TVSquad

There are some big names on the bill for Ellen DeGeneres's variety show, Ellen's Bigger, Longer & Wider Show, which airs June 27 on TBS. Kanye West will be a big part of it, and magician David Blaine and comedian Nick Cannon will also appear.

Even the Chicago Cubs will make an appearance, as DeGeneres tapes a segment at Wrigley Field, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch June 16 (the rest of the show will be taped June 17 at the Chicago Theatre).

But the thing DeGeneres seems most excited about is comedian Joe Wong, whom we first wrote about in April when he made his network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman. She'd love to see more comedians like Wong on television.

"We have a guy on our show that we saw on Letterman who is fantastic," she said during a conference call last week, referring to Wong. "I love having standup on, I'd like to have it on my show more. But unfortunately, I don't see too many people that really make you think, and aren't dirty, and aren't controversial. But I'm thrilled to be part of this."

She went on to say that had he not already been signed (he's now managed by Rory Rosegarten, who has managed Ray Romano, among others), she would have "grabbed him and done something with him immediately." She also saw a bit of herself in him.

"I know when I was coming up, and I was in clubs, I did humor that wasn't the norm," she said, "and so sometimes because it was quiet, you know, like the one-sided phone call to God, or whatever it was, if it was a little more cerebral, or a little more quiet, many times an audience filled with alcohol would scream stuff out, and not appreciate it. It's really tough to try to stand out and not compromise and not try to please and stay true to yourself. So I love helping people like that. I think he's so brilliant."

She also addressed the question of why her variety show works - this is her third show in this format - when so many other celebrity-driven variety shows have failed in the recent past. DeGeneres said it's something she has always wanted to do, going back to the time before her second sitcom, when she did a pilot for a Larry Sanders-like, behind-the-scenes of a variety show comedy.

"I grew up watching Rowan and Martin's Comedy Hour, and Carol Burnett, and Sonny and Cher, and Donny and Marie," she said. "I loved those shows. So it's just something I've always been drawn to, and it kind of has something for everybody. Now it seems like a lot of people are doing it, and who's to say why anything works when one person does it, and same exact format, and it doesn't work for somebody else?"

There will also be other unnamed tumblers and variety acts, like balancing act Rollo-Bollo and contortionist Layne Cramer. "I do yoga every day, but she's pretty impressive," said DeGeneres of Carmer. "She does more than downward dog, I'll tell you that. That's all I'll tell you about her."

Her segment with Blaine will be on street magic, and DeGeneres says even she won't know beforehand what's happening. "I met David at a party where he was doing crazy, crazy card tricks and illusions like in front of my face, and I didn't know how he was doing it," she said.

Most important to her fans, though, will be whether she will use the bigger stage for a dance number. "I think I'll probably dance," she said. "I don't know what would happen to me if I broke a hip. I think the show would be over. I don't know if I ever will stop dancing, because I can't. Even if I didn't want to dance anymore, I have to dance. So it's just funny the places that people will - I mean, I literally will be in a doctor's office, and somebody will say, 'You're not dancing,' like I'm supposed to dance anywhere that I am."

So was that a yes?

"So yes, I'm sure I'll dance."