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Katie Couric’s evening newscast is barely watchable, not because Katie is bad at her job, but because evening newscasts are irrelevant. But her @KatieCouric segments — lengthy web video interviews — are excellent. Including this wide-ranging one with Ellen DeGeneres, the newest person to get pissed off at Simon Cowell.
(First: We have to LOL at the 2:10 mark, when Katie says Ellen’s staff are happy people at work, and Ellen says she works in a “happy atmosphere,” which must have had producers rolling their eyes.)
But anyhow, there are some great bits in here. Like how Ellen says she can’t hate people who are anti-gay, because “that’s just their journey,” and that would make her a hater; how, now 12 years since coming out publicly, we’re on the way to looking back on the fight over gay marriage as “ridiculous”; how she almost decided to have children with wife Portia de Rossi; and how she’s perfectly suited to join the American Idol cast.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
It’s a half hour interview, but if you’ve got the time, watch it — because this is a gem amidst the 24-hour soundbite news cycle.
Anne
“Katie Coo, baby boo, you got swagger like a star!”/autotunethenews
*cough* Sorry for that, I’ll go watch now.
romeo
Like Ellen generally, but she’s Hollywood first, gay second. Ratings will always come first.
Geoff M
I don’t get it, I think Ellen is fantastic. Why all the hate/snarkiness thrown her way Queerty?
Mike in Asheville, nee "in Brooklyn"
@No.2 Romeo
Really?
There certainly are many gays/lesbians who are something first and gay second. I posted just today about that idiotic gay blogger David Kaufman being a Democrat first, then bi-racial, then half Jewish, and then gay.
So, I get the concept of your post.
But is it fair to say the same about Ellen? She starred in her well received and solid viewership sit com for 4 years, and during year 3, she came out loud on daytime’s most popular program, Oprah.
While i have disagreed with your posts regarding known-to-be-gay celebrities who fail to publicly acknowledge themselves as gay (Anderson Cooper) and only-came-out after leaving prime time (David Hyde Pierce), I disagreed because, as a libertarian, its not my business to tell others how to live their lives.
That my arguments have failed to change your mind and those of others, thats okay. Your arguments have failed to change my mind. That’s fine and good for public discussion.
But Ellen did come out, very publicly, while in the midst a enjoying a huge public audience. And even in this interview, Ellen continues to openly discuss her lesbianism. She addressed Prop.8 on her show, and allowed access and limited coverage of her private marriage ceremony.
I think she is a great heroine for the LGBT cause.
Just how much more do you want from her? And do you, relative to whatever you do in life, make a similar contribution to LGBT causes?
Mary Taylor
I totally agree with Mike. I think Ellen is a wonderful LGBT role model. She’s not perfect but who is
On her current show, she took baby steps, first mentioning Alex, then later Portia. Then giant leaps came, mentioning Prop 8, announcing her engagement, Sally Kern. And she’s interviewed other people about being gay/queer such as Neil Patrick Harris.
She’s doing a good job of showing everyone else that gay people are just like them.
she’s probably the most famous gay woman in the world, and I think she does a top ‘job’ representing gay women and LGBT issues. Her show helps normalise gayness, and items like this interview are a plus
romeo
@ Mike #4: I think you have me confused with another poster. I’m not that het up about celebs outing themselves, just don’t like major hypocrisy in that respect. I recently defended Anderson Cooper in that regard. My comment about Ellen was about her character. I’ve no big complaint about her. She got burned when she came out, and I can understand her being somewhat fastidious these days. I just regard her as a Hollywood personality trying to fit the mold. I think my post came off as harsh which was not intended. It was more a casual observation.