FROM 'SNL' TO POLITICS?

From 'SNL' to politics?
Besides comedy, Joe Piscopo loves to work out. Joe Piscopo even has a physique that rivals that of actor-turned-statesman, Arnold Schwarzenegger. So it's only logical that, like the Governator, Piscopo might want a slice of government, too.
The former "Saturday Night Live" star and Jersey native says he's mulling over the possibility of running for governor of the Garden State. Piscopo tells the New York Daily News that "some prominent business guys" have approached him about running for the spot, once Gov. James McGreevey leaves.
Piscopo, a lifelong Democrat, says the prominent biz dudes want him to run as an independent, and adds that though his wife, Kimberly, has threatened to leave him if he enters politics, he is seriously considering the move.
Musicians unite in attemptto unseat President Bush
NEW YORK -- The coalition of the willing-to-rock is growing.
Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson and Crosby, Stills & amp; Nash have joined the nearly 20 other musicians trying to unseat President Bush in November.
Crow and company were added to the Vote for Change tour, which boasts a lineup of artists including Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band. The musicians will perform in an array of combinations at some 38 shows in 32 cities over the course of 12 days in October, concert promoters announced Thursday.
Money generated from the concerts will go to America Coming Together (ACT), which promises on its Web site to "derail the right-wing Republican agenda by defeating George W. Bush." The shows will play in election swing states. They'll be presented by MoveOn PAC, the electoral arm of the liberal interest group MoveOn.org.
While some of the performing musicians are accustomed to expressing political views, many are new to the arena. Dave Matthews earlier told The Associated Press: "It's the first time Bruce and the E Street Band ever stood up and made a clear political statement. This is the first time we've ever stood as a band, unified, and said we want a change."
It's official: Regis Philbinhas been on TV longest
NEW YORK -- Regis Philbin has lived a lifetime on television. Logging 15,188 hours on the tube has yielded him fame, fortune -- and now a place in the record books.
Today's broadcast of "Live With Regis and Kelly" gives the talk-show host the Guinness world record for most hours on camera. He passes broadcaster Hugh Downs for the record, as calculated by Guinness Book of Records researcher Stuart Claxton.
"Now it's all a big blur," Philbin told The Associated Press on Thursday as he looked back on his career that began as a San Diego news anchor in 1958.
Philbin, who will turn 73 next week, has hosted the syndicated "Live" in all 16 of its seasons. In his 46-year career, he's hosted numerous news and entertainment shows, as well as the ABC game show "Who Wants to Be a Super Millionaire." Of all the experiences, he most remembers interviews of other talk-show hosts -- people, he says, "that do what I do. People like Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, Johnny Carson, David Letterman that know what being a talk-show host is about."
Clearly all the years aren't a total blur -- one evening broadcast from the 1950s still sticks in his memory. While doing the evening news in San Diego, Philbin and his fellow broadcasters were laughing at "The Big Party," which preceded the broadcast. When 11 p.m. came, Philbin was unable to control his still bubbling laugh as he was thrust into reading the headlines of the day, which began with a train wreck in the Italian Alps that killed 117.
"That is the nightmare that I remember," he says with a grimace.
Today's birthdays
Writer-producer-director Walter Bernstein is 85. Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, is 71. Singer-musician Isaac Hayes is 62. Broadcast journalist Connie Chung is 58. Musician Jimmy Pankow (Chicago) is 57. Rock singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) is 56. Country singer Rudy Gatlin is 52. Actor-director Peter Horton is 51. TV weatherman Al Roker is 50. Actress Joan Allen is 48. TV personality Asha Blake is 43. Actor James Marsters is 42. Rapper KRS-One is 39. Rock singer Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) is 34. Rock musician Brad Avery (Third Day) is 33. Actor Jonathan Ke Quan is 33. Rock singer Monique Powell (Save Ferris) is 29.