I Just Got Fucked by Anderson Cooper

(EDITOR'S NOTE: To be clear, no one is angry that they didn't get to see the taping of "Anderson." We are upset because we were held in a room for three hours believing we were waiting to see the taping, when it turned out the producers knew they already had a full audience -- and filmed the show -- but never bothered to tell us.)

Michael, our friend Arick and I just spent the last THREE HOURS at the Time Warner Center studio of Anderson Cooper's new talk show -- only we didn't end up seeing a taping of the program. While I understand that they routinely overbook audience members to ensure that they have enough people, we arrived well in advance, but for reasons that have still not been adequately explained to us, we were sent to (what turned out to be) a lounge where "stand-by" audience members hang out, only NO ONE EVER BOTHERED TO TELL US that's where we were. A warm-up guy kept trying (rather unsuccessfully) to entertain the crowd and Amy Winehouse music was blasting -- it was indeed a Very Special Amy episode -- so even though we were waiting there for an inordinate amount of time, TV shows are always about waiting, so it didn't strike us as odd. (Arick actually thought we'd been selected to wait for the taping in a VIP area!)

It was only when Anderson FINALLY CAME OUT (for lack of a better term) for two seconds to "say hi" -- mentioning that it's actually "much cooler" where we were than "in the studio" -- and that they would be coming out to interview some of Amy's fans periodically that we realized that we weren't in a waiting room preparing to be seated in the studio, we were just there to "hang out." (Sure, Anderson, we're such fans that just being out outside your studio is worth taking a day off work for.) When Arick told one of those annoying production assistants (with the ever-present headsets) that we had tickets, she said that they should have sent us to the 6th floor, not the 5th. The whole thing was a complete clusterfuck -- not to mention a waste of time -- and could have been completely avoided if they'd just told us: a) to go to the right floor; or b) that we weren't going to get to see the taping, but we were welcome to hang out in the "Amy room" with other fans. Just don't leave us standing there for HOURS last assholes thinking we're about to see a taping -- you know, the REASON we were there in the first place!

To add insult to injury, my friend Chris had offered me his law firm's (good) seats at the U.S. Open today, but I turned them down because I was really looking forward to seeing what AC's new show was all about. (Not sure if this is any indication or not, but for the record, Mr. Journalistic Integrity's staff passed out homemade-looking signs in the "Amy room" that THEY HAD MADE for us to hold up for the cameras -- totally making it seem like this was the work of her followers who had come to the show to celebrate her life. Where I studied, that's called misrepresentation.)

I realize "Anderson" is just getting off the ground, but this was Communication 101, and they have been doing practice shows for months, so should have the kinks worked out by now. (It was particularly ironic that they couldn't communicate this most-important piece of information given the fact they had no problem telling us what to do the entire time we were there -- "Stand here," "tighten the line," "more to the right," "more to the left," "ya gotta back up.") Screwing your fan base probably isn't the best way to start things off. (No cocktail, no condom.) As my friend Arick put it, "Who knew Anderson Cooper was a top?"

Oh, well, It's not like I wasn't warned. Here's what a reader sent me this morning before I left:

Hey Ken

I hope your taping was better than the one I saw…which was 3 weeks ago. I’ve been invited back by them now 3 times making me think they are having a difficult time getting audience members.

The one I saw, without being specific, we had to sign a form saying we would not talk about it…was not fairly represented, many more on one side than on the other…long, standing in line for a very long time before getting to sit… pretty thin people in the center front…the rest of us, and the heavy set further back and on the side. Huge room, probably 3 times the size of Rosie’s audience. Great view outside the windows…

I was bored by the first 10 minutes… and of course we could not leave… it was a long, dull morning into afternoon.

Have a better experience
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