We know this might be hard for the tongue to adjust, but Regis and Kathie Lee might soon be no more.
Kathie Lee Gifford, the other half of “Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee,” tells the New York Daily News that after 12 years with the morning talker, she might just be ready to call it quits.
An exact decision has yet to be reached, but Gifford tells the tab, “I have to make a decision soon, and I honestly don’t know what it’s going to be.”
Regis and Kathie Lee But unlike her gold-digging co-host Regis Philbin(more on that later), money is not the core issue here. Gifford says the ambivalence behind her potential departure is driven mainly by personal reasons.
“ABC [which produces the series for syndication] has been so good to me. My quarrel isn’t with them, it’s an internal one,” Gifford says in the paper. “I’ve got an embarrassment of riches. I want to figure out the best way to maximize my time and my talent, and I truly don’t know the best way to do it.”
On the contrary, Gifford seems instinctively to know exactly what to do and who to talk to when it comes to expanding her entertainment forte. The bubbly hostess was seen holding down the fort, solo and all, on CBS’s “Late Show” on Thursday while a convalescing David Letterman takes it easy with scaled-back schedule. (Ironically, Reeg was once tapped to do Thursday’s guest-host spot, but backed out due to scheduling conflicts).
While the power of money is failing to exert any influence over Gifford, the same can’t be said for her daytime co-host. Yep. After months and months of nagging, the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” huckster will finally get the salary raise he so ardently campaigned for.
Regis Philban Today’s Hollywood trade papers say the big wigs over at Buena Vista TV (the Disney company that produces the hit game show), has granted Philbin‘s request for more moola. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, his fee hike is a whopping one that inches toward the ballpark of $20 mil more a year.
Once the deal wraps, Philbin‘s people reportedly will begin working on renewing his contract for “Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee.” No word yet if Philbin‘s hip to Gifford‘s possible defection. And no reaction from Gifford yet on the news that Philbin is fast becoming (even more) filthy rich.
FRESH BLOOD: The WB network has officially renewed both “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the offshoot “Angel” for the 2000-2001 season. This is, uh, not a surprise. The vampire shows are WB’s third- and forth-highest rated shows this season.
Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt will reportedly start penning new scripts for “Angel” in June, and they are to begin work on “Buffy” later in the summer.
