Larry King Live
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| Larry King Live | |
|---|---|
 Larry King Live title card |
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| Format | Talk show |
| Created by | Larry King |
| Starring | Larry King |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 1 hour per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CNN |
| Original run | June 3, 1985 – Present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN. The show debuted in 1985, and is CNN's most watched program, with over one million viewers nightly.[1]
On April 22, 2008 It was announced that Larry King will stay with CNN through 2011.
Contents |
[edit] Background
The show broadcasts from CNN's Los Angeles studios. Sometimes, the show broadcasts from CNN's studios in New York and sometimes from Washington, D.C., the city where King gained national prominence during his years as a radio interviewer for the Mutual Broadcasting System. Each studio set features an identical colored-dot map of the world in the background and one of King's trademarks, a vintage RCA microphone, on the desk. The microphone is a prop, as King and his guests use lapel microphones.
[edit] Guests
Every night, King interviews one or more prominent individuals, mainly celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople. The one-hour show is broadcast three times a day in some areas, and can be seen all over the world on CNN International.
After the death of a prominent celebrity, King will either replay a recent program featuring said celebrity (for instance, after actor Don Knotts' death in 2006 King replayed the interview with Knotts and Andy Griffith taken several months before) or will bring on family members and close confidantes to the deceased to reminisce on the departed's life.
[edit] Interview style
Some have claimed that Larry King asks "soft" questions in comparison to other interviewers, which allows him to reach guests who would be averse to interviewing on "tough" talk shows. When interviewed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, King said that the secret to a good interview is to get the guest to talk about him- or herself, and to put oneself in the background. A 1996 interview in the Washington Post had King note that he sometimes slips hard questions in between softballs. King prefers one sentence questions. In the Post interview, King also proclaimed that he prepares as little as possible for each program, does not read the books of the authors he interviews, and admitted that the show was not journalism but "infotainment". He said that he tries to project an image of earnestness and sincerity in each interview, and the format of the show (King in suspenders instead of suit and tie, sitting directly next to the guest) reinforces that.
[edit] Call-ins
King also accepts call-in questions on some nights, including a noted frequent caller from Ellijay, Georgia.[2][3] Callers are identified only by city and state/province, and generally not by name. Despite this fact, Chris Strickland, American singer-songwriter, has publicly acknowledged the fact that he is an avid fan, a regular caller and surprisingly gets through on a frequent basis. Occasionally, surprise guests telephone the show and comment, like Governors, royalty, and celebrities. At times, prank calls come in. The phone number for call-ins is 1-800-676-2100.
[edit] Notable shows
King himself has interviewed people on-site in the White House, their prison cells, their homes, and other unique locations.
The November 9, 1993 debate between Ross Perot and Al Gore on the North American Free Trade Agreement was watched in 11.174 million households - the largest audience ever for a program on an ad-supported cable network until the October 23, 2006 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game on ESPN's Monday Night Football.[4]
To mark the 20th Anniversary of the show, ABC's Barbara Walters was a guest host and interviewed King on his reflections of his career.
To mark 50 years in broadcasting Larry King Live had a week long celebration that included a two hour CNN presents special and an hour of celebrity toast. The broadcast of this special week long event was postponed due to the tragedy at Virginia Tech. XM Satellite Radio also featured a micro channel called "Larry!" that featured replays of The Larry King Show along with interviews and the new material from the CNN anniversary shows which aired from April 26 to May 4, 2007 on channel 130.
[edit] In fiction
Larry King appeared as himself during two fictionalized airings of his show in the book and movie Primary Colors. First, he was part of a presidential campaign's effort to discredit an embarrassing audio tape, and later he interviewed another Democratic candidate (played in the film by Larry Hagman). He is also featured in the film The Long Kiss Goodnight interviewing a main character, and in the film Dave in which he interviews a conspiracy theorist who claims that the man claiming to be the President of the United States is an impostor. King's voice was heard in Ghostbusters questioning the credibilty of the Ghostbusters. Most recently, Larry King appeared in Jerry Seinfeld's Bee Movie acting as the voice over for an animated bee named "Bee Larry King" who ran his own talk show.
Larry King has also appeared as himself on a number of television shows, including Arthur, Murder One, The Practice, Boston Legal, Shark, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent
[edit] Criticism
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King is frequently accused of Infotainment, "soft-ball" questions, and pandering to sensationalist news stories; for instance, the death of Anna Nicole Smith took up much of King's shows after the event, causing the cancellation of numerous guests and interviews that were already scheduled.
In response to "'soft-ball' questions" accusations, King says, "I've never understood that. All I've tried to do is ask the best questions I could think of, listen to the answers, and then follow up. I've never not followed up. I don't attack anybody — that's not my style — but I follow up. I've asked people who say this, 'What's a softball question?' They'll say, 'You say to some movie star, what's your next project?' To me, that's not a softball. To me, that's interesting — what are you doing next?" Furthermore, King is no fan of the current generation of talk-show hosts, who he says use their guests as props or punching bags. He describes them as "I" hosts; he states they are more interested in lecturing their guests than in listening to them. "I hope I never do that," he says, "I'm not saying it's bad. If you watch Bill O'Reilly, that is Bill O'Reilly. It's not my cup of tea, I don't care for it, but I can understand why a lot of viewers do."
[edit] Topics
One of King's recurring topics is the paranormal. A frequent guest is John Edward of the popular televised show Crossing Over with John Edward. He was on the day before September 11th, 2001. Edward comes on the show and gives callers a free chance to supposedly communicate, via him, with their dead loved ones. King also had alleged psychics such as Sylvia Browne and James Van Praagh on from time to time to do readings and discuss the future. King sometimes allows skeptics such as James Randi to debate the psychics. In an April 2005 episode, King hosted a panel discussion regarding Evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and atheist views on the afterlife.
During major election coverage, the program may center on political analysis and commentary, as the show's airing generally coincides with the closing of polls in many states.
[edit] Guest hosts
In recent years when King has been absent, Ryan Seacrest, CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace and other interviewers have substituted for him.
On April 1, 1994[5] and 2002[6] Kermit the Frog hosted the show, as an April Fool's joke.
On June 8, 2005, sportscaster Bob Costas was named as the regular substitute anchor for the show,[7] filling in roughly 20 times a year and not on a set schedule.[8]
Comedian Bill Maher has taken up the duties of guest host.
In March 2007, journalist and First Lady of California Maria Shriver sat in as guest host for a couple of shows.
In April 2007, Star Jones Reynolds and Jimmy Kimmel sat in as guest hosts.
On July 24, 2007, former attorney and TMZ.com managing editor Harvey Levin guest hosted the show, the topic of discussion being Lindsay Lohan's arrest of that morning. Guests on the show included Lindsay's dad Michael and actor (and former addict) Daniel Baldwin.
Harvey Levin guest hosted the show again on August 24th 2007. Judge Marilyn Milian from The People's Court (which Levin also presents) was a guest, along with Judge Alex Ferrer and Judge Lynn Toler from Divorce Court discussing the recent legal woes of Lindsay Lohan, Michael Vick, Lisa Nowak and Nicole Ritchie.
Dr. Drew hosted the show on March 17, 2008.
Wolf Blitzer Hosted the March 18 and March 19, 2008 episodes.
John King also hosted the show on May 7th, 2008
| Preceded by CNN Election Center |
CNN Weekday Lineup 9:00PM–10:00PM |
Succeeded by Anderson Cooper 360° |
[edit] References
- ^ End Of Qtr Data-Q107 (minus 3 hours).xls
- ^ Joseph A. D'Agostino. "Conservative spotlight: Joe McCutchen", Human Events, 1999-10-15. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ James Salzer. "Backer assails state's senators", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2005-06-19. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ Giants-Cowboys draws largest cable audience. ESPN (October 25, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
- ^ CNN 20: Kermit Hosts 'LARRY KING LIVE' April 1, 1994. CNN.com transcripts (2000-04-01). Retrieved on 2006-12-30. (full transcript)
- ^ Ford Motor Company (2006-01-30). "CELEBRATED ACTOR, AUTHOR, SINGER AND JOURNALIST KERMIT THE FROG MAKES SUPER BOWL DEBUT IN FORD ESCAPE HYBRID AD". Press release. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ "Costas taking CNN role: News network announces television host to be substitute anchor of "Larry King Live."", CNN, 2005-06-08. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ Lisa de Moraes. "CNN's Designated Sitter: Bob Costas To Be Larry King's Regular Guest Host", The Washington Post, 2005-06-09. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
[edit] External links
- Larry King Live Official Website
- 2005 Neilson Cable News TV Ratings / MediaBistro.com
- Lawsuit re. Lynn Redgrave interview
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