LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – After turmoil with wife Shawn Southwick, Larry King says he is ready for retirement. Larry King’s retirement from CNN comes after 25 years; it also comes as his ratings have nose dived during the 2010 season.

King spoke of his retirement last night “Twenty-five years ago, I sat at this table across from New York Governor Mario Cuomo for the first broadcast ever of ‘Larry King Live,’ and now, decades later, I talked to the guys here at CNN and told them I’d like to end ‘Larry King Live.’”

But insiders says King’s ratings, as like other CNN programs, have been under pressure. Howard Kurtz (“Reliable Sources”) told CBS the following: “I think he came to recognize that with the family problems, ratings problems and maybe just a sense at 76 it was time to move on.”

Of course, there was also that notable 2007 interview of Jerry Seinfeld. King in a November 2007 interview asked Jerry if “Seinfeld” was canceled. “You think I got canceled?” Jerry shot back. “I was the number one show on television, Larry … 75 million viewers in the last episode…. Can we get a resume in here for me for Larry to go over?”

And yet who is set to replace King? Kurtz believes no successor has been announced. Names discussed have been widely reported – Piers Morgan, Ryan Seacrest, Katie Couric.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY, AR (LALATE) – Jessie Lunderby’s Playboy photos controversy returns Tuesday. But Jessie Lunderby’s controversy of posing for Playboy pictures outside her employment has drawn national attention for the question of whether your one employer can restrict your activities in another place of employment.

While revisited on morning TV Wednesday, the question is not unique to Lunderby, with the same scandal have hit other notable pinups in recent years. Whether it was Marcus Patrick or Carlie Becker, Jessie Lunderby’s case is as much about employment code of conduct standards as it is about employer consent.

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While initial reports of Jessie Lunderby’s controversy were about her role as prison guard from Washington County, Arkansas posing for the Bunny publication, details later revealed one job had nothing to do with the other.

Jessie Lunderby posed for the magazine while off duty. Her posing didn’t impact her performance at the jail. She didn’t pose in uniform. But yet, officials contended one simple premise – it violated employment code of conduct.

Maj. Rick Hoyt of the Washington County sheriff’s office says Jessie is under an internal investigation currently. Among the issues Hoyt addressed was whether the photo spread was conduct unbecoming an officer or employee, involved not getting permission for off-duty work, and violated a policy about not engaging in certain types of jobs outside of work. Yes, apparently in Lunderby’s case, one job’s code said she couldn’t engage in other activities on the side.

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Jessie Lunderby is currently on paid administrative leave.

In the case of Carlie Christine, one cheerleader student Adelle Geniella complained about her teacher. The Model Mayhem #756313 teacher for Casa Robles, a cheerleading team coach, was fired because of Adelle Geniella’s complaining. Becker said code of conduct is discretionary, and shouldn’t be up to one person’s opinions. “I understand that morals are a subject of opinion, and although parents may have different opinions than I, they’re entitled to those. As far as [whether] the job can be based on someone’s opinions of morals, I don’t know that that is true.”

Dallas police officer Bryan Crews was fired for his photos. Crews “sent [unclothed] photos of himself to a high school student during school hours, kept several people’s ID cards and failed to give copies of tickets to several violators who were later wanted for arrest because they didn’t pay the tickets.”

Los Angeles’ own Marcus Patrick was fired from “Days of Our Lives” for his spread in Playgirl. And biology teacher Tiffany Shepherd was fired for bikini pictures on a charter fishing boats posted online.

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WASHINGTON D.C. (LALATE) – PHOTOS. For alleged Russian spy Anna Chapman, her life detailed in Facebook photos to arrest documents is about as cliche as a Hollywood B-movie script.

When you read the Anna Chapman complaint released by the FBI this week, Anna Chapman’s life seems like James Bond meets The Hills. Her Facebook profile has her posing like someone waiting for a table at Les Deux. Her criminal complaint sounds like someone trying to fine tune high tech wireless gadgets.

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Anna Chapman’s story couldn’t be more ready for a U.S. audience, a stunning redhead, told to communicate with Moscow computers with a special wireless add-on devices inserted into her laptop. And then, of course, there are the meetups.

“Do I know you from California?” one undercover agent was set to tell Anna. Her planned response? “No you know me from the Hamptons”. It’s all detailed in today’s FBI complaint.

It starts with the meetup between US undercover agent “UC-1″, aka Roman, and Anna. “At approximately 4:30 pm, UC-1 met with ANNA CHAPMAN, the defendant, at the previous agreed upon location in Manhattan. This meeting was recorded by a hidden recording device worn by UC-1. … At the beginning of the meeting, UC-1 and CHAPMAN spoke to each other in Russian, but then UC-1 suggested they speak in English so as to draw less attention to themselves.”

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UC-1 began the conversation with Anna. “Tell me how is everything? How are you doing? Anna replied “Everything is cool, apart from connection” [on the computer]. Anna complained about technical difficulties with the laptop-to-laptop convert communications between her and Russian Government Official 1.

Anna started “I just need to get some more information about you before I can talk.” UC-1 responded “I work in the same department as you but I work here in the consulate. Okay. My name is Roman. My name is Roman, I work in the consulate.”

UC-1 then stated the details of a meetup between an agent (uncover for the U.S.) and Anna. “[She] will tell you … ‘excuse me, but haven’t we met in California last summer’. And you will say ot her, ‘No I think it was the Hamptons.”

Anna asked “The Hamptons?” UC-1 responded “The Hamptons and that it is it. That is how you know and you just exchange, just give her the document.”

Anna responded. “Okay, tomorrow at 11, Ia m going to be sitting at one of the benches and she is going to ask me if she saw me in California. I am going to say no, it was the Hamptons. I will take the documents, tell her to sing. I will hold the journal, this is how she will recognize me and I got back and put the postal stamp.”

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Could there be more life for My Life as Liz with Liz Lee at MTV? My Life as Liz with Liz Lee returns to MTV this week with the same unanswered questions dominating news this Spring. How many more seasons of the hit show will MTV deliver, if it at all?

And despite fan demands for answers in March, there is no more information now in June. Liz Lee, Cori Cooper, and Cameron Frittz play themselves in what some call a pseduo mockumentary.

The show sparked controversy as to how much is real and how much is scripted. For some fans, it didn’t matter. A Valentine’s episode shot in May? High school episodes film at another unnamed high school? It all caused some critics to raise eyebrows.

But for fans, it didn’t matter. In March, the “final” episode 9 of 9 aired “The End of the Beginning”. In it, Liz considers moving to New York. So with possible rumors of The City being canceled, perhaps My Life as Liz could now become MTV’s New York show of choice?

Insiders say the show was never completely real, just people playing themselves in situations that were staged. MTV says of the show “We don’t look at it as just a reality show — that doesn’t capture it. We weren’t going to call it a sitcom, because it’s not.” But as to a second season, MTV is not saying anything.

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LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Britney Spears is launching a fashion line with Candies, a “limited edition” Britney Spears-created collection of Candies accessories and clothing ensembles.

The news comes two years after reps for Christian Audigier reported a Spears Audigier deal in the works. In 2008, Audigier (“Ed Hardy”) reps reported early talks with Spears to have her own label. She would hit up Audigier’s 50th birthday party at the time along with Michael Jackson.

But now Spears is taking to Candies, co-creating “her own line of clothing and accessories for the brand”. Spears has a background of designing and making clothes herself. Spears tells In Style “The collection will be exclusively available in Kohl’s starting July 1st. There will be a few more pieces coming in September and October, and that’s it.”

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