Cybill Steps Up

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday September 29, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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Cybill Shepherd, currently promoting her tell-all memoir "Cybill Disobedience," says she would "consider it a great privilege" to replace the departing Kathie Lee Gifford as Regis Philbin's cohort on "Live!" Shepherd, 50, tells the New York Post, "I adore Regis. He's one of the funniest, warmest and best people who have ever been on television." Shepherd goes on to say that Oprah Winfrey once asked her to sit in as a guest host, but the "Cybill" sitcom was still running, "so I had to turn her down." Shepherd has certainly proved she can handle live daytime TV. Last week she didn't blush once when Florence Henderson asked her on "Later Today" about the size of Elvis's endowment. ("Medium," replied Shepherd.) So far, there's been no word from the "Live!" crew on the Shepherd candidacy, but this morning's show was hosted solo by Regis, who said Kathie Lee was off presenting an award someplace and his wife, Joy, was still sleeping.