Seacrest Media Empire Still Expanding

Star-studded finale ends emotionally

(NEWSER) - Larry King signed off for the last time last night, getting emotional as he reflected on his show's 25-year run. “It’s not very often in my life I’ve been without words,” he said. Two presidents, Barbara Walters, Donald Trump, Dr. Phil, and Ryan Seacrest all appeared on the program, Mediaite reports. King said he’d be back —”you’re not going to see me go away.” So “instead of goodbye, how about so long.” More»

Critics bid farewell to softballs, suspenders

(NEWSER) - Tonight is Larry King’s final show on CNN—Bill Maher and Ryan Seacrest will be in the studio with him, and word has it he’ll be receiving a taped sendoff from President Obama and chat with more than a dozen other mystery guests via satellite. Some 50,000 interviews later, what the critics are saying:

• King’s career “eternally careened between pinnacles of wild success and pits of utter catastrophe,” writes Glenn Garvin in the Kansas City Star . But “it's hard to find anyone of any significance in the past half-century who hasn't sat across the table.”

It's clear the legend can't hack it anymore

(NEWSER) - If you needed proof that it’s time for Larry King to retire—beyond the plummeting ratings —you got it during his painful interview with Lady Gaga. The interaction was a total dud, despite Gaga’s obvious willingness to have fun. “If he can no longer hit a hanging curve ball over the middle of the plate, shouldn’t CNN be thinking hard about who is on deck?” writes David Carr of the New York Times . More»

'Two and a Half Men,' '24' also rake in the bucks

(NEWSER) - TV shows are judged by ratings, but ratings don't always reflect how much cash a show actually brings in. The biggest moneymakers are longstanding hits with broad appeal, Kantar Media found in a survey of TV's most popular programs. The winner, unsurprisingly, is a show that practically defines mass appeal: American Idol, which takes in $8.1 million per 30-minute block, Forbes reports. More»

Hosts, finalists Tweet their sadness over resignation

(NEWSER) - Paula Abdul’s surprise announcement that she won’t return to American Idol has disappointed fellow host Ryan Seacrest and several Idol alumni, E! Online reports.

• "I was shocked," Seacrest said on his radio show this morning. "I'm just bummed because we've worked together for so many years." The announcement is “not a publicity stunt," he added.