On Monday's episode of Live! With Kelly, we discovered that even talking about karaoke gets Kelly Ripa all hot and bothered. Though in fairness, she may not have gotten so worked up if her guest wasn't the very cute Jeremy Renner. Watch Kelly's flirty karaoke conversation below!
Things got intense pretty quickly after the topic of karaoke came up. When Ripa asked The Bourne Legacy star to name his favorite tune, he replied, "I don't know. Why, do you want to battle?" Guest host Chris Harrison was worried that Kelly and Jeremy were about to fight -- but ironically, the Bachelor host just doesn't recognize sexual tension when he sees it.
"I feel like we could potentially kiss each other," Kelly said, blushing, as her guest pretended to pucker up. (His favorite karaoke songs, incidentally: anything by Journey or Queen.)
Besides flirting with her guests, Kelly (who is married to Mark Consuelos) has been flirting with the idea of a new permanent cohost. Ever since Regis Philbin exited Live! eight months ago, the show has been hosted by a string of guest stars, some of whom have come back over and over. Earlier this month, it was reported that Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers was the top candidate for Regis' seat. But show producer Michael Gelman says they're in no rush to choose.
"We're in a dating process," Gelman told the NY Daily News this weekend. "And we've been bringing back a lot of people we like, plus we're still trying new people all the time. So we're always getting closer, but I wouldn't put a time frame on when we're going to make that decision.
It's like going into a marriage," he added, continuing the metaphor. "It's not the kind of thing you want to rush and just be like, 'We've got to decide, so let's just decide on the wrong person.'"
Though Gelman swears that he doesn't have a particular cohost in mind for the job, he admits he is leaning towards a man.
"I'm open-minded, but the show has always been based on a male/female dynamic. It's kind of a faux husband and wife," he said. "That's what's worked with us, and with the audience. So that's where we've put our focus. I think what's unique about us is the male/female interaction."
And Ripa says she's just sitting back and enjoying the anticipation.
"I'm telling you -- and I mean this honestly -- I will probably be the last person to find out," Ripa told AM New York on Saturday. "They try not to bog me down with those kinds of decisions. I really get along very well with all of the men -- and women. I would feel blessed to have to sit with any of them every day. ... It's a wait-and-see game."
