`ELLEN DEGENERES' STILL FINDING ITSELF.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

IS IT CALLED ``The Ellen DeGeneres Show,'' as the opening announcer says, or simply ``Ellen,'' as the show's graphic logo indicates?

That little identity crisis is just one of many bugs the comedian and the producers of her new talk show have to work out.

In Monday's debut episode, DeGeneres was most at ease in the opening monologue, 12 minutes of disjointed banter introducing her show to the studio audience and viewers at home.

She made a sight gag out of hitting her mark and expressed her hope for a mutually committed relationship with her viewers. ``If you're not coming or you're going to be late, please call me,'' she said.

A prop bit about rejected ``Ellen'' merchandising ideas was not that inspired, and DeGeneres milked a cigarette-dispensing donkey for far more than it was worth.

First guest Jennifer Aniston brought her host a welcome mat, which will likely be a set fixture - until someone trips over it. They briefly discussed Aniston's recent distinction of being declared by Forbes magazine the most powerful celebrity. ``Do you use your power for good or evil?'' DeGeneres asked.

But then the chat digressed, and not very smoothly, to a discussion of whether toilet paper should roll from the dispenser over the top or underneath. (They agreed over the top is correct, if anyone cares.)

The Aniston interview moved on to nothing particularly new or insightful about ``Friends'' - she doesn't know how the series will end, nor if any castmates will be invited on Matt LeBlanc's ``Joey'' spinoff.

Then Ellen's staff caricaturist offered his rendering of Aniston, playing down her distinctive nose and chin and, as a result, turning out an illustration that DeGeneres said looked more like actress Kelly Preston.

A segment with 85-year-old Pasadena cake decorator extraordinaire Frances Kuyper was a disaster. DeGeneres apparently chucked everything she ever learned about physical comedy and set out immediately to botch the cake she was frosting, spurring Kuyper to bark at her that she wasn't paying attention. After DeGeneres had done all damage possible to her own cake, she - or perhaps a producer off camera - cut the segment short, well before Kuyper could demonstrate any techniques, let alone prove herself worthy of air time on a national show.

Macy Gray performed ``She Ain't Right for You,'' a track from her latest CD, and let DeGeneres plug the singer's upcoming tour with David Bowie.

Next came an amusing if blatantly promotional video segment shot as DeGeneres roamed NBC Studios in Burbank.

The show closed with what appears to be a fixture, the ``Talking With the Audience'' segment.

The show seems to be looking to build its studio audience, judging from all the free gifts - ``Friends'' DVDs, Gray CDs, T-shirts and more - that were announced on air. Call [phone] for your chance at some good freebies.

But the studio audience and TV viewers will need some patience until ``Ellen'' hits its stride.

``We've been working on this show for ... days,'' she said. ``In two months we should be really tight.'' DeGeneres was only kidding, but yeah, that sounds about right.

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Two stars

What: The comedian and actress gets her own talk show.

Where: KNBC (Channel 4).

When: 3 p.m. weekdays.

In a nutshell: DeGeneres could be good at this someday, but she's not there yet.

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Photo:

no caption (Ellen DeGeneres)

Steve Granitz/WireImage.com