Friday Music Blog - Farewell Regis

Welcome to the Friday Music Blog on Chief 187™Chatter. This day marks the end of an era, the end of the reign of a television king who has kept me company through three babies, endless snow days, summer morns, and even my college days. Today, after over fifty years in show business and twenty-nine years hosting Live!, Regis Philbin is moving on to brighter pastures at age eighty.

I’ve been a fan of the Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and then Kelly show since

the late 1980s. In college I would tune in when time permitted and live vicariously through the stories of Regis and Kathie Lee who lived and played in New York City, much closer to my home than the southwestern Virginia town my college was located. I admired Kathie Lee’s hair, wardrobe, and sense of humor, but it was Regis’ stories that kept me spellbound and left me in tears from the laughter they invoked. Regis’ talent, quite simply, was his unique and uncanny way to tell a story in an accessible and humorous manner that left his audience commiserating and, at the same time, cheering for this unlikely hero. Even when Regis dropped names of famous folk he hung out with, it never seemed neither condescending to his audience nor braggy; these were Regis’ friends and he valued them and he knew their inherent weaknesses. In other words, Regis made everyone he came in contact seem like one of us.

Over the years Regis kept his signature personality and charming and ever-increasing periods of forgetfulness that just seemed to endear him more to his audience. Still frisky, funny, and intolerable of the frustrations of everyday life, Regis made a career working “one hour a day” for our vast entertainment. Whether Regis sang (his duet with Kathie Lee on “Silver Bells” is still a perennial favorite!), told his priceless stories, or conducted interviews with the celebrity du jour, he was charming, handsome, funny, and real. Having Regis retire from his daytime talk show, knowing that come Monday I will have to do without his “Host Chat”, and will have to abruptly wean myself from his life, makes me a bit sad. I am thrilled for his release from a job that, although brought him much pleasure and his audience the same, he is able to

pursue other passions in his remaining days.

I thank Regis Philbin for being his authentic self. I thank him for giving men and women who happened to be home for various reasons throughout the decades an enjoyable hour of television to digest each weekday. I thank him for his outbursts of anger and his tender heart. I thank Regis for going to Ground Zero in the wake of 9/11 and for bringing his show back a week later so we could get on with the business of normality and living. I thank Regis for being Regis, the way he made and continued his career for its entirety. Thank you, Regis. Thank you and God Bless.

This week’s focus is songs that are befitting a king in honor of Regis Philbin. The selections can be about royalty, be sung by The King, or relate to Regis in one way or another. Please be

sure to include the artist.

Lastly, I get to indulge and brag about Chief 187™Chatter. This week saw the follower number climb two to eighty-one! The pageviews soared surpassing 34,000 late Wednesday night. The pageviews are gaining momentum and 35,000 is within reach! And, with great pride and exaltation I herald that Chief 187™ is now a trademarked name. In addition, I have created a store full of Chief 187 items at all price points. Products are for sale and range from stickers and holiday ornaments to water bottles, t-shirts, clocks, and puzzles. Please take a moment to browse the site located at http://cafepress.com/Chief187. If Chief 187™Chatter is a part of your life each week, perhaps you’d like to have something that reflects that support!

I always encourage you to check back to this blog thoughout the day and weekend to see any new comments. Also, take the time to read archived articles from this week or previous weeks. Finally, I invite you to join me again starting Monday for another week of entirely new and original posts on Chief 187™Chatter. Yes, all new even during the Thanksgiving Holiday week!