Behind the scenes with…Mike Pleasant, concert manager (Part 1)
July 01, 2009 By: Cotton Candy Category: Uncategorized
The N.C. State Fair kicks off in a few months, but there’s a ton of preparation already in motion. We’ll bring you behind-the-scenes interviews with fairgrounds employees working to bring you “A Whole Lotta Happy” when the gates open Thursday, Oct. 15.
We’re getting really close to announcing our 2009 Dorton Arena concert lineup (check back right here Monday, July 6, for the full scoop), so we wanted to check in with concert manager Mike Pleasant to see how he plans one of the Fair’s most popular attractions.
The ‘09 Fair will mark Mike’s 30th, and for eight of those years he has been in charge of booking the Dorton Arena acts that perform each night during the Fair, and assisting the artists and their tour crews during their shows. It gets so busy during the Fair that Mike even sets up a mobile office at Dorton, right beside the tour buses that load in and out each day. Because he has so much interaction with these stars, I had to ask him what his favorite shows over the past few years have been.
That is a hard question. We have had some good shows in Dorton the past seven years and it’s hard to pick just one. I will give you my top five.
- Brad Paisley – They put a boat on stage and he had the place rocking that night. He is a super great guy and he and his entire group were great to work with. He was our first sell-out show.
- Clay Aiken – It was a hard show to work because for the first time we had two shows that day. The first show sold out in 9 minutes and the second show sold out in 11 minutes. There was such a buzz in the arena before the show that you could just feel the excitement. People came from all over the U.S. to see this show. There were as many people from out of state as there were from N.C. We had big screens set up on both sides of the stage and people taped the show from all angles. It took the crew 7 hours to build the set for the stage. They put in an elevator to raise him up through a clam shell with fog and he walked down a set of stairs to the stage. I will never forget how loud the crowd got when they saw him come up out of the fog. The stage was beautiful and the light show was unbelievable.
- MercyMe - Our first sell out Christian concert. Everyone was into the show and singing along with the music. They also delivered a great message that night. I still have people to tell me how much they enjoyed that concert.
- Kellie Pickler – Her show was good but it is what she did after the show that impressed me the most. She stayed for two and a half hours and signed autographs and had pictures taken with fans. She was very humble. When she had finished signing all the autographs she wanted to have her picture made with all the police officers and my crew for herself. I thought that was nice.
- Chris Daughtry – He created a buzz and had a packed house. It was so loud that night that you could hardly think inside the arena. People had a great time that night and got their money’s worth.
Part one of our interview with Mike focuses on how he sets up the stage and seating arrangements right before the concerts, and how he goes about choosing and booking the artists each year. Check in next week for a tour of Dorton like you’ve never seen it before, when Mike takes us into the basement where the stars hang out, eat, get dressed and host their meet-and-greets.
Watch the video and let us know–who you are hoping to see in the concert lineup come Monday.
This Could Be a Nightmare
Morgan Summerfield
Simon Cowell, one of the judges for the show, stated in an interview
with Copley News Service in February of 2004, “I own the recording rights – the winners and other contestants sign with my label”. 19 Entertainment not only controls their recording contracts, but every other aspect of their careers including merchandising touring, sponsorship and movie deals (Olsen, 2004a).
The limitations placed on the contestants are great. They are locked into non-negotiable contracts with 19 Entertainment and BMG music. An actual excerpt from the contract reads:
“I hereby grant the Producer the unconditional right throughout the universe in perpetuity to use, simulate, or portray my name, likeness, voice, singing voice, personality, personal identification or personal experiences, my life story, biographical data, incidents, situations, events which heretofore occurred or hereafter occur…”
The construction of this contract may remind one of Faust. The exchange rate seems to be a bit lopsided. Beyond the “relinquishing of the soul,” the contract gives the promoters permission to tell lies about the individual signing the contract as evidenced by the following excerpt.
“Other parties…may reveal and/or relate information about me of personal, private, intimate, surprising, defamatory, disparaging, embarrassing or unfavorable nature that may be factual and/or fictional.”
If they can’t promote the signer by credible means, they will simply make things up to sell or otherwise sensationalize the “property” into a position of value”
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Or devalue…
Just how much control does Simon Cowell have on their careers? Let’s just say that he is God when it comes to who gets what, when, where, why and how.
If you can wade through the legalese in this document, you will come out knowing that they are all completely at Cowell’s mercy.
Why did Taylor Hicks fall so hard? Why is Kris Allen being under-promoted? Why was Chris Daughtry, a guy that came in fourth place, treated as the de facto winner of season 5? Why did Clay Aiken inexplicably disappear from Radio (despite enormous success with his debut album) and be forced to record covers and christmas tunes?
Ask Simon Cowell.
Matt Rogers: There Goes The Neighbourhood!
“THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD,” A NEW REALITY-COMPETITION SERIES, PREMIERES SUNDAY, AUG. 9 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK
In the Ultimate Social and Family Bonding Experiment, Eight Families in a Suburban Neighborhood Are Enclosed by a Massive 20-Foot Wall To Compete for the Grand Prize of $250,000
Matt Rogers (”American Idol,” “Really Big Things”) Hosts
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD, a new seven episode reality-competition series, premieres Sunday, Aug. 9 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The series features eight families in a suburban neighborhood who are enclosed by a massive 20-foot wall as they compete in family-friendly games for the grand prize of $250,000.
In what promises to be the ultimate social and family bonding experiment, this neighborhood will be cut off from the outside world as it becomes family vs. family in a competition to win upgrades for their lives and their homes. With virtually no electricity and no ability to text-message, watch television or surf the Internet, these families will be forced to reconnect and work together as a team. For the duration of the competition, the eight homes will be surrounded by the daunting wall with no way in or out. Each week, another family will be voted out of the game until one victorious group remains to claim the $250,000 grand prize.
“This show is truly a social experiment,” says executive producer Mike Fleiss. “We’ve never seen anything like it before. An entire neighborhood trapped behind a giant wall. It’s insane!”
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD is produced by Next Entertainment and Jay Bienstock Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss (”The Bachelor,” “High School Reunion”) and Jay Bienstock (”The Apprentice”) are the executive producers. Matt Rogers (”American Idol,” “Really Big Things”) is the host.
VFTW Gets It Wrong Again
Radaronline.com published the following story on June 9 2009
Only On Radar: Clay Aiken Not Nixed By Charity
“Clay Aiken is not being axed by the charity he helped co-found despite internet rumors saying so, his uncle confirms to RadarOnline.com. The former American Idol star was supposedly being ditched by The Bubel Aiken Foundation which recently filed papers to change their name to The National Inclusion Project.
“There have been a lot of rumors out there but Clay is very much still involved with this organization,” Jerry Aiken- who works for the charity- said. “Both he and co-founder Diane Bubel will remain on the board of directors and they are committed to the charity. We are simply changing the name to simplify things to a name that represents more of what we are about.”
“A lot of people had problems pronouncing the previous name and hopefully the new title will help us with promoting our cause further. But Clay is still very much part of our future plans too.”
According to local records the foundation has registered themselves with the North Carolina Secretary Of State’s office under the new name The National Inclusion Project, Inc. The original foundation grew out of a relationship between Aiken and Bubel whose son Michael Bubel suffers from autism.”
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Today VFTW published this:
Clay Aiken’s Charity Drops Him
Posted by thefunnystone on June 27th, 2009 at 7:57 AM
“Clay Aiken may make annoying music, but the guy does have a big heart and started the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to help kids with developmental disabilities. Well according to the website Queerty, it looks like the charity kicked Clay to the curb when they decided they didn’t make enough money last year. A source tells Queerty that, “after a downturn in contributions, the Raleigh NC based charity, made the decision to distance themselves from being so closely associated with [Clay].” The charity is now known as the National Inclusion Project. And how much money did they make last year? Only a mere $1.49 million. How awful for them. You have to be pretty low to kick out the guy who started your charity. Since they kicked Clay to the curb, the charity was also refused renewal because they didn’t have the proper signatures. Guess we’ll see if more drama stems from this.”
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They published the false story about Kelly Pickler dating Kid Rock too. Ugh!
Kellie Pickler Dating Kid Rock?
SFGate’s Daily Dish cites an “insider” report that:
Kid Rock dating ‘Idol’ star Pickler?
Rocker Kid Rock is secretly dating “American Idol” star Kellie Pickler, according to tabloid reports.
The hitmaker showed up at the recent CMT Video Awards in Nashville, Tenn., with ex-girlfriend Sheryl Crow, but he was really at the award show to be close to his new love, according to the Globe.
A source tells the publication, “The romance between Kellie and Kid has been the worst-kept secret in Nashville.”
Insiders claim Pickler was talking about Kid Rock when she recently told a radio interviewer, “I’m seeing someone. I got a man. He’s a great, great guy. We’ve been seeing each other for over a year.”
Rock, real name Robert Ritchie, has been linked to a string of lovely ladies and was briefly married to Pamela Anderson in 2006.
When will these reporters begin to verify their material before publishing stupid tabloidy rumors?
Kellie isn’t dating Kid Rock. Her boyfriend is Kyle Jacobs, a Nashville songwriter.
A similar “insider” rumor was circulated by the Chicago Sun Times that Clay Aiken was ejected from the AI studios for trying to recruit Adam Lambert to duet and tour with him. That rumor was also false. He was at the AI studios with his infant son to show off the baby to friends on the staff at AI. He never attempted to contact any Idol contestants and was not asked to leave. Justin Guarini, AI correspondent for TV Guide, confirmed that the Chicago Sun Times rumor was not true.
Let us review the situation. Take note that 19 Recordings, Adam’s new label through American Idol hasn’t said a word. They are leaving Adam Lambert flapping in the wind.
June 19 2009 Billboard announces that Hi-Fi Recordings will be releasing Adam Lambert’s debut album “On With The Show” this summer with a track titled “Want” to be the lead single.
Part of the press release is this:
June 19, 2009 09:16 PM ET
“It looks like Adam Lambert’s debut album may not be released on 19 Recordings/RCA after all. Sources confirm to Billboard.com that an album’s worth of tracks Lambert co-wrote and recorded before “Idol” will be released in the summer by Hi Fi Recordings and Wilshire Records. Entitled “On With The Show,” the album is slated for release in the summer, months before Lambert’s debut on 19/RCA is expected to drop.
Lambert’s first single, “Want,” is streaming now on the Hi Fi Recordings official website (to be released to iTunes June 23), and according to the company’s CEO John Hecker, the rest of the tracks will sound similar. “The music’s amazing,” says Hecker. “There are some uptempo [songs], there’s some that rock a little more, and there are some songs on the same tip as “Want. It’s a real album that’s coming out, not just a conglomerate of a bunch of songs. This is all original material — as a matter of fact, Adam wrote a lot of it.”
According to Hi Fi, Lambert co-wrote the material that will appear on the album and even made a trip to the Wilshire Records studio in Los Angeles as recently as May 2009 to hear it. “He was in the Wilshire Records studio right before the finale actually, and he was blown away by the material.”
Hi Fi Recordings did not notify 19 Entertainment about its intent to release Lambert’s debut album before announcing the news on Friday afternoon. “I bet they know now,” Hecker says.”
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Adam Lambert issued a statement through 19.
“Back in 2005 when I was a struggling artist, I was hired as a studio singer to lend my vocals to tracks written by someone else,” he said. “I was broke at the time and this was my chance to make a few bucks, so I jumped at the opportunity to record for my first time in a professional studio.”
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The release clearly states that it is an album worth of songs, many of which were co-written by Adam, and that Adam was involved as recently as May 2009. It also states that ““He was in the Wilshire Records studio right before the finale actually, and he was blown away by the material.”
Understandably, Hi-Fi is upset that Adam denied knowledge of these recordings.
How can he deny them when he was there, he wrote them and it is his voice? What songs did he think they had that were enough to fill 2 albums and were written by him? Hi-Fi said he was in the studio with them as recently as last month?
Clearly Adam is lying. Hi-Fi fires back with the tracklist comprising 9 out of 11 songs written and recorded by Adam.
Adam responds by saying:
“Last Friday I was surprised to find out that songs I recorded back in 2005 were being released. Since then I discovered the entire track listing, revealed online today. I was shocked to learn that songwriting demos of songs that I co-wrote and recorded over the past few years may be released in an album. Like a rough draft that a writer does before finishing a book, I did not intend my work on these demos to be heard by the public. I was unaware that anyone intended to release these recordings until I heard about it in the press, and I’m very disappointed by this entire situation.”
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Yesterday Hi-Fi fired back with this:
“As we’ve already outlined, releasing this music was always the plan. That plan was changed by 19 Recordings after Adam won America over with his extraordinary talent. It’s a shame that his management/record company choose to disavow their client’s work and discredit him as a songwriter. As an independent company whose role it is to help put this out, we at Hi Fi think this is an absolute slap in the face to Wilshire Records. That small indie music company, run by an experienced music producer, Malcolm Welsford, thrives on finding, nurturing and championing new talent, and now they find themselves at a tremendous potential loss. Adam’s songwriting partner, Monte Pittman now finds himself at a tremendous potential loss. Via the press, in the words of the musician they dedicated so much time and money to, they are being told that their work with Adam should never see the light of day.”
“We apologize for what has become a tiresome tit for tat, particularly on a day that we mourn the loss of a truly original, game-changing entertainer, but unfortunately, each statement released in Adam’s name contains a different story. We remain steadfast in our assertion that we seek only to share the music Adam wrote, according to plan, so his fans know the depth of his talent and see that he will be handsomely rewarded for his work.”
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The latest statement from Hi-Fi contains this bombshell:
“Hi Fi claims that it has a signed recording contract with Adam dated Feb. 12, 2008. The label has already made one of the CD’s tracks, “Want,” available on iTunes.”
Another song, a cover of Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It” is scheduled for release on June 29 at iTunes.
As I mentioned earlier, 19 Recordings hasn’t supported Adam through this mess. It is against the rules for a contestant to enter the American Idol competition if they have a current contract with either a management or a recording company.
This isn’t the first time that a contestant had hidden the fact of a deal that contravenes the rules and got away with it. Ruben Studdard had an endorsement deal with the Flava clothing company to wear their shirts on Idol and got paid for it.
As reported in Entertainment Weekly August 6 2003:
”American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard filed a lawsuit last week against 205 Flava, makers of the jerseys he made famous during the competition, arguing that the company has profited from his image without compensating him. But the company says it secretly paid Studdard to wear the shirts, emblazoned with the area code of his native Birmingham, in possible violation of his contract with the ”Idol” producers, which forbade him from seeking outside endorsements.
The firm’s owners and lawyers held a press conference on Monday, where they displayed several checks made out to the singer’s brother, Kevin Studdard, or his manager, Ron Edwards, so as not to tip off the Fox network. They said they paid Ruben $1,000 a week at first, then $1,500 after he asked for more money, for a total of $10,000 in payouts, the Birmingham News reports. He told the owners to ”keep this confidential,” their (Flava’s) lawyer told the News.
Michael Jaffa, vice president of business and legal affairs for American Idol Productions, told the News that ”Idol” contestants were not allowed to contract with outside sponsors during the competition. ”It was just that we have major sponsors like Old Navy,” he said. ”There were issues promoting a brand in competition with our sponsors.”
Studdard’s lawyer, Byron Perkins, who has argued that Studdard helped boost 205 Flava’s sales by $2 million, did not comment on the firm’s press conference disclosures. ”The public will hear from us soon,” he told the News.”
As far as I know, Ruben got away with it. Will Adam get away with this? We will find out after the tour because that is a big money maker for 19.
I want to finish this off by addressing a misconception that the Adamants continue to promote. Whether these recordings were in the demo stage or not, it doesn’t matter. The vocal tracks and instrumentals are on separate tracks. New instruments and layers can be added and mixed at any time so that the recordings on the album can be very different from the demos, if they were demos, which we don’t know.
If Adam were to succeed in either blocking this release, which I doubt, or in distancing himself from it, where does that leave his friend and co-writer, Monte Pittman? Is he feeling the twisting of the knife in his back?
It turns out that Adam was not just a session singer and he was not being honest in his statements. The Adamants, Adam’s online fans, think that they can boycott the album but they don’t have the numbers to significantly impact the sales, as much as they would like to think they do.
Adam’s first single did not debut at #1 nor did it rank high on the Hot 100, his debut album “On With The Show” will not debut at #1 either, thanks to his fans, and these statistics will be part of Adam’s career forever.
Michael Jackson: Death By Demerol
Jackson Family — Demerol Shot Caused Death
Posted Jun 26th 2009 9:56AM by TMZ Staff
A close member of Michael Jackson’s family has told us Jackson received a daily injection of a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine – Demerol — and yesterday he received a shot at 11:30 AM.
Family members are saying the dosage was “too much” and that’s what caused his death.
Story developing…
‘American Idol’ to Rebroadcast Michael
Jackson Week In Tribute
For the first time in history, American Idol will rebroadcast a performance night episode, according to BuddyTV.com. The announcement was made on the So You Think You Can Dance show in light of the shocking news that music legend and icon Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Michael Jackson week this year on American Idol featured the top 13 singing songs from Jackson’s early career with the Jackson 5 till the 90’s. It was one of the best performance nights in the history of the show.
Kris Allen that night performed “Remember the Time,” while Adam Lambert performed “Black or White.”
Reports say that the show will air 8 p.m. Monday on Fox.
Am I the only one that sees this as cashing in on Michael Jackson’s death?
Michael Jackson: R.I.P.
Michael Jackson died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest at the age of 50. He was an icon and he will be missed.
Deena is the role that Beyonce played in the movie version. TMZ had this to say:
“Sources say the season seven “Idol” contestant has been cast in the upcoming international tour of “Dreamgirls” the play — landing the role of Deena Jones, who was played by Beyonce in the movie.”
Congrats to Syesha if this is true.
Jennifer Hudson: Au Naturelle
J. Hud Taken to the Mat
Posted Apr 30th 2009 1:10PM by TMZ Staff
Jennifer Hudson spent her Wednesday night like most Oscar winners — by watching a bunch of hot, sweaty, dudes in Speedos roll around in the ring.
Hudson went to the Florida Championship Wrestling event last night to watch her fiance, stage name Dawson Alexander, Esq, throw down — and definitely enjoyed a few of the sights fights.
Adam Lambert Lied!
Lambert’s Old Label — We Got It in Writing!
Posted Jun 25th 2009 2:00AM by TMZ Staff
Adam Lambert claims the album he recorded pre-”Idol” was nothing more than him singing someone else’s songs — but that just isn’t true.
We’ve obtained an internal memo from two divisions of Adam’s old label, which clearly lists Lambert as the co-writer on nine of the 11 tracks on the album.
Lambert’s new handlers released a statement on his behalf this week condemning the album, which said: ”
. I was broke at the time and this was my chance to make a few bucks.”
Ironically — or not — one of the tracks Lambert co-wrote is called “15 Minutes of Fame.”
The Timeline: Perez Hilton Vs. Will.I.Am
Jun 24 2009 2:58 PM EDT
Perez Hilton Vs. Will.I.Am: A Timeline
Here’s an organized account of the Twitters, videos and lawyer statements coming out of Monday’s alleged altercation.
By James Montgomery
It’s the biggest pop-culture blowout of the summer: the alleged assault of Perez Hilton by Black Eyed Peas’ manager Liborio “Polo” Molina in Toronto Monday morning, and the resulting war of words that has erupted between the celebrity blogger and BEP rapper Will.I.Am.
It began with some frantic, early-morning tweets and has grown to encompass multiple response videos, grainy camera-phone footage, the Toronto Police Service, GLAAD, TMZ, “Access Hollywood,” every celebrity’s Twitter page and finally, some litigious threats from personal attorneys.
To be honest, the events of the past few days happened so fast that even MTV News was getting confused (was Perez’s response video a response to Will’s response video, or vice versa?), which is why we’ve created the following timeline with a minute-by-minute account of the whole incident, from the first terrified tweet to the last legal brief.
Monday, 2:34 a.m. ET: Hours after attending Canada’s MuchMusic Awards, Perez Hilton takes to his Twitter account, writing, “I’m in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel now. Please … I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.”
3:47 a.m.: Will.I.Am creates a Twitter account, specifically to deny Hilton’s claims. “It isn’t cool for someone to blame you and blast you with lies,” he writes. “Perez Hilton is a liar.”
5:10 a.m.: Will posts a video message on his Dipdive page, denying that he had anything to do with Hilton’s assault. He instead speculates that a fan attacked Hilton, after Hilton called Will “a f—-t” outside Toronto’s Cobra nightclub. Will also says that while the alleged assault was taking place, he was “minding [his] own business waiting for a car and whatnot.”
10:18 a.m.: Hilton fires back at Will.I.Am with an emotional, 12-minute video rant, in which he accuses the Black Eyed Peas’ manager, Liborio “Polo” Molina, of assaulting him, and calls Will “a f—ing liar” for suggesting that a fan assaulted him. “Will.I.Am is a coward and a disgusting human being for lying,” he says. “I’m making this video because I want to make it clear that I would never make up something like this.”
Monday afternoon: A second Will.I.Am video begins making the rounds, in which Will once again denying Hilton’s claims, and says that the fact that Hilton tweeted about the incident proves that he was looking for attention. “Dude, apparently, you were bleeding outside the club … and instead of calling the police, you [tweeted] that I assaulted you,” Will says. “Sounds like somebody wants mad attention and is not really concerned with his health.”
2:15 pm, Monday: Footage of the altercation appears on TMZ. Though blurry, it shows Hilton shouting an anti-gay slur at two men, whom the Web site identified as Will.I.Am and Molina, while security guards and partygoers look on. Moments later, a scuffle breaks out, and someone can clearly be heard shouting, “You just assaulted Perez Hilton!”
Monday afternoon: Molina turns himself in to Toronto Police in connection with the alleged assault.
9:00 p.m.: The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation releases a statement to TMZ, chastising Hilton for using an anti-gay slur when taunting Will.I.Am, and urging him to apologize for his actions. “For someone in our own community to use [the slur] to attack another person … is incredibly dangerous,” GLAAD’s statement reads. “It legitimizes use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to dehumanize people by exploiting anti-gay attitudes.”
Tuesday, 8:04 a.m.: Hilton responds to GLAAD’s statement with one of his own, telling TMZ that he is “saddened GLAAD chose to victimize me further by criticizing me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation.” He also says that he has no plans to apologize for using the slur, and that GLAAD should really be apologizing to him.
2:23 p.m.: Toronto Police formally charge Molina with assault. He is due back at the Old City Hall courthouse on August 5 to answer to the charge. If prosecutors choose to charge him with an “indictable offence,” Molina could face up to five years in prison, or, if they opt for a lesser “summary offence,” he could serve 18 months.
8:41 p.m.: Hilton posts a statement on his own Web site, calling his use of the anti-gay slur “misguided,” but continued to defend his right to employ such language if he feels threatened. “I was in an out-of-the-ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances,” the statement reads. “My intention — however misguided it may have been — was to stand up for myself and tell this belligerent man that I had enough of his badgering and was not going to continue to let him berate and intimidate me.”
Wednesday (June 24), 11:34 a.m.: Hilton’s attorney says his client is planning legal action over his assault. “All persons responsible for this cowardly act of physical violence will be sued and held legally responsible for their actions,” Bryan J. Freedman said in a statement. “His First Amendment rights will not be infringed upon through fear, intimidation or violence.”
1:34 p.m.: GLAAD issues a statement saying that while Hilton took the right step in acknowledging that “words can hurt,” he still needs to “take this opportunity to reflect on his use of demeaning and defamatory language against many different communities on PerezHilton.com.”
- Chris Daughtry is no Justin Timberlake, but he’ll do. As the “American Idol” alum did shots with members of the Fray and OneRepublic at Timberlake’s barbecue joint, Southern Hospitality, a cougar sidled up to him and growled, “I came here hoping to see Justin Timberlake, but it was great meeting you, too.” Responded Daughtry: “Glad I could fill in!”
Ryan Seacrest might be adding hosting duties of another kind to his schedule in 2009. A source from within CNN says that Seacrest, who has filled in for his friend Larry King in the past, is involved in “serious negotiations” to take over “Larry King Live” around year’s end.
Ryan Seacrest replacing Larry King on CNN is laughable – literally. During King’s one-man show at the Wynn Las Vegas on Friday night, an audience member asked the 75-year-old who he’d choose as his successor upon retirement. After naming Seacrest, the audience burst into gales of laughter. A bewildered King asked, “Why is that funny?”
