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April 26, 2010

Looking back at 25 years of Larry King Live!

Posted: 03:50 PM ET

It’s Larry King Live’s 25th anniversary and we want to share with you some of our LKL memories, what it’s like to work on the program and our favorite moments of the past 25 years of history-making television.  During the next few weeks, we’ll be posting blogs from Larry’s staffers as we count down to the program’s 25th anniversary week, beginning May 31st.

Let us know what you think and don’t forget to rate YOUR favorite moments and enter our sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to meet Larry in person!

By LKL Senior Producer Hunter Waters

Years after interning for “Larry King Live,” I travelled back to Washington, D.C. for my official job interview.

Like most job applicants, I dressed in my finest suit, ready to impress. I was hardly prepared, though, to start helping out for the type of show we were taping that day; Jack Hanna and his animal friends were in town!  When Jack does our show, the animals show up hours before the taping starts.  While they’re kept in cages during their travels to the studio, once they’re here, they want to get out.  The trainers opened up a cage with the cutest lion cub so that it could roam around one of our conference rooms, and my duty that day was to make sure it stayed within the confines of the conference room.  As you can imagine, the cub also wanted to play a bit and had the best time pretending my leg was a scratching pole.  Needless to say, those suit pants were unmendable after that show.  

A decade later, having covered the 9/11 attacks, wars, legal cases and all the major news stories of the past 10 years, more often than not, the moments here at “Larry King Live” are ones we’ll always want to remember.

Who else can say they’ve held Bo “10” Derek’s hand while escorting her at an event to our camera location for an interview?

Having the opportunity to celebrate former President Bush’s 80th birthday and watching him parachute out of a plane certainly ranks up there.  The night before his celebratory jump, Larry emceed the official birthday party at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.  With a stage set-up at home plate, Larry shuffled musical entertainers on and off the stage while introducing speeches by dignitaries paying tribute to the former President.    

Best moment of that day for me, though, was having the chance to see two worlds collide when Rush Limbaugh asked me to take a picture of him with former Soviet Premiere Mikhail Gorbachev.     Well, that, and getting a slice of this birthday cake (shown here with fellow LKL producer Eleanor McManus).

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JIM CARROLL   April 26th, 2010 4:12 pm ET

HAS THE NEWS MEDIA NEVER READ ARTICLE 1, SECTION 8, OF THE CONSTITUTION?
If they have, they should know that the Federal Government has all the power it needs to control the money supply; and to create all the money needed to exchange all the goods and services that the hands and minds of people can produce. They should know that the hands of the Government should not be tied when it comes to bailing out the uncontrolled Free Market Capitalist in
order to save the whole economy. Read more at the internetfreepress.com.


Lori - Justice For Michael   April 26th, 2010 4:24 pm ET

Happy Aniversary Larry! And thank you for all the coverage concerning the death of Michael Jackson and the aftermath.


Smith in Oregon   April 26th, 2010 5:10 pm ET

Happy Anniversary Larry King!!! Thank you for all the interesting coverage these past 25 years and my thanks to the CNN staff for bringing you on board.

I was disappointed to see CNN bring a BIG OIL spokesman that repeatedly stated NO OIL was leaking from the well head some 5,000 feet beneath the beautiful Gulf region Ocean area. I strongly felt the well head was damaged when thousands of tons of burnt out Oil Platform sank to the bottom and ripped the 5,000 well pipe along with it.

NOW there is a 600 MILE Crude Oil slick that is rapidly spreading across the Gulf of Mexico. As bad as that is, much of the Crude Oil pouring out of that Oil Well some 5,000 feet beneath the surface turns into SLUDGE which does not come to the surface, instead it turns into TAR BALLS which totally fouls anything, fish, mammals or birds that come into contact with it. All the crabs and shell fish of course would be permanently toxified.

Please do your CNN viewers a favor, do not point at the 600 Mile Oil Slick and LIE to the CNN viewers that is the total size of the increasing death zone in the Gulf Region. The crude oil beneath the surface likely stretches 1,000 miles or more and the bottom of the Ocean floor is likely one large death zone for well over 600 square miles, not simply the size of the current oil slick.

Extremely deep sea Oil Wells give no possible margin for error and errors can and do happen. When they do then many tons of pressure from the Ocean sweep into the ruptured well head pushing out the crude oil out into the Ocean.

America needs to move entirely away from Fossil Fuels which have fouled the earth and the streets of America with toxic lead, carbon soot and acid rain for decades.

How many Billions if not Trillions of taxpayer dollars have been spent in dealing with all of the lead exposure across American when Big Oil had Leaded Gasoline?

How many Billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent in dealing with Bush Sr's utterly corrupt decision to add a known poison and carcinogen Methanol (Wood Alcohol) to Gasoline which permanently destroyed all of the Ma and Pop gas stations across America, permanently toxified private and community water supply's, fresh water aquifers and forced all Gas Stations to dig up their tanks and replace them?

The Total American Taxpayer Costs for burning Fossil Fuels is a great deal more than the Sarah-Bush Family values advertise, its very expensive when you add in the damage and clean up costs which are necessary.


mary u from ohio   April 26th, 2010 5:12 pm ET

Love The Animals ... Watching your reaction to them.......Brave Larry...
You are on top of things away asks the right questions to your Guess...
You make my day ... Enjoy your Show/News....
Happy 25Th Aniversary ...


IKHAN   April 26th, 2010 5:16 pm ET

Heartiest felicitations Larry King & other team members for completing 25 yrs.
This is indeed a history making programme. All the best to you Larry in good health.

How about some insight & debate on the US budget 2011 which is before the House Appropriation Committee.


*Seven*   April 26th, 2010 5:20 pm ET

Happy Anniversary Larry !


TRUE-TO -YOU   April 26th, 2010 5:31 pm ET

@*seven*& mary my friends so true

look at you you sneaky two
trying to steal larry away from true
we know he is a special guy
he is quite sweet i will not lie
but larry said he will cook for me
so you two just leave him be
and mary you can take your pie
cause i am the apple of larrys eye
and just so you remember this
here you go larry catch this kiss


*Seven*   April 26th, 2010 5:37 pm ET

@ TRUE-TO -YOU

lol I live in Heaven, I already have Angels True
Keep lar 😀 LOL


mary u from ohio   April 26th, 2010 5:38 pm ET

@ Larry
The Table is Set... Pretty as a Picture.
True will wait patiently
While you cook something
Good & Sweet


maggie   April 26th, 2010 6:19 pm ET

Happy 25th Anniversary Larry....there were some great shows over the years ...and thank you Larry for the respectful and professional way you have always shown in stories on Michael Jackson......and on the passing of the late great Steve Irwin. Wishing you continued good luck and good health.


Judie   April 26th, 2010 7:22 pm ET

Happy Anniversary Larry,
Thank you for your blogs about ~Michael Jackson~ keep em coming.
I have meet many wonderful people here.
Stay strong Larry and continued sucess.


Terry Marvin   April 26th, 2010 10:32 pm ET

Monday, April 26, 2010–9:30 pm CST

Hey Larry,

Happy Anniversary Larry.
The best reports you did were "The Death of Michael Jackson".


Mario   April 26th, 2010 10:47 pm ET

After watching the show tonight about the law Arizona just passed. I was reminded about the recent trip I took to through Arizona to pick up my kids. I was driving the speed limit in my BMW, with my seat belt on, enjoying the music on KLOVE. After being stopped on the Highway for nothing and having my car searched and being threatened I realized I was very happy that I didn't live in Arizona. I understand now after watching the show why the government is investigating them. They have been racial profiling in Arizona for a very long time. I have dealt with this also in California. This law justifies what they have been doing already. It will give them an excuse for the laws they are breaking now. I am sure California will be next to pass this law. And for people like me who's family has been here since California was Mexico. We will suffer. I will pray for us all.


Anaduaka Amara   April 27th, 2010 2:36 am ET

happy anniversary LKL.You Rock


gerald   April 27th, 2010 8:46 am ET

The police in Arizona must know that the Hispanics where there 2000 years before the Caucaisions of England and Europeans owned a ship.


Andrew K. Maselle   April 28th, 2010 2:22 pm ET

Dear Larry King

I thank you for your show. you can't believe, I do not miss to
watch your show, because each show , I lean some thing. Thank you.

My request, do you have the last interview with late President Julius K. Nyerere ? of Tanzania when he was in the U.S.A.?

If you do, Is it possible to get it, and do you know how much will cost me?

My Address is:-

P.O. Box 1149
Riverhead, NY. 11901

My Tel:- 1-646-528-7170. or 1-631-506-8544.

Thank you, and God Bless you L.K.L.


Sonja Rogers-Banz   April 28th, 2010 10:04 pm ET

Thank you so much, Larry King, for 25 interesting years, and for a great show! There is always something to learn. I really like the way you let your guests speak out on your show!
Happy Anniversary & you rock!


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