Who's Replacing Regis Philbin? Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen, Mark Consuelos on Short List

Ever since Regis Philbin announced his impeding retirement live on-air back in January, speculation's been rife as to who will replace him on 'Live! With Regis and Kelly.'

Now one report says that the morning show's distributors, Disney-ABC Domestic Television, have narrowed the field to just three candidates.

According to 'The Wall Street Journal,' those candidates are: TV hosts Ryan Seacrest ('American Idol') and Andy Cohen ('Watch What Happens Live'), and co-host Kelly Ripa's husband, actor and TV host Mark Consuelos ('All My Children').

In contrast to the 79-year old Philbin, they're all relatively young, with Cohen the oldest at age 43. All three are veterans of hosting live TV, and both Cohen and Consuelos have filled in for Philbin recently.

The 'WSJ' reports that producers plan to reboot 'Live!' once Philbin steps down in November. So who's got the edge?

Seacrest's probably the biggest name of the three, but can he juggle yet another high-profile TV gig with his commitments on 'Idol,' 'E! News,' his production company and his radio show?

Cohen has great onscreen chemistry with Ripa. She's been a guest on his Bravo show several times and they're personal friends. Plus, she's previously mentioned his name as a potential successor to Philbin, so he could be the front-runner.

David Letterman grilled Ripa about the future of 'Live With Regis and Kelly' when she appeared on 'Late Night' in May, and she said both Anderson Cooper and Cohen would be ideal co-anchors. However, when Letterman asked Ripa about her husband as a possible co-host, she said, "I think we would kill each other!" So, the need for domestic harmony may have ruled out Consuelos.

Other names previously linked with the job have included Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Probst and Tim Gunn. A spokeswoman for Disney-ABC declined to comment, saying "It's ridiculous at this point to be speculating about who will replace him."