Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now

Along with her Finding Nemo and new talk show triumphs, Ellen DeGeneres further enhanced her career in 2003 with this HBO stand-up performance recorded at New York's Beacon Theater. "Obligatory gay reference" aside, DeGeneres's observational comedy is decidedly non-confrontational; more “mild”-itant than militant: the woman who very publicly emerged from the closet herself during primetime seems much more comfortable riffing on such things as procrastination, tangled phone cords, and microwave ovens (when it comes to minutiae, Jerry Seinfeld's got nothing on Ellen). Hers is a seemingly rambling reductio ad absurdum style that she describes here as "talking until the point comes back to you," offering up laughs that are of the "it's funny 'cause it's true" variety. Newbies who enjoy her talk show will see DeGeneres to her best advantage, while fans will want a front row seat for her long-awaited return to the concert stage. Recommended. Aud: P. (D. Liebenson)