NEW YORK — CNN anchor Kyra Phillips, whose ladies room chatter found its way onto her newscast, bounced back two days later with a “Top 10 List” of excuses on the “Late Show with David Letterman.”

The mishap had happened Tuesday when Phillips, still wearing her wireless microphone, visited the loo while CNN aired President Bush’s speech from New Orleans. For a minute or so her voice commingled with his, as she was heard telling an unidentified woman how great her husband is, then mentioned that her sister-in-law is “a control freak.” Only then was she alerted that her mike was live.

How could such a thing happen? A game but still embarrassed-looking Phillips set Letterman (and his CBS audience) straight _ or at least, left them laughing.

Top Ten Kyra Phillips Excuses Presented by CNN Anchor Kyra Phillips:

10. “Still haven’t mastered complicated On/Off switch.”

9. “Larry King told me he does this all the time.”

8. “How was I supposed to know we had a reporter embedded in the bathroom?”

7. “I honestly never knew this sort of thing was frowned upon.”

6. “Couldn’t resist chance to win $10,000 on ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos.’”

5. “I was set up by those bastards at Fox News.”

4. “Oh, like YOU’VE never gone to the bathroom and had it broadcast on national television!”

3. “I just wanted that hunky Lou Dobbs to notice me.”

2. “OK, so I was drunk and couldn’t think straight.”

1. “You have to admit, it made the speech a lot more interesting.”

On the Net:

http://www.cbs.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090100482.html