Who Replaces Regis?

As television viewers anxiously await the ending of a television era in November with the impending retirement of acclaimed television star Regis Philbin, the biggest looming question is: Who Replaces the Man with the most hours on TV? In today's Wall Street Journal we got a hint of which candidates Disney is considering:

- Ryan Seacrest
- Andy Cohen
- Mark Consuelos

Now, let's handicap the chances of these three reported finalists. First of all, had Andersoon Cooper decided to not start his own daytime show, the job would've been all his...oh well! Ryan Seacrest is in the prime of his career right now and in the prime of his life with hot girlfriend Julianne Hough. He hosts America's number 1 show, "Idol" and is expected to be a key part of the new Comcast/NBC union by continuing his role as anchor and managing editor of E! News while serving as a contributer to NBC's "Today" and possibly the Olympics. He is also in talks with AEG and CAA to create his own entertainment net that would include Comcast/NBC as it's partner and he'll be producing reality shows for NBC. With so much to lose if he were to leave his new NBC family or "American Idol" plus his syndicated radio show which is based off of his morning show on KIIS-FM, do you really think he would leave his radio partner Ellen K for a new TV partner in Kelly Ripa that reaches an older skewing audience than he's used to? Probably not.

Mark Consuelos is also being considered for the gig, but the likelihood of that happening is unlikely because of the reason that everyone seems to be using to justify a possible move such as this. He's married to his co-star. Who really wants to work with their husband, especially on national TV? This isn't Jon and Kate + 8 lol. Kelly has already admitted on Letterman that it could be a nightmare, and even though they love each other to death, such a move could become uneasy for their marraige. I expect to see him subbing periodically but a permanent gig is unlikely considering he also runs their production company which has produced some award-winning series.

Andy Cohen seems most likely to win this job because he doesn't have anything to lose like an empire (unless you consider Bravo) or a marraige. He's best buds with Kelly Ripa, knows alot about NYC and is used to the viewer at home of 40-50 year old woman who are the target audience because of the 'Real Housewives' franchise that airs on his network. Kelly has also mentioned him as someone she would enjoy working with.

But in the television industry sometimes rumors like this are leaked on purpose, so take these rumors with a grain of salt. Someone out of left field like Mario Lopez or even Pat Tomaslo could be in the running, but we just never knew about it. Stay tuned because just like the Larry King sweepstakes, this rollcoaster will be cruising along for a long time (probably until October).