Daily News from New York, New York • 76

76 Monday, June 18, 2012 DAILY NEWS NYDailyNews.com I U'i ft I Bringing more Joy to the world Behar will mix comedy issues on Current 'People watch to be informed. But more than that, they want to be Joy Behar BY DAVID HINCKLEY NEW YORK DAILY NEWS JOY BEHAR, who this fall will add an evening talk show on Current TV to her long-running gig on ABC's "The View," says one of the many perks of her work was meeting President Obama when he guested on "The View." "I've met him several times," says Behar, "and he's very warm. I've gotten to like him as a person even though in a way I still keep him on a funny you can say," she explains. "If you're talking about politicians, there always is." And yes, she says, there are times when she hears a joke in her head and decides to keep it there. "I restrain myself," she says.

"I've still gotten in a little trouble, but not too much." She says she discovered when her HLN show was canceled, "which was a little disappointing," that she really wanted to find a similar gig. She says Current is ideal. "I like that it's still kind of new," she says. "They're going to let me do pretty much whatever I want. "On 'The we're all passengers, and I love the ride.

But sometimes I also like to drive my own car." Behar will do kind of a trial preview Monday through Friday this week, sitting in for the vacationing Eliot Spitzer at 8 p.m. "My new show will be a lot like the HLN show," Behar says. "There will be guests, interviews, panel discussions. I like religious conversations, like a rabbi or a theologian talking about an issue, so we'll do some of that." What she won't do, she says, is hammer talking points for an hour. "People watch to be informed," she says.

"But more than that, they wanttobe entertained." It helps that years of standup comedy have given her a sense of how to balance comedy with serious discussion. "When you're talking about the Jerry Sandusky case, there's nothing pedestal, because he is the Presi dent." On the other hand, she says, she's relieved she never met George W. Bush. "I disagreed with proba bly 80-90 of his policies," she says, "and I was merciless toward him in my Getting to know the Prez on "The View" standup act. "So I really didn't want to meet him because I knew that personally I would probably like him." It's apparent from Be-har's comments on "The View" since 1997, and on her HLN show that ended last December, that she should be a good fit on Cur rent TV.

It's a progressive net work hoping to raise its profile duringthe presidential election. "The Joy Behar Show" will run at 6 p.m. and be repeated later in the evening, perhaps at 10, after Jennifer Granholm's "The War Room." Bermudez to move in on WLNY's new 'Couch' CAROLINA BERMUDEZ from ZIOO's "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show" will host WLNY-TVCh. 1055's new morning show, the Daily News can reveal exclusively. Joining heras co-hosts will Friend.

"Carolina, John and Lisa are all very smart and have terrific personalities, so we're looking forward tothis being an informative and entertaining show." "General Hospital" with 23 nominations. Presenters this year will include Racha-el Ray and Anderson Cooper. The Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Bill Geddie, producer of "The View." Barbara Walters will make the presentation. "Sesame Street" who also co-wrote the movies "An American Tail" and "The Land Before Time," died June 10 in New York of a brain tumor. She was 62.

Freudberg shared 17 Daytime Emmys for writi ng on "Sesame Street," where she created World" Hot dog! If you're on a diet this Fourth of July but would liketo overeat vicariously, ESPN will again telecastthe annual hot-dog eating championships livefrom segment and wrote for many celebrity appearances. She went to workfor "Sesame Street" in 1971 and stayed there for the rest of her life. She is survived bytwosistersanda be John Elliott and Lisa Kerney, who will continue on weather and sports, respectively, for WCBSCh. 2 during its weekday a.m. newscast.

Thenewshowon Long Island station WLNY will be called "Live From the Couch" and air weekdays from 7 to9 a.m., beginning in early July. CBSacquired WLNY in April. From the Couch' will be unlike any other morning ThisweekisBermudez's last week on Z100 after more than seven years with Duran. HLN has Daytime Emmys The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has found a network to tele-viseSaturday night's39th annual Daytime Emmy Awards: HLN. The cable net will showthe awards live on Saturday at 8 p.m.

from the CAROLINA BERMUDEZ brother. 'Newsie' joins 'Smash' Jeremy Jordan from the hit Broadway musical "Newsies" will join a faux Broadway musical this fall, becoming a regular on NBC's "Smash." David Hinckley Salamone Nathan's Famous on Coney Island. That's 3 p.m. if you want toset the DVR. ESPN has reached a deal with the Major League Eating organization to telecast the event annually through 2017.

R.I.P. Judy Freudberg, a longtime writer for showin New York," says David Friend, senior vice president of news for CBS Television Stations. "It will be a combination of news, talk Beverly Hilton Hotel. The annual awards originally were designed primarily to recognize daytime drama, and the leading show this year is.