I ended up watching "Live with Regis and Kelly" this morning because my cousin was playing viola with Enya.
I can't say the show is my cup of cultural tea, and except for the random Huey Lewis and the News appearance I rarely bother tuning in. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen it since Kelly Ripa joined. I remember lots of fuss being made about it - about her acting, her children, etc. etc. - and I remember distinctively not caring.
I still don't actually CARE, but after watching her this morning I did happen to note she was quite watchable. Witty, charming, not insufferable...
I'm still not going to go out of my way to watch*, but given that the amount of superficial buzz is usually directly proportional to the absense of talent by said focus of such buzz, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the rule didn't seem to hold in this instance.
* Don't forget about the Regis Philbin factor. But today there was a guest host. Ironically, he's the current Billy Flynn in Chicago...