(January 15, 2001)- - Jeff Gordon served as Regis Philbin's co-host on
"Live with Regis" on Monday, January 15. Gordon had appeared as a
guest on the show several times, but this was his daytime talk show
host debut.
Not to upstage Regis' matching silver shirt and tie, Gordon was attired
in a black mock turtleneck and tan sportjacket. In the opening half hour,
Philbin and Gordon discussed current events.
Since the show was filmed in New York City, the big news around town
was the New York Giants 41-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
"Couldn't they have let them score one point?" Gordon quipped.
Gordon briefly discussed racing and mentioned the recent test session
at Daytona along with the new aerodynamic rules implemented by NASCAR
designed to slow the cars and create a better race.
A brief clip of Gordon celebrating in victory lane at Darlington
after winning the No Bull Five million dollar bonus in 1998 was shown.
Following that, Gordon prodded Philbin about his other TV show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire."
"When is someone gonna win the mega-million?" Gordon inquired. "Are we just
not getting smart enough people... what's the deal?" Philbin then asked
how Gordon did when he played along at home. A brief silence followed to the delight
of the studio audience. Gordon then proposed an "athletes" version of the show
which he called "Millionaire For Dummies."
The hosts discussed New Year's resolutions (neither had made any) and the
movie "Traffic." But the conversation drifted back to racing as the first half hour
of the show drew to a close. Philbin was going over the costs associated
with racing and mentioned the tire bill. "It's $1,500 in a weekend.
And how many tires in a set?" he asked. "Four," Gordon said incredulously.
The first guest was Tom Selleck who was on hand to promote his new TNT project
"Crossfire Trail" based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. For the most part, the interview and conversation were
conducted by Philbin.
The next segment featured Marcia Kilgore from a New York-area spa. A mixture of milk, honey,
and rose petals was concocted and Gordon, attired in a bathrobe, put his feet
in the concoction. Kilgore then proceeded to wipe honey on Gordon's face while
Philbin "slapped" some rose petals on him. A cucumber eyemask was then applied.
Gordon mused that he'd hear about that one in Daytona next month. No doubt.
As the show cut away to a commercial break, clean-up began. Gordon missed
the first part of the next interview segment with Topher Grace from
"That 70's Show." Gordon re-joined Philbin for the second part of the Grace
conversation.
The show concluded with Gordon discussing "The Jeff Gordon Foundation,"
a foundation started by Jeff and Brooke to benefit a number of charities
including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, The Marrow Foundation,
and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
All in all, he did an admirable job as co-host.
His banter with Philbin and spa treatment were the highlights. Considering
the amount of debriefing time he had (about five minutes), the show
went well without any noticeable on-air glitches. As a co-host,
the three-time Winston Cup champion proved to be as versatile on camera
away from the racing scene as he is in it.
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