Happy birthday, Ellen DeGeneres!
The actress, comedian, television host, and all-around impressive person celebrates her 57th birthday on Monday. We’re kicking off the celebration with a trip back to 1984 -- when Ellen was the up-and-coming comedian we just had to meet.
“So far I'm holding up pretty good!” DeGeneres, then 26 years old, joked to Et about her newfound career. “It's been a hectic two weeks. That's pretty long isn't it? Does it go much longer than this?”
DeGeneres’ comedy career was picking up some serious steam after she was crowned Showtime’s Funniest Person in America in 1982. Her comedic style was good-natured and light-hearted -- a style just about anyone could appreciate.
Watch: Julia Louis-Dreyfus With Her Improv Group in 1982
“I want to go for things that everyone can enjoy and go home and tell their grand mom and their 2-year-old,” DeGeneres said. “I just watched other people and learned what I don't like as an audience...
The actress, comedian, television host, and all-around impressive person celebrates her 57th birthday on Monday. We’re kicking off the celebration with a trip back to 1984 -- when Ellen was the up-and-coming comedian we just had to meet.
“So far I'm holding up pretty good!” DeGeneres, then 26 years old, joked to Et about her newfound career. “It's been a hectic two weeks. That's pretty long isn't it? Does it go much longer than this?”
DeGeneres’ comedy career was picking up some serious steam after she was crowned Showtime’s Funniest Person in America in 1982. Her comedic style was good-natured and light-hearted -- a style just about anyone could appreciate.
Watch: Julia Louis-Dreyfus With Her Improv Group in 1982
“I want to go for things that everyone can enjoy and go home and tell their grand mom and their 2-year-old,” DeGeneres said. “I just watched other people and learned what I don't like as an audience...
- 1/26/2015
- Entertainment Tonight
Tags: SNLWe KilledbooksBook ReviewsEllen DeGeneresSandra BernhardLily TomlinIMDb
It's crazy to read a book like Yael Kohen's We Killed and know that people still make statements like "Women aren't funny." The newly released oral history of women in comedy over the last 50 years is a reminder that not only are women hilarious, but they are smart, persistent and unwilling to back down when faced with the sexism and adversity they've been dealt whether it's been in comedy clubs, writing rooms or late night TV shows.
Comedy is not just entertainment: It has the power to enlighten and educate, no matter how subtle it might be presented. What you'll get from We Killed is a sense of how progressive women have proven to be, from the pioneers like Phyllis Diller and Elaine May to the alternative comics of the '90s like Janeane Garofalo up through today's boundary-smashing Sarah Silverman, for whom no topic is untouchable.
It's crazy to read a book like Yael Kohen's We Killed and know that people still make statements like "Women aren't funny." The newly released oral history of women in comedy over the last 50 years is a reminder that not only are women hilarious, but they are smart, persistent and unwilling to back down when faced with the sexism and adversity they've been dealt whether it's been in comedy clubs, writing rooms or late night TV shows.
Comedy is not just entertainment: It has the power to enlighten and educate, no matter how subtle it might be presented. What you'll get from We Killed is a sense of how progressive women have proven to be, from the pioneers like Phyllis Diller and Elaine May to the alternative comics of the '90s like Janeane Garofalo up through today's boundary-smashing Sarah Silverman, for whom no topic is untouchable.
- 11/8/2012
- by trishbendix
- AfterEllen.com
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