It’s been a long month of July in politics– the debt crisis debate has certainly taken the wind out of the sails of many in Washington and, for anyone watching at home, leaving a bad taste of cynicism and fatigue in one’s mouth. But now it’s August, Congress is in recess and the news cycle is ready for a recharge. While we wait for the next Ground Zero Mosque imbroglio, here is something to thaw out the collectively grizzled and warn political hearts of America: your favorite cable news personalities interacting with dogs.

In an interview with Adweek‘s Brian Braiker, CNN managing editor Mark Whitaker describes his vision for the future of the news network. Simply put, it’s not just about breaking news, but it will probably look a lot like Anderson Cooper. “I think we’re in a day and age when you can have all the qualities of a great journalist but have a human side as well, and even a sense of humor. In many ways Anderson Cooper is the model that we increasingly are going to, not that everyone has to be Anderson Cooper.”

You’ve got to respect the interviewing skills on display over at GQ. A couple weeks ago they got Mila Kunis to talk about commie-hating (enough to be declared a full on patriot hero over on Fox News) and now they’ve asked Larry King how many women he’s made out with. Yes, prompted by King’s decision to begin a stand-up tour, the magazine decided to have a little fun with him make a whole interview out of “sleepover games” like Would You Rather? and F**k, Marry, Kill. We’re not sure what any of that has to do with stand up comedy, but it certainly makes for a fun interview.

Larry King is pretty much a walking self-parody at this point. That’s not to say he isn’t well-liked – in fact, he sees to be quite popular among his peers. But he’s also old (he’ll turn 78 later this year), and the likes of Conan O’Brien have filled much airtime through the years with jokes painting King as a caricature of an old person. And videos like the one after the jump are a big reason why.

Sarah Palin took a little trip this past week, and just as it was a foregone conclusion Bill Maher would talk about Anthony Weiner’s penis, it was just as much of an ironclad guarantee that he’d address Palin’s tour of the Northeast. Especially intriguing to maher in his panel – how Palin happened to be in such close proximity to Mitt Romney when he announced his run for president, her jewelry choice, and her interpretation of Paul Revere.

Larry King is back. He’s got the desk, the desktop microphone, the suspenders, and the live phone calls (“Steve, from Grover Falls, Minnesota, you’re on with Larry King”), and all of it happening thirty feet above Conan O’Brien‘s show–in the studio’s rafters. “All my life I’ve dreamed of doing a show from these creepy rafters,” said King, peering down on Conan from high above.

Former cable television time slot rivals Larry King and Sean Hannity met last tonight on Fox News and the big revelation was just how great the relationship is between the two of them. Hannity praised King for his “profound impact” on culture and the political debate, while King looked forward to having Hannity in the audience for his touring comedy show.

One of the many voices mourning the death of Elizabeth Taylor today is Larry King, a friend of the actress who hosted her on his show many times. A clearly saddened King called into CNN’s News Room and gave his thoughts on the loss in a touching tribute.

Previously, we told you about former CNN host Larry King‘s plans for a multi-city comedy tour. It seems he’s not ready to shake the comedy bug anytime soon, because new reports indicate he’s in talks to join The Daily Show as a contributor.

On Friday, Parker/Spitzer co-host Kathleen Parker announced that she is leaving the show. In a guest column, John Ziegler, radio host, Palin confidante, and the filmmaker behind Media Malpractice: How Obama Got Elected and Palin Was Targeted, offers his commentary on Parker’s departure from CNN.

Larry King returned to his old CNN stomping grounds to speak with his predecessor of sorts, Piers Morgan. Morgan took the opportunity to address King’s earlier comment that CNN had been “overselling” Morgan to the American public, and that he might have benefited from a more subtle, low-key campaign.

“I have the last few months saying following you is like following Frank Sinatra,” said a disappointed Morgan. “I couldn’t have paid you higher praise! To go in my backyard and say I’m an oversold, undangerous…”

Have you been desperately missing Larry King now that The Suspendered One is no longer on CNN? Worry not: Not only is he appearing on Piers Morgan‘s show, but he’s also planning to embark on a comedy tour.

CNN’s Piers Morgan, who never goes anywhere these days without access to Twitter, took to the web over the weekend to reveal a “secret guest” whose booking on Piers Morgan Tonight would “get EVERYONE watching….” and be a “must-watch.” After several hours of excited tweeting to build suspense, Morgan revealed the secret: he’s interviewing the guy CNN viewers cooled to ages ago: Larry King.

Former CNN headliner Larry King sat down with BBC radio yesterday and chatted about a number of topics, but most notably shared his opinions on how his 9pm replacement Piers Morgan is doing in his former spot. King told his interview that Morgan was oversold to a CNN audience, saying “One of the problems they did was oversell it,” King said. “He was going to be dangerous, he’s going to be water-cooler talk…he’s good! he’s not that dangerous.” And that may have been the nicest part.

My twitter feed blew up over the news that the study linking the MMR vaccine to autism had been declared an “elaborate fraud.” The study had actually been retracted a while back, but this makes it official. There have always been parents wary of vaccines, but this study is the one that started the ball rolling. Jenny McCarthy helped it grow into a giant snowball of panic. You know, Jenny McCarthy; former Playboy model, D-list actress and ex-girlfriend of Jim Carrey. She wasn’t in it alone. Oprah helped her spread the word. So did Larry King Live and The View. She was even on The Doctors, discussing the “debate” with doctors. She was a regular on our trusted TV shows; that is, after all, where you go when you have a book to promote.

Perhaps Piers Morgan might want to launch his show a bit sooner? Admittedly, it’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s and most shows are seeing lower-than-normal ratings, but CNN had it’s worst night in a decade Tuesday: according to Nielsen, last night was CNN’s lowest rated weeknight since May of 2000 (among viewers 25-54, the key demographic for advertisers). The numbers were dismal across the board, with every hour from 6 p.m. through midnight averaging less than 100,000 viewers. After the soon-to-be-replaced Larry King Live, the poorest performing show was AC360, with a meager 61,000 viewers 25-54 at 10 p.m.

Larry King is continuing to make the interview rounds in the wake of retiring from his CNN show, this time returning to CNN as a guest on Reliable Sources and providing some more serious news than merely discussing Viagra or showing off his dance moves. Howard Kurtz grills King about his famously “softball” interviewing style and gets some surprising responses.

On The Early Show, soon-to-be new co-host Erica Hill interviewed a delirious Larry King who danced, sang, and recited strange poetry to Hill’s amused bewilderment. Hill told viewers “For the first time in 53 years, Larry King is without a radio or TV program to host.” Who could have guessed Hill’s seemingly innocuous introduction was truly a viewer warning, since King (who just ended his CNN show), apparently doesn’t know what to do with himself trying everything from a surprisingly successful turn atstand-up comedy to a painfully awkward song and dance here.

Former CNN host Larry King, who just last week promised on his final show not to go away, stayed true to his word appearing on Jay Leno‘s The Tonight Show last night and launching a new career as a stand-up comic. Leno introduced the crowd to the “bright young comedy stylings of Larry King” and King jumped up with microphone in hand and delivered humorous stories (note to comedy bookers: King doesn’t do jokes).

In case you haven’t heard (I’m just kidding, you’ve heard), last night was Larry King’s final episode. To help honor the man, David Letterman gave him the commemoration you’d expect, a hilarious highlight reel of some of Larry King Live’s least prestigious moments. Hearing Robert Blake accuse Larry of having sex with an elephant will never not be funny.

So much for hail to the King. In the U.K. paper The Telegraph, Rachel Ray (not that Rachel Ray, we’re assuming) issued a blistering review of Larry King‘s final edition of Larry King Live on CNN Thursday night: “it was billed as a show of surprises but the low-key, sad sendoff…served more as a reminder of the grim reality of the network’s increasing irrelevance as a trusted news source.”

Ouch. And yet, well, yes.

Not many people can get two Presidents of the United States, Ryan Seacrest, Dr. Phil, Barbara Walters, Donald Trump, and Brian Williams, among others, one program, but tonight, Larry King pulled it off for the final Larry King Live of the program’s 25-year run…and closed his last show by thanking everyone who helped make it happen.

Cable news ratings, December 15, 2010:
•The fight for second place at 8 p.m. is a two-show race, and CNN’s Parker Spitzer isn’t in it. HLN’s Nancy Grace more than doubled the ratings for sister network CNN’s P/S, and came within 23,000 viewers (25-54) of 2nd place finisher Keith Olbermann.

Say what you will about Larry King and his celebrity-friendly though rarely hard-hitting interviews on CNN, but he’s an actual television icon, and the passing of Larry King Live into history is a moment worth watching. The last LKL–after 25 years–airs tonight at 9 p.m.

Nellie Andreeva, writing on Deadline Hollywood, may have best captured the mixed feelings many in the cable news biz have for the King:

Big news! Barack Obama‘s transformation to a moderate pragmatist now appears to be complete. And no, it’s not the capitulation compromise on the so-called “Bush Tax Cuts” that puts him in a more positive light amongst conservatives, nor is it a nuanced and delicate (weak?) approach to reforming Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. No, the clearest evidence to date that the Obama Administration is aiming to govern from the center is the following clip form The Larry King Show in which Barbra Streisand admits that she’s a little disappointed in Obama.<