Larry King vs. Piers Morgan: Who's Got More Talent?

(Sept. 8) -- Finally confirming what everyone had suspected for months, CNN announced today that it will replace iconic talk-show host Larry King, 76, with British journalist turned reality-TV showman Piers Morgan, 45.

Morgan, who is probably best known in the United States as a judge on NBC's "America's Got Talent," will host a nightly interview program at 9 p.m., taking over from King, whose infamous interview show "Larry King Live" will conclude in December after 25 years on the air (making it the network's longest-running program).

On this momentous occasion, it seems appropriate to do a bit of point-by-point comparison of the two hosts, to get an idea of what we can expect when Morgan makes his CNN debut.

PRE-CNN HISTORY

King
King's first media gig was as a Miami disc jockey in 1957. Over the next two decades, he became more and more of a presence in Florida media, taking on radio, television and sportscasting work and writing a column for the Miami Beach Sun.

By 1978, he had a national radio show on the Mutual Network. In June 1985, "Larry King Live" premiered on CNN.

Morgan
Newspapers are where Morgan got his start, first as a reporter for local London publications, later as an editor at The Sun and the Daily Mirror, and then as the editorial director of First News, a child- and tween-friendly weekly in the U.K.

Morgan's television work has consisted of a lot of talent-show hosting -- he's done multiple seasons of "America's Got Talent" and "Britain's Got Talent" -- and a good deal of interviewing and documentary presentation. He was also the winner of season seven of "The Apprentice," which aired in 2008.

INTERVIEW STYLE

King
The CNN host claims to have interviewed more than 30,000 people in his life. (Math interlude: King will be 77 in November, meaning he's been alive for about 28,000 days. Take that as you will.)

King isn't known for being an especially hard-hitting interviewer, but it's a mistake to think of him as someone who just throws softballs. Rather, when he's on his game, he's good at creating an anything-goes atmosphere of free-floating weirdness, leading to moments you'll never see in other interviews.

Witness this famous Celine Dion segment, from 2005, for an illustration: King plays deadpan against Dion's grief for the Hurricane Katrina victims, then asks if there's anything she'd like to sing. Dion takes it in stride, which it's hard to see happening on many other shows.

Morgan
Though he shows a greater readiness than King to ask tough questions, Morgan is also better at charming interview subjects with a quip and a warm smile. While King often gives the impression of being on some other planet entirely, Morgan at least appears to be aware that he's sharing the same room as his guests.

What isn't often on display in Morgan's interviews is his gift for rousing people's ire. Ample evidence of this exists, though, elsewhere. For example, there's his years-long feud with Jeremy Clarkson, host of the BBC program "Top Gear," which came to a head at the 2004 British Press Awards, when Clarkson exchanged insults with Morgan before punching him in the face repeatedly (see more on this below).

NOTABLE CONTROVERSIES

King
Arrested in 1971 for grand larceny; the charge was later thrown out because the statute of limitations had expired. (King pleaded no contest to a charge of passing bad checks.)

Signed an open letter to Germany's chancellor comparing the treatment of Scientologists in Germany to that of Jews under Hitler. Other signatories included Oliver Stone and Goldie Hawn.

Morgan
Fired from the Mirror in 2004 after publishing photos of British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. The photos turned out to be a hoax.

Shows little reserve at insulting others in the entertainment industry, including BBC presenter Jonathan Ross, comedian Alan Carr, actor and author Stephen Fry and, of course, Clarkson, whom he even (jokingly) threatened to kill with a machine gun.



Machine-gunning Jeremy Clarkson: Piers Morgan speaks frankly
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NUMBER OF MARRIAGES

King
Since 1952, has been married a staggering eight times to seven women, latest to singer Shawn Southwick, whom he nearly divorced before a highly publicized reconciliation earlier this year.

Morgan
Just two so far, including his recent marriage to longtime girlfriend Celia Walden, a British political heiress and journalist.

SARTORIAL AFFECTATIONS

King
Classic old-school suspenders, dress shirt and a bow-tie (as memorably aped by Lady Gaga earlier this year).

Morgan
When on television, maintains an expected level of suit-and-shirt presentability, but can occasionally be seen draped in royal finery with a Burger King medallion on his bare chest.

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

King
"I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening."

Morgan
"People aren't that bothered about me -- tuning in to see me, or anything like that. What they like is me being a prism, as I was when I was an editor of a newspaper, to interesting people and things."