Bravo's Andy Cohen: "Sometimes I Am Trying Not to Laugh..."

I don’t have to tell you guys about my undying love for all things Bravo. So, of course, I am a huge fan of Andy Cohen…

He’s the guy you always see caught in the middle of those “Housewives” reunion catfights, just trying to keep the peace while trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on. But what many people don’t realize is that Cohen is responsible for most of what we see on Bravo as the Senior Vice President, Original Programming and Development.

In fact, some of you probably think I’m on his payroll since I talk about Bravo so much (For the record, I am not.)…

His latest project is “Watch What Happens: Live,” a new interactive show hosted by Cohen himself where he and his guests will talk about the week’s events including what’s been happening on Bravo.

His first guest? None other than the most controversial Housewife of them all—Danielle of the New Jersey cast.

Being a TV executive getting set for a live show can keep a guy pretty busy. But thankfully, Cohen was able to take a few minutes and answer a few questions from me via e-mail. He told me about the show, his day job and just exactly what goes through his mind when the catfights heat up…

I’m sure there are a lot of people who watch Bravo who think you’re just the host of the reunion specials and they don’t realize you actually have a pretty important job with the network. So for those people, tell me about your day job.

My day job is a blast…It involves a lot of screening shows and giving notes, planning for new shows, development of new shows, pitch meetings, and total immersion in all things Bravo.

What was it that made you step in front of the camera to begin with?

I used to want to be in front of the camera when I was majoring in broadcast journalism, but gave up all thoughts of that when I got a job at CBS News.

So what can we expect with "Watch What Happens"? What kinds of things will you be talking about, what kinds of guests will you have, etc.?

It will be a mix of what you see on the reunion shows with the interactivity of Howard Stern and a little Playboy after dark. It'll be Bravolebrities like “Real housewife of New Jersey” Danielle on the premiere plus some fantastic celebrities.

And there’s going to be a fun interactive element, right?'

Yes people can call in or Twitter us questions or use old fashioned e-mails…

What made you decide to do the show?

It's an on-air version of a live web show I was doing on Bravotv.com. We did 30 episodes and it was a blast.

The number one question that always comes to my mind when I’m watching the “Housewives” reunion shows and the fighting starts is “What is going through Andy’s mind right now?” So tell me. What does go through your mind when you’re sitting there watching these women go at each other?

Oh man it's a mix of all things - changes by the minute. Sometimes I am trying not to laugh, sometimes I am shocked by the intensity in the room, sometimes I'm figuring out how I'm going to get them to admit to doing/thinking/saying something.

Bravo is on such a high these days with its programming. Anything down the road that you’re really excited about?

SO MUCH! We're just launching “Miami Social” this week. I'm thrilled that “Top Chef Masters” moves into its championship round in two weeks. We've got “Flipping Out,” “Rachel Zoe Project” and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” all returning for new seasons in the next month or so.

You can hear much more from Andy when “Watch What Happens: Live” premieres Thursday, July 16th at Midnight on Bravo…

I forgot to ask Andy if he can write an excuse for my boss when I oversleep Friday morning…

Photo Credit: Bravo