Live with Kelly and Mark

Live with Kelly and Mark
File:Kelly and Michael.jpg
Created by	WABC-TV
Presented by	Regis Philbin (1983–2011) Cyndy Garvey (1983–84) Ann Abernathy (1984-85) Kathie Lee Gifford (1985–2000) Kelly Ripa (2001–present) Michael Strahan (2012–present)
Narrated by	Tony Pigg
Theme music composer	Gabriel Saientz
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	30
No. of episodes	7,417 (as of September 4, 2012)
Production
Executive producer	Michael Gelman
Running time	42 minutes
Production company	WABC-TV
Original release
Network	WABC-TV (1983–present) Syndicated (1988–present)
Release	April 4, 1983 – present

Live! with Kelly and Michael (or Live) is an American syndicated morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan. The show, which has aired under its current title since September 2012, began in 1983 as a New York City local talk show. It was first syndicated nationally in 1988.

With roots in A.M. Los Angeles and A.M. New York, Live began as The Morning Show, hosted by Regis Philbin and Cyndy Garvey; the show rose to national prominence as Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which ran for 15 years and continuing as Live! with Regis and Kelly for another decade before Ripa, after hosting with guest co-hosts for nearly a year, was paired with Strahan.

Production

See also: List of Live! with Kelly and Michael episodes

Concept

The show is broadcast live from New York City weekdays at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Current executive producer Michael Gelman has said "the real concept of the show, in a symbol sense, is that they are husband and wife ... they have their coffee mugs and they're chit-chatting about what's going on." That is the basis of the show's signature "Host Chat", an unscripted on-air conversation between the co-hosts which opens each show in a segment lasting about twenty minutes. Then, a home viewer is called to answer a trivia question about the show, with the opportunity to win a vacation.

Following the trivia question, the show has interviews with celebrity guests, musical performances, and other recurring segments regular features showcasing fashion, food, health, and lifestyle topics.

The Live! series has inspired similarly formatted talk shows, such as the current Anderson Live. The now cancelled Donny & Marie, George & Alana, Richard & Judy, Living It Up! With Ali & Jack, Caryl & Marilyn: Real Friends, and Today with Des and Mel were all based on Live!.

Recurring segments

Guinness World Record Breaker Week, New York Auto Show Week, Broadway Week, and Top Teacher Week are examples of features frequently visited on the show, highlighting a different aspect of the theme everyday that week. Live! will also invite "whiz kids" to oppose the co-hosts at spelling, athletics, mathematics, sport stacking, and technology, among other tasks. A recurring gag with Philbin as co-host was him challenging seniors—preferably over the age of 100—at tennis, basketball, ping-pong, and bowling, for example. Also, regular contributors to the show include toy enthusiast Chris Byrne, style maven Lawrence Zarian, animal expert Peter Gros, automotive expert Alan Taylor, pediatrician Greg Yapalater, home and gardening show host Katie Brown, technology specialist Leo Laporte, entrepreneur Carley Roney, Science Bob, veterinarian Jennifer Jellison, and nutrition expert Wendy Bazilian.

Specials

Beginning with Philbin, every Halloween, the co-hosts wear dozens of elaborate costumes and portray the famous and infamous.

In December, the Live! set becomes a seasonal backdrop for segments such as a holiday gift guide; the year-end holidays conclude with a pajama party featuring a co-host Christmas carol duet and visit from Santa Claus himself.

In February, Live! throws a wedding for a couple who writes in with reasons why they should be married on the show. Viewer submissions are also accepted for their "Moms Dream Come True Special," where the co-hosts pay tribute to a select group of mothers.

Live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, the show aired its first Post-Academy Award Special on February 27, 2012. The co-hosts interviewed winners, presenters, and got the low-down from special red carpet correspondent Isaac Mizrahi. A fashion panel recapped the Oscar's legendary red carpet and showcased the fabulous gowns, shoes, and jewelry of the ceremony's attendees.

On location

Live! has been to eight countries and nearly 25 states, logging 200,000 miles (320,000 km). The list of remotes includes: Tampa, Hawaii, Monaco, Banff, San Antonio, Aspen, Walt Disney World, New Orleans, Disneyland, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Paris, Detroit, Chicago, The Bronx, Los Angeles, USS Intrepid, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Maui, Prince Edward Island, London, Scottsdale, The White House, Charlotte, Churchill Downs, Niagara Falls, Puerto Rico, Marina Del Rey, Philadelphia, Branson, Mount Rushmore, and The Bahamas. While on location, the co-hosts transplant the franchise's own brand of entertainment-oriented talk with the beauty of the particular location providing a colorful backdrop to the show's segments.

History

1975–81: A.M. Los Angeles

The show has part of its origins in A.M. Los Angeles, a local show that was broadcast on KABC-TV in Los Angeles from 1971 to 1991 that was originally created and hosted by Ralph Story, with Stephanie Edwards as co-host. When the format went national as AM America in 1975 (taking Edwards along with it), Regis Philbin assumed hosting duties of the Los Angeles version, with Sarah Purcell as his original co-host. Purcell departed the show in 1978 and was replaced by Cyndy Garvey. Philbin and Garvey hosted A.M. Los Angeles until 1981.

1970–83: A.M. New York, The Stanley Siegel Show, Good Morning New York

Meanwhile, there were also two different morning-show predecessors on WABC-TV in New York City. The first was A.M. New York which debuted on May 18, 1970 as a local version of NBC's Today show, and was originally hosted by John Bartholomew Tucker. After he left in 1972, a succession of hosts came and went, until Stanley Siegel took over in late 1975. Under Siegel's stint, the show went from last to first in the ratings for a brief period, and from 1977 until his departure in 1978 it was known as The Stanley Siegel Show. Following Siegel's departure for rival WCBS-TV, the show reverted to the A.M. New York name until its cancellation in 1980, by which point it had been hosted by Janet Langhart and Clay Cole. A few weeks later, WABC tried again with Good Morning New York, hosted originally by Spencer Christian and Andrea Kirby; Kirby would eventually be replaced by Judy Licht, and Christian was followed by the likes of Dick Wolfsie and longtime Eyewitness News reporter and anchor Doug Johnson. Like its predecessor for much of its run, Good Morning New York failed to make a dent in the ratings against Donahue on WNBC, and was cancelled in early 1983, with The Morning Show as its replacement.

1983–88: The Morning Show

The Morning Show, co-hosted by Regis Philbin and Cyndy Garvey, premiered locally on WABC-TV in New York on April 4, 1983. Despite a lack experience, Garvey's hiring was based largely on her charisma in previous television appearances and for being well known as beautiful wife to Major League Baseball first baseman Steve Garvey. In 1984, she left the show and Philbin hired Ann Abernathy, whom he remembered from his time at an ABC affiliate in Los Angeles for her engaging personality, to assume the co-host duties. When Abernathy got married and decided to return to Los Angeles, Kathie Lee Gifford joined Philbin officially June 24, 1985. The Morning Show soon became number 1 in the market and went on to debut in national syndication on September 5, 1988, when the title was changed to Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.

1988–2000: Live with Regis and Kathie Lee

Early on, Live! matched its local success with impressive national ratings and established itself as a dominant fixture in American television. Entertainment Weekly described Philbin and Gifford as "an agreeable mismatch" and their famous banter as "playful, edgy, and amusing." Gifford's positivity throughout public scandals such as the 1996 accusation that her clothing line was being run under sweatshop conditions and her husband Frank Gifford's 1997 affair with a flight attendant resonated with the female demographic of the show, but ultimately made her a media target prompting her emotional departure on July 28, 2000. "Over a third of my life has been [at Live!]," she said. "This is family. It's been an amazing journey." Since her departure, Gifford has returned to Live! on three occasions—for the show's 20th Anniversary special on September 14, 2007, to promote her book Just When I Thought I'd Dropped My Last Egg: Life and Other Calamities on April 14, 2009, and again to bid farewell to Philbin on his second-to-last show, November 17, 2011.

2000–01: Live with Regis

When it came to looking for Gifford's replacement, Philbin and executive producer Michael Gelman consciously and intentionally decided to take control of the selection process. Teaming Philbin with a handful of potential co-hosts—including Kathleen Murphy, Rosie O'Donnell, Jann Carl, Whoopi Goldberg, Gloria Estefan, Jillian Reynolds, Caroline Rhea, and Suzanne Sena—proved to be a hit with positive fan response and a 26 percent ratings increase. Philbin even won his first Daytime Emmy Award for Live! during the six month solo period—an award that he would go on to win twice with co-host Kelly Ripa, who auditioned four months into the search on November 1, 2000 and whose quick-wit, confidence, authenticity, and fun-loving spirit ultimately won her the job. One of the guests on the day of Ripa's tryout, psychic medium Char Margolis, revealed a secret that Ripa had been keeping under wraps: she's pregnant with her second child. Ripa blushed and nervously replied, "I haven't told my boss yet!" Philbin later revealed that of all the potential candidates: "it could only be Kelly. We knew that from her memorable debut onward." Ripa was announced as official replacement on February 5, 2001.

2001–11: Live! with Regis and Kelly

File:Live-logo.png

Live with Regis and Kelly logo from 2009 to 2011

Instantly, Live! with Regis and Kelly's young-audience demographics increased by 80 percent with Ripa credited for bringing "a new life to the show." Seven months into Philbin and Ripa's partnership, they experienced undoubtably the toughest show in Live! history on September 11, 2001. The show was pre-empted for a week following the attacks and returned September 18, 2001 with Philbin opening the show saying:

The last time we saw you was a week ago this morning when our lives seemed normal ... then the unthinkable happened. Just then, our worst nightmare occurred—a second plane slammed into the South Tower. Now it was clear. This was a terrible act of terrorism. Then came the news that the Pentagon was hit and another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania killing everybody on-board. Today, the heroic effort continues and the death toll rises. But amid the despair, we continue to hope for signs of life beneath the debris. Exhausted rescue workers refuse to give up. Our nation has never been more united. Across the country, Americans are pulling together and everywhere you look, there are tremendous shows of support, patriotism, and faith. Terrorists tried to tear us apart but they failed. Instead, we as a nation have become stronger and have only been brought closer together.

Shortly after celebrating their 10th anniversary together, Philbin announced on January 18, 2011 that he would leave Live!. The show then held a "Regis Farewell Celebration Season" as a tribute, showcasing Philbin's top moments from 28 years on the program that he took to its status as one of the most successful talk shows ever in daytime television. Guests including Jimmy Fallon, Michael Bublé, Don Rickles, Josh Groban, Joe Biden, Robert DeNiro, Joan Rivers, David Letterman, Adam Sandler, Michael Douglas, Donald Trump, Bret Michaels, Lou Holtz, Liam Neeson, and Tony Bennett returned for one last sit-down with Philbin and Ripa, sharing recollections of the times they've shared on Live!. His last show aired November 18, 2011.

2011–12: Live! with Kelly

File:LIVE! with Kelly logo.png

Live! with Kelly logo

After Philbin's departure, the show was renamed Live! with Kelly, with a new set described as a "contemporary downtown-style loft, spacious and yet maintaining the studio's warmth and intimacy." Joining Ripa in the new studio were various co-hosts from broadcasting and entertainment. On November 21, 2011, Jerry Seinfeld was the first of 59 men and women to join Ripa at the co-host desk, including: Reggie Bush, Kyle Maclachlan, Russell Brand, Howie Mandel, Carl Edwards, Chris Harrison, Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Buckley, Rob Lowe, Martin Short, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter Facinelli, Boomer Esiason, Ben Mulroney, Dan Abrams, Rob Thomas, David Duchovny, Pat Kiernan, Derek Hough, D.L. Hughley, Jesse Palmer, Carson Kressley, Carrie Ann Inaba, Mark Feuerstein, Jim Parsons, Nick Lachey, Jonah Hill, Michael Strahan, Apolo Anton Ohno, Joel McHale, Cat Deeley, Tyler Perry, Andy Cohen, Alec Baldwin, Josh Groban, Jerry O'Connell, Seth Meyers, Mike Greenberg, Kristin Chenoweth, Andy Samberg, Mark Consuelos, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Randy Jackson, Mario Lopez, Matthew Broderick, Mary J. Blige, Ed Robertson, Michael Bublé, Matthew Morrison, Kevin Jonas, Tony Potts, Dana Carvey, Jimmy Kimmel, Kim Kardashian, L.A. Reid, Bryant Gumbel, Daniel Dae Kim, and Sam Champion. In July of 2012, People magazine reported that Meyers, Groban, and Strahan were the top three contenders in the running to replace Philbin.

2012: Live! with Kelly and Michael

On the September 4, 2012 episode, former NFL star and broadcaster Michael Strahan was introduced as Ripa's permanent co-host.

Critical reception

The New York Daily News summed up the program's appeal when it raved " … When it comes to the amount and playfulness of morning talk, nothing beats Live!" In 2001, 2011, and 2012, the show won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Hosts and in its 24th year, after twenty-one nominations, it won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show. In addition, its co-hosts has received two TV Guide Award nominations for Favorite Daytime Talk Show and multiple People's Choice nominations for Favorite Talk Show Host.

According to daytime television ratings, viewership averages 5 million per episode, ranking number 1 in all big markets, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and many others. Dominating its time periods, Live! is the top-rated morning show and regularly the #1 syndicated talk show.

International broadcast

Country	TV Network(s)	Weekly schedule (local time)	Period
Canada	CTV	Monday–Friday 9:00 am ET/PT 10:00AT 10:30NT Varies in some markets to allow for local simsubs of U.S. stations	2001–present

External links

• Official website
• Live! with Kelly and Michael at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com
• Live! with Kelly and Michael at TVGuide.com