EMMY AWARD WINNER ELLEN DEGENERES SET AS HOST FOR THE "57TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS," TO BE BROADCAST FROM THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM IN LOS ANGELES SEPT. 18 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Emmy Award winner Ellen DeGeneres has been set to host THE 57TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS to be broadcast from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 18 (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, it was announced by Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment and Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO, The Television Academy.

"You know me, any excuse to put on a dress," DeGeneres said in regards to this year's hosting duties.

"We are thrilled that Ellen DeGeneres is returning to host the Emmy Awards again on CBS," said Nina Tassler, President CBS Entertainment. "She's an incredibly multi-talented performer whose comedic skills and energy promise to deliver an Emmy Awards broadcast to remember."

Academy Chairman and CEO Dick Askin said, "Ellen has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to connect with the television viewing audience. She will be the perfect compliment to the creative, exciting and entertaining show being planned for the Primetime Emmys. We are delighted to have her back."

Said executive producer Ken Ehrlich: "There is no more perfect choice to host this year's Emmy show than Ellen. She brings her own distinct style and talent to everything she does, and this year in particular, with some of the most exciting nominations in years and hopefully a show to match, we're thrilled to have her bring those talents to the show."

DeGeneres, who was lauded as the host of the "The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards," on CBS, giving the post-September 11th telecast audience a reason to laugh, is an entertainment pioneer whose distinctive comic voice has resonated with audiences from her stand-up comedy appearances through her work on television, in film and in the literary world. DeGeneres has made a home for herself with her nine-time Daytime Emmy Award-winning syndicated talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which is embarking on its third season. This year, DeGeneres won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host.

Prior to the launch of her talk show, DeGeneres provided the voice for Dory in the blockbuster animated feature film "Finding Nemo." She also crossed the country on a 35-city stand-up comedy tour, entitled the "Here and Now" tour. The series included a performance taped for a highly-rated cable comedy special which was subsequently nominated for two Emmy Awards. Last year, DeGeneres' second book, The Funny Thing Is� hit the New York Times' bestseller list, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for the audio version of the book. Her first book, My Point� And I Do Have One, debuted as #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

DeGeneres began her career as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans, which eventually led to her winning Showtime's Funniest Person in America. She went on to tape several acclaimed and award-winning cable specials. She began her acting career in television on the sitcom "Open House" and then on "Laurie Hill" before starring in "These Friends of Mine," which was later renamed "Ellen." Running from 1994-1998, "Ellen" garnered record ratings and numerous awards and nominations, including a Peabody and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. She followed with the CBS sitcom, "The Ellen Show" in 2001.

DeGeneres' other television credits include the Emmy nominated television movie "If These Walls Could Talk II," which she also executive produced, and an Emmy nominated guest appearance on "The Larry Sanders Show." Her feature film credits include "EdTV," "The Love Letter," "Goodbye Lover," "Coneheads" and "Mr. Wrong," among others. She has hosted such industry events as the "38th Annual Grammy Awards," for which she earned an Emmy nomination, the "39th Annual Grammy Awards," the "46th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards," for which she received an American Comedy Award, "VH1 Honors," which garnered her a Cable Ace Award, "VH1 Divas Las Vegas" and a "Saturday Night Live" Christmas special.

On Monday, September 19th, join Ellen for her very first ever live episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" as she dedicates the entire hour to the Primetime Emmy Awards including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the broadcast. Fresh off its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" returns for its third season on Tuesday, September 6th.

The 57TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS is being produced by Ken Ehrlich Productions and is presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer; Michael B. Seligman and Renato Basile are the producers; Danette Herman is the coordinating producer and executive in charge of talent. Bruce Gowers will direct.