Regis coming to Life Expo at Chattanooga Convention Center

Friday, August 1, 2014

photo Regis Philbin

IF YOU GOWhat: Life Expo.When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m Saturday, Sept. 6.Where: Chattanooga Convention Center, 1150 Carter St.Admission: $5; buy tickets at the Times Free Press, 400 E. 11th St. Chattanooga, or timesfreepressevents.com.

Who wants to see a millionaire?

You'll get your chance on Saturday, Sept. 6, when TV personality Regis Philbin is the special guest at the fourth annual Life Expo. Produced by the Times Free Press, the event also features cash giveaways, bingo, live music and dance.

Erlanger Health System and Garden Plaza at Greenbriar Cove are the event's sponsors. Erlanger is doing free health screenings at Life, while Garden Plaza will feature cooking demos and Wii games.

Philbin, 82, was the original host of ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and also was the long-time host of "Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee" which morphed into "Live! With Regis and Kelly."

In 2004, after a broadcast of "Live! With Regis and Kelly," Philbin officially became the holder of the Guinness World Record as the person with the most hours on TV. At that point it was 15,188 hours, but in 2009, the figure was updated to 16,343 hours, and it has certainly risen since then.

Philbin began his TV career in 1961 in San Diego with "The Regis Philbin Show," then moved to Los Angeles, where he gained some national fame as the co-host of late-night "The Joey Bishop Show" from 1967 to 1969.

He stayed in LA until 1982, then moved to New York, where he began hosting "The Morning Show" on the city's ABC affiliate. Three years later, he was paired with Kathie Lee Gifford (who then had the last name Johnson) on the show and, in 1988, it went into national syndication, launching Philbin's irreverent wit and Bronx accent into the national sphere. He stayed on the show until his departure in 2011.

Along with talk show duties, he also has hosted several game shows, including the original primetime broadcasts of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," a huge ratings success when it debuted in 1999. He has won five Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Game Show Host.

He also has recorded several musical albums, including a Christmas album and "Regis & Joy: Just You, Just Me," which was recorded with his wife of 44 years.