ELLEN’S CALGARY CONNECTIONS
Lone Canadian visit set to hit Dome
We’re not saying that Ellen DeGeneres has more of an affinity for Calgary than other Cities in the Great White North, but the “Conversation with Ellen DeGeneres” at the Saddledome on Saturday is apparently her only CanuCk appearanCe. Plus, the Comedian and talk-show host has given some Calgary talent airtime and exposure on her various shows over the years. For instanCe, the late Cory Monteith, who was born in Calgary, was on her talk show a number of times. In 2007, Calgary designer Shauna Luedtke’s Customized Vans sneakers were featured on the Mother’s Day show beCause they featured an ink rendering of DeGeneres’s mother. So, in honour of her appearanCe, whiCh will be moderated by Calgarian Dave Kelly, Eric Volmers shares some of DeGeneres’ most notable Calgary ConneCtions. BRITTON WALKER JAMES BOND FANATIC
This Calgarian made his Ellen debut in 2014 when he wowed the host with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things 007. The then seven-year-old was given a customized tuxedo from DeGeneres. He returned to the daytime chat show in November 2015 wearing the tux and reported on his experience as DeGeneres’ Bond correspondent on the red carpet during the Mexico City premiere of Spectre. It included a segment where Bond actor Daniel Craig taught him how to mix an apple juice martini and gave him a James Bond watch. He has since returned to perform magic tricks on the show and interview stars on behalf of the show at the red-carpet premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
JANN ARDEN PERFORMS ELLEN THEME IN 1997
Back when Ellen DeGeneres was a mere sitcom star, she had Calgary’s Jann Arden sing the theme song during a Season 4 episode as part of the series’ ever-changing, opening-credit sequence. Arden appeared in 1997 with her acoustic guitar, backed by a sousaphone player and DeGeneres’ own haphazardly timed drumming.
KIESZA PERFORMS ON THE SHOW ... TWICE
The Calgary singer-songwriter was hot off the success of her viral sensation Hideaway when she first appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Her performance mimicked her starmaking YouTube clip by taking the star-in-training throughout NBC studios for an on-camera performance. Spin magazine described DeGeneres’s response as “stunned.” So it was hardly surprising that Kiesza returned in 2015 for DeGeneres’ birthday celebrations, offering a medley of new songs from her album Sound of a Woman.
TEGAN AND SARA PERFORMED FEB. 13, 2014
One of Calgary’s most famous exports, the Quin sisters performed the hit Closer from their Heartthrob record in late 2014 after an introduction in which the talkshow host said, “I love them so much!” DeGeneres also gave the studio audience a copy of the album. Two days earlier, the twins tweeted: “Heading to LA to tape TheEllenShow !!! Can’t believe we get to be on ELLEN! My mom is seriously excited. We’ve finally made it in her eyes.”
K.D. LANG APPEARS ON “COMING-OUT” EPISODE, APRIL 30, 1997
OK, k.d. lang is from Consort, but she has been living in Calgary for the past number of years so we will continue to claim her as our own. Plus, her Ellen connections are pretty darn interesting. In the famous April 30, 1997, episode of the sitcom Ellen, in which DeGeneres’ character comes out as a lesbian, lang was among a bevy of celebs making appearances, including Laura Dern, Melissa Etheridge, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Bob Thornton and Dwight Yoakam. That same year, lang and DeGeneres caused a minor stir at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center’s Women’s Night ’97. DeGeneres presented lang with the Creative Integrity Award. Then the singer, according to the Advocate website, “swept Ellen DeGeneres into a full-on, sexy kiss, as an all-female audience roared its approval.”