HE Tweets Himself!

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On the Scene: Anderson Cooper at the Richmond Forum

By Liz Jewett
Published: February 21, 2011

Call it the Silver Fox effect, but by the end of Anderson Cooper’s Richmond Forum presentation, Richmond may have developed something of a crush on the CNN news anchor.

Alternately solemn, self-deprecatingly hilarious and downright charming, Cooper spoke to a nearly full capacity Landmark Theatre crowd for two hours on Sunday afternoon as part of an encore presentation of the previous night’s sold-out event. Fresh from covering the revolutionary events in Egypt and being punched in the face as a result, the 43-year-old spoke candidly about everything from genocide in Rwanda to the absence of sweat glands in politicians to his infamous election night hologram interview (a gimmick that he hopes will not make another appearance).

If you weren’t there, have no fear. Richmond.com was there to fill you in on everything you missed.

On breaking into the journalism business:

Despite a Yale degree and the fact that his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, the New York native was unable to land a job after college at a news agency. So he faked his press credentials and traveled to the most dangerous places possible, figuring there would be less in the way of competition. From there, a career as a foreign correspondent was born, taking Cooper to some of the most dangerous places on earth—Somalia, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sarajevo, Afghanistan and Iraq, to name a few.

On the appeal of covering devastated war-torn nations:

Cooper’s older brother, Carter, committed suicide when Cooper was in college. Traveling to places with widespread violence or famine resonated with the young reporter because the people he covered in those nations spoke "a language of loss" that he could understand.

On how he got his own show on CNN:

"Outwork everyone else around you," urged Cooper. He recalled his early days at the cable news station when he would fly to Atlanta over the weekend to anchor the news from five in the morning until midnight for low pay. He reasoned that when it came time for the higher-ups at the network to pick someone to host a new show they would go with the guy who worked like a dog for comparatively little money.

On being attacked by pro-Mubarak supporters in Egypt:

Incited by speeches made by Mubarak and his vice president on the ninth day of the uprisings, pro-Mubarak supporters began to target journalists, a change that Cooper noted was dramatic and swift. Surrounded by an angry mob, Cooper recalled his attempt to use the Arabic word for calm down when, instead, in his panic he repeated the Arabic word for "God willing" over and over again, which he acknowledged "made absolutely no sense."

On tweeting:

Cooper promised that he and not an intern or an assistant sends out his own tweets. Yet while "Twitter is crack for some TV people," Cooper pledged he would never be the guy who tweets when he goes to the bathroom or when he attempts to decide which shoes to wear.

On his mother and the firehouse he owns:

At multiple points, Cooper dryly but lovingly referred to his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, as "the least practical person on earth." He recalled that the "helpful" advice she gave him when he interviewed for his first job as a waiter was to "wear vertical stripes because they are slimming." Cooper recently bought an old firehouse in Manhattan to refurbish and when he asked his mother’s advice, she told him he had to buy it. Apparently, this almost caused him not to purchase the building because "there was no expenditure she wouldn’t justify." Yet he went against his instincts and bought it anyway.

On the awkwardness of moderating a political debate:

Cooper told the story of moderating a Democratic primary in 2008. He recalled that each of the candidates intensely stared him down in their determination to be called upon, an experience that was discomfiting to say the least. As a result, he stared directly at their navels for the duration of the debate.

On the difference between politicians and normal people:

Politicians don’t sweat, according to Cooper, something he realized when he interviewed President Obama in the Oval Office, which the president likes to keep extremely warm. After a few minutes, Cooper recalled breaking out into a flop sweat akin to "Albert Brooks in ‘Broadcast News’" while the president coolly looked on. Cooper theorized that politicians must "either have their sweat glands removed or do a lot of Botox."

On how he manages to sleep at night after covering events such as Hurricane Katrina, the Rwandan genocide, rape victims in the Congo and the Haitian earthquake:

"I’m heavily medicated," joked Cooper when asked the question from an audience member. "I have no idea where I am right now." In all seriousness, Cooper stressed that he loves his job and that as a reporter in those situations, "You’re on the breaking wave of history." He explained that interviews with people like Lady Gaga help to keep things in balance. Yet he also acknowledged that some neurosis was part of his cultural inheritance. "I’m from New York City," he joked. "So we all have psychological problems."

Liz Jewett is a freelance writer and nursing student who has a burgeoning crush on Anderson Cooper. To find out more about Liz check out her blog at http://lizramsay.blogspot.com or follow her or on Twitter @lizj843.