You know and love Anderson Cooper as a talking head for “60 Minutes,” a cosmopolitan traveler, anchor of the eponymously named “Anderson Cooper 360,°” and the host of a new daytime talk show. In his spare time, when he is not putting on his pants one leg at a time, Cooper is a media hound, just like the rest of us.
Turn the page
Because he enjoys the challenge of engaging in multiple storylines, Cooper often reads two books at the same time. What two books are his current reads? “Game of Thrones,” although, he admits, perhaps it would have been best if he had tackled it before he viewed the TV series. At the same time, he is turning the pages of “In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin.” The story, set in 1933, is viewed through the vantage point of the U.S. ambassador and his daughter and centers on the rise of Adolph’s power
Music moves the man
Two musical artists that Cooper is enjoying are Eminem and Lady Gaga, and he has profiled both artists for “60 Minutes.” Lady Gaga graced Cooper with several tunes from “Born This Way,” and Cooper said he enjoyed hearing the album through its entire life cycle.
Online and immersed
Anderson Cooper is a media hound who enjoys perusing “andrewsullivan.com,” “The Daily Caller,” and “Huffington Post.” Then, just like the rest of humanity, he has found himself viewing videos on YouTube. We do this because we can.
What you should know
Anderson Cooper heads a daytime talk show called “Anderson.” He wants to share his enthusiasm for the show and his hopes that his audience enjoys it, too. When you finish YouTube binging, tune in, an experience designed to reward the media-savvy viewer.
Words of wisdom to live by
While Joseph Campbell is credited for coining the maxim to “Follow your bliss,” in reality, Campbell inspired Anderson Cooper’s mother to say the same thing. And Cooper listened to his mom. No matter who gave the suggestion, it is still wisdom worth heeding.
Keepin it royally real
Who among us has not savored the dream of what we would do if we could rule the world. Like, if you woke up and discovered that, overnight, the crown of the Sovereign Royal of the World Federation had become yours. Cooper claims that should he ever be made King, he would promptly “Cede power to someone more competent.”
When pressed about how he would improve the world, or if not the world, then pop culture, Cooper declares that he would advocate for a larger gap between seasons of “The Real Housewives.” His reasoning: with all the trauma and drama, we would all benefit from a period of contemplation. Thinking and “Real Housewives” are not two subjects usually seen in the same sentence; this rarified vantage point demonstrates Anderson Cooper’s understanding of why and how media matters.
