Emotional Issues Coming Up

Anderson Cooper tackles emotional issues - including his own - on WPIX/Ch. 11 talk show 'Anderson'

By Richard Huff
Daily News TV Editor

Monday, September 12th 2011, 4:00 AM


Anderson Cooper gets teary-eyed while interviewing mother Gloria Vanderbilt.
Anderson Cooper can't speak, and understandably so.

He's a third of the way into taping an edition of his new talk show, "Anderson," last Friday. His mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, is recounting his brother Carter's 1988 suicide.

Vanderbilt, 87, says that for a moment she thought she would jump off the balcony, too. But, she says, "I thought of you."

Cooper gets emotional. He's fighting. He rubs his mouth. He can't speak.

He tries to turn the focus to a family in the audience who, at an earlier taping for the show, had sought his help in dealing with their own loved one's suicide.

He chokes up again.

"You will laugh again," Vanderbilt says, stepping in to fill the gap left by Cooper's inability to talk.

Audience members gasp and moan. They're feeling it, too.

"It really is because of Anderson I'm sitting here right now," Vanderbilt says later in the show.

The Vanderbilt episode will air next Monday. It has the kind of feeling that daytime audiences soak up. Strong, emotional, female-oriented topics, presented by a likable, relatable host.

"Anderson," which launches Monday at 4 p.m. on WPIX/Ch. 11, is one of the most talked-about syndicated series launches in a long time.

For Monday's show, also taped Friday afternoon, Cooper interviews the family of late singer Amy Winehouse.

"I wanted to talk to them, not because of who Amy Winehouse was and her remarkable talent and fame, but [because] they have a story to tell that resonates with everybody," he says. "Everybody has had someone who struggles with substance abuse, succumbed to it or who is still struggling with it."


Anderson Cooper touches upon emotional topics on his new show. (Ali Goldstein/Warner Bros)
Cooper's team agreed to make a donation to a charitable organization to get the Winehouses on the show.

Not every episode will deal with such emotional turmoil. The edition about his mother was designed to celebrate her vast background and glamorous life, one that has included tragedies.

Tuesday's show features Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi, Kathy Griffin (who also visits on Vanderbilt's show) and Daniel Radcliffe, talking about summer's best things.

Cooper tapes the syndicated show in the morning and then heads to CNN, where he does a nightly program at 8. He also finds time to shoot pieces for CBS' "60 Minutes."

Cooper says he leaves guest bookings to the producers, but will get involved when needed.

"I've never been one to really pursue people," he says. "I've had some great interviews with people, and most of them are people who know me and know I'm not going to come in with a list of questions."

When it comes to the Winehouses, Cooper says, "I know what it's like to be on the other side of the camera and experience loss in the public eye."

He says he puts a lot of pressure on himself and is working as hard as he can to make the show a success. He'll have to start, however, by converting his mother into a viewer.

Near the end of Friday's taping, Vanderbilt is asked about reality TV. With some prompting from Griffin, she says, "'The Kardashians' were dreadful" and that she loves "Judge Judy."

"Mom," Cooper says, smiling sheepishly, "that's my competition now."