Within moments of David Letterman's retirement announcement Thursday, media pundits and industry immediately began looking forward to who will take over his chair when he vacates it a year from now.

With that in mind, Breaking Celebrity News has a closer look at some of the names most frequently bandied about in contention for the honors.

Chelsea Handler

The E! late night personality, 39, has well established herself as a player in late night with her successful Chelsea Lately franchise the past seven years. The comic's prescient timing -- she announced this week she was leaving the cable network upon completion of her contract in December -- have fueled the fires that the hip Handler is ready for the network vehicle. Also working in Handler's favor are her deep ties to Tinseltown, as she keeps ultra-exclusive company with friends like Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and Reese Witherspoon. The New Jersey native's manager Irving Azoff played his cards close to the vest about the comic's post-E! plans. He said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week