Channel 9's Tracy Grimshaw on the set of The
Ellen Show with Ellen DeGeneres. Picture: 9 Channel Source:
Supplied
The Daily Telegraph reports
Channel 9 is banking on a major exclusive with
Ellen DeGeneres to gazump rival Today Tonight in the early rounds of the
primetime ratings race.
Filmed under a cloak of secrecy after A Current Affair host Tracy
Grimshaw was whisked away on a two-day trip to Los Angeles last week, the
sit-down interview is being hyped as a "must see" by Nine with
producers to air it uninterrupted over 16 minutes tonight - more than half the
show's full running time.
The move has left TT "scrambling", according to media sources,
for a story to pit against the much-loved talkshow queen.
TT has undergone an overhaul this year, including the well-received
introduction of new host Helen Kapalos, and pushed through a disappointing
start to consistently eclipse ACA.
Nine, meanwhile, promised DeGeneres will cover subjects she has
previously not touched upon.
DeGeneres revealed her decision to come out as a lesbian on her sitcom
Ellen in 1997 almost bankrupted her.
"I was so mad that I lost my show, and not just my show but for
three years I didn't have any offers," she says. "I mean literally
the phone did not ring for three years and I had no money and then you know it
was actually ... I am very grateful for that time."
Grimshaw said she was worried how the talk would go.
"I was concerned she would be playing more to them than me, but she
couldn't have been more engaging," she said.
TT has taken the lead in the 6.30pm slot in the official ratings season.
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