#11 at Tulane

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Anderson Cooper's Tulane Commencement Speech

by Dennis Ayers


Anderson Cooper is a polarizing figure around here. Many people would like him to be more forthcoming about his personal life, and yet the handsome and easy-going CNN correspondent has enough AfterElton.com fans to wind up at #11 on our Hot 100 list.

Last Saturday, Cooper was in New Orleans to give Tulane's commencement speech. Whatever your previous view of the man, you really should check out this speech. If you watch the video you'll learn a lot you might not have known about Anderson's past (Did you know he used to model for Calvin Klein and he doesn't dispute rumors he interned at the CIA?)

And whether you watch the full video or just read the text of his speech, you'll come away impressed that he came up with such a well-crafted commencement address. Witty and thoughtful and yes, even instructive. It is true he skates dangerously close to cruelty at one point when he quotes a past Goldie Hawn commencement speech and jokes about "throwing up a little" in his mouth over it. (Don't be dissin' on Goldie, now!) Still, all in all an amazing performance.

Cooper mentions that he doesn't even remember who the speaker was at his graduation from Yale back in 1989. Something tells me this year's Tulane grads won't have that problem.