Regis Philbin's 80th Birthday: In Praise Of A Legend

This September, Emmy-winning "LIVE! with Regis and Kelly" hosts Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa head into the home stretch of their partnership, the final months before Philbin's November departure from the top morning show. On September 5, LIVE will kick off the "Regis Farewell Celebration Season," a heartfelt, not-to-be-missed commemoration of the legendary co-host's years on LIVE.




Philbin took LIVE from its early days as a local New York City program to its present-day status as one of the most successful talk shows ever in daytime television. The "Regis Farewell Celebration Season" will be a fitting tribute to the iconic co-host who has helmed the program from the very beginning. Throughout the fall, LIVE will showcase Philbin's top moments, classic memories many viewers will remember and the most entertaining highlights from the past 28 seasons of LIVE.




Favorite guests will return for one last sit-down with the one-of-a-kind team of Philbin and Ripa, sharing their personal recollections of years of visits to the show. In addition, dozens of celebrities have chimed in to send special messages and remember the times they've shared on LIVE with the indefatigable host.




All season long, LIVE will continue to showcase the top celebrities and A-List talent for which the program always has been known. The season will begin with appearances by actors Matt Damon and Stephen Moyer, actress Salma Hayek, superstar singer Celine Dion and comedians Jonah Hill and Seth Meyers. Also stopping by will be Gavin DeGraw, Taylor Lautner, James Marsden, Tom Selleck and many more.




At the beginning of September, LIVE will introduce a new nostalgia-themed version of the show's popular daily trivia game, "LIVE's Flashback Trivia." And in late September, Regis and Kelly will announce an exciting contest designed to reward the viewers who have been devoted fans of the show.




It's hard to know what to say about such a showbiz legend. The venerable AJ Hammer even coined Regis "one of the hardest working men in the business," and it's difficult to disagree with that assertion. The guy's 80, after all, and he puts most 20-year-olds to shame with his indefatigable ways. He got his start on TV in the 1960s as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on "The Joey Bishop Show," and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a camera. But he still looks years shy of his actual age.




Philbin only just announced plans to retire from "Live With Regis and Kelly" in January. He's spent three decades hosting his morning show, where he's won legions of viewers over with his excited manner, senior moments and tongue-in-cheek jokes.




To give just one (amazing) example: in 2009, he terrified the normally poised and unflappable Meryl Streep when he misread a cue card and broke "the news" that her youngest daughter had broken her leg. Classic Regis!