Will Regis' Bypass Give Live Palpatations?

Now that the well wishes have been expressed for Regis Philbin, who on Monday announced that he will undergo heart bypass surgery, the topic has turned to how Live with Regis & Kelly will fare during his hospitalization and recovery, which all told will sideline the 75-year-old for at least five weeks. "The show is about the chemistry between [Philbin and Kelly Ripa]," Syracuse University professor and media expert Robert Thompson tells the New York Daily News. "Take half the element out, and it changes the chemistry. There's nobody else you could put in there and get the same thing." Still, Live will rotate in a parade of guest hosts during Regis' absence, starting today and Wednesday with Anderson Cooper.The producers of Live, though, aren't the only ones fretting over the numbers possibly faltering during Philbin's furlough. As Thompson notes, "The people in the time slot afterward should be worried, too."