None Dare Call It Nepotism



Above: Ripa Gets Kidman's flowers.

Consuelos, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Con-sue-los: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three sambas down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Con. Sue. Los.

Himbo to ABCtv hyperpower Kelly Ripa, Marc Consuelos, famous for being latino, is getting some prime time ... courtesy of his wife. But that doesn't make him a bad preson. That significant cultural artifact The National Enquirer writes:

"Kelly pushed producers of her ABC series to sign Mark to guest star on three episodes so he can remain with her and their three children in New York, sources told The ENQUIRER.

"He'll play a baseball player named 'The Gooch' who moves into the house next door--and quickly falls for Kelly. The episodes are expected to air in February, just in time for sweeps weeks.

"... In our September 13 issue, The ENQUIRER reported that the couple had some nasty fights during the past year over Mark's decision to take acting roles in distant locations, leaving the 'Live with Regis and Kelly' host to look after their children while she works through a grueling TV schedule."

The Corsair grabs some unsalted popcorn and a bottle of "The Cutty" and leaps onto the couch in front of the computer screen in a single fluid movement.

"While Kelly's spokesperson told The ENQUIRER 'there's no trouble in the marriage,' the rep didn't deny that Kelly, 34, and Mark, 33, fought over his traveling for work, saying, 'All married couples argue.'

"'But it was really a lot worse than that!' a source close to the couple told The ENQUIRER.
'Kelly was at her wit's end--she was battling to save her marriage and pretty much had it with his Toronto gig.'"

The Corsair leans into the screen, fascinated.

"An insider told The ENQUIRER that Mark's work in Toronto 'did not sit particularly well with Kelly, since it meant that to see Mark on a regular basis, either she had to fly up to Canada or he had to come back to New York on the weekends.

"But Mark had desperately wanted to get back into acting. He complained bitterly that he'd gone from being a soap opera stud that female fans drooled over to being known as Mr. Kelly Ripa. And he wasn't happy.

"... So she came up with what she thought was the perfect solution, one that would finally get their marriage back on track.

"When she found out that producers and writers wanted to create a new love interest for her character, Kelly piped up, 'I've got just the guy for the job!'"

Check out the whole story here.