John (Kling) filling in tonight???

Today's Buzz ...
Poor Larry (King) – another ‘flubbed’ name tonight – actually, it was his own (the one he shares with John King) - he mispronounced “King” when he was referring to the LKL website - right before the hand-off to JK – but he got John’s intro right – thankfully!

BTW – I’m actually pretty neutral about both Larry King and Jerry Seinfeld – but I thought that Jerry was a bit harsh during Friday’s LKL interview. If you missed it, Larry was attempting to clarify with Jerry that his show ended by his own decision as opposed to being cancelled. Jerry took offense to the fact that there might be anyone who didn’t already know the entire “Seinfeld” saga (in detail) and suggested that Larry should review a JS “bio”. It all got resolved (or at least they moved on), but as one of the six people in America who didn’t watch every single Seinfeld episode, I understood the context in which the question was being asked. For example, since LKL is broadcast on CNN International, and perhaps there might a few people in, say, London - who also might not have known that specific “Seinfeld” factoid. Larry has enough gaffes in the course of any given show – the questionable ones perhaps shouldn’t be elevated out of proportion ...

Anyway – moving on ...

• from last night’s program:

Pakistan “state of emergency”: Doesn’t that phrase just send chills down your spine? And why? Two words – ‘nuclear weapons’. And this brilliant Administration has been obsessing about whether or not Iran has nuclear “knowledge”. Another instance of misplaced priority. The whole situation with the Pakistan Supreme Court being suspended and the ‘round-up’ of lawyers and journalists in the country is troubling – particularly when you consider the timing of this action. Right on the eve of an anticipated SC decision that the result of the prior election was ‘influenced’ in President Musharraf’s favor. And no – as tempting as it is – no ‘lawyer jokes’. Right now – it seems unlikely that the planned January elections will go forward – regardless of today’s ‘spin’ trying to keep that hope alive.

I must admit that hearing both Peter Bergen and Reza Aslan both stating that an actual nuclear attack from Pakistan (partly for reasons outlined by Tom Foreman and his map collection) isn’t as likely as one might initially assume. However, this is both the Taliban and al Qaeda that we’re dealing with when it comes to potential ‘acquirers’ of the components, and they only need one. An arsenal isn’t necessary for their purposes. :-(




Joel Osteen interview: John King interviewed Joel Osteen – there are a lot of pros & cons to his religious interpretations. I’ve watched a number of his television broadcasts, and the part that people seem to have trouble with involve his discussions about “prosperity”. Some think that what he focuses on is ‘asking God to make them rich”. I guess that’s up to each person who knows enough about what he preaches to decide for themselves. As you could probably tell from the interview, Joel is very skilled at deflecting questions and avoiding a lot of direct, concrete answers – partly because he does try to “spin positive” whenever possible – for better or worse. I will say that his sermons are inspirational, regardless of whether or not one thinks that he’s a Bible-based pastor.


Oprah: I still have a problem hearing Oprah talk about how devastating the abuse allegations have been for her. Whenever anything happens, it happens – first – to her. It was the same story when the school first opened. Her dream was being fulfilled. That just doesn’t seem appropriate to me. For someone who has made serious money portraying care & concern for others, when it really counts, I haven’t found that Oprah portrays complete sincerity. And yes – that’s IMO – and maybe that’s part of the reason why I’ve rarely watched her show, read her magazine, etc.


Tom Foreman (live) in Iowa: how did he draw the short straw for that assignment?




Curiosity question: is the attitude of White House Press Secretary Dana Perino more annoying or less annoying than fingernails running across a blackboard? Gosh, I’ll be diplomatic and call it a “tie” ...



At last - a reason to cheer for the Dodgers again: Welcome back, Joe!! New Dodger Manager Joe Torre was part of the TV broadcast team for the Angels for 5 years – prior to that low profile Yankee management stint!!



John, John, John: You seem like a very congenial guy, but please leave the comedy for Anderson – it’s not your forte. At least not the way you were attempting humor last night. Recreating Steve Martin’s “King Tut” rap is difficult at best. And you should never surprise your “banter” partner (i.e. – Erica) by soliciting for a compliment that doesn’t really go along with the “shot” (or story) at hand.



Other quick news and notes:

Writers’ Strike: Please pay these people what should be fairly and equitably shared. And get everyone back to work. Even though I really don’t watch much TV. But 22 weeks without The Daily Show or The Colbert Report is something I just can’t face ... :-(

Brian Williams on SNL: it was great to be able to see a news anchor display a ‘human’ side of himself this past Saturday. The reviews and feedback I’ve seen are generally positive – the “Bond Theme” skit was definitely the best!!

Ivory War: hope you caught the Scott Pelley report this past Sunday on 60 Minutes about the resumption of illegal ivory trade – ivory primarily sold to China. Hundreds of elephants in the country of Chad are being killed simply for their tusks, and the photos they showed of the mutilated elephant remains was enough to make anyone ill. Efforts to quell the increase of this activity have proved to be an uphill battle.

China: Speaking of the ultimate Red State, not only are they the primary market for purchasing illegal ivory, but they also aided Pakistan in their quest to manufacture nuclear weapons. Anyone who thinks that China won’t surpass the US as the global leader sometime in this century – isn’t paying close enough attention to the proper indicators and signs.

DWTS: Good on Len Goodman (one of the judges) for exercising his right to free speech. He bagged on Bush last night, and a few jaws dropped ... I, of course, cheered ... :-)

And yes – because I bagged on John King earlier in this post – I’ll make up for it now:



tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:

Thursday on Anderson Cooper 360°:

Send in your v-mail questions for the panel here!

Thanks for visiting – updates posted as needed – have a terrific day!