Finding candidates to replace Regis Philbin

Taking Regis’ seat

As soon as Regis Philbin announced he was stepping down (but that his show would go on), the speculation began: Who would replace Regis? Here are a few prospects being kicked around the water cooler:

Mark Consuelos

Consuelos, 39, has already proved that he has good chemistry with Kelly Ripa: the two have been married since 1996 and have three children. The former star of “All My Children” -- which is where he met Ripa -- could be looking for a gig.

Anderson Cooper

The 43-year-old CNN anchorman might be the closest thing to a superhero in television news, but taking on “Live!” in addition to his obligations with “AC360,” “60 Minutes” and his own daytime talk show, “Anderson,” set to debut this fall might be too much -- even for Anderson Cooper.

Tom Bergeron

The 55-year old “Dancing With the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host could be a likable, yet tempered, co-host to the gregarious Ripa. And he already has a connection to the show -- his former co-host of a Fox morning show in the ‘90s, Laurie Hibberd, is the wife of “Live” executive producer Michael Gelman.

Larry King

The 77-year-old talk show legend has all the time in the world now that Piers Morgan nabbed his spot on CNN, and he told “Inside Edition, “I would sit in for him for a few weeks.” Of course, he might demand producers replace the “Live!” backdrop of the New York skyline with a colored-dot map of the world to make himself feel more at home.

--Rick Rojas