Farewell Regis, I Hardly Knew Ye

This morning, I managed to catch the heartfelt final moments of Regis Philbin’s last day on his eponymous morning talk show. I’m really glad I did. I don’t watch Live! regularly, but it’s no secret that I’ve always had a special fondness for the show. I began tuning in shortly after Kelly Ripa signed on as co-host in 2001, and I have many fond memories watching with my mom on days off from school and during the summer. One thing I’ve always enjoyed about the show is the chemistry between the co-hosts. They couldn’t be more different, but I believe that only added to the appeal of the show. Because I’m a huge fan of Kelly’s, I plan on watching the show after Regis’ exit, but Gelman had better choose someone special to replace him. (My top choices are frequent guest co-hosts Neil Patrick Harris and Jeff Probst.) In honor of the legendary talk show host’s decades-spanning career, I thought I would share with you my experiences visiting the Live! set.

1) February 23, 2004 – The audience experience that wasn’t: I had sent away for tickets on a whim, and I was ecstatic when I received a letter in the mail inviting us down for a taping. Long story short: we never made it onto the road. On the day that my family and I were leaving for New York City, my father slipped on a patch of ice in our driveway, cracking three ribs. I honestly don’t know who was more upset, him or me. (Just kidding.)

2) March 4, 2008 –  Braving the cold: On our first family trip to New York City in nearly a decade, I insisted we attend a taping of Live! We hadn’t reserved tickets, so our only option was to wait in the standby line. I wasn’t taking any chances, so I woke my mom up at 5 AM in order to make it to the studio before 6 AM. We were the first ones in line (duh!), but we were faced with another problem. New York City was experiencing unseasonably cold weather that March, and we weren’t dressed for the cold. My mom ended up paying a taxi driver $100 to park outside the studio, and we took turns warming up in the back seat. (Mom, I love you.) Thankfully, we were admitted to the taping. Unfortunately, Regis wasn’t filming that day; All My Children’s Cameron Mathison was standing in for him. The special guest was Tracee Ellis Ross, the star of the UPN sitcom Girlfriends.

A couple things from that day have stuck in my mind. (1)  The anticipation on the cab ride up to ABC studios on the Upper West Side. (2) The discomfort from standing outside in the bitter cold. (3) The surprise upon noticing how small the studio appeared in person. (4) The amazement at how quickly the time went by. (5) The excitement upon spotting the interns working backstage.

3) May 27, 2009 – My brief encounter with Regis (or, how I learned that my friend Adam is awesome): Adam and I had taken a Greyhound down to New York City following our Marianopolis graduation. It was Adam’s first time in the Big Apple, and I was excited to show him around. We crammed a lot into a four-day period: a comedy show, three museum visits, a Broadway musical, and a movie premiere. On our last morning, I coaxed Adam into accompanying me to a taping of Live! Sarah Jessica Parker was scheduled to promote Sex and the City: The Movie on the show that morning. I’ll never forget the sight of Adam standing on the sidewalk outside the studio in his blue hoodie at 6 AM, exhausted, hood up, head down, and totally silent. He didn’t complain because he knew how much I wanted to be there. At one point, the Southern woman standing in front of us in line turned around and asked, “Is your friend alright?” I told her not to worry. While we weren’t admitted to the taping with Sarah Jessica Parker, we were invited to stay for a second taping with Cynthia Nixon. After we had cleared security, and while we were waiting in the lobby for the first taping to end, who should stroll into the building but Regis. As it turns out, Regis was performing in Mississippi that night, so Pat Sajak was replacing him on the show that morning. Regis was gracious and unassuming. He chatted up his fans, and he even agreed to pose for a couple pictures. All in all, a real class act.