Philbin's hosting received mixed reviews: Richard Huff of the "New York Daily News" noted that Philbin's hosting was "stiff" at first, and suggested that he would have performed better if he had a co-host to interact with like his daytime talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly". In conclusion, he considered Philbin's performance to be "suitable – although not spectacular." Virginia Heffernan of "The New York Times" believed that Philbin was feeling "surprisingly nervous" in his role at host, and felt that "rowdy crowds" (which Philbin chose to avoid by staying in the studio) and the success of Rod Stewart's career (which Philbin pounced on to promote his new album, "When You're Smiling") were bothering him.