Keris Stainton on the TV women we love...
Ellen DeGeneres is actually a double TV hero: once for her sitcom and also for her chat show.
Not only did her sitcom introduce me to the fabulous Jeremy Piven, Ellen the character came out as a lesbian on the show (following Ellen the woman coming out on the Oprah Winfrey show), making her the first openly gay or lesbian lead character on US prime time TV.
The show itself was (and remains) extremely funny. Ellen is charming, convincing and just the right amount of neurotic. Plus I still covet that bookstore/coffee shop she owned.
Ellen's chat show began in 2003 and can be seen in the UK on Five Life. It was the first talk show in television history to win the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show for its first three seasons on the air. She's so natural and enthusiastic, she's a joy to watch. And that's just her dancing.
Mostly, I admire her for being one of the very few out and proud lesbian entertainers in Hollywood. (And when I say few, I mean few. There's Ellen. Her partner, Portia de Rossi, Sandra Bernhard and Rosie O'Donnell.)
Keris co-edits Shiny Media’s fabulous women’s fiction blog, Trashionista and contributes to TV Scoop, The Bag Lady and Bridalwave. She absolutely resents the suggestion that she watches too much TV.
