REVIEW: "Anderson Cooper 360"

CNN's "Silver Fox" Consistently Delivers a 1-2 Punch

I decided awhile back that I was tired of the assembly of talking heads presented on most cable news networks. Frankly, I was bored with listening to the constant pontification by television journalists on the current headlines of the day or having to hear them rehash their take yet again on President' Bush's ratings in the polls, Iraq, illegal immigration, etc.

There is, however, one program that stands out like an oasis in a desert-full of humdrum news commentary shows.

That program is CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360". Launched in 2003, it airs from 10 p.m.-midnight EST Monday-Fridays and has distinguished itself among its competitors.

Hosted, of course, by the elegant 39-year-old Anderson Cooper, this show is always compelling to watch. Certainly, the fact that Cooper is stylish and engaging doesn't hurt, but also what draws me to this show is that it's clear that this is a man who is not afraid to show his passion for his subjects, who is clearly involved in what he's reporting.  It's not about getting his ego pumped up, like Geraldo Rivera, or trying to simply outdo his fellow journalists, but Cooper wants his viewers to "feel" as well as see the events he is telling them about. He is a throwback to the old-school journalists, such as the late, brilliant Edward R. Murrow.

His reports from the Middle East, with its various conflicts, are always noteworthy .His accounts of the shameful conditions during Hurricane Katrina were stirring and he actually sought to concern himself personally in getting help for people.

He is never condescending, never speaks down to his viewers, although if anyone had the right to, it would be him. Anderson Hays Cooper is a Yale graduate and the son of Gloria Vanderbilt (yes, those Vanderbilts!), one of this country's wealthiest women.. While most of those in his privileged peer group are content to live the high life on their trust funds, he has carved out a name and reputation of his own, independent of his highbrow background. That is what impresses me most about him.