Ellen DeGeneres is bringing her act to the Chicago Theatre this week. She is known for her comedy but can now add judging to the list with American Idol's ninth season and music producer with a new record label called "elevenelevan." Windy City Times participated in a conference call with the talk-show host who interviews practically everyone.
Hi, Ellen. How are you?
Ellen DeGeneres: I'm good, thanks.
So you are bringing a variety show to town.
ED: Yes. I grew up watching Carol Burnett, the Smothers Brothers and Donny and Marie. So I've always loved it and I've tried to do it before I did my second sitcom. I did a pilot for CBS, that was a variety show and it was sort of a Larry Sanders. It was me as a host of a variety show. It was the behind the scenes and then it was also on onstage.
So I've been wanting to do a variety show for a long, long time and this is just so much fun that I get to do this when I have my spare time. People are looking on the Internet for all kinds of interesting things that you don't normally find. So, yes, I'm a huge champion for this type of show.
What do you look for in a variety act that is going to mesh well with this particular kind of show?
ED: Well, you want something that is really good live. Some things are really impressive but they may not be as good live. We have these acrobats and a flagman that are very exciting. The Kabuki is really cool to watch and very funny. We were trying to find something that there that you're not going to see anywhere else. It is so fresh and so clean.
One of your staples in your past shows is the question and answer session with the audience. What excites you most about doing that segment?
ED: I do it occasionally also on the talk show. I do it sometimes before or after and sometimes it ends up in. I always did it when I did standup. It gives us a chance to really talk to one another instead of me talking at them and I get to hear what's on their minds. They get to know me a little bit more and hopefully get some answers whether some are honestly answered or some are just funny. I think it's important to have that connection which is why I started out in standup in the first place. To have that connection with the audience, it's live, it's immediate, it's unpredictable and it's everything that I loved about standup. And I think the more famous you get, the more detached and isolated you can become. You're just pulled further and further away from your fans. And I don't like that separation. Besides the wall around my estate, of course, that's important, I like to have that camaraderie with the audience.
Can you tell us a little bit about what goes into preparing for some of these specials and what your life is like leading up to it?
ED: Well, I'll have a smoothie in the morning and then I'll do some jumping jacks. And I don't you know it's kind of the same as doing my show. I have a group of people that scout, like some people went to Chicago to look at the best place for us to shoot our tape piece and we had about five different ideas, we have meetings about what we want to do and we come up with some really good ideas.
So it's lots of meetings and conversations about what will make it different this time and once we narrow down the acts we start it with looking at just about every act we can find that seems interesting. It's like doing my show but it's a lot more time, it's a lot easier for us because it's just this one time and we have more days to do it. So this is an easy gig as I have it.
Are there up-and-coming comics that you've been excited about the last couple of years?
ED: I think this kid that we have on the show, John Mulaney. Have you seen him?
No.
ED: John Mulaney is a stand-up that we have on the show this year who's also a writer for Saturday Night Live and he is really, really funny.
And I'm always looking for writers, too, for my show, but I do want to have more standup comedy on my show next season. I said it in the last season but we never somehow got around to it. But I would like to find some really funny, smart, clean comedy out there to showcase because I think that's getting more and more rare. People that make you think instead of just hitting you over the head with an easy joke. And so, but I think you're going to like this guy, John, a whole lot.
What's the chance of [ American Idol runner-up and champion ] Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze appearing on the show to sing a duet?
ED: What a good idea! Where were you before? When we hang up I'm making a phone call to see if Lee and Crystal can come and perform. I bet they're both very, very busy. I bet they already are off doing their own things. But I think it's a really good idea.
You have a new record label and are producing Greyson Michael Chance. You could always have him on in case the Idols can't make it.
ED: He's getting ready for whatever's going to happen to him. There's a lot that's about to happen and we're trying to do it the right way. The most important thing is what's best for him, I mean, if it was just what's best for me, yes, you'd see him on the show.
But I just want him to be ready. A lot have happened to him and he's about to go into the studio and start recording, and there's some other things that we're thinking about. But yes, that's all I can say about that. I mean, yes, everybody is expecting that I would just put him on anything that I do, but I want to do what's best for him and set him up in the right way and prepare him.
Do you like performing in Chicago, and what's different about it from other cities?
ED: Well, what's not to like? It's a great city. You can't really answer that without alienating other people and other cities. Chicago really is a very special city and the people are nice all the times that I've done standup there. They're smart and they're polite, and for the most part, sober which is important to me. What is different about it is it's windier. It's the Windy City!
Do you have any memorable gigs from the past in Chicago?
ED: It's actually it's not a pleasant one; it wasn't on stage but it was when I was doing a "Women of the Night" and it was, I think, Judy Tenuta, Paula Poundstone, Rita Rudner and myself. It was my first big time on stage with HBO.
And the woman doing my hair was using a curling iron/brush that she got tangled up against my scalp. The more she tried to undo it, the more my hair tangled in that curling iron, she was burning my scalp. They thought they're going to have cut my hair and I was supposed to be on stage in 45 minutes. I'll never forget that night, waiting to go on stage in Chicago, my big break and my hair almost being singed off. That's my most memorable moment in standup.
Do you get to go out on the town while you are here?
ED: Well, I don't get a chance to do too much because they keep me pretty busy getting this thing together. I can't reveal where but I will be breaking into a major building in Chicago after hours and shooting a taped piece that will air on the special. So there's a place that's my Chicago-esque bit there.
Is there any special content for LGBT fans?
ED: Well, I have always tried to be inclusive of everyone in all of my performances. I am a lesbian, by the way.
You are? [ Laughs ] I am always the last one to know.
TBS' Very Funny Festival Just for Laughs presents Ellen's Somewhat Special Special tapes Wed., June 16, at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.justforlaughschicago.com . The special airs on TBS Sunday, June 27, at 8 p.m.
