By now, we all know that Ellen's studio is cold. We've all seen Ellen's guests fighting off frostbite, the icicles dangling from the cameras, the pesky penguins nesting on Stryker's records, and polar bears devouring deli platters in the dressing rooms. But one of the benefits of such a cold studio is that Ellen can do all the backstage ice skating she wants. Stay tuned for "Ellen on Ice," coming this summer to an arena near you. In the meantime, Ellen has another show to do. There's only... Cinco Seconds to Air!












Sometimes, just before her show, Ellen likes to stare at a blank TV screen. It's her way of reminding herself that she's got to try to be more entertaining than a turned-off TV. Otherwise, what's the point? Sure, we all know that Ellen doesn't need to go to that kind of trouble. There's no way she couldn't be entertaining even if she tried not to be. I guess you don't become a superstar without always pushing yourself to the entertaining limit every second of the day. And that's what Ellen DeGeneres does. Especially when there's only... 30 Seconds to Air.




Sometimes, before
Sometimes, before the show, Ellen will ask the wise old owl who lives in the backstage rafters some last-minute questions about the show. "Mr. Owl, should I ask Jackie Chan if he will karate chop something? Wise old
Mr. Owl, What song should I ask Graham Colton to sing? Does my vest go
with this shirt? Mr. Owl, maybe we should have the contestants in the
pizza eating contest wear raincoats to keep the splashing tomato sauce
off of their clothes?" And the wise old Mr. Owl always gives Ellen the
right answers. Then the doves that nest in the eaves swoop down and fan
Ellen's hair into place, and the little mouse that lives inside Ellen's
chair skitters out, tugs on Ellen's pant leg, and with a tiny little
voice says, "Only 30 seconds to air, Miss DeGeneres."















