"TV. It’s Not Like Real Work.”

Anderson Cooper previews his new daytime talk show

Published: Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 8:26 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 9:14 PM

By Dave Walker, The Times-Picayune

HOLLYWOOD – Anderson Cooper has ably filled in as Guest Regis, so his bid to become the New Oprah isn’t all that much of a stretch.

Appearing at the Summer TV Tour to promote the Sept. 12 launch of his daily daytime syndicated hour, Cooper demonstrated a slightly goofy side that will bolster his chances at success in a realm where slightly goofy can be golden.

Asked how he’ll approach daytime work versus his nightly anchor duties on CNN, Anderson said, “I absorb light. I’m the palest person.”

He also launched into a shticky, show-biz-lizard accent to answer a question about social media.

“We’ll be on the Tumblr,” he said, in a voice that would’ve been at home in the nearby Beverly Hills Friars Club before it was demolished.

He also confessed an affinity for “ridiculous pop culture.”

But the new show – which according to its distributor it will air at 2 p.m. in New Orleans on WDSU-TV – will also swing to hard news when a story merits. Cooper will keep his night job as ever-ready-to-rove CNN anchor, and also keep his job as “60 Minutes” correspondent.

During the past year, Cooper has done his CNN standup work in news hot spots ranging from Egypt, Japan, Joplin, Mo., and a long residency in New Orleans to cover the BP oil disaster.

When a story as big as the stories that took him to those places emerges, “Anderson” may occasionally originate from wherever Cooper’s CNN assignment takes him.

Otherwise it will be based in The Allen Room of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, where Cooper intends to work the room like an old-school Phil Donahue.

“I like working hard,” Cooper said. “Plus, it’s TV. It’s not like real work.”