REPLACING KATHIE LEE WILL REGIS GET ZANY BARBERIE'S GOAT (GIRL)?

Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer

You've seen her bubbly weather reports, clingy outfits and baying Goat Girl shtick on the Fox 11 morning news and ``Good Day L.A.''

Now, wacky Jillian Barberie is going to try out for Kathie Lee Gifford's seat on ``Live With Regis & Kathie Lee'' today. Reege's soon-to-be-ex-cohost, whose last day is July 28, has said she wants to focus on Broadway and other interests.

Fill-ins who've sat in the hot seat next to Reege have included Philbin's wife, Joy; East Coast broadcasters Kathleen Murphy and Mercedes Woods; and funny lady Caroline Rhea.

The curvy Barberie is no stranger to frothy national TV. Along with her weather duties, she has a recurring role as news reporter Foxy Levin on the Pamela Anderson series ``V.I.P.'' She also frequents FX's late-night, male-targeted ``The X Show,'' does a weekly style segment on Shepard Smith's show, ``The Fox Report'' on the Fox News Channel, and handles guest shots on other programs as well.

This fall, she will be seen doing weather reports for Fox football games.

``I can't imagine she won't go over well (with Regis),'' says Steve Edwards, Barberie's Fox 11 colleague. ``She hits the mark. When it's there, she hits it.''

If you've caught KTTV-TV's ``Good Day L.A.'' lately, you've heard Barberie and her colleagues plug the Kathie Lee tryout. Viewers have faxed wardrobe suggestions and she has talked often about Regis, adding that she will definitely do her Goat Girl character, for which she stretches her face out and makes a strange ``baaa'' noise.

``Jillian isn't capable of planning anything,'' Edwards counters. ``Even though she says she'll do Goat Girl, she's so spontaneous and free-form that I'd be amazed if she remembers. And God knows America needs Goat Girl.''

KTTV is even hosting a ``Good Day L.A. Jillian Viewing Party,'' starting at 6:30 a.m. today at Junior's deli in West Los Angeles. Bagels and coffee will be provided for the bleary-eyed troops.

``Jillian will do great,'' said Jose Rios, Fox 11's vice president of news. ``She's extremely funny but what some people miss is that because she's so attractive, it's easy to miss that she's smart as a whip and her humor is based in intelligence. She and her colleagues on 'Good Day L.A.' are all very, very quick and they do a wonderful job creating the atmosphere of the show. I'm convinced Jillian will bring some of that to Regis.''

Other perky candidates being considered for Kathie Lee's high-backed chair include CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, ``The View'' co-host Lisa Ling, ``Later Today'' talking head Florence Henderson, ex-``Good Morning America'' host Joan Lunden, ``Wheel of Fortune'' tile-turner Vanna White and actress-author Cybill Shepherd.

For his part, ``Live With Regis & Kathie Lee'' executive producer Michael Gelman has said he plans to take his sweet time finding a successor.

Barberie, a small-town transplant from Burlington, Canada, who is married to ex-Montreal Expo baseball player Brett Barberie, joined ``Good Day L.A.'' in June 1995 after two years as a weather anchor on the weeknight edition of the Emmy-winning ``Fox 11 News at 10.'' She joined KTTV/Fox 11 in October 1993.

Since joining KTTV, Valley resident Barberie has provided live coverage of weather-related news around Southern California, including the 1998 El Nino storms.

Her talent beyond the weather map - and her vivacious personality - have landed her appearances on various TV shows, including as a game-show host in ``Clueless,'' a news reporter in ``Beverly Hills 90210'' and as herself in the series finale of ``Melrose Place.''

Barberie came to Los Angeles from WSVN, the Fox affiliate in Miami, where she worked as weathercaster on their 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

During 1992's devastating Hurricane Andrew, she provided live reports on the disaster for 48 hours straight. Prior to Miami, Barberie, who graduated from Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with a broadcast journalism degree, worked for Canada's Weather Network as the nightly weathercaster from 1990 to 1992.

Now local fans are asking if Goat Girl can win Kathie Lee's chair next to Regis.

THE FACTS

--The show: ``Live With Regis & Kathie Lee.''

--What: Fox 11's Jillian Barberie co-hosts with Regis Philbin.

--Where: KABC (Channel 7).

--When: 9 a.m. today.

CAPTION(S):

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Photo: Valley resident Jillian Barberie of Fox 11 is trying out for the co-host's job on ``Live With Regis & Kathie Lee.''