Drew Carey Is Right for 'Price'

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Drew Carey C'mon down! You're the next host on The Price is Right

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The search is over. Drew Carey — who's set to host the upcoming game show Power of 10 for CBS on Aug. 7 — confirmed today that he will replace Bob Barker as the host of The Price is Right. Carey made the announcement while taping a segment for the Late Show with David Letterman, to air this evening. During the segment, he implied the offer came only minutes before his appearance on the Late Show. ''They [CBS] approached me right after the pilot for Power of 10, and I said, 'No,''' Carey told Letterman. ''Then they called me a month later...I met with them and stuff, and we've been negotiating ever since. Couldn't say anything, but during your Harry Potter bit — honestly, it was like 15 minutes ago — they called me. It's a done deal. I'm the new host of The Price Is Right.''

The hiring of Carey ends a year-long search for replacement for the 83-year-old Barker, who announced last October his plans to step down on June 15, 2007. The names of numerous candidates were subsequently circulated as potential replacements — Rosie O'Donnell, George Hamilton, and John O' Hurley, among them — but CBS looked as if it was in no hurry to find an heir to hold the skinny mic. Neither Carey nor the network has indicated when he will begin his new gig, though ideally the network would want to begin airing new episodes of Price this fall. That hasn't stopped some of Carey's loved ones from acting as though he's already on the job, the comedian told Letterman: ''My girlfriend was on the phone with a personal shopper from Bergdorf's.''