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Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Astute TV Barn reader Ron Casalotti was watching Friday's finale of "Live with Regis & Kathie Lee" and writes, "Am I the only one who noticed that:

"All in all, this only serves to reinforce my feeling that Kathie 'Me,' spurred by jealousy over the attention and success of Regis, quit the show in an attempt to garner sympathy and financial and other concessions from the 'Live' producers — and painted herself into a corner when much to her surprise they said, 'Gee, Kathie Lee, best of luck to you. Write when you get work, and leave the key to the washroom on your desk on your way out.'

"How else could you justify, as Regis called it, 'the longest goodbye in television history!'"

(NOTE: Tom Shales floats an alternate theory, that Gifford was offered just a one-year extension on "Live," compared with three years for Philbin and "Live" executive producer Michael Gelman. Miffed, she decided to walk.)

Networks, who needs 'em? Cable has conventions covered

So NBC, CBS and ABC have decided that the political conventions are scarcely worth more than a hour of their attention each night. Fine — take your pick of eight cable networks carrying this week's Republican convention, including three 24-hour cable networks (up from two in 1996). Even MTV will be working overtime, fanning out its four 20-something correspondents around the streets of Philadelphia, armed with camcorders.

Still, the presence of cable isn't expected to compensate for the pulling-out of the broadcast networks or woo large numbers of the viewing public back to the conventions. The Vanishing Voter project says viewership will be down for the 2000 conventions, marking the sixth such decline in the last seven election seasons.

Read my story in Sunday's Kansas City Star

Pick to click

"Biography" (8 p.m., A&E) breaks format tonight to look at the personal impact of gambling. In the past decade, casinos have popped up on riverfronts and reservations, offering a night's entertainment for the price of a U.S. Grant or two. But for others, it's more than a game. We meet a 69-year-old retiree who moved from Florida to Mississippi just so she could play video poker every morning. And we hear from another daily player, also a retiree, who declares, "It's a world of make-believe. You make believe you're going to walk out of here a millionaire."

Unfortunately, for others the consequences of gambling became all too real. Singer Gladys Knight tells how she grew so attached to her seat in the casino that even having to leave to pick up her child from school became an annoyance. And an ex-Chicago bookie tells how the mob's ruthless control of the rackets finally sickened him; he became an informant. Harry Smith is host for this "Biography Close-Up."

Also tonight, Dennis Miller and Dan Fouts make their broadcast debuts alongside Al Michaels as the new "Monday Night Football" team calls the meaningless Hall of Fame Game starting at 7 p.m. on ABC.

On this date...

in 1976, "Live from New York ...?" It's true. Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge are on hand for the second and final live "Saturday Night Live" ever during the sweltering summer season. -- Tom Heald

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