The vacant seat

It was an uncomfortable 17 minutes.

As Larry King gets ready to mark his anniversary next week for 50 years of broadcasting, he's even more willing than ever to "stir the pot" of controversy for ratings, while at his CNN microphone and interview table.

King's Wednesday show featured more of Donald Trump, interviewed live early in the hour and spouting about how he knew Rosie O'Donnell would end up leaving "The View."

But that's not the interesting part.

What was most interesting was the last half of the show and King's references to Roseanne Barr being courted as O'Donnell's replacement and Barr, who was also a guest on the same show, expressing her displeasure with King bringing the subject up.

"I don't know why you're bringing that up," a mildly irritated Barr told King, as she appeared via satellite from Las Vegas, where she's headling this week at New York, New York Hotel and Casino.

"I came on here because ..."

King interrupted the comedienne saying, "And again, you will make no comment if they offered it to you? If they offered you that seat, would you take it?"

"You're funny Larry," Barr said.

"Well, I want $10 million, like Rosie."

Barr also said she believed the ongoing argument between O'Donnell and Trump is a case of each of them "bullying" each other.

"I thought he was kind of bullying her and they were bullying each other and it got into a big fight," she said.

"I don't agree with what he feels about her, and I think Rosie is a great person and I think she has a lot of guts."

Barr also said she believes Barbara Walters needs to add an ethnic element to the talk show, something she said "has been missing since Star Jones left."

Next, King surprised Barr by having Debbie Matenopoulos, as yet another guest on the same show.

Remember, it was young, blonde Matenopoulos who was bounced from "The View" panel in 1999, after appearing for the first two years during program's launch.

"Roseanne actually came on 'The View' a couple times while I was there," said Matenopoulos, who was just 21 when she was selected to appear with Walters on "The View."

"Since I left and then Lisa Ling left and then Meredith Viera left, it's sort of, you know, then Star's gone and Rosie leaving, it just seems like it's a revolving door over there."

King that asked Matenopoulos, "Would Roseanne make a good replacement on 'The View?' "

"Roseanne would make a great replacement on 'The View,' " Matenopoulos said.

"And I think Roseanne is the only one who could fill Rosie O'Donnell's shoes."

As for how Matenopoulos left "The View," she described it to King and Barr as "they practically cut my head off in a guillotine in Times Square."

"They threw you off," King asked?

"Perhaps you missed that," Matenopoulos explained.

"The basically said, 'Here's the deal, you're fired, pack your dress.' "

Matenopoulos went on to add: "It was the most amazing experience of my life and at the same time, also incredibly tumultuous because I had never been on television before and I had to learn how to be on TV from Barbara Walters on LIVE television, so it was difficult."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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