TV Icons

See who we named the 100 Greatest TV Icons -- and watch tributes to the top 50 on a prime-time special airing on TV Land Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

All Headlines

Continued

Regis and Kelly: Our Favorite Memories

More

Previous Page 3 of 3

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Regis, are you ever going to stop picking on Gelman?
REGIS PHILBIN: Well yeah, I think I will. I'll move onto somebody else soon. [Laughs]

Why do you do that?
REGIS: Why? I'll tell you why. It was just me and Kathie Lee for a number of years. Suddenly, one day, I noticed Gelman just to the side, sitting on his stool. I forget what the subject was, but I thought I'd go for a third opinion just to take the pressure off us for a moment. And it played well! So then I decided to make him the character. You know, live television. Every time a producer is introduced into the mix of things, he's always...not so much the villain, but the guy who's the adversary to all of the performers who do the show. So that's what Gelman's role in my eyes has become. Without him, there's no fun. You've got to have that adversarial thing and you've got to have an edge. And that's the way he comes off best.
KELLY RIPA: And he's very famous. We were doing a remote in Times Square: Gelman, me and our camera crew. I'm doing a segment from the street and suddenly there's a commotion. It's Gelman giving an impromptu autograph signing and having his photo taken with tourists in the street. ''Gelman, we love you! Tell Regis and Kelly we say Hi!!'' Not a single person noticed I was there. I'm there!! I'd like to think I'd stand out! But not next to Gelman. Gelman's way more famous than I am.

So Kathie Lee will be back for the first time in more than seven years for the anniversary show. How are you feeling about this?
KELLY: I love her. She was very welcoming to me here. She sent me flowers on my first day and the card said, ''If you have half as much fun as I've had, it will fulfill your wildest dreams.''
REGIS: I'm glad she's coming on. People have said, ''Where is she?'' She's still here. She's in Connecticut. She's writing plays. She's developing things. I was up to Nantucket and spent the weekend with her and Frank and Joy just a couple of weeks ago.
KELLY: People say that when they first watched me, it was like she wasn't even gone. Our dynamic is very similar, I suppose. I don't know what came first. Did you make me this way, Regis? Or am I just this way and you chose me because it seemed very familiar?
REGIS: Well, we chose you for a lot of the same qualities that she has. You've got it.

Do you guys have any dream guests?
REGIS: Boy, how I would love to have Johnny Carson on one more time.
KELLY: I've never met Al Pacino so that would be exciting. I don't know what kind of a talk show guest he is. I've really had my dreams come true meeting all these people, so I can't think of a single person other than Al Pacino.
REGIS: He's a good one. Like to get him myself.

You've never had him?
REGIS: No.
KELLY: It's time for him to come.
REGIS: And you know, I did see him at a Golden Globes a couple of years ago when they honored him. He gave the funniest impromptu speech after he received the award and he just reminisced. In fact, they were trying to get him off because they were running out of time but Al didn't want to leave. People were screaming.

The election season is approaching. Can we expect to see candidates stop by the studio?
REGIS: Oh, sure. We usually get all of the biggies.
KELLY: You had Bush on the show before he was elected.
REGIS: Oh, yeah. He was on the same day that the woman from Survivor sat in as my cohost.

Sue Hawk?
REGIS: Yes. Sue. [Rolls eyes] Now that was a tough day.

Sign up for EW.com's What to Watch Newsletter!

What to watch on TV. Hear what's on tap for the night ahead and get witty, morning after recaps of top shows (sent weekday mornings).

Posted Sep 06, 2007 | Published in issue #953-954 Sep 14, 2007 | Order Article Reprints