All you kids who were out buying up posterboard and markers to make your "Ellen DeGENEROUS" signs so you could wave them at next week's Idol Gives Back special need to stop before you waste all that paper. Think green, people. Due to a scheduling conflict, Access Hollywood says Ellen DeGeneress dropped out of co-hosting the special. The special is set to tape this Sunday, and apparently that conflicts with production on her own show.
I think we need to make a controversy out of this. I'm going to say she dropped because Danny Noriega was eliminated from the competition and she thinks it was a homophobic move by producers. Now, run with it! I'd help but I need to keep my schedule clear and wait for that phone call. I've always wanted to meet Ashley Tisdale -- er, I mean Robin Williams, and Bono and other big names like that. You know, like Annie Lennox, Miley--I mean, Heart! ... Dammit!
So, AOL TV did a poll about America's favorite talk show hosts and 1.3 million people made their feelings known. Interesting results. I didn't agree with some of them, like who I like waking up with. Diane Sawyer was the top choice, but I'd go for the second place finisher, Matt Lauer. As for whom to go to bed with -- TV talk show wise, that is -- I can't believe most of the people chose Jay Leno. Is he really that popular? I prefer David Letterman; I'm a sucker for the Top Ten lists.
In a press release today, FOX announced that Ellen DeGeneres would again be taking on co-hosting duties with Ryan Seacrest for the 2nd "Idol Gives Back" special, airing Wednesday April 9 7:30 - 10:30 pm ET. Just like last year, Ellen will host from the Kodak Theatre while Ryan covers from the American Idol stage.
The talent roster continues to expand as well. The complete list (so far) now includes Maroon 5, Heart, Gloria Estefan, Boyz II Men and The Clark Brothers along with already announced Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend and Snoop Dogg. Most of these will be the pre-recorded "Give, give, give" but I'm looking forward to seeing Boyz II Men back in action.
Everyone knew that Regis Philbin is the king, now he'll have some extra hardware to prove it. Like a Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. At the upcoming 35th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, June 20 at Hollywood's Kodak Theater, NATAS will present the special honor to Regis, host of Live With Regis and Kelly, during the primetime ABC broadcast. There will be a salute to Regis, no doubt including Kelly Ripa and/or Kathie Lee Gifford, his daytime co-hosts over the years, but the details haven't been announced yet.
Ellen DeGeneres just can't stay away from controversy. Even though she hasn't done anything as ballsy as coming out (I guess you can't do that twice, can you?), which fortunately didn't tank her career, this year was a bang-up year for Ellen in the news. The first dog I am referring to in the title is, in fact, a canine. Did anybody not hear about Ellen's infamous dog story? Ellen adopted a dog from a dog agency called Mutts and Moms, and signed agreements at the time that if the adoption didn't work out, she would return the dog to the agency. I presume Ms. DeGeneres has signed contracts before, but maybe this one didn't count. Maybe this one didn't seem binding. Or maybe she was just in a hurry that day, and didn't actually read it. (MSNBC claims that DeGeneres didn't read the contract, and that her partner Portia de Rossi signed).
The pending writer's strike could mean a surge in demand for reality tv. That is the only reason I can think of why they might be giving Coolio his own reality show.
Kid Rock won't be charged for that "brawl" he was in at the VMA's.
Ellen DeGeneres will be the first celebrity "briefcase babe" on Deal or No Deal.
It's clear that Ellen DeGeneres didn't know what she was in for when she sobbed on her television show earlier this week about a dog rescue gone bad. Ellen cried as she told the audience how she adopted a dog from an animal rescue organization, but it didn't get along with her cats, so she gave it to her hairdresser. That violated the agency's adoption rules, so the agency took the dog away from the heartbroken hairdresser and her family. Ellen pleaded for the agency to return the dog and apologized for screwing up.
Then things got ugly. Fans of Ellen began harassing the rescue organization by sending angry--and sometimes threatening--emails. The owner of the organization said the threats scared her so badly that she closed her doors and stayed home on Wednesday.
On today's show, Ellen asks viewers to leave the organization alone. But she also says that she wants it to return the dog to the hairdresser because the woman's daughter is so attached to it.
Ellen DeGeneres is hoping the power of television and celebrity will give a little dog some special treatment. During today's show, DeGeneres breaks down and sobs as she tells the audience about her effort to find a good home for a dog she adopted.
Here's the story: last month, Ellen and her partner, Portia de Rossi, adopted a Brussels Griffon mix called Iggy. But Iggy didn't get along with the cats, so Ellen gave him to her hairdresser. It turns out, she violated the rescue/adoption agreement with Mutts and Moms, which promptly took Iggy away from the hairdresser. On today's show, Ellen pleads with the agency to return the dog to the hairdresser whose two daughters had become attached to Iggy.
It's pretty heart wrenching stuff- video after the jump.
Ellen DeGeneres is one hell of a trooper. Or she's crazy. You decide.
DeGeneres seriously injured her back over the weekend and is under doctor's orders not to get out of bed. So... she's going to conduct interviews from a hospital bed on her set. Her first guest is Ryan Seacrest and that bedridden interview will air today. She's also expected to explain what happened to her.
Not sure if it's because we're in sweeps, because Ellen loves her show, or because she's trying to outdo the recent Rosie O'Donnell/Elisabeth Hasselbeck news, but she's not letting anything sideline her. Take that, Regis!
*UPDATE: Ellen says she hurt her back while trying to pick up her dog. Isn't it crazy how something so simple can lead to major pain? People has photos of the bed-ridden host.
I thought Jon Stewart did a fine job as Oscar host, but I can understand them wanting to go with a more "traditional" choice. And with Ellen, I think the mainstream people get someone who they can enjoy (her daytime talk show is a hit) and the people who want their humor a little more wiseass will get their way too (people forget Ellen can be quite clever).
In this interview with TV Guide, DeGeneres promises not to suck, and also says that she's not going to copy what people in the past have done. Meaning, she's not going to put on the dance shows and dance a la Billy Crystal. She does say that it's going to be a little more fun and casual than most years.
And her favorite Oscars host was Johnny Carson, so that's a good sign.
Ellen DeGeneres has a new friend named Gladys, an 88-year old woman from Austin, Texas who is quick as a whip. At least, that's who she seems to be. But this Texas newspaper columnist thinks something is fishy. She and her co-workers tried to contact Gladys Hardy and not only could they not locate her, but they found out that the same 'Gladys' is a regular caller on some Texas morning radio programs. And she has a website. That's awfully prolific for an 88-year old woman. When the Texas reporter called Ellen's people, they said they've enjoyed their chats with Gladys but might not call her again.
How did this all come about? Well, 'Gladys' left a hilarious message on Ellen's company voicemail about the placement of a plant on the set and Ellen returned her phone call on air. She's talked to her once again since that episode and even invited Gladys to the show, but she declined. Hmmmm.
A clip of her talking to Ellen is after the jump. I think it's an actor/comedian who has duped Ellen. Watch it and tell me if you think Gladys is a fake.
Ellen DeGeneres' stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now, will make its network television premiere on Comedy Central February 4 at 9:30pm.
I give credit to DeGeneres for carving out her own place in the phallocentric world of comedy. She is, in my opinion, one of the best female comedians working today. I'll definitely be Tivoing this special, and hopefully my Tivo will actually record it rather than recording an Amazing Jonathan special like it did when I asked it to record Demetri Martin's latest special. Stupid technology.
One final thing: the title of her new special caused the song "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross to get stuck in my head.
CBS put their regular programming on hold last night so they could show the 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the show gives awards based on public internet voting. As that is the case, these awards track with the Nielsen ratings more than most. Case in point, the award for Television Comedy went to Two And A Half Men. Top rated for a couple years now, but it can't seem to get any press unless Charlie Sheen is divorcing someone or hiring a hooker.
Most of the other television awards followed similar lines. The award for Best Drama went to Grey's Anatomy. Best Actor was Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy). Best Actress went to Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives). Best Competition/Reality show was, of course, American Idol. Best Animated Show was The Simpsons. The only real surprise came in the new categories. Best New Drama was Heroes, which isn't a surprise, but Best New Comedy, The Class? I didn't see that one coming. The television awards were rounded out with Ellen Degeneres winning Best Talk Show Host.
If there's any doubt that Robin Williams is no longer funny (really, do you need anymore evidence than any talk show appearance he has made in the last several years?), here's a clip from yesterday's episode of Ellen. Thrill! As Williams does an Irish accent. Marvel! At the Italian accent that's ten times for cliched than that Italian chef on The Simpsons. Wonder! Why Ellen DeGeneres would actually pick a game for Williams to play that actually highlights his most irritating quality. Isn't it about time that people realize that not only is he not funny, but these "impressions" are about as good as the kind your buddy does after three beers on a Friday night?
The audience seems to love it, but maybe it's only in that "yeah, it's kinda lame, but I'm on TV so I should laugh" kind of way. At least I'm hoping that's why they're laughing.
What, you thought she was going to be angry like Chris Rock? Let's just say nothing in this New York Times article, where Ellen DeGeneres talks about what she plans on doing during her Oscar hosting stint next year, surprised me at all. "I know what the job is," she tells writer Jacques Steinberg. "It's to honor movies and to honor people who worked hard. Those people take it seriously. I'm there to make them feel good and take their minds off it a little bit and make it a fun night." In other words, she won't be wondering why Jude Law has a career, like Rock did, or raising the ire of George Clooney, like Jon Stewart did this year (of course, Clooney was overreacting, but still...). Either way, given how well she's done at the Emmys, she should do fine here, even if she's not edgy.
The article goes on to talk about her talk show Ellen and contrasts her with fellow daytime talk show personality Rosie O'Donnell. It also discusses why Ellen doesn't mention her girlfriend, Arrested Development's Portia de Rossi, all that much during her show. To Ellen, it's not a big deal. Contrast that to when she came out almost ten years ago, and that observation shows how far things have come on TV.
All you kids who were out buying up posterboard and markers to make your "Ellen DeGENEROUS" signs so you could wave them at next week's Idol Gives Back special need to stop before you waste all that paper. Think green, people. Due to a scheduling conflict, Access Hollywood says Ellen DeGeneress dropped out of co-hosting the special. The special is set to tape this Sunday, and apparently that conflicts with production on her own show. 
So, AOL TV did a poll about 
In a press release today, FOX announced that 
Everyone knew that 
It's clear that Ellen DeGeneres didn't know what she was in for 
Ellen DeGeneres is one hell of a trooper. Or she's crazy. You decide.
I thought Jon Stewart did a fine job as Oscar host, but I can understand them wanting to go with a more "traditional" choice. And with Ellen, I think the mainstream people get someone who they can enjoy (her daytime talk show is a hit) and the people who want their humor a little more wiseass will get their way too (people forget Ellen can be quite clever).
Ellen DeGeneres has a new friend named Gladys, an 88-year old woman from Austin, Texas who is quick as a whip. At least, that's who she seems to be. But this 
Ellen DeGeneres' stand-up special, Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now, will make its network television premiere on Comedy Central February 4 at 9:30pm. 
CBS put their regular programming on hold last night so they could show the 
If there's any doubt that Robin Williams is no longer funny (really, do you need anymore evidence than any talk show appearance he has made in the last several years?), 
What, you thought she was going to be angry like Chris Rock? Let's just say nothing in 
The Upfronts: FOX
Carter Bays of How I Met Your Mother: The TV Squad Interview
The Upfronts: CBS
