website later. ing welcome starts now. see you tomorrow night. tonight, just revealed, the shocking footage of michael jackson with his hair on fire. we'll show you what could have started the king of pop on pain killers. a horrifying moment that may have changed his life. the never before seen images exposed second and third-degree burns. are the injuries to blame for jackson's reported dependence on drugs? then jesse ventura. he calls sarah palin a quitter. what's he calling senator al franken and his questioning of supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. the former governor of minnesota sounds off, next, on "larry king live."

good evening. our special guest to begin things is chief correspondent for "inside edition." jim is also an attorney. never before-seen footage during which michael jackson's hair caught fire has been obtained and made public by "us weekly." the raw images tell the story. watch. there's no audio.

>> larry: i see mikko brando in there helping to put this out. you were covering that. >> i was the local reporter at abc station in los angeles. we've never seen that view before. only saw a grainy image from the front. realize for ten seconds perhaps michael jackson's hair was on fire, he didn't even know it. when people realize it, you see they came to his aid, but he had second and third degree burns, tremendous amount of pain. had to undergo surgeries, skin grafts. took demerol for the pain. >> larry: that we knew all about, right? >> we knew about that. and we also knew later that he became dependent upon demerol. you look at that moment in the last days of his life and wonder if that marked his undoing, unknowingly. >> larry: that was a commercial for pepsi? >> that was a commercial he was shooting with the jacksons.

that was, i believe, the sixth take. the pyrotechnics went off too early. they were supposed to -- when he was down the stairs but he was at the top of the stairs and they went off too soon and a spark hit his hair. he had hair product in his hair, it ignited. you see what happened. >> larry: did any of the clips ever become a commercial? >> there was a commercial. obviously not that. >> larry: that was an earlier clip. what were you thinking at the time? >> well, at the time, we realized it was serious, and you did see, i think -- you saw him coming -- he was fully bandaged but had his white glove, sequinned glove and waved to the fans, as he was wheeled into the ambulance. you thought everything was okay. but you realize it was serious and he was sent to the burn center in sherman oaks, very famous facility. but now, you realize -- we never saw the footage with the scalp

that was revealed. >> larry: stories he was bald may be true then? >> they may be. they may be. >> larry: michael's dermatologist, dr. arnold klein alluded to the '84 fire when talking about painkillers last week on this show. watch. >> what about pain killing medications. did you prescribe any? >> i've used sedatives for when he had surgical procedures. don't forget, he had a lot -- he had the severe burn when he was burned on the pepsi commercial and severe hair loss when he contracted lupus also. so when you have to fix all these areas, you have shave a little bit. if you took all of the pills i've given him last year at once, wouldn't do anything to him. >> larry: what was the strongest medication you gave him? >> i once on occasion gave him demerol to sedate him. that was the strongest medicine i ever used. >> larry: do you suggest maybe the fire incident played a role with michael jackson's seeming obsession with plastic surgery?

>> he did have plastic surgery a few years prior. he clearly had most of that plastic surgery after that time. maybe he was so insecure with his looks after that that he just kept going. dr. klein said to you that michael jackson viewed his face as a work of art. first operation was in '79. first nose job. this was in '84 this particular accident but had the bulk of his plastic surgery after that. it's hard to say but clearly you needed operations on his head, for sure. >> larry: he could have died. >> could have died, absolutely. clearly endured a great deal of pain. >> larry: what's the latest on the investigation, by the way? >> lapd is not saying whether or not this is an accident or homicide investigation. the door's open. the toxicology report could be released as early as friday but probably midweek. i think at that time lapd will announce it's homicide investigation. >> larry: tmz reports lapd was

treating the michael jackson case as a homicide. what do you know? >> they are saying they're not treating it as a homicide investigation but homicide detectives are investigating. you also look back if this was viewed as a homicide early on, they certainly didn't act like it. they didn't secure the premises as they should have. several days went by. that's not to say they won't deem this a homicide investigation in the future. >> larry: when are the autopsy reports? when will it be all in? >> should have it by next week at the latest. >> larry: will that put a wrap on this? >> i don't know if anything puts a wrap on this. we talked about what's going on. there's so many questions. it will focus the investigation, focus which doctors they're looking at, what they're lacking for. what drugs were in the system at the time and where did he get them? >> larry: jim's coming back. don't go away. deepak chopra is among the few that said he knew michael jackson well and we'll show you the video again when we come

back. of calcium. calcium citrate. with vitamin d... for unsurpassed absorption, to nourish your bones.

>> larry: now welcome to "larry king live," deepak chopra. always welcome guest. physician, best-selling author, long-time friend of michael jackson. let's look at the footage from the 1984 commercial shoot and the accident he later admitted triggered his use of painkillers.

what are your thoughts as you watch this, deepak? >> it makes you understand why he would have required narcotics and painkillers. second and third degree burns can be extremely painful. but you know, larry -- >> larry: do you rescind criticism of getting painkillers? >> when you're a celebrity, you're such an important person, you frequently end up getting the worst care. it's difficult for a doctor to refuse you. the patient, whatever the demand the doctor submits to it. what happens ultimately leads to the addiction. >> larry: did michael ever talk to you about that incident? >> he did talk to me after that incident. >> larry: what did he say? >> he was upset about his

appearance, about the fact that he was disfigured. we had long discussions about the fact that i felt he had a lot of self-clothing. he had a lot of shame. >> larry: over what? >> mutilation was part of his childhood -- >> larry: he was disfigured or did he just lose hair? >> he had lupus, he had extensive patches of white that were very disfigures and vitiligo. these diseases border psychosomatic medicine. children who were abused in childhood go on to get auto immune diseases 20, 30 years later. >> concerning lupus, one of the word's leading experts on lupus, issued statements on reports that michael jackson had the disease. he said, quote, reports that

michael jackson had lupus, a localized form of lupus that affects the skin and spares internal organs, included some misconceptions about the disease, particularly hypothesis lupus is linked to childhood traumatic stress. there's never been any evidence specifically linking the development of lupus to physical or psychological trauma in childhood. >> there's a write up in that in psychosomatic medicine. february of this year. google it. just goog it'll right now. it's a study of over 2,400 patients. i'm surprised these experts have missed it. >> larry: you're saying the doctor it wrong? >> i'm sorry, he missed the study. >> larry: he's an expert on lupus. >> he hasn't kept up with the literature. >> larry: you were on the program the day after michael's death, along with a long-time employee, miko brando. watch. did he take a lot of pills and stuff? >> not more than anybody else.

if he had a headache he could take something. wasn't like he was on a daily -- >> i know for a fact i saw bottles of oxycontin, i knew he was getting shots. i know his doctors were enablers. what can i say? i confronted him many times. and when i did, he would stop returning my calls until we changed the topic. >> larry: lisa marie presley wrote that michael once told her he would end up like her father. did he talk about that? >> he did. her father was also my friend. i used to go to his house all of the time and have indian food. but michael would say, particularly to my son, i'd rather go out like elvis than marlon brando. >> larry: a couple critiques of that. some people criticize you for tarnishing michael's image. >> i love michael. he was one of my best friends.

he was a tortured soul. if you understood the context of his life, you would feel only love and compassion for michael. i'm not tarnishing michael's image. i'm so upset by enabling doctors who write multiple prescriptions for the same patient using fictitious names. doctors who enable you to get prescriptions from other patients. a lost these doctors are concierge doctors. you pay them a monthly fee and you can get anything you demand from them. i want tarnishing michael's image at all. i was saying, if you really understood then conditions of his life. you're totally understanding what he's going through. >> larry: along with deepak, we'll be back in 06 seconds.

?p you have questions. who can give you the financial advice you need? where will you find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions. that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney. here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions. morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience. >> larry: do you think, deepak, in retrospect in talking about his physical condition, you were violating some kind of code of confidentiality a physician would have? >> first of all, michael is not

alive anymore. and we're trying to -- >> larry: even if you're dead, doesn't -- >> yeah, but every doctor you've had here has been discussing michael's condition. >> larry: they weren't his doctor -- >> except doctor -- i was not michael's official doctor, i was his best friend throughout his life. >> larry: you never helped him? >> i tried to help him as a friend. of course. i have a license in california. i have a narcotics license. michael knew that, he asked me for a prescription. i said i wouldn't give it to you. >> larry: was it hard to turn him down? >> no, i said i love you, michael, i'm not going to give it to you because this could kill you. >> larry: what did he say? he said, you don't understand me. >> larry: was he angry? >> he was angry. he made me feel guilty. he was very manipulative about it. he said my other doctors understand me.

i said, i'm a doctor, i'm not your doctor. >> larry: addicts are good at that. >> physicians have to be very careful that they do not -- they normally have to be careful. they don't know enough about -- >> larry: we're going to do some major programs on this coming. deepak remains, dr. drew pinsky joins us right after this. this is humiliating. stand still so we can get an accurate reading. okay...um...eighteen pounds and a smidge. a smidge? y'know, there's really no need to weigh packages under 70 pounds.

with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service, if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. cool. you know this scale is off by a good 7, 8 pounds. maybe five. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. hi, i just switched jobs, and i want to roll over my old 401(k) into a fidelity ira. man: okay, no problem. it's easy to get started. i can help you with the paperwork.

um... this green line just appeared on my floor. that's guidance from fidelity. it's the route to your financial goals. could you hold on a second? whatever your destination, fidelity has the people, guidance and investments to help you find your way. this is going to be helpful. contact us today. >> larry: what you're watching now, may be arguably the most shocking video ever shot of michael jackson. the newly revealed raw footage of the 1984 pepsi commercial shoot during which fireworks ignite his hair.

we're joined now, deepak chopra remains with dr. drew pinsky, host of vh-1's celebrity rehab. author of the mirror effect. how celebrity narcissim is seducing america. some suggest from that moment on he might have altered the course of his life, dr. pinski, do you agree with that? >> i think the evidence suggests that. he took a turn after that experience. naturally, after a severe burn you would be exposed to opiates. very often in my work, people who are exposed for two weeks, four weeks, eight weeks, are inadvertently addicted. >> what is the man to do? the man is in constant pain. >> there's something called hyperalgesia. opiates, actually intensifies pain. i treated jeff conway. he has pain. that's because of the opiates. because of the addiction -- >> in my world, my average patient today on opiates comes in complaining of a 20 out of

10. they always say it's above the scale i ask them. i take them off opiates and within two weeks they tell me it's four or under, almost without exception. >> why do you think, deepak, michael didn't want to get better? >> michael had a lot of emotional pain also, in addition to his physical pain. he did want to get better. who doesn't want to get better? but internal dialogue says if i don't get this drug, i'll probably die. especially at that stage, right? >> that is actually the biology. you have the normal survival systems. and that becomes consistent with the biology of the drug. on top of that, 90% plus of people that become chronic pain opiate addicted have a history of trauma which we know michael had. >> federal health authorities recalled some version of an aesthetic diprivan.

what he reportedly took before it was tainted with endotoxin. >> if he got that, somebody gave that to him. >> larry: you don't give that to yourself? >> it's given intravenously. if he got that. it was like a an overdose would have killed him. >> i read the reports what happened. the kind of side effects related to those lots were not related to the cause of death in michael jackson's case, as far as we know so far. however, i got to tell you i keep thinking diprivan plus. and a combination of something else. it's a medicine commonly used in pain which is methadone. it's more increasingly -- >> larry: not a narcotic. >> it's a very powerful one. >> larry: it takes you off heroin, doesn't it? >> you're switching one for another. i keep wondering if it's possible that methadone was part of his treatment. you add something like diprivan. you see increasing indents of men over 30 of sudden death. and the kind of sudden death

that a cardiologist -- >> he wouldn't be given a lithium -- >> larry: a hospital procedure. i keep repeating. i had it for my cataracts. if you take diprivan, why would you need anything else? you go right to sleep. it knocks you out. >> correct. if you're on a maintenance medication. you can have other symptoms on top of that like anxiety, irritability and insomnia, they start treating with other medications. there have been reports he was taking benzodiazapines like xanax, most come on feature insomnia. >> larry: did the family intervene? >> to my knowledge, yes, the family tried to intervene a year ago. >> larry: didn't work? >> in fact, they stopped -- >> larry: he got mad at them? >> yes. >> larry: why does an intervention often fail? >> i mean it's a very complex issue. you have to have leverage, first of all. you have to have somebody --

an employee, money, something that you can leverage the patient to cause them to get motivation. only thing a family has is their love. they can agree they can withhold that. but it's very difficult for a family to do that. when someone is intoxicated they may not feel -- they may not care. >> what's the responsibility of the physician? he's a specialist. we should talk about the role of the physician. >> this is one thing deepak and i are aproplectic about. one thing i told when interviewed. don't ever do this alone. when working with a very powerful individual who is an addict, make sure you have a team around them. >> larry: can licenses be taken? >> i'm not a legal expert. i feel sorry for these people who got themselves in these situation. i'm not sure they understood what they're getting into. maybe they did. we'll find out when the facts are in. maybe this is something completely unrelated to these people's care. >> larry: a lot of this --

>> is speculation. >> larry: we're surmising. suppose the autopsy said heart attack. >> that's too late. you know, the fact if he died from overdose of whatever, these drugs cannot be given unless there's a prescription, and i think it's very important for people listening to this program to realize that the number one cause of drug addiction in our country is not street drugs but legally prescribed physicians giving -- >> 2,500 12 to 17-year-olds will abuse medication today. >> larry: doctors -- >> you're in complex territory. i would say these are effects of not the -- medication. we learn we can take away suffering and pain. one of the most gratifying things for a doctor to do. but if you don't train them about the identifying referring and treating, what happens that subset that has potential for addiction, if you don't see it coming, you can cause real harm.

>> answer this question. he's the expert. a number of doctors themselves have problems with addictions. >> larry: doctors are the biggest addicts, basically. they have access. >> it's hard to treat. they have access and we know too much. >> larry: thanks, guys, we'll have you back probably tomorrow. next the latest on the jackson investigation with the legal experts, mark garegos and o.j. prosecutor marcia clark. since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage. i hope he has that insurance. aflac! you really need it these days. how come? well if you're hurt and can't work it pays you cash... yeah to help with everyday bills like gas, the mortgage... ...and groceries. it's like insurance for daily living. so...what's it called? uhhhhh aflaaac!!!! oh yeah! that's it!

aflac. we've got you under our wing. a-a-a-aflaaac! my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life. please talk to your doctor about aspirin and your heart. i'm going to be grandma for a long time.

>> larry: marcia clark, nice to have her back. the former prosecutor contributed to the daily beast.com.

we'll start with marcia. >> it's very clear when you see the most recent footage of michael jackson, he was doing better than ever. it seems unlikely that it was a normal or naturally caused death. it means that it's likely drug induced, a combination or cocktail that probably he shouldn't have had. that means somebody gave him drugs they shouldn't have give him. >> there's a lot of public attenti attention, given by the fact that i think you're on day 39 of doing the coverage. you have that combination with the dea, the doj, the d.a., the lapd, that is the formula, in fact, a prescription, if you'll excuse the pun -- >> you're not saying the doctors don't deserve some sort of punishment? >> i don't know. we don't really know anything. >> larry: hypothetically. >> if you you have a doctor

that's giving somebody diprivan and that person is taking it into the home, conceivably i could see an aggressive prosecutor filing an implied malice second degree murder case against that person. >> larry: is this a long time for an autopsy result? >> i don't think so. i mean, listen to what mark just said. it's a high profile case. you need to do things correctly. the family wanted a second autopsy. i think that they're taking their time and they should take their time. you don't want to come out with results piecemeal. that's for sure. we heard that from the coroner himself. >> it's not about the autopsy. that's done. it's about the toxicology. that takes a while. they had a lot of drug screenings. >> they have to go backward. somebody has to take the drugs, find out the lot number, find out where they got shipped to, find out who had it and connect the dots. >> you had to wait a certain period of time for that organ to

harden. >> larry: that might be why they're waiting to bury, to put the brain back in. >> that's right. >> larry: could the will be challenged if the person writing it was a drug abuser? >> you could challenge the will on the basis of him not being of sound mind. you'd have to come up with evidence, indication that at the time he signed the will and testament he was not of sound mind. i sincerely doubt, even with the prescription drug abuse, they may have a hard time. >> larry: how much affect will all this publicity, us included, have on the case? >> as we discussed on other cases, it poisons the jury pool, makes it virtually impositivible to get a fair trial. there's all of these things that are out there. we don't know if they're true or untrue. people view them as fact. they're in the ether. it's one of the reasons we

should have a contempt of court act like we have in england. >> larry: in england this would not be covered. >> to suggest that, you'd never have a fair trial. i don't know that it taints all the jurors? >> larry: you think it does? >> yes. a sequestered jury, it doesn't matter. the sequestered jury has family. >> that's worse. >> as i've learned. i heard, i don't know, by personal experience. the family comes to visit the jurors and they say what they've heard and you can't monitor everything. >> the problem with it is what we call stealth jurors, jurors who lie to get on the jury because it's high profile. >> larry: i want to get on this trial. i could go 12 months. we'll be right back with more of our legal eagles. don't go away. tack caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone

to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots. ask your doctor about plavix, protection that helps save lives. (female announcer) if you have stomach ulcer or other condition that causes bleeding, you should not use plavix. when taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin, the risk of bleeding may increase so tell your doctor before planning surgery. and always talk to your doctor before taking aspirin or other medicines with plavix, especially if you've had a stroke. if you develop fever or unexplained weakness or confusion, tell your doctor promptly as these may be signs of a rare but potentially life-threatening condition called ttp, which has been reported rarely, sometimes in less than two weeks after starting therapy. other rare but serious side effects may occur. (male announcer) if you take plavix with other heart medicines continuing to do so will help increase your protection against a future heart attack or stroke beyond your other heart medicines alone. you may be feeling better but your risk never goes away. help stay protected, stay with plavix.

>> as far as i can see, they said, he can really dance, blanket. >> have you seen blanket dance? >> not yet, i'm trying to wait and see. >> so you think they might have a little bit of entertainer in them? >> they got a lot in them, just got to come out. they're jacksons. of course. >> larry: do you think he might have an effect on this case? >> i think he will, but of course in a negative way.

and it's one of these things where if anybody has been allowing him access to these children, that person should be the one excluded from custody. any consideration of custody. whoever does get the children, should have a condition put in he's never allowed to have unmonitored visits. never. >> larry: what do you think of him? >> i like joe, i don't have a problem with him. i don't think there's any -- i don't think joe is, at any point, going to say i want custody of these kids. i haven't seen him or talked to him for years. my experience if katherine is there it's not a problem. >> larry: michael had bitter feelings about him. >> he said he thought his father abused him physically and emotionally. i cringe when i see that. he speaks and seems like he says things out in left field. debbie rowe probably cringes too because she doesn't want her kids around him. >> what joe jackson is worried about, joe jackson having access.

no one monitors visits. you don't go after money because you're earn canned about joe jackson visiting the kids. >> every family got inlaws that don't get along. >> larry: he's got maybe a deserved bad rap. >> he's getting a bad rap. i'm not here to defend -- joe is joe, he is what he is. >> larry: where is it all going to go, jim? we asked this the other leg. where does this go? will it end with the autopsy? >> no. i think it -- i think if criminal charges are filed it will just be beginning on that part. we have to see what happens to the kids, what happens to the estate. >> larry: i'm going to a call. phoenix, hello. phoenix, are you there? >> caller: larry, how are you doing? >> larry: what's the question? >> caller: i have a question for the defense team. the experts here. if these doctors are found liable, and in fact, partially or fully responsible for the death of jackson, what kind of penalty or sense are they going to face?

>> larry: what do you think, marcia? >> involuntary manslaughter. two, three or four years. if it's implied murder, you're looking at 15 to life. if it's some other professions code it's 16, two and three. >> larry: as a prosecutor would you come down hard if the evidence pointed at the doctor? >> i sure would. >> larry: killer here. >> would you want her coming at you? that's a bigger nightmare than going to the joint. >> i think, you know, part of the reason this case has life, it's an issue for our time. the issue of prescription drug abuse has become such a large issue in our society. it's always really bad -- usually framed when it comes to celebrities who have access that we don't have. i mean, the irony of this case -- >> find someone who is now be ianized. this is a prosecutor's dream. >> you and i can't get this kind of access to drugs. you have to be a celebrity to be able to get ruined this way.

if you go against the doctors, you go after them firmly, you discourage doctors across the board from doing it with anybody. that's worth it. >> larry: more with this outstanding group right after this.

we're back, going to go back to the horrifying video, from the pepsi commercial, the incident that michael's hair caught on fire. marcia, what do you think as you see this? >> i can't watch it again. it's horrifying. it's painful. it hurts to watch this. it's a really frightening thing. i totally believe dr. drew when he said this is possibly the start of the prescriptive drug addiction. >> this is incredible to see him. really gives you chills to see that right there is the moment that could have sent him down the wrong path. >> mark, did he ever talk to you about it? >> no. >> larry: what do you think as

you see it? >> i just don't understand why we keep playing it. i guess it's got for ratings. >> larry: it's rather gripping, isn't it? >> yes, but so are car accidents and beheadings. >> larry: we stop and look at them, too. >> but we try not to show beheadings. >> larry: what have we become? >> there is something to that, larry. >> larry: your whole thoughts on all of this. you know about celebrity cases. maybe the most celebrated celebrity case. where do you think this is going? >> i suspect it will land in a criminal prosecution. i expect there's one if not more than one doctor prosecuted. certainly if the cause of death is proven to be a combination of methadone and diprivan. diprivan, there's no prescription for that. whoever provided that, if that's part of cause of death will definitely get prosecuted. >> larry: mark, where do you think it's going? >> based on nothing but speculation think there's going to be a criminal prosecution. >> larry: you heard doctors are being paid regularly?

>> i talked to a director of a treatment facility who said he had celebrity patients who had doctors on retainer for as much as $50,000 a month so they can get drugs whenever they want them. >> larry: get a call on tuesday and -- >> they're there. >> larry: that's not a crime, isn't it? you can retain a doctor. >> you can retain a doctor but what you can't do is get prescriptions for drugs you've not been diagnosed as needing. in other words there has to be a real medical need for it. you just dial a doctor and ask for a drug that's not legal. however you're not the one prosecuted. the doctor is in control, right? >> larry: thank you all. you'll come back again. we like having you here. garegos, you'll be back tomorrow. would you vote to confirm judge sotomayor? that's tonight's quick vote. go to cnn.com/larryking. let us know what you think.

jesse ventura will tell us what he thinks, next. don't go away. ♪ (second man) i guess i'm just done with doing nothing, you know? ♪ (third man) oh, i'm not thinking about moving my money. i am moving it. tdd# 1-800-345-2550

you can make a positive change in your career. you can make a greater contribution to the greater good. and you can start today, by earning your degree online... at walden university. where advanced degrees advance the quality of life.

i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. >> larry: before we meet my friend jesse ventura, let's go to my friend anderson cooper. host of "ac 360." what's up, anderson? >> what could have been the turning point in michael jackson's life an death a fiery spent while filming a pepsi commercial. we'll tell you the tape. also answers and many more questions, brutal murder of a successful businessman and his wife. we'll speak to the sheriff in charge of the investigation, a new arrest was just announced. we'll give you details on that. and michelle obama's family

roots. we'll show you the south carolina plantation where michelle obama believes her great, great grandfather was born into a life of slavery. >> >> larry: thanks, anderson. joining us, best selling author of "don't start the revolution" without me. jesse ventura. you pointed more than 70 judges while in office. how does judge sotomayor impress you as a nominee? >> well, first of all, larry, she already held numerous appointments. appointed by president george h.w. bush, i believe to the federal bench. this is a woman with a vast amount of experience. you know, when they get to these hearings, it's more about political posturing of the two political parties, in my opinion. it's almost laughable. because if the appointment's a democratic appointment if it's republican the democrats attack and the litmus test is always

roe v. wade. they all want to know, how are you going to vote on roe v. wade, abortion? that's how it comes to the wash to me. she's totally qualified and in my opinion should be appointed to the bench. >> larry: al franken finally got into the united states senate from your state. what do you make of that whole election? >> it's the process. the election was so close it required the recount regardless of lawsuits or the court or anything like that. when the recount was completed, they did it slowly and hopefully correctly. then senator coleman had his option of challenging to the court. he took it to the minnesota supreme court, lost, and it ended there. what i find more disturbing is this, larry, there's letters to the editors here in minnesota now. saying how embarrassing it is that we now elected a writer, comedian, just as before we elected a pro wrestler. well, i think that minnesota

truly is following what our forefathers had in mind of a citizen government. i am more disturbed that people think we should elect career politics and lawyers. you know? what this country was founded upon, larry was people bringing their life experience, be a citizen government and the one positive thing i can say about al franken over norm coleman, at least this is his first time. senator coleman has been cashing government checks for 35 years and i find that very strange out of a republican. >> larry: by the way, senator franken questioned judge sotomayor today. here's an excerpt. we'll get your comments. >> what was the one case in perry mason that -- >> i wish i remembered the name of the episode, but i don't. i just was always struck that there was only one case where his client was actually guilty. and -- >> and you don't remember that case? >> i know that i should remember the name of it, but i haven't looked at the episode. >> larry: didn't the white house

prepare you for -- for that? >> that needed a little humor, didn't it, jesse? >> i suppose, total nonsense. i would counter and say my friend vince only lost one case too. he was successful in 105 out of 106 prosecution convictions. >> did you consider running for that senate seat? >> yes, i did. i flipped a coin. it came up tails, heads i run, tails i don't. everywhere i go in the twin cities people come up to me all the time and say to me we wouldn't have had this problem if i would have ran. that's neither here nor there. >> let's move to governor palin, soon to be former governor palin. what do you make of her resigning? >> she's a quitter. by not being sexist, she could

never make it as a frog man or navy s.e.a.l., if you utter the words "i quit," you're gone. i don't remember one person in my class that quit. i remember every person i graduated with. it offends me that she told the people of alaska that she wanted to be their governor. that's a four-year commitment. now in the middle she quits. i would never vote for her. if it gets too hot in the kitchen, she's liable to quit. >> larry: do you think there's an underlying reason maybe we don't know? >> i don't think she was put under any more scrutiny with the media as i was as an independent. my children were attacked in minnesota. everything i did was put under the microscope. the point is, larry, you don't quit. when you make an obligation and take an oath, doesn't it mean anything any more? >> larry: we'll be back with more of jesse ventura who is

never dull. his spoke is "don't start the revolution without me." we have two web exclusives for you on this sotomayor confirmation hearing. go to cnn.com/larryking to read both takes on the issue. sotomayor and the political divide at cnn.com/larryking. more with jesse when we get back. find the stability and resources to keep you ahead of this rapidly evolving world? these are tough questions. that's why we brought together two of the most powerful names in the industry. introducing morgan stanley smith barney. here to rethink wealth management. here to answer... your questions. morgan stanley smith barney. a new wealth management firm with over 130 years of experience.

taking its rightful place in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz.

>> larry: let's take a call for governor ventura. sante, california, hello. >> caller: hi. how are you? >> larry: fine. >> caller: i wanted to ask mr. ventura, does he have any other future plans for running for governor or state senator or something beyond that? i like his stand on average

people getting more involved in their citizenry. >> larry: will you run again for something? >> i have no plan to do that right now. i did six years in the navy. six years as a mayor and four as a governor. i like private life a lot right now. it is my birthday today and only for you would i come out and do an interview on my birthday. i played golf today at the tournament players' club in minneapolis where we had the 3m championship of the seniors today and then i come on with you on my birthday. >> larry: i'm honored! >> only for you, larry. nobody else. >> larry: you have been a critic of media in your time. what do you make of media coverage of michael jackson? >> well, i think it's overexposed by far. you know, michael was a great entertainer, one of the biggest the world's ever seen but, you know, to me enough is enough. you know, our media's gone far too much to the entertainment side and to the ratings side as opposed to the information side

and the knowledge side. honor michael. do a tribute to him but it should not last for weeks going into months. >> larry: congressman peter king of new york who shared the view of overcoverage called michael a low life, a pervert and criticized society for glorifying him. >> what was he talking about, a few of his republican colleagues? you know? who are they to talk? i mean, you got republicans cheating on the wives left and right. you got them, you know, in the bathrooms at the airport here in minnesota and these are all the people that supposedly run on family values. you know, unless you got a clean closet, keep your mouth shut. >> larry: what part of a politician's private life is our business? >> i think none of it unless they run on a family value platform. if they tell you that they're for this quarterback quot, quot larry, then that opens up the

box of worms on them on the moral issues. i liked it better in the days of john f. kennedy. people talked that he had affairs, this and that. you know what? it wasn't brought out to the public. they stuck to the issues and to governing. look at it this way, larry. they spent $100 million to discover bill clinton cheated on hillary when on 9/11 they only allocated $4 million to find out who killed 3,000 people. >> larry: another area. ultimate boxing has now replaced boxing in popularity. >> uhl mat fighting you mean. >> larry: ultimate fighting. they don't wear shoes. kick, fight, jump on each other. >> yep. >> larry: what do you make of that sport? >> i think it's terrific. i have been to them and i think it's very professionally run. i was ashamed of the behavior saturday at the end of the fight but for the most part, for the most part, they're honorable, respectful. they volunteer to do it. the referees are very good. i've been there. i think boxing's really more dangerous because in ultimate fighting, the moment the guy is stunned, the referee jumps in

and stops it. where in boxing, they give you standing eight counts and let it resume again and again and again. i think this is less dangerous actually than boxing. >> larry: why do you think the public -- the totals on the pay per view the other night were incredible. why do you think the public likes it so much? >> because it's something new and they call it the ultimate martial arts. you combine wrestling. you combine jujitsu, judo, boxing, karate. it's all combined, it's all legal. yet, you can't hit to the groin. you can't do eye techniques or anything like that but i think that's what draws it is it's the ultimate fighter. when all the arts are allowed to go, this is the ultimate winner. >> larry: in your younger days, would you have tried it? >> no. i don't think so. as my instructor terry moi told me in the s.e.a.l.s. asking about hand-to-hand combat, he said to us, with a stoner

machine gun, no one should ever get that close. >> larry: finally, how's obama doing? >> i think it's still in my opinion too early to judge. i will withhold judgment until he's been in office at least one year and then at that point in time, i'll look back at the first year and make some judgments. right now, he is getting his feet wet but he's doing a heck of a lot better than his predecessor did? >> larry: do you think he's overexposed? >> i never believe any president of the united states is overexposed. you know, they're the leader of the free world and the leader of the united states. and we need to know what they're doing at all times. >> larry: so you don't mind a speech a day? >> no. because you can turn the channel. you don't have to watch it. you know? >> larry: you're right. >> that's your option. >> larry: hey, jesse. thanks for doing this. happy 58th birthday. god, he's 58. happy 58th birthday to jesse ventura. >> it's a golden berth day for

me, larry. thank you. because i was bud's class 58th and now i am 58. >> larry: thank you so much, jesse. >> always, larry. my pleasure. bye-bye. >> larry: jesse ventura. time now for anderson cooper and "ac 360." anderson? >> hey, larry. thanks so much. moments ago the sheriff in pensacola, florida, announcing new arrests at the home apparently in a robbery with nine of the kids in the house. this woman, pamela longwiggens sought and then brought in for questioning now under arrest. we have details ahead. also, video seen for the first time of the accident that set michael jackson's hair on fire. was it a turning point for him? did it set him on a path to drug addiction and eventually death? new details on that and showing you the tape. it is frankly unbelievable. also, a powerful, emotional journey. "360" traces the roots of first lady michelle obama, back to her