"THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW"

Show Description

Season three boasts even more celebrities in more unexpected places, featuring Ellen's guests doing things you don't see them doing on other talk shows, more signature remotes and plenty more of the unique and hilarious segments that are distinctively Ellen. From reuniting last season with her high school prom date from 1976 (and recreating the hilarious prom photo), to refereeing a go-cart race between "Wedding Crashers" stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, to crashing the set of Jennifer Lopez's video for "Get Right" as a "director," DeGeneres, who this year received the coveted Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, displays a sense of uninhibited fun that is simply contagious. Holding its rank among the top daytime talk shows, season three of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" kicks off with time period upgrades in top ranked markets such as Los Angeles and Chicago, and over one hundred station upgrades across the country. The syndicated daytime talker has been embraced by viewers and critics, as well as the entire entertainment community. By adding five more Daytime Emmys this year to its list of achievements, including awards for Outstanding Talk Show, Talk Show Host, Writing and Directing, the show has now earned nine Daytime Emmy Awards in its first two seasons.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is the only talk show in the history of the Daytime Emmys to win two consecutive awards for Outstanding Talk Show in its first two seasons. In its freshman season, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" earned 12 Daytime Emmy nominations, more than any other talk show in the history of the Daytime Emmys, and received four Emmy Awards, among them Outstanding Talk Show. Additionally, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" received the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Variety Television Show in January of 2005, up against such competition as "The Late Show with David Letterman," "Chapelle's Show" and "Saturday Night Live."

The show features a unique mix of celebrity interviews, chart-topping and up-and-coming musical performers, audience participation games, and segments spotlighting real people with extraordinary stories and talents. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres offers a "negative-free zone" and allows guests and viewers to enjoy the laughter and fun of daytime television.

Ellen's engaging personality and unique take on everyday life set the tone for this party-like atmosphere. Dancing, which has become Ellen's signature, has taken over the studio. Each day after her monologue, Ellen dances her way to center stage in an unbridled show of enthusiasm, with the help of the show's always jovial DJ, Tony Okungbowa.

From Justin Timberlake to Nicole Kidman to an exclusive television appearance by a pregnant Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" continues to be a destination for television, film and music's biggest stars. Guests have included Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Timberlake, Sir Elton John, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, John Travolta, Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani, Whoopi Goldberg, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, The Black Eyed Peas, Sandra Bullock, Ashton Kutcher, Rod Stewart and Mel Gibson, to name a few. Ellen's ability to keep conversations real and light-hearted puts her guests at ease. Hollywood's A-list can be seen doing everything with the talk show host from Scarlett Johansson making pizza pies with Ellen to Jennifer Lopez whipping up a favorite dish in the kitchen.

The daily, one-hour, talk/variety show highlights the observational brand of humor that Ellen has perfected as a stand-up comedian. Her inimitable style touches every aspect of the show.

During its freshman season, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" held its rank at the top of critics' lists, with People, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, USA Today and TV Guide all citing the daytime talker as one of the best programs of 2003. This trend continued throughout season two, as Ellen was featured in such publications as USA Today, Time, TV Guide, NY Times, Billboard and was the cover story in Parade, Life, Allure and LA Magazine.

In addition to celebrity interviews and performances by top musical talent and breaking new acts, drawn from Ellen's own cutting-edge musical tastes, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" regularly incorporates audience and "real people" segments that highlight Ellen's relatability. During season two, Ellen celebrated the unsung heroes in all of our lives, by honoring her Mother's Day audience with an on-the-spot, whirlwind trip to Las Vegas and surprising a Thanksgiving audience filled with military spouses with a ten day Celebrity Cruise. Special ground-breaking episodes included a "Two for One" show, a very special double episode in a single hour, a Chicago-themed episode with an entire audience flown in from the windy city, to an outdoor show with over 4,000 audience members featuring a very special concert by Gwen Stefani. Whether on remote at a bookstore, restaurant or shopping mall or featuring viewers' photos and letters for "Looky You on the Looky Loo" or introducing the latest installment of "Bad School/Prom/Family Photos," Ellen makes everyone feel like an integral part of the show. Ellen also welcomes regular people with extraordinary stories and talents to the show‹from amazing teachers to kid inventors, to Matthew Sawchuck, a 5-year-old anatomy/astronomy expert who was so charming and adorable that Ellen invited him back for season three.

With more than two decades of experience as a stand-up comedian, actress, Emmy Award-winning writer, and host of major award shows, including the Emmys and the Grammys, Ellen DeGeneres has the proven comedic skills to connect with viewers with her "everywoman" approach to daily life. In 2003 she added to her success with a scene-stealing performance as Dory in the animated smash hit film Finding Nemo, and the publication of her second best-selling book, "The Funny Thing Is." In addition to her Emmy win for Outstanding Talk Show Host in May 2005, DeGeneres also won the People’s Choice Awards two years in a row in 2004 and 2005 for Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host and Favorite Funny Female Star. She also won the Producers Guild Award this past year for Outstanding Variety Television Show.

Originating from Los Angeles, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" airs in national syndication, including on the NBC Owned and Operated Television Stations Group. The series also has a cable broadcast window on the Oxygen network.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is produced by A Very Good Production and WAD Productions, Inc. in association with Telepictures Productions, and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.