Entertainment

Starr Report

So how great was it to see Regis Philbin back on morning TV yesterday? His one-day stint subbing for Hoda Kotb on the “Today” show — notable for reuniting him (on-air) with former “Live with Regis & Kathie Lee” co-host Kathie Lee Gifford — was an absolute joy to watch. Reege was in fine fettle: he was relaxed, sharp and ready with the zingers, which is exactly what viewers loved about him during his 28-year run on “Live,” which ended last November.

Here’s hoping “Today” will bring him back in the future if they need to temporarily fill Kotb’s (or Gifford’s) seat.

Reege told me on Monday, during our phone interview to talk about his “Today” show reunion with Gifford, that he’s currently working on some other projects.

“I’ve got some other things going, but they’re all in the talking stage,” he said. “I don’t even want to tell you, ‘This is what’s going on,’ because if it doesn’t go that way then it looks weird.”

He also said he’s taken to sleeping in since leaving “Live” — which doesn’t leave much of an opportunity to watch his old show (which airs from 9 to 10 a.m.).

“I’ve gotten into the habit of sleeping late,” he said. “I’ll get up at 9:45 and sometimes flip [‘Live’] on and see the last 10 minutes. They’ve got a brand-new studio and Kelly [Ripa] is looking great.”

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Considering I’m probably one of three people in the Continental US who faithfully watches Hallmark Movie Channel’s old “Perry Mason” reruns, this probably won’t be of much interest to you — but I might have solved “The Case of the Fast-Talking TV Characters.”

It’s been bugging me lately that, while watching “Perry Mason” on Hallmark Movie Channel, all the characters seem to talk in rat-tat-tat staccato bursts — like they’re on crystal meth — with physical movements that seem cartoonishly fast (including star Raymond Burr who, let’s face it, wasn’t exactly a svelte man and/or nimble on his feet). Burr, as Perry Mason, doesn’t just walk into a room — he stutter-steps in, like they used to do in those old, choppy silent movies.

Apparently, there’s an answer.

“The distributor sent the wrong, longer versions and the compression software could not distinguish: thereby accidentally excessively speeding through the episode,” a network spokeswoman told me.

“Those episodes have now been fixed and Hallmark Movie Channel viewers will return to an excellent viewing experience.”

That explains a lot.

So who needs private investigator Paul Drake?

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Last, but not least:

* New episodes of “Unsung” premiere Monday at 9 p.m. on TV One — first up: a look at Sly & the Family Stone featuring a rare interview with Sly Stone . . . The premiere of “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” snared 3.6 million viewers Monday night (8 p.m.) on VH1 . . . A&E has ordered a second season of “Duck Dynasty.”