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We could have told them that! The oil spill is a curiosity, Anderson is the real attraction.

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Anderson Cooper Becomes New Orleans Tourist Attraction During Oil Spill Coverage



Where: New Orleans, LA, United States
July 6, 2010 at 9:46 AM | by Omri




We're not saying that it's his fault or anything but damn, disasters are good for Anderson Cooper's career. Having returned to New Orleans to cover yet another catastrophe in that city, "the blue-eyed heartthrob of CNN fame" (very subtle, nola.com) is again at the forefront of what Slate calls the politics of indignation.

And say what you will about AC 360's overwrought emoting—it works. First the New York Times published a teeth-gratingly fawning article about Cooper's coverage. Then they followed up with a blog post—unironically titled "Anderson Cooper Is Back on Disaster Duty With His Usual Passion"—about the article that they themselves had just published. And now the CNN anchor has become a full-blown tourist attraction.

Apparently various media outlets have become fond of setting up in New Orleans's Woldenberg Park for nightly filming. The park overlooks the Westin Hotel and Harrah’s Casino, so it conveys a kind of "on the scene" feel. Now that word has gotten out on where and when the filming happens, tourists are flocking to see Cooper "take on the BP oil spill." There were as many as 40 people on a recent night and that number is steadily climbing, many of whom subsequently blogged and Facebooked their brush with fame. One woman was particularly taken with how AC covered himself with bug spray, just as if he was in the wild.

And to think, officials were concerned that the oil spill would leave the Gulf without tourist attractions.

[Photo: minds-eye / Wiki Commons]

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