Jesus, finally. For a while it was a running joke that Larry King was from the Stone Age. Then it started to be a legitimate concern that he might be a hominid walking among us. Now, CNN finally realized it might be a good time to put Goblinface King to rest. Some potential successors have already emerged to take over for Larry King when he leaves his prime-time CNN interview show sometime this fall.
CNN U.S. President Jon Klein is looking for someone different… a candidate no one has anticipated that will make people sit up and take notice. A candidate who doesn’t appear to be going into cardiac arrest every night.
“We will continue to do a provocative, topical, intelligent newsmaker interview show every night,” he said, “but the format and the style is going to depend a lot on the host — their interests, their style, their approach. Step one is get a host and build the show around them.”
King’s anniversary week lineup of guests — President Barack Obama, LeBron James, Bill Gates and Lady Gaga — illustrated that he diversified when it came to his guest lineup. He was a man who could tackle interviews with both the President of the United States and celebrities. CBS News anchor Katie Couric has been the most frequently mentioned potential successor, in part because of the skill she displayed as an interviewer on the “Today” show, which is underused in her CBS job.
However, King’s favored successor is metrosexual mega-star Ryan Seacrest. .. of course. Someone else we can’t stand looking at.
“I’ve never gotten into deep political discussions with him,” King said. “But I would say if he has a working knowledge of politics, he’s as good a generalist as there is in broadcasting. If I ran a network, I’d hire him.”
But it’s all still up in the air. Too bad Conan O’Brien signed a contract with TBS already.. or else CNN could have his ginger pompadour interviewing Barack Obama… and how wouldn’t that be entertaining???
