With her ability to balance dramatic and comedic television roles with a successful family life and morning talk-show, Kelly Ripa proved to be a paradigm of the modern working mother. Though her coy sex appeal and dramatic flair contributed to a 12-year career on the long-time soap “All My Children” (ABC, 1970- ), it was Ripa’s vibrant personality and unique sense of humor that made her a morning talk show star. Able to stand on her own opposite the brazen antics of television veteran Regis Philbin, Ripa breathed new life into “Live with Regis and Kelly” (ABC, 1988- ). Ripa’s down-to-earth
