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On the Cover 2 By Kyla Brewer TV Media TV ENCORE Ellen DeGeneres receives The Mark Twain Prize Reality TV stars such as Snooki and Honey Boo Boo may have their 15 minutes of fame, but true stars have stay- ing power. One such entertainer has risen through the ranks of stand-up comedy, quirky sit- coms and movies to become a virtual fixture in popular cul- ture. After years of "paying her dues" in show biz, Ellen DeGeneres is being recognized for her vast body of work with The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Lily Tomlin, Sean Hayes, Steve Harvey and Jimmy Kimmel honor the performer in the 90-minute special "Ellen DeGeneres: The Mark Twain Prize," airing Tuesday, Oct. 30, on PBS. The stars joined other top entertain- ers such as Kristin Chenoweth, John Krasinski and Jason Mraz to pay tribute to DeGeneres at a ceremony taped at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 22. DeGeneres reacted with her trademark wit when she learned of the honor. "It's such an honor to receive the Mark Twain Prize," she said. "To get the same award that has been given to people like Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell, it really makes me wonder ... why didn't I get this sooner?" It's that kind of tongue-in- cheek humor that's made DeGeneres one of the most popular entertainers today. She has written three incredibly popular books, headlined HBO specials and comedy tours, and has a hit daytime talk show. In fact, she's become one of the queens of daytime (alongside the likes of Katie Couric and Kelly Ripa) since Oprah Winfrey abdicated her post in 2011. Now in its 10th season, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" is one of daytime's highest-rated shows with nearly three million average viewers, and has been awarded 35 Emmys. She may be at the top of her game these days, but DeGeneres has truly worked her way up since her stand-up days in the 1980s. She began her career in coffeehouses and local comedy clubs in her hometown of New Orleans, and got her big break when a videotape of her club performances earned her the title of Showtime's "Funniest Person in America" in 1982. She then toured nationally on the comedy club circuit and landed on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1986. She made history when she become the first female comedian to be invited to sit down and chat with Johnny after her stand-up set. That may not register with younger view- ers, but back in the days of Carson's late night reign, being asked to sit down and chat was a big honor. Considering that "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" was the pinna- cle of TV stand-up gigs, being the first woman to be invited over after a stand-up perform- ance was hugely significant. Things got even better for DeGeneres, and she began snagging sitcom roles on the major networks, including Fox's "Open House" and ABC's short- lived "Laurie Hill." ABC was so impressed with the performer, she was offered a part in the sitcom "These Friends of Mine," which premiered in 1994. The network decided to rename the show "Ellen" after its first sea- son. The show posted impressive ratings throughout its run from 1994 to 1998, and DeGeneres earned a Best Actress Emmy nomination each year. Not only that, "Ellen" pioneered the por- trayal of gay and lesbian people on television when her charac- ter came out as a lesbian to her therapist (guest star Oprah Winfrey) in the acclaimed 1997 "Puppy Episode," which drew a record 46 million viewers. In this case, art imitated life as DeGeneres came out publicly in an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." DeGeneres won a Peabody Award and an Emmy for writing the groundbreaking episode. Ellen DeGeneres Award for best supporting actress, marking the first time a voice performance won a Saturn for acting. More recently, she appeared as a judge in the ninth season of "American Idol." DeGeneres has also earned acclaim for her work as an awards show host. In 2001, she stepped up as host of the Emmy Awards, which had been post- poned amid concerns that the ceremony would appear insen- sitive following the terrorist attacks. She was praised for her balance of wit and genuine emotion. Later, her work as host of the 2006 Academy Awards ceremony following hurricane Katrina earned her an Emmy nomination. After "Ellen" ended, the per- former went on to star in CBS's "The Ellen Show" from 2001 to 2003, and landed a memorable role as the voice of the fish Dory in Disney/Pixar's "Finding Nemo" (2003). The voice per- formance won her a Saturn Even younger viewers seem to love her, as evidenced by her recent Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedian, marking her third consecutive win in the cat- egory. Her other accolades include 12 People's Choice Awards, at least 10 Emmys, a GLAAD Media Award, a Kids Choice Award, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 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