LAUGHING OFF TABLOID RUMORS

King's Things ...

Connie Chung and Maury Povich (Mr. & Mrs. Povich) told me recently they get
a laugh out of all the tabloid stories about their supposed problems. "We
have never been happier," said Chung. Maury added, "I read so many
absurdities about me, I wonder about every other story they print."

Despite the stories about her going to MSNBC, Greta Van Susteren will
probably stay with CNN. Her contract was up a while back and the NBC outlet
made a strong pitch, but she likes her gig at the original all-news
network. It's not set in stone, but you could say the concrete has been poured.

Kevin Garnett, the great power forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves, just
bought a second Bentley. I saw him admiring the steel-gray model the other
day in the driveway at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Garnett came right from
high school to the pro league and was an instant star.

Famed Harvard-educated physician and best-selling author Andrew Weil tells
me he favors the legalization of marijuana. "This drug provides so much
good with so little downside. It's unbelievable that it is not an approved
item. It makes no sense."

Make plans to see the independent thriller Brigham City. I didn't expect
much when they asked me to attend a screening and, boy, was I surprised.
Everything about this tense, taut film is gripping. A serial killer is
loose in Mormon country, and the pace and action never let up. The cast is
terrific.

My long-shot pick in the Kentucky Derby is Millennium Wind, recent winner
of the Toyota Blue Grass. World's winningest jockey, Laffit Pincay Jr.,
will be aboard. Odds should be 6-1 or better; it would be worth a bob or
two on your part. .

By the way, Joe Drape, the wonderful racing columnist of The New York Times
who is a horse player himself, has penned a terrific book, The Race for the
Triple Crown: Horses, High Stakes & Eternal Hope (Atlantic Monthly, $25).
It gives the reader an exciting look at last year's incredible 3-year-old
season.

My friend Morton Kondracke, writer and regular broadcast media figure, is
out next month with Saving Milly: Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease
(Public Affairs, $25). Morton gives us a new side of his personality in
this warm, loving, tender look at this disease, which has affected his wife
since 1987. It is so moving and impossible to put down. Michael J. Fox
wrote the foreword. Four stars.

You may have missed it, but Avon Cosmetics has announced a record-breaking
award of $16.2 million to be given this spring to a dozen leading
universities, medical centers and service organizations to fund treatment
and find a cure for breast cancer. The company's CEO, Andrea Jung, believes
that eradicating breast cancer is part of Avon's corporate mission. Jung's
grandmother, her lifetime role model, died of breast cancer at the age of
63. Beneficiaries include medical schools at Harvard, John Hopkins and
Northwestern University.

The Donny & Marie show, nominated for an Emmy despite being canceled, may
not be done. Don't be surprised if Donny and Marie come back as a talk show
next year. Also, don't be surprised if the Lakers, despite all their
problems, win the NBA championship again this year.

Larry King Live airs nightly on CNN and the Westwood One Radio Network.