Tonight, a quarter-century-long chapter in the King-of-late-night television’s broadcasting career comes to a close
After a record-breaking run of 25 years, on Thursday night, December 16th, Larry King is hanging up his signature suspenders as host of his nightly, prime-time talk-show, "Larry King Live", begun on CNN in June 1985.
"Tonight on Larry King Live"...the familiar words that have come to promise a nightly fix of current events and celebrity confessionals that’s beloved all over the world. Now, it’s last-call for “Larry King Live”, as CNN sends him off with a grand finale show that staffers are calling "Larrypalooza", which airs tonight at 9 ET.
Led by friend and protégé Ryan Seacrest, a star-studded collection of guests will gather on the Los Angeles set, with its horseshoe-shaped desk and backdrop of multicolored dots, to pay tribute to King as he says his goodbyes. Seacrest said he's honored to be hosting Thursday's Larrypalooza, which he called "a historic television event." He added, "Through his show, he has taught me so much about people and our world. I am proud to be friends with the man who has set the gold standard in the broadcast business."
For his part, King said, "It's sad, but there's a time to go. You know when it's time." When CNN offered him a one-year contract extension rather than the customary three to five years, King knew. "The writing was on the wall. I said, 'I think I'll get off the road here'." He agreed not to jump to CNN's competitors if he could do four specials a year for the network.
And, although he's had a quintuple bypass, he's not worried about getting health insurance. King said he's covered by the Screen Actors Guild because of his 22 movie appearances, 21 of them playing himself.
"I have no complaints against CNN," he said. "It's been a hell of a marriage. This is not a divorce." He ought to know...with a romance record that rivals even Elizabeth Taylor’s. Quite the character himself, 77-year-old King has been married eight times (just imagine the alimony), and divorced seven.
An old-fashioned romantic, King is he wasn’t one to just sleep with his girlfriends, even proposing to one love interest on their first date. He has been married twice to a former Playboy bunny, named Adele. And, as it seems, the ladies likewise found those suspenders to be simply irresistible.
According to CNN’s Ann O’Neill, he's nervous about the final show, simply because he won't be the one in control: "I don't like surprises...
Read the full article of Larry King Live at Exec Digital
