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Star Fish In 2003, Ellen
DeGeneres parlayed everything that made her famous in the first place -- the
relatable anecdotes, the rambling humor, and an underdog's sense of
bewilderment -- into four successful projects: an HBO special (''Ellen
DeGeneres: Here and Now''), her second best-selling book (''The Funny Thing
Is...'' ), a raucous vocal turn in Disney's $340 million animated smash
''Finding Nemo,'' and a hip daytime talk show. With little hype and unfussy
swiftness, she ushered in one of the greater second acts in recent Hollywood memory.
''In my
mind, I had already surpassed everything that I could have imagined,'' says
the 45-year-old multimedia sensation. ''So when I started to 'come back,' I
was really just trying to continue with my career.'' By shifting her comedy
away from its political musings of the past few years, DeGeneres reconnected
with audiences. ''[The talk show] is not hard work, but it's exhausting and
relentless. It's nonstop. I keep comparing it to being a new mother.''
Baby
DeGeneres has earned solid ratings and is growing into quite the
crowd-pleaser, thanks to Mom's sunniness and a guest list that is alternately
top-notch (Elton John, Jennifer Aniston) and kitschy (Kathie Lee Gifford, The
Rock). ''I see different kinds of people responding,'' she says. ''When I'm
out in public and I have everyone from that guy in Buckcherry to Slash to
grandmothers and wealthy women and kids telling me that they love me, then
I'm happy.''
That
contentment may be enhanced in January, as DeGeneres is being pushed as an
Oscar contender for her animated, scatterbrained alter ego Dory in ''Finding
Nemo.'' ''I thought it was just talk,'' she says. ''Can that happen? Can
people really nominate me? God, I didn't expect this.'' --by
Nicholas Fonseca
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