Ellen Makes Them Laugh

The annual primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out this Sunday night to the best in the TV business. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres returns to host the show.

The last time she stepped into that role was right after the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, she is taking the stage again after the worst disaster caused by a hurricane in the U.S.

"I don't know how that works out," DeGeneres tells The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen. "I don't know what's going on that I'm hosting the Emmys during really hard times. But I guess it's an honor and a privilege that I'm the one who gets to try to walk that line of making people feel good."

After the events of Sept. 11, Americans were not sure whether it was right to laugh. But her humor was right on target:

• "What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews," she joked, helping millions laugh again.
• "They can't take away our creativity, our striving for excellence or our joy. Only network executives can do that," she said.

  A standing ovation capped that night of comedy. The outpouring of affection took DeGeneres completely by surprise.

  "I thought Barbra Streisand had walked on stage," she tells Chen. "When they wouldn't stop clapping and when they stood up, I thought for sure she was behind me."

  DeGeneres will take the stage again having a sense of responsibility and gratitude.

  "I love that I'm part of television," she says. "I have a feeling of responsibility that I'm actually doing some good - that I'm actually making people laugh. So if I can do that, and if we celebrate television (which we're doing that night), and we're honoring Peter Jennings and Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw for what television does, is bring us the news and gets in there and shows us actually what's happening."

  Sunday's Emmy telecast will also acknowledge the destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. Presenters will wear flowers as symbols of hope.

  Emmy's telecast executive producer Ken Ehrlich says, "It will serve as a constant reminder of what's been going on. The magnolia is the state flower of both Louisiana and Mississippi."

  DeGeneres will ask viewers to donate to Habitat for Humanity.

  Asked why she agreed to host the Emmys again, DeGeneres says, "Hosting the Emmys is a challenge for me. I guess it's the equivalent of someone who needs to climb a mountain or jump out of a plane. It's that kind of thing, where this could go terribly wrong. And I love the feeling of when it goes right."

  A three-time Emmy winner, DeGeneres can appreciate the night from either side of the podium.

  "I'm a recipient and a loser. I've experienced both," she says. "I've lost many times, and I've won some Emmys. And that whole thing about, it's just good to be nominated? Just a load of crap. You know, it feels good to be nominated right up until the point when it's not your name. And then it doesn't feel good at all. The categories are, I was like up against Cirque de Soleil, and I don't know how you compete with that!"

  Lifting her leg up, DeGeneres continues, "I mean, I'm pretty limber."

  The very next morning, DeGeneres will broadcast her daily talk show from Los Angeles, featuring some behind-the-scenes Emmy moments.

  "We're going live," she says. "I'm not saying it's going to be good. But it'll be live. That's our slogan. I'm sticking to it," and laughs.

  The telecast will also feature what's being called "Emmy Idol," performances of the some of TV's greatest theme songs from some surprising celebrities. From "Green Acres" to "Star Trek" to "The Jeffersons," expect the unexpected.

  The Emmys can be seen live at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.