The mayor of New York gave him the key to the city. Tony Danza, sitting in the audience, shouted, “We love you, Regis!” He finally told “the honeymoon story” you didn’t know you wanted to hear. The studio was filled not with citizen-fans but with family, celebs, and the great orange face of Donald Trump. It was the final new Live for old Regis.

The last, heavily scripted Live hour was loaded with pre-taped segments (“Regis Reflects” moments?) that contained nary a second of what made Regis Regis: spontaneity. Well, not entirely: “A little long but okay,” was Regis’ abrupt dismissal of that awful “You Make Me Smile” montage. As Disney mogul Bob Iger was introduced to deliver some verbiage, Regis muttered craftily, “Oh, he’s still here?” The best non-Regis moment came from Kelly Ripa’s speech to him, so genuinely emotional she had to read it from notes she held in her shaking hand; it was touching. Not so touching? The ad immediately afterward touting “the first Live with Kelly show on Monday!” The machine must roll on… READ FULL STORY »