Love, Exciting And New

David Letterman finally married his longtime girlfriend, and mother of his child, Regina Lasko last week. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt best wishes to the newlyweds, and I hope they have many happy years together. But I can't help but feel just a little sad. Regina wasn't the woman I had hoped Dave would end up with. I had hoped that he would have lived happily ever after with Merrill Markoe.
Way back in the eighties, Merrill was the head writer for both Dave's morning and his original "Late Night" shows. That was back when they were "an item." They didn't have any kids, but they did raise a pair of German Shepherds. They inspired the creation of "Stupid Pet Tricks," as well as serving as set dressing: in photos behind his desk. Alas, when the eighties were over, so were they. She went to California, and he became the king of "late night tellyvision." They just seemed so good for each other.
Workplace romances never pan out. Still, I was hoping that Burt Reynolds and Sally Field would end up together. They seemed to have such a nice influence on each other, she kept his ego from swelling disproportionately and he kept her from being too cute. It was a pleasant symbiosis. Then he went and married Loni Anderson. Yeesh. I wonder how often he wishes he could have that one back.
It's tough to keep a relationship afloat in the seas of everyday life, but when you toss in a typhoon of celebrity, it becomes a challenge few manage to navigate without incident. Spencer Tracy never left his wife for Katherine Hepburn. Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are "just good friends." And poor Jennifer Aniston. Sigh.
I can remember how sad I was, when I was just a kid, to find out that Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore weren't married in real life. Maybe "real-life" is just overrated.