Ellen & the Awards

There was a moment back there in time when I almost felt sorry for TV's resident arrogant prick David Letterman. I'm talking about the time he hosted the Academy Awards and was denounced for essentially doing his nightly show instead of coming up with a new and daring concept.

I see by the reviews that Ellen Degeneres is facing the same sort of reviews today. Where were the political zingers? The bawdy moments? And, yes, the unctuous moments that even the chilliest of hosts seems to get to?

You ask Letterman to host the show, you get Letterman. Same with Ellen. You get Ellen. She's been charming me for almost a quarter century when I first spotted her on a terrible cable sit-com about real estate agents. Pure charm. There's just something about her I like and I'm not even sure what it is. So Ellen is fine with me.

And today she has my sympathy. The morning reviews were just about all terrible. She's too soft, too amiable, what the hell's the deal with that red velour suit anyway? Ain't she got no respect for the vaunted night of the Hollywood circle-jerk?

I hope she has some way of coping with all this crap out because it sure would be difficult to deal with. To me she did a commendable job. And no, Dick Cheney, she's not a member of the insurgency.

Lynch mob forms on the right fellas.