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Anderson Cooper will ‘challenge himself’ with afternoon talk show

By bill zwecker Columnist/bzwecker@suntimes.com September 6, 2011 -- 6:30PM

Anderson Cooper chuckled — but did not let out one of his famous giggles — when asked why he’s squeezing a daily talk show into his already jam-packed schedule.

“I guess I just figured I didn’t have enough to do,” quipped the CNN anchor, who will launch his syndicated “Anderson” chatfest at 2 p.m. Monday on WFLD-Channel 32.

“Juggling work has never been an issue for me. I have always liked doing a lot of different things at once. I think I’d get bored otherwise,” said Cooper, who revealed the first five “Anderson” shows “already are in the can.”

They’ll include interviews with the parents and boyfriend of the late Amy Winehouse on the first show and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe on Tuesday.

Cooper, whose broadcast career also has included reporting stints for “60 Minutes” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” told the Sun-Times he loves to challenge himself with opportunities.

“While there is some of the same DNA, so to speak, in all aspects of TV, clearly what we will be doing with the new show is very different from the news as I do it on CNN,” he said.

Asked for specifics on what will make “Anderson” different from his nightly gig on CNN’s “360,” Cooper insisted, “We will be tackling a far broader range of topics. … things that will illustrate the wide range of things that interest me — many subjects that may surprise the viewers.”

While his intense fascination with the current political situation in Syria comes as no surprise to loyal Cooper watchers, some may be intrigued byhis “somewhat inexplicable fascination with watching ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ ”

In fact, the “Beverly Hills” reality stars will appear on the Sept. 16 edition of “Anderson,” discussing both the “reality” of reality TV and the recent suicide of cast member Taylor Armstrong’s husband — and whether the program bears any responsibility for his death.

Cooper is excited that his new show “will really allow me a lot more freedom than my other news jobs that, by definition, are mostly focused on politics and world crises.

“While we certainly will address serious topics on ‘Anderson,’ I also plan to have a lot of fun — and already am having a lot of fun. And we’ve only just taped our first five shows!”

He recognizes that while he is deeply involved with learning all he can about both national and international affairs, “politics is not the be-all and end-all in many people’s lives.”

None of the first week of “Anderson” programming includes anything related to politics. Besides Radcliffe, Tuesday’s eclectic episode includes spray-tanning with “Jersey Shore” phenom Snooki and hanging out with comedian Kathy Griffin (Cooper’s regular New Year’s Eve co-host in New York City’s Times Square).

On the Sept. 14 show, two 24-year-old women share their stories about being abandoned as infants, and on Sept. 15, Cooper interviews Sarah Jessica Parker and the cast of her new film, “I Don’t Know How She Does It” (which opens Sept. 16).

But when it comes to celebrity guests, Cooper stressed, “I absolutely do not want to have people stopping by just to promote their new movie.”

For that reason, the Parker show also will focus on the challenges of both working moms and those who choose to stay at home full time.

“One of the most important things we will be doing is reaching out to our audience — both via the in-studio folks and others we communicate with on our website — to try and keep coming up with shows and topics that truly resonate with the audience.”

Most shows, he believes, don’t utilize the studio audience to the fullest.

“I will. I think it’s a missed opportunity not to go out into that group of people,” he said. “Often they will come up with terrific questions for your guests or help allow for serious interaction.

“In many ways, I will be looking to my audience on this new show as a daily group of ‘co-hosts.’”

His frequent guest-hosting on “Live With Regis and Kelly” helped prepare Coop­er for this new gig.

“For one thing, it was great seeing what it’s like to work with a live studio audience. That, in itself, creates a totally different dynamic than being in a studio with just a handful of people — all of whom work with you, and for whom television is not a new experience.”

As a contributor to “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” especially during the post-Hurricane Katrina period, Cooper was able to observe the queen of TV up close. As he follows her formula of covering a wide range of issues, he acknowledges, “what made ‘Oprah’ successful was one thing: Oprah Winfrey herself. There is no way, I or anyone else will mirror that success.”

Given Cooper’s occasional reporting on breaking news around the globe, he explained how careful scheduling of “Anderson” will not interfere with that process, which he feels important to his CNN duties.

“We will always have enough of the new shows taped so that should be covered in case I need to fly off somewhere on short notice.”

Sun-Times columnist Bill Zwecker also serves as an entertainment reporter for WFLD-Channel 32.