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CNN Larry King Live
Encore: Donald Trump Interviews Larry King
Aired July 05, 2010 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONALD TRUMP, TELEVISION PERSONALITY; CHAIRMAN, CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: Tonight, Larry King for the hour. I'm Donald Trump and I'm turning the tables on Larry on his 25th anniversary at CNN.
We'll talk about what might be the most famous kiss ever in prime-time, the debate that made and really changed the world, and my own favorite misunderstood moment.
Plus, Hillary Clinton, Bill Maher, Snoop Dogg, Michael Moore, Celine Dion, Al Gore, Derek Jeter, Laura Bush, Kelly Ripa, Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron, Lionel Richie, Judge Judy, Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway, Joe Torre, Kirstie Alley, Pam Anderson, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and K.D. Lange, all help as I put Larry on the hot seat, next on this special anniversary edition of "LARRY KING LIVE."
I'm Donald Trump. And it's a pleasure to be here.
25 years ago, CNN said, "You're hired" to Larry King. And in the quarter century since, he's interviewed just about everybody who's anybody. But not tonight. Tonight, I ask, and Larry answers.
I've enlisted the insistence of some of the celebrities he's had on the show to make things even more interesting. it's going to be an amazing hour. Larry's a special guy and I love doing this.
Larry, all of the interviews you've done, what's been your favorite?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You know, first, Donald, thank you for doing this. I'm honored to be interviewed by the great Mr. Trump and to sit on this side of this seat because --
TRUMP: Well, I'm honored also.
KING: I'm not used to being on this end.
TRUMP: This is one that I couldn't turn down.
KING: You're one of my favorite interviews. You're a great interview, Donald.
TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you.
KING: If I had to pick one -- well, there's so many. It would probably be Brando. One, because he's so hard to get.
TRUMP: Right, especially now.
KING: He didn't do -- especially now.
(LAUGHTER)
He didn't do interviews. They called me up and they told me that Marlon Brando's going to do your show, and he's going to want to call you first.
TRUMP: Right.
KING: I said, OK. And then I get a call a little later, and he says, "This is Marlon." I actually said, Marlon who?
TRUMP: Right.
KING: Because I know Marlon Fitzwater. And he says, Brando. And I say, OK. And he says, come up to the house, I want to talk to you. So he picked me up in his car at the Beverly Wilshire. We drove around Beverly Hills, singing songs. Went up to his house, had lunch. He did the show I think that Friday night. That was a Tuesday. He did it live. We did an hour and a half. He had his dog with him. He had --
(LAUGHTER)
He had his -- he entertained the entire crew. He was sweet. He was funny. At the end of the interview, he kissed me. He was responsive. He was an incredible guest. I never forgot Marlon Brando.
TRUMP: One of your more classic interviews too.
KING: Yes, it'll go down in history.
TRUMP: Yes, anybody who saw that interview just -- now, when you're with a guest, do you know early on if it's going to be stiff or if it's going to be great? I mean, do you have any idea, as somebody who's probably interviewed more than anybody as certainly, that we can think of.
KING: I know you do make a kind of quick judgments. You learn -- it's a rhythm, Donald. It's -- I've been doing it so long, because I'm doing CNN 25 years, but I've been interviewing people 53 years.
TRUMP: What do you do when you do somebody who gives you the one-word answers, yes, no, and you're working really hard and you're earning every penny that night? What do you do?
KING: The Robert Mitchum did that to me. And I loved Robert Mitchum. in fact, it was right here in New York. I couldn't wait to do him, because he was one of my favorite actors. Donald, he one- worded me through the whole thing. Hard. It got so bad, I asked him, what was it like to work with the great John Huston, the great director. He said, "Seen one, seen them all."
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Oh, that's nice.
KING: I said, are you telling me that it made no difference if it's John Huston or Stan Smith. He said, "No, you do your job. You go home." Everything was thrown at -- at the end, I was asking him what he had for dinner.
TRUMP: But you've had many of those evenings, haven't you, Larry?
KING: Not many. If you work at it long enough and hard enough, you can draw people out. I've taken people who were very nervous at the beginning and changed them. I think that the job of the host, the host's job -- it's his show -- is to draw the interview out. Now, if it's impossible, it's impossible, but he's got a role to do and I try to play that role. You have to listen to answers. You have to be curious. You have to make the guest comfortable. The guest has to know, in my case at least, that I don't have any agenda. I'm not that appraiser or embarrassed. I'm there to learn and I'm a conduit to the audience.
TRUMP: Do you ever get criticized of being too tough or too soft on a guest?
KING: I've heard both of those things. I don't know what I do, I just know they do it, you know what I mean? I -- sure, you can't do it all of these years and not have criticism. I tried to do the best I can. I try to ask the best questions that I can think of. I listen to -- listening is as important as asking because often, from answers, questions come.
TRUMP: Absolutely. Well, we've got a question from Oscar- winning filmmaker, James Cameron. And he asks Larry to use his imagination when thinking about guest possibilities.
Who are your favorite guests?
KING: The favorite guests are those who can do four things. If you can do -- anyone -- if you have any one of these -- all four of these things -- you are a great guest. And that would be, you have passion, a sense of humor, anger, and an ability to explain what you do very well.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: What about look?
KING: What?
TRUMP: What about look?
KING: How'd they look?
TRUMP: Yes, look?
KING: I never thought about how they look.
TRUMP: OK, let me -- let me just run the James Cameron clip, Larry. It's very interesting.
KING: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CAMERON, FILMMAKER: Who would be your fantasy guest and what would you ask him? Like would you want to have Jesus Christ on the show, or you know Stalin, or somebody that you know, that you -- Winston Churchill. Who would you want to meet and interview?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That's a great question, James, from a great director. All of those -- Winston Churchill would be fascinating. Did he know we'd come to his aid in World War II? Jesus Christ, what does he think of the world today? Does he believe he was born a virgin birth? Abraham Lincoln, what would he make of what's happened to the union since he preserved the union? What a list. It would be an endless list. Stalin would be on it. Hitler -- you know, evil people make great guests. Because evil people don't think they're evil.
TRUMP: And you've had some of them.
KING: Yes, I know. They don't get up in the morning, comb their hair, say, "I'm evil." So I don't approach them that way.
TRUMP: Another question from a past "LARRY KING LIVE" guest. This is from Kirstie Alley. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTIE ALLEY, ACTRESS: What moved you most emotionally, and by what guest?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I was moved emotionally by Karla Faye Tucker. That show won us an Emmy. Here's a woman sentenced to die. She had killed people. She had transformed her life. The governor of Texas, George Bush, is watching. And here's a woman who knows she's going to be injected and put to death, and yet, at the same time, both believing and optimistic.
I wasn't allowed to touch her. I had to touch glass. They wouldn't allow me to be in the same -- we were in the same area, but I couldn't touch her, feel her fingers, body or anything. That was a highly emotional thing, to sit with someone who you know is going to be put to death.
TRUMP: What about Tammy Faye Bakker? I watched that interview. It was an amazing interview. KING: Oh, it was the night before she died.
TRUMP: She was so vibrant. You know, whether you liked her or didn't like her, respect her.
KING: She was a great guest.
TRUMP: She was a great guest. But the night -- I saw that interview the night before she died. Was that emotional for you?
KING: Oh, emotional. To see how bad she looked that night. She wanted to do the interview. She knew she was going to die within hours. in fact, they held up announcing the death until the next night. They announced it one minute before I went on the air. That was so sad.
TRUMP: That was a tough one. But let me ask you about that, Larry. Sometimes you'll see these really great-looking people and then they get sick, nothing that they can do about it, but sick, and it affects their look. It affects their whole thing. And yet they go on your show.
KING: Why? I've often asked.
TRUMP: I ask why.
KING: Yes.
TRUMP: I see it all of the time, and I ask why.
KING: I don't know why.
TRUMP: I don't see myself doing that, you know? If you read bad stuff about me, I don't think that I will be on your show. But why is it that they do that?
KING: I think that they want to have some last word to say to people, some legacy to leave. You know, I think they may know they look bad, as Tammy Faye did. But I think that she wanted to deliver a message. I don't know why people in circumstance -- why do people who have just lost a loved one --
TRUMP: Btu you see it a lot.
KING: Why do people who've lost a loved one --
TRUMP: I don't get it. The same day, the same night.
KING: I would not go on.
TRUMP: And they're devastated.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Could you have gone on if, god forbid, you have lost a -- forget it. TRUMP: No, I don't understand it.
KING: But there are -- I think -- the biggest part of what television's become a part of us. It's the culture, Donald. It's a different world we live in. I couldn't imagine doing it. But people do it.
TRUMP: Well, anybody who's seen Judge Judy this show knows she doesn't mince words. And she doesn't shy away of putting Larry really on the spot. So let's take a look at her question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE JUDY, TV JUDGE: If I could ask Larry one question, lots of people have said to him, who is your favorite interview. My question to Larry was, who was your least favorite interview?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That's a good question. And right comes to mind is Phyllis Gates. Now, you may not know the name. Phyllis Gates passed away recently. She was Rock Hudson's wife. She was an actress. She married Rock Hudson. Rock Hudson has just died of AIDS, OK? Now we've booked her on. And everyone's excited. This is going to be sensational. Here's a woman who was married to Rock Hudson who has just died of AIDS.
She sits down. She -- Ms. Gates, nice to have you with us. How did you feel learning this? Oh, I felt bad. How did you meet Rock? My agent introduced us. Did you know he had AIDS? No, I haven't spoken to him in years. What was he like as your husband? He was nice.
TRUMP: That's a tough one.
KING: Did you follow his career? A little.
TRUMP: Wow.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: That was hard to take.
TRUMP: Well, he wasn't kissing her a lot, Larry, let's face it.
KING: No.
TRUMP: OK.
Next, we have Larry and Snoop Dogg. What a pair. It's next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOOP DOGG, SINGER: 1967 Pontiac Paraseene.
KING: I have never heard of a Paraseene. SNOOP DOGG: Yes, it's low to the floor too.
KING: Whoa.
SNOOP DOGG: See, I told you it was low to the floor.
KING: I'm low and on the floor. Ooh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA BUSH, FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Larry, 25 years ago, George and I were watching you from Midland, Texas, where we lived. We had 4-year-old twins who were playing on the floor around the television. Congratulations on 25 great years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE & FORMER FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi, Larry. This is Hillary from Washington. Congratulations on 25 years on CNN. It's hard to believe it's been that long, because you sure make a tough job look easy. And I say that from a lot of experience. It's been great fun to be on the other side of the table from you. And it's been even more fun watching your show all of these years. So, thanks, Larry. Thanks for your hard work, for your insight and your humor. You are truly the king of television talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Welcome back to "LARRY KING LIVE." I'm Donald Trump sitting in for Larry tonight.
Joining me is the one and only Larry King.
Larry's interviewed a long list of A-list stars and celebrities. Sometimes it's an unlikely paring, like him and Snoop Dogg and Snoop Dogg sort of wondered about that, so he has this question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOOP DOGG: If I could ask Larry King anything what would I ask him? What is it like to interview Snoop Dogg?
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Snoop Dogg is a great guest. He fits a lot of things and he's different. And I tell you about Snoop Dogg, he's misunderstood, Donald. He valley a good guy. You know, people think that he's a wacko sort of guy. I drove in his crazy car with him. I had a lot of fun with Snoop Dogg. I regard him as a caring, compassionate, loving guy. A great father. Great with kids. Snoop Dogg is welcome here anytime.
TRUMP: And you know what, he does his thing and he does it well.
KING: Yes, he's Snoop Dogg.
TRUMP: And he's a cool guy.
KING: Yes, he's a super guy.
TRUMP: I agree with you 100 percent.
We've got another question for Larry. This is from Bill Maher.
KING: Ah, Bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL MAHER, HOST, "REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER": Larry, why am I your favorite guest? And please don't be shy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Well, Bill Maher is a great guest, that's true.
TRUMP: That's true.
KING: You wouldn't think one of the favorites, but he is a great guest. One, like you, he always brings people in. A lot of people watch Bill Maher. You want to know who Bill Maher is? He answers what you ask him. He's totally honest. There's not a connect between here and here. He doesn't stand -- he's not politic -- he is -- he is -- he is above politics, in that he is totally committed to what he's saying. And he's funny. So that means, if you ask him about anyone, he's irreverent. You love irreverent people. Bill Maher's one my favorites.
TRUMP: I agree, he was a great guest.
The kiss that made TV history, it's next when "LARRY KING LIVE" returns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: This should be a thrill for us, but in this particular case, the guest is thrilled.
You are really a fan. It's so nice to know that!
CELINE DION, SINGER: So nice to meet you. So nice to be in the studio with you and spend some time with you.
My favorite Larry King memory is meeting with him. I was very, very nervous when I did his show for the first time, and I remember Renee (ph) telling me that if, one day you do Larry King, you're going to be a star. And I don't want to sound pretentious saying that, but it was just amazing, meeting and doing his show.
When there's music in your life, there's happiness.
It's always wonderful to be connected, so thank you, Larry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAM ANDERSON: Everyone's having mental meltdowns. There's a lot of tears on the show, a lot of tears.
KING: You have them too.
ANDERSON: I haven't had any yet. No, I'm not going to.
How do you do it? How do you have the endurance? How do you do this every single night with a smile on your face? Because he always seems so passionate about what he's doing and so friendly and interested. And he just does a great interview. And he's been around a long time. And I don't know what CNN -- or TV would be without him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: 25 years of "LARRY KING LIVE" have made for a lot of memorable television. But some of Larry's interviews have provided real standout moments, like the 1994 smooch that ended his Q&A with a legendary Marlon Brando, who was fantastic. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER: My favorite Larry King memory was the interview with Marlon Brando.
MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: Fame.
KING: Fame.
(SINGING)
SEAN PENN, ACTOR: I suppose my favorite Larry King memory is watching him eat cookies with Marlon Brando.
BRANDO: Try one of these cookies.
KING: Are they fattening?
BRANDO: It's not going to make you fat. It's not going to do anything.
MATTHEW MORRISON, ACTOR & SINGER: My favorite Larry King memory was when Marlon Brando kissed him on the lips. Leaned over and gave him a big old smooch.
(SINGING)
BRANDO: Done. Good-bye.
KING: Good-bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So, Larry, what was it with Marlon Brando? You see so many people, they want to know about Marlon Brando, with all of interviews. What was it with Marlon Brando that made him special?
KING: What you just saw. He was himself. He had no airs about his acting. In fact, a lot of actors got mad at him when he did that interview because he said, "It ain't hard. Acting ain't hard. It's just being someone else." In fact, he had a great line to me. He said, "If twice a year, a car happened come up to my house and leave $5 million, I'd never act again."
TRUMP: That's great. That's great.
(LAUGHTER)
I remember that.
KING: I love Marlon for what he was. He was Marlon Brando. And there was no one like him.
TRUMP: Well, "LARRY KING LIVE" made headlines and history on November 9th, 1993, when Al Gore and Ross Perot squared off on this show for a debate about NAFTA. It attracted a record cable audience. It was an unbelievable evening. I remember it well. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSS PEROT, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do you guys every do anything --
AL GORE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But --
PEROT: -- but propaganda?
GORE: Isn't it your business also --
PEROT: And you wouldn't know the truth if you saw it.
GORE: Oh yes, I --
(CROSSTALK)
PEROT: I wouldn't believe that you would. We've been up here too long.
GORE: Let me ask you a question.
PEROT: Please let me finish.
This isn't "Cross Fire," is it, Larry?
KING: No. Go ahead.
PEROT: May I finish?
GORE: The debate that I had with Ross Perot, which Larry moderated and hosted, was quite a show.
GORE: No --
(CROSSTALK)
GORE: I'm not charging anything illegal, but this blunderbust attack on all lobbyists.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: I think he just said that you made a statement about lobbying.
PEROT: Wait just a minute. Wait just a minute.
GORE: Larry was fair and even handed as always. But I had the impression that it had a big impact on the outcome of issue that was -- that was then being considered by the country.
KING: The financing of the anti-NAFTA campaign, you had not been asked it, and he asked it.
PEROT: OK, fine, I'll answer it.
TRUMP: And the end result of that debate, Larry, was not good for Ross Perot, is that correct?
KING: No, it was not good for NAFTA -- I mean, it was not good for opponents of NAFTA. NAFTA was failing at the time. It was behind in the Senate. That debate is generally agreed upon, changed the vote on NAFTA. Bill Clinton, the president, called me the next morning and said the following, "I owe you big time." Now, he owed me because the show produced it. I did a very fair debate, but Al Gore was a veteran debater. How many years -- he was on the debate team at Harvard.
TRUMP: He surprised people, though, that night.
KING: He did that night. He came alive. And Ross took him for granted, I think. And I love Ross Perot. But I think Al Gore cleaned his clock.
TRUMP: Are you surprised, the recent news about Al Gore and Tipper?
KING: Very surprised.
TRUMP: They're getting divorced.
KING: Because they're they were a wonderful couple. Anytime I was with them, which is frequent, but --
TRUMP: That's the way it goes.
KING: You now, I don't delve into the private lives of others. I'm sorry to hear about it.
TRUMP: So let me ask you this, Frank Sinatra was a friend of mine. He was a special guy. He did a lot of interviews. Supposedly, he was very nervous when he did your interview. Were you nervous interviewing Frank Sinatra?
KING: Well, he did a lot of interviews early. Later on, he didn't want to do any. But when he did mine, he was -- well, he was apprehensive. He hadn't done an interview in a long time. The "Manchurian Candidate" had just been re-released, and he agreed to do it. It was the one interview he'd do to support the film. It turned out to be the last interview that he ever did on television.
TRUMP: Well, let's check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK SINATRA, SINGER: I'm considered an over-the-hill performer now at my age.
QUINCY JONES, MUSICAN, SINGER & MUSIC PRODUCER: My favorite Larry King memory -- or one of them, is when we did the tribute to Francis Albertson Sinatra.
SINATRA: I swear on my mother's soul, the first 40 -- the first four or five seconds, I tremble every time I walk, take the step and walk onto the wing onto the stage.
JONES: It was incredible because he was, he was a very beautiful man, I've worked with him from '64 until he left, you know? He was an unbelievable person.
KING: Is there still a lot of that little boy in you?
KING: Yes, sure. You never lose that. I think, if I lost it, everything would be over. Everything would be all over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Did you like Frank Sinatra?
KING: I more than liked him. If he liked you, he liked you.
TRUMP: He was good?
KING: Bad not to have him not like you.
TRUMP: That's true.
KING: Frank was not a gray-area person. He was a black-and- white guy. You knew where you stood with Frank Sinatra. He was, and also, in my opinion, the best entertainer of his era.
TRUMP: Director Quentin Tarantino has a question to ask Larry. The question and answer, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRISCILLA PRESLEY, EX-WIFE OF ELVIS PRESLEY: My favorite Larry King memory -- he may not remember this or not, but maybe he will. I guarantee you he will -- was when he drove up Graceland, the gates of Graceland, in a beautiful, blue convertible Cadillac. And he drove up and he was getting ready to interview me. And he looked like he was having a great time driving through the long driveway up to the doors, and a big smile on his face.
KING: We made it. I'm at Graceland. Let's go in.
Was his funeral held right here?
PRESLEY: Yes. It was right here.
KING: Right here?
PRESLEY: Yes. We are basically sitting where the casket was?
KING: So this was very private?
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Family only?
PRESLEY: Family and very close friends. Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOOP DOGG: My favorite Larry King moment would probably be Larry King going in the Waffles and Chicken with Snoop Dogg, sitting down having a plate of some waffles and talking about his favorite drink, and just seeing him just break that chicken down. That was beautiful for me to see.
(SINGING)
SNOOP DOGG: I see you working over there. Work that out, Larry.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: The chicken's fantastic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "MAD CITY," 1997)
LARRY KING, HOST: Good evening. Welcome to LARRY KING LIVE.
How are the kids, Sam?
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "PRIMARY COLORS, 1998)
JOHN TRAVOLTA, ACTOR: Look at King. Look at his face."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "AMERICAN SWEETHEARTS," 2001)
BILLY CRYSTAL, ACTOR: You didn't happen to see LARRY KING last night, did you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE KID," 2000)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Yes, you watching this?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Unfortunately, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS," 2001)
KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) next to a very handsome young Spanish gentleman, do you not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "THE STEPFORD WIVES," 2004)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Wait until he's asleep, then cut it off.
It's a page-turner.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: I cried. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS," 2001)
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, ACTRESS: I hate Larry King. I hate him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "30 ROCK," 2009)
TINA FEY, ACTRESS: You ready for LARRY KING LIVE tonight?
TRACY MORGAN, ACTOR: You know it. I cursed for three hours straight just to get it out of my system, you dumb bitch!"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP OF "BEE MOVIE," 2008)
VOICE OF JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: You know they have a Larry King in the human world, too.
KING: It's a common name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZETA-JONES: I love Larry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP: Welcome back to this special edition of LARRY KING LIVE. I am here interviewing Larry instead of the other way around.
Over the past 25 years, Larry has talked about some pretty hot stuff with some sizzling celebrities. Believe me, I know a lot of them. Which leads us to this question from director Quentin Tarantino.
QUENTIN TARANTINO, DIRECTOR: He has interviewed a lot of sexy women. I remember Angie Dickinson being on the show, and I would be interested in finding out who Larry thought had the most sex appeal of any woman he has ever interviewed.
KING: Boy, that is tough because I have interviewed some pretty sexy women. If I came right down to it, I would say Charlize Theron.
TRUMP: Really?
KING: Well, come on. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a goddess. Charlize Theron -- and that accent - she is beautiful inside and out, and that comes through - and sexy.
TRUMP: Larry, going back to the past, a little bit longer -- you know, that is current, modern day. I always said they don't make movies like they used to - the beauty of past movie stars. What do you think?
KING: Well, Liz Taylor wasn't bad, wasn't too hard to take. Bette Davis - even the aging Bette Davis still had that quality. Of course, Angie Dickinson, who became a great friend of mine -- I put Angie way up on that list.
TRUMP: Yes, nice person, too.
KING: Yes.
TRUMP: We have another clip from Quentin, and it is about his favorite memory watching LARRY KING LIVE. Trust me, he is going to surprise you, maybe even shock you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARANTINO: I had just made "Reservoir Dogs," and I had never been outside of the country before, and I was living for awhile in Amsterdam. And so I was watching CNN a lot because it was one of the only English-language stations, and it was an interview between him and Martha Stewart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Well, can I call this my Larry King Glaze Cake?
MARTHA STEWART: You can indeed, and maybe we will re-name it in the book for the next edition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TARANTINO: And they flirted with each other so hard, I almost could not believe it, that it was actually happening on television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, you designed it...
STEWART: Now you have never been to my house for dinner.
KING: Is this a...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Martha is so nice, you know? That's really nice.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Don't. Martha.
STEWART: And those are very pretty dried, and they do look...
KING: Martha? Where do you get these?
STEWART: Not too soft, not too hard. KING: Perfect beads!
STEWART: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TARANTINO: And he made these, like, puns that I thought were too filthy for Cinemax, and it was actually happening on the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: Well, we have these balls that you hang on your tree.
KING: Oh, these are cute.
STEWART: What is that made out of?
KING: Something fuzzy.
STEWART: Cockscomb.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Well, we slide into the next thing. What is this?
STEWART: Well, that's cockscomb - it is. It's cockscomb.
KING: Why do you always correct me, Martha? Why can't you just let it be on an even keel? Three little things, you know?
STEWART: Umm. So delicious.
KING: Umm. I'm glazing my own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TARANTINO: And me and my friend were like, "Is this even happening? Did he just say that?" And she giggled like she was a 14- year-old schoolgirl.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: You are very handy, right? I mean, you are "Miss Handy."
STEWART: Right.
KING: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TARANTINO: That is definitely my favorite LARRY KING memory. They needed to be separated at some point.
KING: You want to know something weird about that? I had forgotten all about that. But what a point he made. We were really teasing each other that night. That was - that comes right back to me.
TRUMP: You know the Martha interview that I really respected and liked and respected her for doing it was when she was in all of the trouble, and she went on your show.
KING: Yes. That was a gutsy night.
TRUMP: Well, very few people would have had courage. That was amazing courage, as far as I am concerned.
KING: I liked the...
TRUMP: I mean, you have to respect her a lot. Well, Larry's sartorial style is often imitated but never duplicated. The story behind the suspenders, as we continue Larry's 25th anniversary celebration right here on CNN, your favorite place.
KING: That's my place.
TRUMP: Better believe it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: My favorite LARRY KING memory is that every time I have gone to your show - I remember the first time I did it. I was so impressed with what a good interview - he always gives you the feeling that he cares about what you are saying. He doesn't just ask you the question and then stare off into space.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Are you ever down, Betty White?
WHITE: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
KING: I have never seen you down.
WHITE: Well, when I sleep, which is about two hours a night, then I'm down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL PACINO, ACTOR: Hi, Larry. It's me, Al, and I am here to congratulate you on your 25 years of working for CNN, LARRY KING LIVE.
You still have the same energy, the same commitment, the same interest in other people and what they think and how they are feeling and what they got to say, and I think that is pretty amazing. So congratulations from me to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, DIRECTOR: If I could ask Larry one question, "Why the suspenders?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: What happens when those suspenders come off? That is what I want to know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K.D. LANG, SINGER: Where do you buy your suspenders? That is what I want to know more than anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE HATHAWAY, ACTRESS: Who supplies your suspenders?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: How many pairs of suspenders do you really have?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The suspenders are a Larry King trademark, and there is a good story behind them. I want to ask Larry if they were his idea or maybe, possibly, somebody else's?
KING: They were somebody else's, someone you knew - my ex-wife Sharon.
TRUMP: Oh yes.
KING: It was sometime after my heart surgery. We were walking down -- going to have dinner, and she said, "You know, you lost a lot of weight. You look pretty good. Why do you keep wearing those half- sweaters or jackets? Why don't you try something different?"
I said, "What?" She said, "Why don't you try braces?"
So one night I wore suspenders - never worn them in my life. And a few people called in and said I looked good, and that is all my ego had to hear -- you know about ego. Someone says you look good. They lasted forever.
TRUMP: Have you ever done, since then, a show without the suspenders? Do you wear them automatically?
KING: Without the - I did not wear suspenders the night of the death of Yitzhak Rabin.
TRUMP: Very interesting.
KING: We did a special show, and I thought that was...
TRUMP: Very interesting.
KING: ... not appropriate because it was right at the time - it was the same night he died.
TRUMP: Well, suspenders are just one of the trademarks that have made Larry a target for impersonators. Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery? Watch, and decide for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NORM MCDONALD, COMEDIAN: Larry King is with us. Larry, welcome.
KING: An honor to be with you, Larry.
MCDONALD: Well, welcome to the show.
KING: This is strange, isn't it?
MCDONALD: It's strange, but it's good.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED ARMISEN: Welcome back to LARRY KING LIVE. I'm Larry King, and the suspenders are prescription. They hold in my organs.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: Yeah, sir, go ahead. Love Larry King
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNOOP DOGG, RAP SINGER: Back in a few minutes with our guest, Snoop Dogg, as we take you to the hood where he's from on LARRY KING LIVE.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: Atlanta, you're on the air.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOORE: Hi, I'm Larry King -- the "King of Controversy," Michael Moore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACY MORGAN, COMEDIAN: Larry King, you my man. When I grow up, I want to be just like you, brother.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Well, we have both been imitated a lot.
TRUMP: That's true.
KING: "Saturday Night Live" - let's see, who did me on - Kevin Nealon did me very well, Norm McDonald very well, Craig Ferguson, Fred Armisen.
TRUMP: Who's your favorite? Who does you the best?
KING: I have always thought in the past that probably Norm McDonald. I haven't heard from Norm in awhile. They all do me - Craig Ferguson is pretty funny, and Darrell Hammond does the best you.
TRUMP: Oh, Darrell is great. Darrell is really terrific.
Well, listen, I have been on LARRY KING LIVE more than three dozen times over the years. Can you believe that?
Sometimes I'm on the phone, which I really like better. I don't have to get made up, I don't need any makeup, I don't need anything. It's wonderful. I sit in bed and I do it. Those are my favorites.
But I'm on the set, and we had an unbelievable moment. It was face- to-face, and it became actually very controversial. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Are you thinking of going beyond the East Coast? I mean, it would seem that New York and Atlantic City have now crowded in.
TRUMP: Well, I am involved in the West Coast. I have a lot of property out in California, and it has been great, but generally the East Coast is what I have, Larry.
KING: But why all the - why a board game? TRUMP: Do you mind if I sit back a little bit because your breath is very bad. It really is. Has this ever been told to you before?
KING: No.
TRUMP: No? Ok, then I won't bother...
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: No, actually, Larry...
KING: That is how you get the edge.
TRUMP: Let me tell you one thing...
KING: That is - see, that little thing - you threw me right then, and no one has ever told me that.
TRUMP: Has nobody told you that?
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: Sharon hasn't said it? You're kidding.
KING: Nobody.
TRUMP: Ok. Your breath is great.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I took such heat for that.
KING: That was before the suspenders.
TRUMP: Well, what happened - it was before the suspenders...
KING: That was early Trump.
TRUMP: It was very skinny Trump - but I took such heat because you were saying, "How do you put people off guard? What do you do to put people off guard?" And I said, "Well, Larry, your breath is absolutely terrible." And you even were offended by it, and you forgot the first part of your question.
KING: People came over to me - "Well, Donald Trump hates you," and "Why would he say that to you?" And you got flak.
TRUMP: And your breath was absolutely fine, but I took heat the next day. It was incredible. Lionel Richie, our mutal friend, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ARETHA FRANKLIN, SINGER: I love Larry King's interviews. I love the suspenders and the whole nine yards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CONSUELO, ACTOR: Larry, happy 25 years.
KELLY RIPA: Larry, you are a baby in television, a real baby. You are perfect. Happy anniversary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K.D. LANG, SINGER: Happy anniversary, Larry. You are the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKLIN: But if you want to know the real deal, turn LARRY KING on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: What are you doing later?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: LARRY KING LIVE sponsored a contest that asked viewers to pick their favorite moment of the past 25 years.
Your top choice was Larry's coverage of 9/11, and I agree with that 100 percent. It resonated with Grammy-winning recording artist Lionel Richie, a friend of both of ours. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Nearly 5,000 people are reported missing or confirmed dead at the World Trade Center. The Pentagon death toll at least...
And what were you doing initially before the second plane?
Americans search for answers and their leaders contemplate action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIONEL RICHIE, SINGER: My favorite LARRY KING memory was probably the way he handled the 9/11 situation. I thought it was amazing how there was so much information coming in, so many different streams of information. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I love you. I'm in the World Trade Center. The building was hit by something...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Do you get the feeling, Governor, or you may have more information...
But the men on that plane apparently, apparently from what we have learned, attacked...
... Intelligence Committee. Did intelligence fail us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHIE: He was right on target to handle so many different interviews all at one point. It was just amazing how he kept all of that together in his head. I can't under - I can't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Go in and take them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It was amazing the way you handled...
KING: Where were you?
TRUMP: I was watching - I was watching television, and I was actually looking forward to Jack Welch, who is somebody that I like and respect, and he was going to be on...
KING: He was going to be the guest.
TRUMP: He was going to be a guest, and I'm waiting, and they said, all of a sudden, there has been this horrific situation at the World Trade Center. They thought a boiler exploded, but boilers are not in the upper quadrant of the building, right? They are in the basement.
And it looked awfully suspicious, and they never even said that Jack won't be on. It was just immediately from that point. It wasn't like, "Oh, he won't be on." Everybody knew that nobody was going to be on... KING: I remember that morning I was in L.A., of course, and watching, and I woke up the family, and I thought at first it was an Arnold Schwarzenegger commercial for a coming movie. He had a movie coming out about terrorism, and I saw the building.
And then I knew that day that my life would change, all our lives would change forever. I think we did three months straight of programming, worked seven nights a week. And then two weeks later, to the day, I was at Ground Zero, and that night Rudy Giuliani was on the show and Regis was on, and then I went to the Burn Center at New York Hospital. You never forget that day. And as New Yorkers...
TRUMP: Well, there was some great coverage, but nobody covered it like you. And the ratings really reflected it. I mean, nobody covered like you.
You had the human interest. It was - there has never been anything like this. You could say Pearl Harbor, but at least that was an attack on soldiers. It was an attack on armed something - although it was certainly a sneak attack. This was on people that work in an office building. This was on the people of New York, and that was a terrible, terrible...
KING: We will never get over it. It will be etched in our memory forever.
When are they building the new site? What are they...
TRUMP: Well, they are building it now. It is way, way behind schedule. I really suggested very strongly that they rebuild the World Trade Center as it was, but one story taller and a stronger building, obviously, a stronger building.
And I had tremendous - everybody agreed with that, but they decided not to do it.
KING: It was a great idea.
TRUMP: No, I felt strongly about it. Well, five stories, or 10 stories taller.
You know, it's funny. The World Trade Center was never looked upon as great architecture until it was down. It's like you lose somebody that you love. You never loved them that much, but you lose them, and all of a sudden, you love. Everybody loved the World Trade Center after it was gone, Larry.
KING: A year earlier I had spoken at a breakfast conference at Windows on the World. That was such an incredible view at that restaurant - to stand up there and then two years later be doing stories - that blind man that walked down 78 floors with his seeing- eye dog.
TRUMP: Right.
Or people - a friend of mine went up and made a speech that morning on Windows of the world. He was making a speech -- wonderful guy -- and wiped out everybody up there, wiped out. I mean, it was...
KING: Did you know people that died?
TRUMP: I knew numerous people that died. I knew many people in the World Trade Center that worked in the World - I mean it really was a place of commerce and international trade. And, you know, the amazing thing - it took 30 years to get it rented up it was so big, and it finally got rented up, and this is what happened. It was a very, very...
KING: It took a long time for the elevators to get up to the top.
TRUMP: It took a long time.
KING: You went to visit the building. It was...
TRUMP: That was a terrible moment. But it does show how great New York is. To have recovered so fully from that is amazing.
So, we've got a couple of surprises. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK JETER, PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER: Hi, Larry, this is Derek Jeter here at Yankee Stadium. I just want to say congratulations on 25 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES LONEY, L.A. DODGERS: Hi, Larry. I know you are one of the biggest Dodger fans out there. I want to congratulate you on your 25th year anniversary and looking forward to a World Series this year.
DON MATTINGLY, L.A. DODGERS: Hey, congratulations on 25 years at CNN. That's nice.
MATT KEMP: Larry King, Matt Kemp here. I know you are a big Dodgers fan, and I just want to wish you 25 years of success at CNN and LARRY KING LIVE and 25 more to come. Happy anniversary, man.
JOE TORRE, MANAGER, L.A. DODGERS: Hey, Larry, congratulations on 25 years at CNN. It has been a long time since that houseboat on Miami Beach. God bless you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Any body who knows Larry King knows he loves baseball. He is also a diehard fan of the Dodgers, so we've got a special question for him. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RUSSELL MARTIN, L.A. DODGERS: Well, I know Larry is a big-time Dodger fan, so I would like to ask him what his favorite Dodger memory is. I am pretty curious about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: He is so right, so right -- Russell Martin, the great Dodger catcher.
Nineteen fifty-five, last out of the World Series, first time the Dodgers won a World Series - Elston Howard grounds out to Pee Wee Reese, he throws to Gil Hodges, we win. I was 21 years old - best day of my life. Best day of my life.
TRUMP: And then the Dodgers left New York. How did you feel about that, Larry?
KING: I left, too.
TRUMP: You left, too.
KING: I went down to Miami, and they went their way. And now I go to Dodger games with my two little boys.
TRUMP: And you still love the Dodger games, right?
KING: Still love Dodger games, still love baseball.
TRUMP: They are still your favorite team by far?
KING: By far.
TRUMP: And Tommy Lasorda, great guy?
KING: One of my favorite people.
TRUMP: Isn't he a great guy, though?
KING: The best.
TRUMP: And a wonderful storyteller.
KING: The best.
TRUMP: Right?
KING: The best.
TRUMP: Well, as you saw earlier on the 25th anniversary special, Larry occasionally chows down on chicken and waffles with Snoop Dogg, but most every morning he is in L.A. he is at a table with his pals at Nate and Al's. Priscilla Presley has a question about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRISCILLA PRESLEY: If I could ask Larry one question, it would be, "What is it that you order every time that you go to Nate and Al's?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: I can give it to you. It is either my own matzah brei, which is a special kind of matzah - you wouldn't know this. Anyway, it is made with the white of eggs. I am not a big egg fan, but I don't taste the eggs are there.
Sometimes I have my cereal and my bagel, but mainly it is the conviviality of friends, because when you got friends, you got a full life. You can't buy friends.
TRUMP: That's true. Nothing like it.
KING: And the friends I grew up with were there every morning - Sid and Asher and the boys.
TRUMP: That is a great group. And by the way, I see Priscilla. Did you know Elvis?
KING: Never met him.
TRUMP: Never met him?
KING: No.
TRUMP: That is an interview you would have loved to have had, right?
KING: He would be way up on the list.
TRUMP: That would be a great interview.
Well, Larry, thank you very much for letting me do this. This has been so much fun. It is an honor.
KING: Donald, I thank you.
TRUMP: There really is nobody like you - special man, special everything. Thank you.
KING: Thanks for everything. I will never forget this, Donald.
TRUMP: Thank you. Stay tuned for your news.
