THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, July 11, 1994 TAG: 9407090042
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK MOBLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
I WON'T LEAVE for work before 9:20 a.m.
If I did, I'd miss Regis.
You may not understand. If your TV memory is longer than mine, you may consider Regis Philbin as a fringe celebrity, a face more likely pop up on ``Fantasy Island'' or ``Love Boat'' than the cover of TV Guide.
Or perhaps you know him only from his manic appearances on ``The Late Show With David Letterman.'' (Each of Letterman's rerun episodes this week includes a cameo by Philbin.) To you, he's just another Larry ``Bud'' Melman or Mujibur or Sirajul, someone who wanders on, gets a few cruel laughs and leaves.
But I know better. I've been addicted to ``Live With Regis & Kathie Lee'' for four years. There is no fresher television than the opening segment of the show, in which Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford extemporize on current events.
Their news isn't CNN's news. They cover entertainment gossip, New York stories, what they ate for dinner last night, their various ailments and - how could I'd wait this long to mention this? - Kathie Lee's fabulous romance with Frank Gifford and their exceedingly lovely children, Cody and Cassidy.
I could live without Kathie Lee's testimonials to Frank's manliness. She's also obsessed with the press and the judicial system, each of which she thinks has done her wrong. But the banter of these unlikely superstars grips me like little else on television.
Why? In an age of consultants, focus groups and niche marketing, their only formula is what's on their minds. Regis' legendary energy and Kathie Lee's similar quickness carry them through 15 unscripted minutes. When I watch them, I don't cringe the way I do when Conan O'Brien or Jay Leno belabors a comedy segment or Kevin Nealon fumbles through ``Weekend Update'' on ``Saturday Night Live.''
One key to their success (and Letterman's) is sounding like everyday people despite their celebrity. Regis' little problems, like Letterman's traffic violations, are humanizing, and Regis lacks Letterman's mean streak. Kathie Lee's insistence on avoiding the word ``nanny'' for ``the woman who lives with us'' does seem forced. But when they take phone calls from the heartland, all kinds of people talk to them like neighbors.
Producer and co-star Michael Gelman is ambitious in selecting guests, and it's amusing to see the hosts encounter stars from realms they know little about (Regis once had some difficulty remembering where Bruce Hornsby was from). Regis and Kathie Lee interviewed R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, who played guitar and sang ``(Don't Go Back to) Rockville.'' The hosts still didn't seem quite sure who Mills was.
But for every bit of confusion there's a moment of triumph. Regis comparing feet with Julio Iglesias. Kathie Lee accidently blurting out the answer to the daily trivia question and leaving the set. Regis impersonating Neil Diamond. The sly Joy Philbin, Regis' wife, sitting in for Kathie Lee.
It's ironic that as broadcast TV gets glitzier and cable companies gear up for interactive TV, one of the most entertaining programs out there is just two people talking. Letterman may sit on the Carson throne at night, but Regis and Kathie Lee share it in the morning. by CNB