Lisa Ling

Someone had to say it. That someone is veteran television journalist Lisa Ling, and the "it" would be an honest opinion about the two-part sit-down Oprah Winfrey had with the Kardashian clan. "I have my issues with the Kardashians, absolutely, and I think there's so much that's wrong about how they are the most, sort of, revered family in the country," Ling said. "I get why Oprah wanted to interview them. For some reason people are interested in what they think about things.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Jan. 20 - 16, 2013 in PDF format This week's TV Movies       SUNDAY Here in L.A., it's all about the car. Except, of course, when “It's All About the Food.” Which must be why host Josh Stone will be visiting a trio of auto-centric eateries - at a car dealership, a gas station, and a car wash - in this new special. (Travel, 7:30 p.m.) MONDAY A serial killer develops quite “The Following” while in prison … only he escapes, and it'll take all six degrees and then some of Kevin Bacon's former FBI agent to bring the madman and his minions to justice in this creepy new procedural drama.

"It is frustrating when people say to me, 'Do you want to be the next Connie Chung?' " says an exasperated Lisa Ling. This type of stereotypical question comes with the territory when you're a young, female Asian American TV reporter. But Chung would hardly seem to be a likely model for this intrepid 24-year-old.

Someone had to say it. That someone is veteran television journalist Lisa Ling, and the "it" would be an honest opinion about the two-part sit-down Oprah Winfrey had with the Kardashian clan. "I have my issues with the Kardashians, absolutely, and I think there's so much that's wrong about how they are the most, sort of, revered family in the country," Ling said. "I get why Oprah wanted to interview them. For some reason people are interested in what they think about things.

To obtain material for her latest documentary -- a look inside North Korea's secretive culture -- Lisa Ling went undercover last June, posing as a medical coordinator documenting the work of a Nepalese eye surgeon who was allowed in the country on a rare humanitarian mission. Ling, a correspondent for National Geographic Channel's "Explorer," gave officials her real name and nationality but did not reveal that she was a journalist.

Departure: Viewers watching ABC's daytime series "The View" were told Monday that co-host Lisa Ling will be leaving Dec. 5 to become a reporter for National Geographic Television and Film. Celebrity guests will fill in for her until a new co-host is named. Arrival: Tom Touchet, who worked at ABC's "Good Morning America" for more than five years, was announced Monday as the new executive producer of NBC's rival "Today."

The statement posted on the lauraandeuna.com website said it all: "Our girls are coming home . . . we are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms." In some circles the release of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee revolved around complex questions of nuclear security and global politics.

The release came suddenly, heralded by a familiar face. In an emotional homecoming Wednesday at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, journalist Laura Ling told family members and friends about the moment when she and her colleague, Euna Lee, knew they were about to be freed after nearly five months of detention in North Korea. "We feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard-labor camp," Ling said. "And then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.

In a speech last year at Tufts University in Massachusetts, TV reporter Lisa Ling shared one of her own personal FAQs: No, she was not in "Charlie's Angels. " That would be Lucy Liu. Then she told students what shaped her world view. "The best education I have ever received was through travel. You'll become more conversant, poised and smarter," she said, according to Abroad101, a study abroad blog that recapped the speech.  Ling, who hosts the TV show "Our America" on OWN and often reports on CNN, will appear at this weekend's L.A. Times Travel Show at the L.A. Convention Center.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Jan. 20 - 16, 2013 in PDF format This week's TV Movies       SUNDAY Here in L.A., it's all about the car. Except, of course, when “It's All About the Food.” Which must be why host Josh Stone will be visiting a trio of auto-centric eateries - at a car dealership, a gas station, and a car wash - in this new special. (Travel, 7:30 p.m.) MONDAY A serial killer develops quite “The Following” while in prison … only he escapes, and it'll take all six degrees and then some of Kevin Bacon's former FBI agent to bring the madman and his minions to justice in this creepy new procedural drama.

In a speech last year at Tufts University in Massachusetts, TV reporter Lisa Ling shared one of her own personal FAQs: No, she was not in "Charlie's Angels. " That would be Lucy Liu. Then she told students what shaped her world view. "The best education I have ever received was through travel. You'll become more conversant, poised and smarter," she said, according to Abroad101, a study abroad blog that recapped the speech.  Ling, who hosts the TV show "Our America" on OWN and often reports on CNN, will appear at this weekend's L.A. Times Travel Show at the L.A. Convention Center.

Over the last quarter-century, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" introduced viewers to controversial topics, intriguing guests and Oprah's friends — many of whom later launched their own shows. Some of them reflect on the daytime queen's tenure. Dr. Phil McGraw ("Dr. Phil") Oprah told me one time, she said, "You know what, I'm like a viewer with a microphone, I ask the questions that everyone wants to know the answer to. " That's what I aim to do every episode. To have that in the back of my mind.

The release came suddenly, heralded by a familiar face. In an emotional homecoming Wednesday at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, journalist Laura Ling told family members and friends about the moment when she and her colleague, Euna Lee, knew they were about to be freed after nearly five months of detention in North Korea. "We feared that at any moment we could be sent to a hard-labor camp," Ling said. "And then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.

The statement posted on the lauraandeuna.com website said it all: "Our girls are coming home . . . we are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms." In some circles the release of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee revolved around complex questions of nuclear security and global politics.

To obtain material for her latest documentary -- a look inside North Korea's secretive culture -- Lisa Ling went undercover last June, posing as a medical coordinator documenting the work of a Nepalese eye surgeon who was allowed in the country on a rare humanitarian mission. Ling, a correspondent for National Geographic Channel's "Explorer," gave officials her real name and nationality but did not reveal that she was a journalist.

Departure: Viewers watching ABC's daytime series "The View" were told Monday that co-host Lisa Ling will be leaving Dec. 5 to become a reporter for National Geographic Television and Film. Celebrity guests will fill in for her until a new co-host is named. Arrival: Tom Touchet, who worked at ABC's "Good Morning America" for more than five years, was announced Monday as the new executive producer of NBC's rival "Today."

Over the last quarter-century, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" introduced viewers to controversial topics, intriguing guests and Oprah's friends — many of whom later launched their own shows. Some of them reflect on the daytime queen's tenure. Dr. Phil McGraw ("Dr. Phil") Oprah told me one time, she said, "You know what, I'm like a viewer with a microphone, I ask the questions that everyone wants to know the answer to. " That's what I aim to do every episode. To have that in the back of my mind.

"A queen is not afraid to fail," Oprah Winfrey once said. "Failure is another steppingstone to greatness. " Now the television queen may have a chance to prove the adage. Her Los Angeles-based Oprah Winfrey Network has been hobbled by missteps, ego clashes, a revolving door in the executive suite and, most important, low ratings. OWN's stumbles suggest, at the least, that even in celebrity-obsessed America, fame alone doesn't guarantee success. PHOTOS: 25 great "Oprah" moments The network was born 15 months ago with high hopes of becoming the television equivalent of Winfrey's O magazine.

"It is frustrating when people say to me, 'Do you want to be the next Connie Chung?' " says an exasperated Lisa Ling. This type of stereotypical question comes with the territory when you're a young, female Asian American TV reporter. But Chung would hardly seem to be a likely model for this intrepid 24-year-old.