We’ll all be toasting Mr. Clark at the stroke of midnight
When it became clear that Dick Clark‘s stroke would keep him from hosting ABC’s New Year’s Eve festivities, both the network and Clark’s people scrambled to make a list of potential replacements.
“We over here at Dick Clark Productions came up with a list of names quickly. ABC worked up a list of names quickly,” says Larry Klein, the long-time producer of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
“The next day, it turned out that our No. 1 choice, and ABC’s No. 1 choice, was Regis.”
And so Regis Philbin will fill in for Clark tonight for the 33rd annual “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” overseeing the festivities from Times Square in New York. (Singer Ashlee Simpson will host some musical segments from Los Angeles.)
“It’ll be a new experience for me and a lot of fun, I’m sure,” says Philbin. “I’m here in New York, I’ve kind of got the feeling of New York, so I’m just anxious and excited to be part of it.”
Philbin will interrupt a Caribbean vacation with his family for a couple of days to do the show, then return to the tropics after wrapping things up about 1:30 a.m. EST on Saturday. It’s something he says he’s happy to do for his friend, Clark.
“I’ve always enjoyed watching all the excitement in Times Square, then the ball coming down … it’s just part of our TV life,” he says. “I just never thought I’d be asked to do this. Dick being the old pal that he is, I was flattered and honored.”
Clark, 75, is said to be recovering well from the mild stroke he suffered the week of Dec. 6, although he’ll have to watch the show from his hospital bed.
“Even though I won’t be in New York this year, I will be watching `New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ on TV and there’s one tradition I intend to maintain: As I always have in the past, at midnight I plan on kissing my wife, Kari, and wishing her a happy new year,” Clark said in a statement.
Producer Klein says the show will acknowledge Clark’s absence and wish him well, but he doesn’t want to turn it into a tribute to him.
“I do have a montage that you’ll be seeing of the weather conditions through the years and what Dick went through in Times Square. You’ll see things like that,” Klein says.
“But as far as a tribute, no. Dick is not gone, Dick will be coming back. This is a celebratory night. I don’t want it to be a downer. … It’s still a New Year’s Eve festivity.”
Philbin, meanwhile, is looking forward to working a live show, which he says suits him better than doing taped material.
“I find that (with live TV) my juices are flowing, and I just seem to get into better than if it’s on tape, with the constant stopdowns and what have you,” he says. “To be live on this show means everything to me. It’s one of the reasons I said yes. …
“As I said, it’s really an honor to be asked to pinch-hit for Dick on this major show.”
The birthday bunch
Singer Odetta is 74. Actor Anthony Hopkins is 67. Actor Tim Considine (“My Three Sons”) is 64. Actress Sarah Miles is 63. Guitarist Andy Summers (The Police) is 62. Actor Ben Kingsley is 61. Actor Tim Matheson is 57. Singer Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) is 57. Singer Donna Summer is 56. Actress Bebe Neuwirth (“Cheers”) is 46. Singer Paul Westerberg is 45. Actor Val Kilmer is 45. Singer-actor Joe McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) is 32.