Could you tell us about your charity?
I'm playing for a group called Friends Indeed, which is a crisis center which provides counseling and support for people facing life-threatening illnesses like HIV and cancer and also for their loved ones and caregivers.
Are you more or less nervous to play Jeopardy! this time?
I'm--I'm definitely nervous. You know, um, uh, you know, it's--the first time I played, I-I did well, but I was against two people who never played before and--and didn't really, I think, figure out the game very well, and now I'm against two hardened veterans who played before, and, um, they wanna win just as much as I do. So, um, we're--it's--it's going to be tough competition.
Who is the bigger threat?
Yeah, I'm not sure who's the biggest threat. I'm--I'm playing against Cheech Marin and Aisha Tyler. So, they--they've both played before, they both are taking this very seriously. Um, and they both seem to kind of know the--the inside clues on--on how to, uh, how to win, um, or how to, y'know, kind of maximize your advantage, so... I don't know. They're both, uh, I think they're--they're both going to be a threat.
How might your experience as a journalist give you an edge?
I think, y'know, I mean, I-I have a pretty well-rounded, uh, base of knowledge, but, y'know, in a game like this, you never know. You never know what the categories are going to be, and, uh, y'know, I think Wolf Blitzer played earlier this year and got crushed; um, so did Soledad O'Brien. So, I'm, uh... I don't know. I'm--I'm hoping I don't get--make a complete fool of myself.
What's more important: winning or having fun?
Oh, winning. There's no doubt about it. Uh, this is nothing about having fun. This is all about winning. I want to crush these people. [Pounds fist into palm]
What categories are you hoping to see?
I'm hoping to see several categories. I'm hoping to see CNN ANCHORS as a category. Um, I'm hoping to see a category called ANCHORS NAMED ANDERSON. Um, and, uh... yeah. Anything to do with, uh, y'know, news anchors, I'm--that's what I'm hoping for.
How did you prepare for the show?
Um, I bulked up, been working out a little bit to prepare. But, um, other than that, y'know, uh... You know, I-I-I went on websites, I read from other Jeopardy! champions (of which I am one), um, how, y'know, their inside advice. But, um... There's not much you can do to prepare, you know? It's--it's either what you know, or what you don't know, and kind of the--the luck of buzzing in. So... um, we'll see. |
"As a baby, he was photographed by Diane Arbus of Harper's Bazaar. Today, he's a New York Times best-selling author, 60 Minutes correspondent and has his own evening news program on CNN. Here's..."
Playing on behalf of Friend Indeed, Inc.
Anderson Cooper anchors Anderson Cooper 360°, a provocative alternative on CNN/U.S. each weekday to the typical network evening newscast, going beyond the headlines to tell stories in-depth and from multiple points of view. Cooper, who joined CNN in December 2001, served as CNN's weekend anchor before moving to prime time in March 2003 following the war in Iraq and then to a two-hour, late evening timeslot in November 2005 following Hurricane Katrina.
Since the launch of Anderson Cooper 360°, Cooper has covered nearly all of the major news events around the world. Often reporting from the scene, he spent more than a month along the U.S. Gulf Coast covering the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has returned more than 20 times to follow the reconstruction progress. Cooper has reported multiple times from Afghanistan and Iraq, including several anniversaries of the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraqi elections. Cooper also covered the ongoing violence in Mexico, the bombings in London and the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict. He also anchored much of CNN's live coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican City in 2005 and traveled to Sri Lanka to cover the tsunami in 2004.
During most of 2007 and 2008, Cooper traveled around the world for Planet in Peril, a high definition documentary about issues threatening the planet, its inhabitants and its natural resources.
Cooper also has played a pivotal role as part of the Best Political Team on Television for CNN's America Votes 2008 coverage, reporting and anchoring coverage from both the Democratic and Republican national conventions. In 2007, Cooper moderated the groundbreaking CNN/YouTube debates for Democratic presidential candidates from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and for Republican presidential candidates in St. Petersburg, Fla., and, in 2008, moderated a Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
In addition to reporting for CNN, Cooper also provides reports for CBS's 60 Minutes. Dispatches from the Edge, Cooper's memoirs about covering the South Asia tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and other news events, recently topped the New York Times Bestsellers List and other bestseller charts
Before joining CNN, Cooper was an ABC News correspondent and host of the network's reality program, The Mole. Cooper anchored ABC's live, interactive news and interview program, World News Now, as well as providing reports for World News Tonight, 20/20 and 20/20 Downtown. Previously, he was a New York-based correspondent for ABC News, reporting primarily for World News Saturday/Sunday.
Cooper joined ABC from Channel One News, where he served as chief international correspondent. During that time, he reported and produced stories from Bosnia, Iran, Israel, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa and Vietnam. He also reported national stories that were broadcast over the Channel One News school television network and seen in more than 12,000 classrooms nationwide.
Cooper and Anderson Cooper 360° have won several major journalism awards, including multiple Emmy Awards. Cooper has also earned a National Headliners Award for his tsunami coverage, an Emmy Award for his contribution to ABC's coverage of Princess Diana's funeral; a Silver Plaque from the Chicago International Film Festival for his report from Sarajevo on the Bosnian civil war; a Bronze Telly for his coverage of famine in Somalia; a Bronze Award from the National Educational Film and Video Festival for a report on political Islam; and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism for his 20/20 Downtown report on high school athlete Corey Johnson.
Cooper graduated from Yale University in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He also studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi. Cooper is based in New York City. |
