Regis and Kelly in The Morning are Half Way There

Howard Moscowitz was a guru to the food service industry. He may still be. Moscowitz realized that people don't really know what they like because most of the time their choices don't include their favorites. Their choices may not even include something they would like a little. However, they still accept what they can because that is all that is available.

I believe that daytime entertainment, specifically Regis and Kelly play into Moscowitz's theory. Regis Philbin has been involved with the business for a long time. I believed he started out in radio years ago and made his way through the ranks in television to become the popular iconic figure that he is today. Philbin is funny and entertaining. It is safe to say that his viewing audience really enjoys him.

However, Kelly Ripa is not entertaining at all. She definitely tries. I give her top marks for effort. She does not have the talent to pull it off. Yet, this does not seem to matter. She has recently received a tremendous multi-million dollar contract from the show. She appears in several ads endorsing an assortment of products. Her being featured by corporate America has everything to do with her position on the show she shares with Philbin. She has been extremely fortunate that she came along when she did. This is because of the state of entertainment today. There are way too many people on television and in the business who profit based upon nothing more than celebrity.

Since celebrity is more important than talent, Kelly Ripa prospers. She is painful to watch. I was not a fan of Regis and Kathie Lee when Gifford was the co-host and I still had no inclination to watch when Ripa took over. Recently, I took a few moments to sit down and watch with my wife. It was ridiculous. I don't know how many times Ripa tried to make a joke but she virtually never received a laugh. What always makes it worse, is that she sits there laughing at herself while the rest of the studio is silent. As I mentioned already, it is painful.

When Gifford left the show the ratings did not suffer significantly. Although there was a bit of a dip while they were adjusting. I believe that plays to what I was mentioning earlier. Philbin is entertaining and in all honesty, could probably carry the show on his own now. He probably doesn't want to. What is entertaining is watching Regis's reactions every time one of Ripa's attempts at humor hits the toilet.

I did see a video of a guest host appearance on the show that demonstrated everything that I am talking about. Howie Mandel took over for a few shows while Regis took a break. He was great in the clips that I watched. Howie is hysterically entertaining and captivating. He makes watching everything that he does fun. While he was on, Ripa hardly ever said anything and when she did, it sure didn't come off as funny. She seemed out of place and uncomfortable. This just went to show, she has no business in the business. She is just the wrong person for the job.

However, she does well and people will say they like her because they don't know any better. She is where she is because some executive liked her for the job. If the viewing audience got to watch tape of several other possible hosts, she would never be selected. She gets the work because the viewing audience has no clue about what it is they really enjoy. They only get to experience glimpses of what they really like when a guest like Howie Mandel drops by.

I am certain that if Ripa were to leave the show, the ratings would hardly be affected. A new co-host would slip in there and Ripa would disappear into oblivion. It wouldn't matter because she has made a lot of money for doing very little and having no talent. That is one of the amazing things about the business of show. Even when your public doesn't realize that you are not what they would really enjoy, you get them as fans anyways. Lucky for Ripa, at least one or two of the right people liked her.