Even under the most casual of circumstances, Regis Philbin is not a television personality who plays hard-to-get when it comes to cameos. It’s no surprise, then, that when his daytime antagonist Kelly Ripa came calling, Philbin came running. The former “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” host will make an appearance on Ripa’s new comedy “Hope & Faith.”
Ripa’s “Live With Regis & Kelly” co-star will drop by just in time for November sweeps. Philbin will play Handsome Hal Halverson, a used car dealer who auditions former soap star Faith (Ripa) to appear in his local TV commercial. One can only imagine that hilarity will ensue.
“Hope & Faith,” which co-stars Faith Ford and Ted McGinley, premiered Friday to solid numbers, earning a 7.8 rating/14 share to make it the week’s No. 36 show. It was also the highest rated program among adults 18-49 for the night. Overall, nearly 12 million people tuned in.
In July at the Television Critics Association press tour, Ripa expressed reservations about using her daytime show as too much of a bully pulpit for her primetime effort.
Wolfe devours HBO’s “Blues”
Tony-winning Broadway producer and director George C. Wolfe will direct HBO’s adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s “Lackawanna Blues.” The Obie-winning one-man show will be executive-produced by Halle Berry.
The play tells the story of Santiago-Hudson’s youth, growing up at a boardinghouse in Lackawanna, N.Y., in the 1950s and “60s. Wolfe collaborated with the actor-playwright on the show’s original production. He also directed Santiago-Hudson in the original Broadway cast of “Jelly’s Last Jam.”
Wolfe has won Tonys for his work directing “Angels in America: Millenium Approaches” and for “Bring in “Da Noise, Bring in “Da Funk,” which he conceived with the show’s star, Savion Glover. Other stage directing credits include “The Wild Party” and “Harlem Song.”
Like most New York-based actors, Santiago-Hudson’s resume includes Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order.” The actor has actually played four different parts on the Emmy-winning drama.
Messing, Leoni to join WE sisterhood
Beginning Oct. 20, recent Emmy-winner Debra Messing will get even more television exposure when WE: Women’s Entertainment starts airing the 46 episodes of her 1995 sitcom “Ned and Stacey,” along with 55 episodes of Tea Leoni’s “The Naked Truth.”
“Ned and Stacey” ran for two seasons of Fox and stars Messing and Thomas Haden Church as total opposites who pretend to be newlyweds so that she can live in his fabulous apartment and he can advance at work.
“The Naked Truth” aired for two seasons on ABC before moving over to NBC for its last one. Leoni stars as a pampered, recently divorced woman who is forced to take a job as a tabloid photographer.
“We chose these two series for their appeal to women and the draw that both leading actresses have with a young demographic,” says Rainbow Entertainment Services President Kathleen Dore.
“The Naked Truth” will kick off WE’s comedy lineup Monday through Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT, followed by “Two Guys and a Girl” at seven and “Ned and Stacey” at 7:30 p.m.
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AP-NY-10-01-03 1558EDT
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