Book #61: “Who Wants To Be Me?” by Regis Philbin.

 

Who Wants To Be Me?

Regis Philbin

 Released: September 26th, 2000

My 4th book for 2025 was Regis Philbin's “Who Wants To Be Me?”.

I can't tell if I'm more excited or sad to be reading this book.  I have absolutely loved every book I have read from Regis.  He is so full of life, entertaining stories, motivating material, random life happenings, all sorts of good things.  This was his second book.  (I know, I read them out of order).  

If you haven't read any of them yet, I strongly encourage you to check them out.  His first book "I'm Only One Man" chronicles his life in the style of a journal or diary from late 1993 to early 1994.  The second book, "Who Wants To Be Me?" talks about various stories as he continues his story from morning TV talk show host to late night game show host.  His final book "How I Got This Way" details various stories of his life based on people he has known who have influenced him for better or for worse.  It ranges from childhood idols, close friends, to people who he struck up an association with.

All of them are absolutely amazing, and I encourage you to pick any of them up and read them.  I can also promise you that in no way was I paid to plug these books.  I am a huge fan, and I will hype them up forever.

As stated in previous blogs, Regis was a household name for my family growing up.  My mother had Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee on every day (The link included is their full episode from October 29th, 1991.  It's the first episode that popped up when I Bing'ed "Best of Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee", so I went with it.  Why Bing and not Google?  It's what service the computer brought up first, we can trust computers...right ChatGPT?  

On the flip side, I remember watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" with my dad in the early 2000's (The link included is the full episode from July 27th, 2000.  Thank you again Bing).  "Is that your final answer?" entered American pop culture, and I remember saying it as I joked around with my friends during that time.  It was always fun to watch the show and try to guess the answers.  Regis always had the best jokes, warm personality, and just created an amazing atmosphere with the concept.  When they replaced him with a new host, it wasn't the same.  The British version is pretty good as well, but I'm partial to Regis simply out of habit.

The most striking thing about Regis is just how human he is.  We often place these celebrities up on some pedestal, and act as if they can do no wrong.  Regis proves these people quite incorrect as he bumbles his way through normal life events off camera, and wages exciting relationship battles with his wife Joy over "getting out of the house during the afternoon". 

There are so many entertaining tales in this one.  His struggles to return a mop, getting lost in L.A. en route to dinner with Johnny Carson, trips to South Bend, crazy travel adventures, driving around L.A. with a car alarm going off, buying a $0.02 bracelet in NYC for $200, trying to call David Letterman while getting an angioplasty, losing his wallet in a theater, grabbing daily lunch with Gelman, antic with Kathie Lee, sleeping while Joy shops, embarrassing his children...all classics.

Here is what I learned:

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• The book was dedicated to his wife, Joy.

• He was congratulated and rewarded for an Emmy he didn’t win.

• The West Coast is always on his side.

• He was robbed during an early taping of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”

• “WWTBAM?” used to broadcast from the old Sony Music Studios in NYC.

• Sony Music Studios is located at 53rd St and 9th Ave.

• “Sometimes the poorhouse can creep up on you in the strangest places.”

• For TV, anything looks good in August.

• Regis got his wardrobe from the Beau Brummel store in SoHo.

• Phillips-Van Heusen had a “Regis Collection”

• He received an award at “21” for his tie collection.

• The bill was forgotten, so 21 sent it to Regis for payment.

• Pat Sajak only worked 39 days a year.

• Regis was given Secret Service protection for the 2000 President’s Correspondence Dinner.

• His wife Joy called him out for attempting to sunbathe in NYC.

• He used to frequent the Calder in Greenwich, CT for house repairs.

• He had an obsession with getting a chainsaw once for yardwork.

• He once had an issue with deer eating his flower gardens.  A viewer helped him remedy this with coyote urine.

• Broadway star Uta Hagen thanked him after a performance one night for saving her life by recommending coyote urine to stop deer.

• Regis was a diehard Yankees fan.

• He wanted his ashes scattered at Notre Dame (He was later buried there).

• He had problems with patience and losing.

• Tennis gives players back problems.

• He has broken many tennis rackets in anger.

• “In a happy marriage, people should protect each other. If one person is asleep (like me, maybe), the other should ensure that person's sleep by all means possible.”

• Sleep cycles occur every 90 minutes.

• His favorite midnight snack was Ritz crackers with peanut butter and Smuckers strawberry jam.

• He once fell asleep driving home from the Hamptons.

• Joy’s favorite place was Saks shoe department.

• Regis once fell asleep at the Boca Raton Saks.

• Watching Seinfeld at 11pm helped him fall asleep.

• Regis never mastered the VCR.

• Joy attempted to program the TiVo to record Seinfeld but accidentally taped Wheel of Fortune.

• He hates skiing, and got stuck on a trip to Canada once.

• He has terrible luck with air travel.

• The cure for a flight to New York from Hell are Gray’s Papaya Hot Dogs on Eighth-Sixth Street.

• He loved raisins, especially in turkey dressing during Thanksgiving.

• NYC streetlights are timed so that if you book it, you can get through 3 before you hit a red light again.

• He was once 45 minutes late to dinner with Johnny Carson after getting lost in Los Angeles.

• He once drove around Los Angeles with the car alarm blaring because he didn’t know how to turn it off.

• He once had a cell phone with a “0” button that didn’t work.

• Joy is a veteran shopper who cannot and will not be rushed.

• Joy likes baubles.

• He used to call Joy’s sister “The Winds of War”.

• He once’s got his wife a nice pair of earrings, and discovered Joy does not have pierced ears.

• His primary doctor was Jeffrey Borer.

• Always knock before entering a unisex bathroom.

• He was known as “The Show Saver” on David Letterman.

• New York is the capital of obscene gestures.

• Comedy is when dumb things happen to other people; tragedy is when those things happen to you.

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Overall, another absolutely amazing book from Regis.  His stories are classic, some moments made me bust out laughing.  The only drawback is, having already read the 3rd book, which is his biography, there are some repeat stories.  Outside that, very well done.  Makes me want to go back and watch some of those classic episodes of "Live!" from back in the day when my mom would have it on in the mornings.  

Highest Recommendation!

On to Book #62: “Home Alone” by Todd Strasser.