Ellen DeGeneres is set to host the Emmys again. And people are talking about the "tone" the show should have, given the national tragedy in New Orleans.
For me, this brings back a lot of memories, going back to 2001 when she hosted the Emmy awards that, unfortunately, I had a big part in canceling -- twice -- because of 9/11 and then the war in Afghanistan. Besides the Academy, CBS also had a big part in handling the political and cultural backwash from the attacks. The Emmys have rotated back to CBS this year so it looks like the Eye network liked what it saw from Ellen in 2001, too. But, really, how could they not?
Ellen was absolutely terrific that year -- welcoming us to the 53rd, 54th and 55th Emmy awards, then casting herself as the Taliban's worst nightmare, wondering if there was anything that could bug them more than a lesbian woman in a pantsuit surrounded by Jews. Her tone was perfect and her timing spot on. She even played off that gag with her comment from the earlier announcement: "You know me, any excuse to put on a dress." I say -- bring back the pantsuit!
Emmys Best Host Ever / 2001 "Unity Ball"
Quick refresher. The Emmys in 2001 were originally slated to take place on September 16, which became impossible in the immediate shock and grief of 9/11. So we re-scheduled for October 7, only to have the bombing campaign on Afghanistan start that morning, forcing us to cancel a second time. Finally, on November 4 we put them on -- after all, by then all we had to compete against was an incredibly exciting 7th game of the World Series! At least they happened...
So when Ellen was asked recently about getting the tone right in the backwash of New Orleans she said she was going to think twice before ever agreeing to host anything again. She's always got the right one-liner.
Here's the full report from the Daily Variety announcement story. Ellen is on her way to becoming the "go-to" host for the Emmys. In the third Emmy awards that happened on my watch -- 2003 -- Ellen was also one of 11 comedians who we had share the hosting duties. She also co-hosted with Patricia Richardson in 1994. When you get four times on the stage as a host, you're moving past trend to habit.
The virtual photo album I've put together from my Emmy experience can be seen by clicking here. A lot of it deals with the 2001 Emmys. Here's the specific page with Ellen. I've put a lot of crazy captions with celebrities inside - from Eric McCormack to Jon Stewart to Michael Chiklis. It's all in fun, still a bit of a work-in-progress.
Anyway, one of the perks of being a former chairman is lifetime tickets to the Emmys. I'll be there to cheer her on again! You can watch them Sunday, September 18 on CBS.
