Morgan (AP/Jae C. Hong)
NEW YORK--After spending two hours dining with Piers Morgan, two things are clear: he loves Twitter, and he loves to talk, mainly about himself and Twitter.
Morgan and a handful of CNN executives and journalists convened in the back room of the Landmarc restaurant in Columbus Circle here on Friday to celebrate the celebrity interviewer's first year as Larry King's primetime replacement. Morgan spoke candidly on a wide-range of topics (politics, Twitter, phone-hacking, 50 Cent, Piers Morgan, Twitter). But the bulk of discussion focused on the challenges of adapting his British brand to American viewers, the cutthroat race for ratings on cable news, and some planned changes to the show that will sound familiar to fans of Fox News and the Daily Show.
"I love Bill O'Reilly and I love Jon Stewart," Morgan said, his face caked in makeup for an interview taping with Rosie O'Donnell scheduled immediately after the meal. "It doesn't matter who their guests are--you tune in to watch them."
Morgan and CNN are hoping to inject more of the former's British humor into "Piers Morgan Tonight," a show that has, to this point, been dependent on high-profile guest bookings and global breaking news.
"We've been at the mercy of bookings," Morgan, 46, said between bites of a Caesar salad. "We want viewers to tune in because of me and the show. We want to showcase more of my personality."
And Morgan is very fond of O'Reilly's personality. "'Pinheads and Patriots' always makes me laugh," he said, adding that they are at the early stages of adding similar segments to his show. "I think you'll start to see a lot more writing."
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