Larry King took his suspenders off with his Sister-n-Law

Oops, the word “allegedly” should be in the title of this story. Anyway, Larry King’s messy on/off, maybe/soon divorce from wife number seven, Shawn King, has turned nasty with allegations that he took his suspenders off with his wife’s sister. After the last several months of “breaking news” on other folks’ affairs, unsubstantiated rumors, gossip, tidbits, do tell me more type of talk show, 76 year old Larry King is not getting the 24 hours news coverage that CNN and other media outlets have given to a number of scandals over the years. But the media lack of covering one of their own who is now the center of a he said/she said war of words demonstrates how the media outlets choose the lives they pick apart.
From CNN’s website:

"Larry King Live" is CNN's longest-running interview program. Premiering in June 1985 with its now-famous mix of interviews and topical discussions, the show features guests from across the gamut of business, entertainment and politics.

Guests from across the gamut are touted in the shows bio but The Larry King Live has found a special niche with salacious wall to wall coverage of couples breaking up or in trouble; Kate and Jon Gosselin, former New York Governor Elliot Spitlzer, Governor and Jenny Sanford, and can we not forget all things Tiger and Elgin Woods. Now what is ironic about the Tiger Woods coverage, Larry King was “allegedly” unsnapping his suspenders with his wife’s sister while he was asking detailed probing questions about every blonde bimbo that Tiger Woods “allegedly” texted or called. Larry King’s sister-in-law is blonde by the way. Looking back on the questions, Larry King was asking with more insight than most. With every detail about Tiger Woods life on the table for all to gawk about night and day, CNN has not done the same with Larry King who is making the front pages of tabloids at every checkout counter in the country. There has been no lead in stories with quotes credited to the National Enquirer or US Weekly. No updates from Andy Cooper about King. No bias, no bull statements from fiery Mississippi native Campbell Brown. No worst person list from Rick Sanchez with Larry King. However, on April 15th, when we were all distracted trying to get to the post office to postmark our taxes, Show Biz Tonight gives us this quick nugget:

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- CNN talk show host Larry King and his wife, Shawn King, each filed for divorce Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Both cited "irreconcilable differences" in their filings, but they disagreed over custody of the two children from the 12 years of marriage.

He wants to share legal and physical custody of the boys with her, but she is asking the court to grant physical custody to her alone. The Kings have two sons, ages 9 and 11.

"His major concern is for the children and beyond that he will have no further comment," Larry King's publicist said in a written statement.

Shawn King's lawyer did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.

The documents said the couple separated on Tuesday, the same day Shawn King signed her papers. Larry King's signature was dated Wednesday. Both petitions were filed Wednesday.

Larry King’s scandal has been absent of nightly interviews with the butler, fired nannies, and former girlfriend’s cousin hairstylist neighbor who spoke to someone briefly eleven years ago. The media that creates sensationalism daily has gone death, blind and stupid when one of their own is really being sensational! The hypocrisy is more snark than this blogger can bear.

Larry King is not the only national media name that has been caught with his suspenders off that made his trousers fall down around his ankles. Tiki Barber, the NBC Today correspondent, is making the news as well. But at least NBC is not ignoring the troubles with their ex-Giant football star turned morning show reporter that has left his wife of 11 years for a former NBC college intern (she is blonde also). NBC has reported on Tiki Barber’s circumstances briefly. Tiki Barber issued a statement about the situation:

"After 11 years of marriage, Ginny and I have decided to separate," Barber said. "This decision was a painful one, but we are moving forward amicably and will continue to work together to raise our children with the love and dedication they have always known."

He does not mention his wife is eight months pregnant with twins and his 6 and 7 year old sons in the statement. Wasn’t Tiger Woods children mentioned nightly? What is surprising about the crafted wholesome value club spokesman, Tiki Barber, has spoken publicly about his hatred of his philandering father who left his mother and family. In 2006, Tiki Barber made this statement about his father;

"Not only did he abandon her, I felt like he abandoned us for a lot of our lives. I have a hard time forgiving that."

Tiki and his twin brother were four when their father left the family. Now I am not trying to stir up any more mess than normal, but it appears that Tiki might need serious counseling. We know from real people with real life experiences unresolved hurts and pain from the actions of one generation will manifest in some form in the next generation. Now that bit of compassion you just read from me is not usually stated when news folks like CNN and NBC stand outside troubled family homes night after night reporting the ugly details of public and private individuals lives.

I am not wishing ill on the King or Barber family by any means. This is not a fun post to write about family conflicts. Each family has young children involved and I am sure a host of relatives and friends that are being thrown into this dreadful situation unwillingly. These families are dealing with private pain in the eye of the public for all to see and judge. Been there, done that. Since this is happening to two national media stars, hopefully all forms of the media will practice more restraint in how the lives of others in similar situations are reported in the future. Right now, we need real news to make a serious comeback. News without bias and slants and ready-made story lines. Leave the family break ups, cheating, whoring, lying, who hooked up with whom to the tabloids that are in the business of reporting gossip. With the shape our country is in right now, we, the people, are crying out for truthful reporting that is desperately needed from everyone one in the business of telling us the news.

Reality TV Spawns

We are right in the middle of the holiday season and Tiger Woods'women are as numerous as Santa’s Reindeer. Renaming Santa’s reindeer to fit the saga would not be right for this wonderful time of year so I will try to keep this post PG rated.

When I read that one of the “alleged” women from Tiger’s den was a reality TV show contestant, I thought “here we go again”. How many women hold a press conference with a celebrity attorney to announce proudly she was someone’s trick? I am blaming this docudrama on the need to feed reality TV folks' insatiable appetite. The world of reality television has spawn folks who are as phony as a three dollar bill at Wal-Mart checkout line for twenty or less items. You wonder why they got in the line knowing their money was not real and had no means to pay for the items.

Look at the national attention that reality television has spawn in the last two months from folks “attempting” to be on reality television. The broke down family who faked their missing child flying in a homemade spaceship gave us endless hours of news that was not news. Two weeks ago, we had a Bravo wanna-be house wife, breaking into reality TV that also included breaking into one of the most secured homes in America, the White House. And Facebook proud of her and chubby hubby's new found fame, I might add.

Prior to those headlines, a reality TV “star” dismembered his wife that he met on a reality TV show earlier this fall that set off a national manhunt. The bizarre antics to become famous are bringing forth folks with mental issues that we know are a little beyond touched. Octomom’s mentality of having a bunch of kids and becoming famous came from watching the once wholesome “family channel”, TLC. This network is fast becoming the livelihood of anyone who is pint size, morbid obese, or whose wife’s womb can hold nine babies until each child weighs an ounce. Sick, sick, sick thinking. That Jon and Kate should have been outlawed the minute she got a free tummy tuck and he got new hair plugs. I knew at that point, the show was going to become a product placement mecca. And did it ever! Companies made millions off of Jon and Kate deals that were signed behind the scenes and pitched to famlies in the very scripted show. (Psst, Jon said most of the show was staged.)

We watched as this family's wholesome image become a nightly punch line in less than five years. That’s tragic folks. While watching this family come unglued, TV audiences were saying, “Yeah, I am going to have ten kids and play a Christian on TV too”. Geez, this is as close to peddling crack that a network can get. If it was not already illegal, I would bag this kind of thinking and sell it on the street corner.

All snark aside, reality TV affects us daily. Our news media is picking up on drama sells model and we are hit over the head with news blended with mayhem. Tiger's mess with his mommy-in-law going to the hospital damn near killed us on Tuesday. We can’t take anymore blond women coming forward. Can we get a red head for variety drama sake? When his mommy-in-law had some kind of something happen to her in the middle of the night and the media could only identify her as a blond hair middle age women, the news anchors went fanatical telling us not news about the war, the economy, unemployment or the housing market. That would be real news to real people. We were held hostage with titillating tidbits on who the new woman maybe. The speculation was spawned by the anchors that were getting “tips” from unnamed garbage collectors. Please. Give me the news, please.

When Comcast decided to buy NBC Universal which included Bravo, owners of Ho-wives of Atlanta, OC, New York, New Jersey and soon DC; the value of the news division in the deal was zero. That’s right zero. NBC News division had no value to Comcast. The part of the company that suppose to inform the world about truth when it reports the news, had no value in a deal that was worth nearly $14 billion cash. Now that should scare us more than the war on terror ever did! What was lucrative and valuable to Comcast was the cable division that produces the foolishness that we see nightly. Less facts more drama, God help us all!

Now don’t call me prudish, I am not saying watching reality TV is bad. What I am addressing is how reality TV mentality is effecting how we interact with one another in everyday life. At this stage of my life, too much drama is just too much. We have too many needs in our country to become pawns in the games that spawns of reality television play to become famous. Even in the news division. How the news is delivered has become unreal to many who would appreciate some professionalism without the drama. Comedy shows are becoming top rated for making fun of the news media's lack of reporting the news and the media's rush to report drama staged for a comeback or a spawn's audition.

We see the devil don’t care attitudes of reality TV spawns and the need to be seen at whatever the cost, even if it may hurt one of their own family members or risk national security. What drives this is our media’s willingness to give the spawns a platform to escape discussing real issues with real people. I am praying that we curb the desire to participate in foolishness and granting fake-drama-driven people megaphones to announce their deeds to world. You slept with Tiger Woods you say. Okay. Here’s your award, now go feed a starving child. Next.

In the meantime, the going rate for announcing you are one of Tiger Woods’ concubines is as cheap as bottle of blond bleach, 4.99.