Dear Diary,

I called my mom in a panic on Sunday morning when I found out the news about Regis Philbin. My mom loved that man almost as much as she loved my dad. My mom has watched Reeeg since before Kathy Lee was in the picture. When she answered the phone, she was in tears. Yes, she heard the news that he had passed away. What a great man Regis was. Here is how I got the chance to host Live with Regis in NYC.

In 2000, he announced a contest for the women of radio. We had to send in an audition tape. So, I made a really funny, fun one. Gosh, I wish I knew where it was. Mine was chosen out of hundreds. Then, people had to vote for the top 5. Well, to my amazement and terror I was one of the five women picked to host a morning with Regis. They flew me first class to NYC two days before the show. I had to meet with Gelman, Regis' long-time producer. He asked me all sorts of random questions like "How did you meet your husband" and "Do you have any funny radio stories." Stuff like that. After the meeting, I watched the show so I could see what I was in for.

Luckily, my mom and sister flew in that night to see the show. I could barely sleep. At the crack of dawn, I walked to the NBC studios and immediately got into the hair and makeup chair. I already had my outfit picked out. Nordstrom was nice enough to provide me with high black boots, a red skirt and a black tie sweater.

Two minutes before showtime, they walked me into Regis' dressing room. He was in makeup, too. I had yet to meet him. He looked at me and said "You look beautiful. Now, let's do this." He took my hand and we walked through the maze of halls and walkways backstage that led to the set. Still holding my hand, he whispered "three, two, one..." We walked out together and he held up my hand and the audience went crazy. It was surreal.

We did the little host chat thing, they showed a video of me and Charlie and Dave, kind of like a "day in the life of" type thing. Then, we interviewed Henry Winkler, the editor of Vogue and wrestler Kurt Angle. We did a cooking segment and then it was all done. It went by in mere seconds.

After the show, my mom and sis came backstage and we all sat with Reeg for a few minutes. He was so gracious, so kind and he made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. We lost a good one. He was one of the best. Unfortunately, I cannot find the VHS of my show. If you know of anyone who might have taped it (I know this is a long shot) I'd love to make a copy. I have moved so many times since 2000 that I am afraid it got lost in the shuffle. Ugh. It makes me sick to think I'll never get to show my kids. Anyway, here are two pics I was able to scrounge up.

Laura Cain

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