The “Merchant of Venom,” aka Don Rickles, will get the all-star tribute treatment from the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Regis Philbin, Jimmy Kimmel and Bob Newhart in a special airing next month on Spike TV.
The 90-minute “One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles” will be taped May 6 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and will air May 28 (at 9 p.m.) on Spike. The Queens-born Rickles, 87, will also be feted that night by David Letterman, Ray Romano and Robert De Niro (not generally known for his comedy chops, but what do I know?).
Meanwhile, on the (morning) talk-show front, Monday’s “Live with Kelly and Michael” (9 a.m./Ch. 7) will air its first-ever split broadcast, with Michael Strahan at the White House (for the annual Easter Egg Roll) and Kelly Ripa holding down the fort in New York with “Mad Men” co-star Christina Hendricks as a guest. “Live” just added Jim Carrey as one of its guests for the DC portion of the show.
Over on The Weather Channel, “AMHQ with Sam Champion” is taking the show on the road, so to speak, when it visits the New Orleans Jazz Festival (April 24 & 25) and Moore, Okla. (May 1 & 2) — which was devastated by a tornado last May — as part of the network’s annual “Tornado Week.”
The show (7-10 a.m.) will also be making a stop in New York City — but has yet to announce a place or date for that visit.