ali Velshi!

In this clip, Ali explains a large-scope, economic concern surrounding the social and political conflict in Iran.

How much control do you think Iran wields when it comes to the shipment of oil around the world? Quite a lot, actually!

Watch this clip. Ali spells it out in plain language and with a smart conversation.

What do you think? Does Iran's unrest worry you...wherever you are?

Ali Velshi sits in for Rick Sanchez all this week.

Rick Sanchez: on vacation.
Ali Velshi: Twitter-savvy and loves smart, interactive conversation!

How's he doing?

What an opportunity! CNN's Twitterin'est anchor Rick Sanchez was invited to sit on the panel of the social media/journalism gathering 140 Characters Conference in New York. Did he expect a friendly chit-chat with new-wave journalists about the joys of social media? No, that's not what the conference was about. Did the audience go easy on Rick and the other so-called mainstream media representatives? Oh, no.

It was all about how Twitter/MySpace/Facebook and all those other social media sites are changing the way the world communicates. And as we're seeing in Iran right now, sometimes, those resources are the only conduit through which information emerges from a strongly-controlled environment.

It's new. It's exciting. And Rick Sanchez is CNN's pioneer into this new world of instant and mass communication.

Tell us what YOU think. How do you see the news landscape in this instant-gratification age of Twitter/MySpace/Facebook? Please leave a comment below these pictures from the 140 Characters Conference.

CNN's Rick Sanchez, FOX News' Clayton Morris, NBC's Ann Curry, and 'Today' show producer Ryan Osborn at the 140 Characters Conference in New York.

Brian Solis, Robert Scoble, Rick Sanchez.

Rick Sanchez updates his faithful Twitter followers mid-conference.

Master Photographer Rick Sanchez captures his view of the 140 Characters Conference.

Look! A Sanchez wanna-be! The guys at Plan C Comedy are so taken by CNN's interactive afternoon newscast, that they're channeling Rick Sanchez.

We gotta admit. It's not bad. The voice is close. The delivery? Perfect. But dude, the hair needs a LOT of work.

Think you can do better? Show us! We'd love to see your best Rick Sanchezesque newscast. Shoot it, send it, and we'll throw it up here on the blog. (And go easy on the guy, huh? He's sensitive.)

But he's crying on the inside.

Click this "PLAY" button to hear Rick tell you why this video clip is important to him.