ELLEN'S REALLY -- REALLY -- READY FOR HER 'REALLY BIG SHOW'.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ

>LA.COM 

Hosting an old-fashioned variety show could be just what Ellen DeGeneres needs right about now.

She's had a rough go of it in recent weeks. First, there was the drama surrounding an adopted dog name Iggy that led to Ellen crying on the air, and now she's under fire for continuing to tape her syndicated show during the writers' strike.

She hopes all of that will be set aside when "Ellen's Really Big Show," a 90-minute special, airs Monday at 9 p.m.

Ellen will host established stars such as Sheryl Crowe, Barry Manilow, Lyle Lovett and magician Lance Burton (Mary J. Blige was a last-minute cancellation), and introduces viewers to a lot of lesser-known acts, including a Beatles tribute band.

"I had producers who brought me acts that hadn't been seen as much, that hadn't gotten as much exposure," DeGeneres says. "But there were acts I knew I wanted, like the quick-change artists" -- David & Dania from "America's Got Talent."

The writing for the special was completed before the strike.

"I've wanted to do a variety show for a long time," she says. "I really miss variety, I miss Carol Burnett and the Smothers Brothers. ... I really think people are ready to see a variety show on prime time."

She was in talks with TBS to do some kind of special but was not keen on doing another stand-up show like she had done in the past, a format she says is "too daunting."

"I used to love on 'Carol Burnett' when they would do sketches, and they couldn't keep a straight face. You saw them laughing because it was live. I loved all the weird acts -- the plate spinners, the quick-change artists, the things you don't normally see unless you go to Vegas."

It's not common knowledge that after the cancellation of her ABC sitcom, "Ellen," and before the one-season run of "The Ellen Show" on CBS, DeGeneres had taped a variety pilot that she was hoping to do for CBS instead of another sitcom.

"I thought it was a really good idea and a really good pilot," she says. "But nobody thought America was ready for it. So we did the other one that didn't work out either. I wish that somehow the pilot I did would be able to be aired. It was sort of behind the scenes and on stage, 'Larry Sanders' style."

So, if it's not all about her and her comedy, then what's the appeal of doing "Ellen's Really Big Show," which was taped in Las Vegas on Thursday?

"It's close to stand-up and yet not as much talking," she says. "I have people to take over for a little while. I get to respond immediately to something that's going on. It's sort of why I had always done what I do. I really like making people feel good. If you are hosting a party, you want to make sure people are having a good time. ... I like feeling the energy in the room when I'm helping that move along."

She hopes the writers strike will be over before long. She was slammed by the union that released a statement saying "We find it sad that Ellen spent an entire week crying and fighting for a dog that she gave away, yet she couldn't even stand by writers for more than a single day."

Ellen skipped taping of her show the first day of the strike two weeks ago but, along with Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray and the hosts of other syndicated shows, has continued producing new shows.

"I hope it ends soon. I hope people can compromise or figure it out. It's just the hardest thing in the world to drive on this lot. I'm stuck in the middle."

Greg Hernandez [phone]

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ELLEN'S REALLY BIG SHOW

>What: DeGeneres hosts an old-fashioned variety show.

>Where: TBS.

>When: 9 p.m. Monday.