Warren's Super Cooper for $3

Anderson Cooper program puts spotlight on metro Detroit

By Julie Hinds • Free Press Pop Culture Writer • March 18, 2009


Alexandra Bahou/DFP -- People show up at J.B. Bamboozles Pub & Grill in Warren where they broadcast "Anderson Cooper 360" at 10 p.m. Wednesday...
Anderson Cooper was the most popular person Wednesday night at J.B. Bamboozles in Warren.

About 100 people turned out to watch the CNN anchor broadcast his “Anderson Cooper 360” show live at 10 p.m. from the pub and grill.

The crowd was there to hear what Cooper and his crew would report about metro Detroit, one of five stops on a five-day tour by the show to explore how people across the country are coping with the economic crisis.

Much of the program discussed the controversy surrounding bonus payments to AIG employees, but Cooper also brought metro Detroiters onto the show at different points to ask questions to his guests and analysts.

One questioner wanted to know steps the auto industry could take on to recover. Another wanted to know the best way to find a new job without having to leave the area.

Cooper also played a segment about artists working to liven Detroit neighborhoods by buying and repairing homes.

A few minutes before airtime, a cheer erupted as Cooper took his place at a corner of the bar's interior that had been transformed into a temporary set with lights, cameras and TV monitors.

"Isn't 'American Idol' on or something?" he asked as he greeted the gathering.

The audience was a mix of devoted Cooper fans, people who wanted to see how a live TV broadcast works, and regulars just having a night out.

Dawn Kowalski-Pyko, 42, of Plymouth described herself as Cooper’s biggest fan. She said she'd never been to the bar before, but she decided to attend the broadcast after nearly every friend and relative she has phoned her today to tell her about it.

“I don’t know if I can find my way back to 696, but I’m here and Anderson is here and all is good,” she said.

Kowalski-Pyko was interested in serious issues, too. She wanted to see a scheduled report on what Detroit could learn from Pittsburgh about transforming a battered economy.

Marcia Suminski, 54, of Warren, who was wearing an “Anderson Cooper 360” sweatshirt, said she came to watch the show and take notes for a friend in Arizona who runs a CNN-themed blog.

“I think they should talk to the actual people instead of the corporations,” she said, describing what she’d like to see on the air tonight.

A few hours before the broadcast, Cooper talked about being in Detroit for the first time in a few years and said he'd noticed more empty and boarded-up homes on this visit.

"At the same time, talking to people, people are resilient," he said. "That comes across."

He said he’s always interested in covering the human impact of stories like the financial meltdown.

Kyle Schlabowske, 23, of Royal Oak was one of many younger viewers of “Anderson Cooper 360” who showed up to watch the anchor at work.

He said the attention from Cooper’s visit and Jay Leno’s upcoming free shows at the Palace of Auburn Hills is "lifting the spirits of people here, to see the celebrities coming in.”

Marva White of Warren said Cooper visit signals how tough times are in the region.

“For CNN to be here, they know it’s serious,” White said.

The bar fielded more than a hundred calls today from people interested in watching the broadcast, according to staffers.

Local businesses like J.B. Bamboozles, which is across the street from the GM Tech Center, have been hurting because of auto industry layoffs and the necessity for customers to cut back on spending, said bartender and manager Tammy Boccomino.

Boccomino hoped the show could help spread a message. "The country needs to understand how important Michigan is," she said.

In Cooper’s honor, the bar offered a Super Cooper special of beer and a shot of root beer schnapps for $3.

Freep.com producer Dave Herrera contributed to this report.


Alexandra Bahou/Detroit Free Press

Anderson Cooper waits outside J.B. Bamboozles Pub & Grill in Warren where they broadcast "Anderson Cooper 360" at 10 p.m. Wednesday.

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