Kathie Lee to play `Annie' orphan-hater

NEW YORK - Remember how much

Kathie Lee Gifford talked about her two children, Cassidy and Cody, on "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee"? She loves those kids.

Now, Gifford is taking on the role of a kid-hater. She'll star as the orphan-loathing Miss Hannigan in the musical "Annie," a publicist at Wolf-Kasteler-Van Iden & Associates, the agency that represents her, told The Associated Press on Friday.

The show will play at Madison Square Garden from December 6-30.

The 53-year-old Gifford, the wife of sports commentator Frank Gifford, co-hosted "Live" opposite

Regis Philbin for 11 years. She left the show in 2000, and was replaced by

Kelly Ripa in 2001.

Gifford, a special correspondent on the entertainment news program "The Insider," has a music background. She released a pop-music CD, "The Heart of a Woman," in 2000.

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On the Net:

http://www.kathieleegifford.com/