‘Live’ duo look back, ahead
On his first appearance on the soon-to-be-rechristened ‘‘Live With Kelly and Ryan,’’ Ryan Seacrest had something rare for someone who seems born to be on TV: butterflies.
Stepping on camera after Kelly Ripa broke the news of her new cohost last May 1, Seacrest was seized by an odd, intrusive notion: a desire ‘‘to just get invited back tomorrow.’’
Ripa was jittery, too. She’d been presiding over ‘‘Live’’ for — can it really be this long? — 16 years, first alongside founding host Regis Philbin, then, for a few years, Michael Strahan, then, the past year, paired with no fewer than 68 tryouts from whom Seacrest had been chosen.
On Monday ‘‘Live’’ launches a new season — its 30th in national syndication — of goes-down-easy chat and interviews. By now, the instant rapport the pair radiated four months ago is taken for granted by all concerned.
‘‘I’m excited to see her every day,’’ Seacrest jumps in. ‘‘We already knew each other, but I discover something new about her every day.’’
‘‘With Ryan, I walk into every conversation with ease,’’ Ripa says.
‘‘Live’’ has dominated entertainment talk TV in daytime for decades, and that is unlikely to change. Even so, a faceoff is nigh that media handicappers will delight in tracking: Kelly vs. Kelly. That is, Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News Channel star whose ‘‘Megyn Kelly Today’’ will go head-to-head against ‘‘Live With Kelly and Ryan’’ in many cities starting Sept. 25. (AP)
Fest fetes Redford, Fonda
The older stars are shining the brightest at the Venice Film Festival.
Robert Redford and Jane Fonda have brought undimmed glitter to the festival along with their late-life romance ‘‘Our Souls at Night.’’
Five decades after they first shared the screen, they play in the Netflix-produced drama widowed neighbors who forge a relationship. Judging by the reaction in Venice, the chemistry that lit up their 1967 film ‘‘Barefoot in the Park’’ remains strong.
Fonda says she loves the fact ‘‘that these films bookend our career.’’
Redford, 81, and Fonda, 79, each received a lifetime achievement award from the festival Friday. (AP)
