farewell regis

this friday is regis philbin's last day on "LIVE with regis and kelly." if you aren't aware of that, you're probably under the age of 50. [i have a tendency to love media also adored by older generations. see also: readers digest.] but for me, this is a big deal.

i've watched LIVE almost every day since i was 10. i loved summertime as a kid because it meant i got to watch regis with my mom each morning -- she always had it on while she did laundry, cleaned up breakfast, etc. as an adult i dvr the show daily; i used to watch it while i made dinner after work, or during my lunch break when i worked at american crafts and actually came home for lunch. last year i'd watch it while i nursed tiny baby jack and got used to the stay-at-home-mom routine.

in 2002, regis was the grand marshal of the rose parade and we were there, sitting on the street waving at him when he drove by. in 2006, i interned in NYC and finally made it to an actual taping after dragging my friend brittany out of bed at 4 a.m. one day -- and, figures, neil patrick harris was guest hosting because regis was out of town. wah wah. [i actually tried to dig up a stealth photo i took of us in the audience at the taping, but it is lost to cyberspace. sad.] regis' grandbaby was born two days after jack. we're practically family.

in january, regis announced he was retiring in the fall. not going to lie, i wasn't entirely surprised [the man is basically checked out and totally crochety] but i was still really sad. this is the end of an era!

every day the past two weeks jack and i have watched the show, live, at 9 a.m. each day. they've been doing a countdown to regis' last show, with guest stars and hilarious sizzle reels of past episodes and funny moments, and i've been eating it all up. and once friday comes, it will all be over.

i'm not quite sure what i love so much about regis and LIVE. maybe it's the familiarity of being able to count on that show being on, every day, no matter what else is going on. maybe it's the memory of hearing regis' queens accent signalling the start to my summer mornings as a kid. maybe it's a show that generated my freakish obsession with pop culture and celebrities, or my love for new york city.

whatever the reason, i feel like i'm losing a friend. i'll still tune in to watch kelly [i like her too, of course], but my mornings just won't be the same without that cute little old guy.