Anderson Cooper Will Host A Daytime Talk Show

CNN journalist and “Channel One” alumnus Anderson Cooper will launch a syndicated daytime talk show in the fall of 2011, which will finally give bored housewives a “handsome gay” option to compete with the choices of “roundtable of shrews” and “dancing lesbian.”

The as-yet-untitled project will not have a hard-news focus, though given Cooper’s background, he’ll bring a more journalistic approach to handling popular topics compared to most daytime fare.

The show is billed as a topical format that will cover everything from celebrities and pop culture to social issues and wide-interest news stories. Using his well-established interview skills, Cooper’s show will welcome a broad range of guests and tackle debate-provoking subjects. Segments will include hidden-camera experiments and town-hall meetings, with a focus aimed at appealing to female viewers. [THR]

Anderson was good in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina, but in all honesty I’ve never liked him more than when he trashed the Lohan family while guest hosting “Regis and Kelly.” His dismissive exhale when Kelly calls them a “multi-talented family” is priceless: “Maybe that’s in the episode I didn’t see.” BOOSH. Comments like that are way more valuable than intrepid reporting from disaster zones.