[ISL] On Prince Edward Island's new morning television show

[rfmcdonald]

"Live! With Regis and Kelly", the syndicated American morning show that--unsurprisingly--also scores well ratings-wise in Canada, is filming episodes in downtown Charlottetown, in Confederation Landing Park.

The show, which will broadcast from PEI July 12 to 15, will show off the island’s scenery and culture. P.E.I.’s tourism office pitched the idea of hosting the show in the hopes that “Live! With Regis & Kelly” will bring attention and more visitors to the island. “We really felt that what we had to offer was a secret location people did not know much about,” said spokesperson Brenda Gallant. But bringing the show to P.E.I. cost the taxpayers $1 million, amounting to a fifth of the province’s yearly tourism advertising budget.

The cost of bringing the show to Prince Edward Island has been widely criticized, but the Globe and Mail's Simon Houptsuggests (to my mind, quite believably) that it's cost-effective, a good way to make people who otherwise would know nothing off Prince Edward Island know what and where it is. "Tourism matters far more to PEI than the rest of Canada. In 2008, the province's percentage of GDP from tourism, 7.62 per cent, was far larger than the Canadian average of 2.01 per cent. In 2009, PEI's direct revenue from tourism was $374-million." Certainly more Americans would be welcome: the number of U.S. visitors to PEI from 2006-2009 (with fixed roof accommodation) fell by 25.3%.

If it works ...

The popular morning duo, who normally host Live! With Regis and Kelly from Manhattan, kicked off their visit to P.E.I. with plenty of praise for the province's green rolling vistas.

Their first guest was a local chef who presented samples of the region's famous seafood.

Philbin drew laughs as he nibbled gingerly at a hotdog made from mussels and refused to sample an ice cream made with oysters.

Celebrity guests included Twilight star Peter Facinelli, style guru Carson Kressley and country sensation Lady Antebellum.

Live! With Regis and Kelly is slated to shoot four episodes in P.E.I., which will air through Thursday on CTV.

Tuesday's show was to feature a reinterpretation of the P.E.I. literary and stage classic Anne of Green Gables, titled Kelly Anne of Green Gables.

Soon after taking the stage on Monday, Philbin turned the cameras to four women in the front row who said they waited all night in the rain to make sure they got a good spot in the audience.

Philbin said he was especially in awe of the Mounties, who escorted the duo to the outdoor stage in Confederation Landing Park under overcast skies.

“In previous visits up here to Canada I have said as a young boy I just admired the Royal Canadian Mounted Police so much: the uniforms and the way they took care of the country,” Philbin said.

“It’s a pleasure now to have eight of them here escorting us out here today.”

Ripa gushed over the food, recounting a curry meal she enjoyed at a local pub over the weekend and said she spotted an eagle during a horseback riding trip with Kressley for a taped segment.

“I kind of feel like we're in the middle of painting,” said Ripa.