Blogs and Stories
7 Things Larry King Should Have Asked
)
Larry King’s interview Wednesday night with Dr. Arnold Klein raised as many questions as it answered. The Daily Beast’s Gerald Posner points out some holes in Klein’s answers, and suggests how they could be filled.
Larry King spent nearly an hour in a live interview Wednesday night with Dr. Arnold Klein, a rare opportunity to quiz Michael Jackson’s dermatologist, who is at the center of questions about Jackson’s early use of prescription painkillers that may have kicked off his drug addiction. But King allowed Dr. Klein—who said at one point that “I want this [interview] to be as truthful as possible”—to dodge some core issues about whether he was Jackson’s initial enabling prescriber. Here are some matters on which King could have asked tougher questions that might have cleared the record.
1. THE Q&A: When King asked Klein how he met Jackson, Klein said, “I met Michael because somebody brought him into the office…a very close friend had told him to come see me.”
THE MISSING FOLLOW-UP: Who? I have written in the past day that Liz Taylor’s own simultaneous drug and alcohol battles in the mid- to late 1980s were a bad influence on Jackson, and the two stars and close friends had Klein as their doctor. Was it Taylor who introduced the pop star?
2. THE Q&A: At one point Dr. Klein said Jackson “was exquisitely sensitive to pain,” and at another time, when discussing surgical procedures done to the pop star’s scalp, Klein said “it was really painful” for Jackson.
THE MISSING FOLLOW-UP: Doesn’t this mean he was more likely to use prescription pain pills than other patients who did not have such sensitivity or undergo similar cosmetic procedures?
3. THE Q&A: When asked about reports that Jackson’s body was riddled with needle marks, Klein said that when he saw Jackson three days before his death, “I never saw needle marks on his body—I never saw them that I could tell you—I didn’t see a riddling of anything.”
THE MISSING FOLLOW-UP: Did you ever see needle marks on his arms? When was the last time you examined his arms?
4. THE Q&A: Klein told King that he had “used sedatives when [Jackson] had surgical procedures,” and “I occasionally gave him Demerol to sedate him. That was about the strongest medicine I ever used.”
THE MISSING FOLLOW-UP: How did you prescribe that, by pill, syrup, or injection? What do you mean by “about the strongest medicine”? What other narcotic pain relievers did you ever prescribe for Jackson?
5. THE Q&A: In response to a question about which prescriptions he wrote for Jackson, Klein said only, “If you took all the pills I gave him the last year at once, it wouldn’t do anything to you.”
THE MISSING FOLLOW-UP: What about the previous 19 years you knew him? What about the allegations that you prescribed heavier drugs in the early years of your doctor-patient relationship, and did you ever authorize Debbie Rowe to deliver drugs to Jackson and/or to administer injectables to him at his house?
The Right Dumps Carrie
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
What's Joe's Problem?
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
Geithner's Stock Plummeting
Jeff Madrick is a contributor to the New York Review of Books and a former economics columnist for the New York Times. He is editor of Challenge Magazine, visiting professor of humanities at Cooper Union, and senior fellow at the New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. He is the author of Taking America, The End of Affluence (Random House) and The Case for Big Government.
Her Majesty's Secrets Revealed
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Left Off Holder's List
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Does Suzanne Somers Cause Cancer?
Gerald Posner is The Daily Beast's Chief Investigative Reporter. He's the award-winning author of 10 investigative nonfiction bestsellers, ranging from political assassinations, to Nazi war criminals, to 9/11, to terrorism. His latest book, Miami Babylon: Crime, Wealth and Power—A Dispatch from the Beach, was published in October. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, the author Trisha Posner.
Well, I see this frequently in Larry King interviews. Larry doesn't seem to be a very good listener. He asks a question, then the person is lucky if they get to finish their answer because he cuts them off and then he's off on the next question. It beats me why people seem to want to be interviewed by him anyway. He doesn't seem to show much empathy either on sensitive issues. I don't want to be mean spirited or anything. He seems nice but he needs to practice listening.
yeah, it drives me crazy how he cuts people when interviewing. very annoying.
This user is no longer registered.
thank you! Everyone talks about his great rep as an interviewer, so I was wondering if I was the only one. There are times when it seems like he is not even looking directly at the person he is interviewing and he seems to get bored often with their answers and his follow ups . . . . well, there aren't any really. He seems to just work through his list of questions and doesn't seem to let the interview to anywhere interesting based on the answers he is getting. Thought it was just me.
There have been so many stunningly 'soft' interviews by Larry King in the past couple of years that are disappointing and frustrating when we are left feeling nothing new or other than superficially platitudinous has been learnt. Used to respect Larry's softly, softly approach with politicians but feel he is now not up to par and should retire gracefully. It is really self -parody most of the time now. Sad.
Do you really think anyone would agree to be interviewed by King if he asked tough questions that might possibly incriminate them? Nothing Klein said surprised me; he was all about defending a junkie whom he aided and abetted, no matter how often he reitereated that MJ was a "nice, good person." All in all, the interview was a farce.
Larry is a hack, it used to be he would get great guest on because of his soft interview but now not even that. Give me a Charlie Rose or even a Tavis Smiley, but King is past his prime except during presidential season and even then that to is because of CNN great pull.
King is so past it. I never watch his show anymore.
Frankly, King's interviews of Jackson's brother and the whole show from Neverland was toe-curlingly obsequious and he was saccharinely enthusiastic about peculiar things and didn't seem to be listening half the time .My children are always laughing at the way he interrupts and talks over his guests nowadays, and as a result,he quite often misses the point. Cringe.
I agree. King's show is one painful cringe moment after another for viewers interested in substance, not pap. I was disappointed the other evening when he had an AEG executive on the show (free commercial) and never bothered to ask him about whether the group should contribute to the multi-million dollar bill LA taxpayers are getting for the memorial. This is a current controversy and any competent interviewer would have asked if AEG thought it was OK to film the show and sell it later, without reimbursing the city and state for some of the costs. Jeez.
Soft interview indeed by Larry King. Gerald Posner should be Mr. King's replacement (if he wants to do that). Dr. Klein needs to provide more" 'splainin" and clarification to his anwers. With Mr. Posner's lawyerly and investigative skills, as well as thoroughness and preparation, there wouldn't be any soft ball questions lobbed. Dr. Klein's interview - although genuine in appearances - leaves more questions that need answers. Mr. Posner has pointed the major ones out.
If Larry King started asking the tough questions to celebrities and their hangers-on, he'd soon run out of guests.
Exactly. The fact so many people commenting here that don't like his style are still watching him is a testimony to his ability to pull in the big names. And there'd be no way they'd do it if he pressed on real answers.
I am amazed that Dr Klein would agree to be interviewed at all.
Assumed that a physician wouldn't speak publicly about his patient's diagnosis, treatment and drug use. Furthermore, this action appears contrary to the Hippocratic oath and the strictly enforced HIPA laws? Klein's comments on being the possible sperm donor were blatantly inappropriate and showed a total lack of respect for MJ and, more importantly, an absence of compassion for MJ's three young children!
Klein appears to be just another 'hanger-on' in the Jackson saga and is likely looking for a book deal like the rest. It is now easier to understand the secrecy MJ imposed regarding his children, given unseemly characters like Klein and the paparozzi. May God bless those three children.
Posner is a real journalist, that's the difference. He has been away ahead on this story.
I have learned more from the Daily Beast and Posner's coverage than anywhere else. But the mainstream media still doesn't go after the hard stories. I agree with Southpaw that if King and others really asked hard questions, the stars wouldn't go on the show. They are safe with softballs. Keep it up on this site.
Dr. Klein when asked if he was the sperm donor of the first two Jackson children, said "Not that I know of." He appeared shifty-eyed and to be lying.
I haven't watched the LKL interview yet, but the transcribed portion here looks like more of the same.
Larry's stock in trade is puffballs.
Any physician who would donate sperm to a man like MJ is as much of a money monger as Jackson and his family. Klein lacks good judgment, to say the least, and he had a faulty assessment of this particular patient. Obviously, this was so much more than a doctor/patient relationship: a doctor gives away his "potential babies" to a man he that he knew had a lifetime addiction to pain killers? Where is his sense of responsiblity? What kind of parent does a junkie make? Is money all one needs to be a parent? Is the thought here that it's okay if a rich singer/dancer purchases children from willing donors (Rowe & Klein) because they knew he had a staff to "fill in" when daddy has nodded out? Is Klein also the "self educated" fertility doctor who implanted Nadia Sueleman with octuplets? No wonder California is going down the tubes: funerals and birth-defective infants that cost millions will do it every time.l
This user is no longer registered.
To say the least that Dr. was all but truthful and quite disturbing to watch. After awhile had to change the channel!
Larry King is a terrible interviewer and I never understood his popularity. He has a list of questions prepared and just rattles them off without regard for the answers! Ugghhh. Retire already.
This Dr. lied by omission and most journalists are too lazy or stupid to work that. A good interviewer could see the Dr.'s dance and would have follow up questions to get to the truth. Like a good detective or lawyer. Even Dr. Phil would have torn this guy apart. LOL
Righton katiewon. Why are the network moguls roped into offering these long-term contracts? Don't they have lawyers smart enuf to invent loopholes? I only watch when Joy Behar fills in. She has the cajones Larry never exhibits.
Cactusflower
I always check to see who Larry has as a guest, but I get soo frustrated with his grimaces and moving his dentures around and his senility - I do wish they would replace him. He never appealed to me from the beginning - I would love to see Bill Maher in his place.
Sometimes he calls his guests by the wrong name, hehehehe He is probably on drugs too.
This user is no longer registered.
She did not just leave him. They were out to dinner together the other night.
What is new here? Larry King never is hard hitting, to say the least.
He always makes me squirm he's such a shallow interviewer. He just sets up tabloid type headlines as questions and lets it roll.
And exactly when it DOES get interesting, he's on the another less interesting question. I've thought that he does this on purpose, that it's his and CNN's policy or something.
Larry King is Larry king. I wanted to know why the Dr. talked like Larry Flynt! Does he have a speech impediment or is it something else???
the best part was when the doctor questioned if a person of 79 can raise adolescent children.Larry is in his 70s and has children younger than the jackson kids, i thought his false teeth were going to fall out
Larry King "wimps out" while interviewing someone? This is news? Has the show EVER been anything more than a p.r. vehicle for celebs?
This interview was a farce. I wouldn't use Klein as a vet, let alone a personal physician, but then again, I'm not a millionaire looking for a prescriber who will bend to my wishes. Klein actually admitted that he is not a plastic surgeon and that he "invented" the techniques that he used on Jackson. In the interview,Klein practically admitted helping Jackson with his reproduction needs, too. This was the best doctor "to the stars" in California that MJ could find to take care of his skin and cosmetic surgery problems? Sounded like Klein fancies himself a psychiatrist, too; however it is obvious that MJ was looking for something more than a doctor.
Some of the techniques Klein admitted using made no sense at all. Example: he said he knew Jackson had lupus and vitiligo, yet he stood by as Jackson underwent scalp expansion in order to buy back his hair; a technique that was bound to fai in a person with unhealthy skin and and an autoimmune disorder.
Whatever happened to the oath of Hypocrates: "first do no harm"? Klein came off like a quack, regardless that he mentioned that he advised Jackson to take of fhis hat and stop the procedures. From what I heard in the interview, he recently continued to pump that poor little stump of a nose Jackson had left with collagen. He went on to criticize NY women for their artificially inflated lips, yet referred to that mess of a face Jackson created "a work of art." Is he kidding? Maybe abstract art. I find it hard to believe Klein still has a license to practice medicine if he would stand by and let a patient (friend?) make such a mess of himself, "his" (their) kids, and his life. This man is dangerous, especially to rich, vulnerable folks like Jackson.
In what way exactly did MJ make a mess of his kids lives? You are quite sure about everything you say. Were you a personal friend of Jackson's bc you seem pretty sure about EVERYTHING. Before I heard anything from this dr. (even the rumors about him being the bio father) I said to a friend of mine that Jackson looked much better than he had in recent years. So, if this guy was trying to 'fix' things other doctors had done, well great. he was doing a good job. The man was beginning to look normal again. and he said that JACKSON felt his face was a work of art. What I don't get is why it is so easy for people to believe that MJ did stuff like 'bleaching' his skin but find it hard to believe that he had lupus/vitiligo. The idea that he 'wanted to be white' is so ridiculous to me. But I'm not going to claim anything as the absolute truth b/c I did not know the man personally. All I know is that his music and dancing was wonderful. My mom who is 72 to my great neice who is 7 loved his music and he certainly had a influence on me as a pre teen! Growing up at a time when his videos were just beginning to be aired on MTV he made it 'okay' to be lovesick over a black man.
Lupus and vitiligo are not interchangeable. Who goes to a dermatologist to get treatment for lupus? Further if one was trying to cover up the characteristic splotching from vitiligo with makeup, why not cover the lighter parts with darker makeup? That's far easier than trying to lighten the darker areas. Finally, numerous reports from the coroner's office say Jackson's entire body was extremely white. That's one helluva case of vitiligo!
Uncommonsense: I certainly did not mean to imply that lupus and vitiligo were interchangeble. But I can see how the way that I wrote it made it look that way. I was just too lazy to put AND. I would just have easily said diabetes/cancer and not meant they were interchangeable. sorry, my bad for being so lazy.
As for why not cover the lighter parts with make up....when it is extensive that is a LOT of make up. The doctor said that himself, he would have to go out with VERY heavy make up or look very strange. Now, he ended up looking fairly strange anyway. I think the point I was trying to make was that that is a medical decision to be made with MJ and his physician. Who am I to say whether it's easier to rub a cream on that takes pigment away or use make up daily to cover up the spots. His body wasn't white b/c he had so much Vitiligo, his body was white b/c of the TREATMENT he received for the Vitiligo. Look it up. it's called depigmentation. I know it sounds crazy and some could probably even argue that it is the same as "bleaching' one's skin. But my point is more that I think it is so funny that everyone is so quick to believe that he 'wanted to be white' than that he has a disease that was being treated that caused these effects. The doc also said he was very sensitve to sun. that could also be b/c of the diseases and the treatment he received for them. Why is one so much more plausible than the other????
Also, it did seem to me from what my ears heard that he went to the determatologist to be treated for the acne and 'caking' and the dermatologist said that he could tell he had lupus. He didn't say, that I recall that Jackson went to him to be treated for Lupus. I'm not saying the doctor isn't guilty of anything, he may be. He may have prescribed drugs to MJ that he shouldnt have. I don't know. But it seems people are willing to believe the MORE crazy things and shrug off the more reasonable explanations as absolute BS.
Also, if you have ever seen Vitiligo you know that the skin is not 'lily white' as the source described. It's pink and splotchy and if his skin was that white, I would imagine it to be from whatever treatment he was undergoing.
The doctor didn't say he thought Jackson's face was a work of art, he said that's what Jackson thought.
Exactly...people don't listen at all. I don't know if you were meaning to reply to me or the previous poster but this is exactly what I said.
Hey, Larry King even wimped out an tossed nothing but softballs at David Duke back in the 90's. Not your most incisive of interviewers.
Who cares if Klein is the father of the Jackson children? Who cares who their father is as long as the tax payers don't have to support them? Who cares if Michael Jackson or
Anna Nicole Smith took prescription drugs? They were adults who could afford them. This celebrity nonsense is boring!
What happened to deontology?
Professional secret is a legal obligation that doesn' t vanish when your patient dies.
He could be sued for that only.
This guy had simply nothing to do on national television, giving gory details like MJ's "skin flakes", or "lupus rash"
And I prefer not to talk about his hugely inflated ego ("I invented injections", "I made the diagnosis as soon as he entered my office": congratulations. Any third year med school student would have, too)
Please. Let's not pretend for one second Larry has any interest in getting to the real story. All he wants is to get people to tune in from one day to the next. You know, ratings! Plus, hello? Anyone notice he doesn't actually listen. Larry just waits to speak. He constantly cuts people off. I have nothing against his age - Babara Walters is still very sharp - but Larry needs to retire and let someone else (NOT Ryan Seacrest) take over this spot on CNN. The man has become a cringefest.
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.
Please log in to leave comments.