Ellen of joy

May 5, 2008

It's Ellen, Mayor Daley, not Helen

Mayor Richard Daley fumbled his welcome to Ellen DeGeneres on Saturday, introducing her, on camera, as Helen DeGeneres at the star talk show host's taping downtown.

"It's like the 'L,' " DeGeneres suggested. " 'L'-en."

Thousands of fans braved the cold, wind and rain to attend the first-ever Chicago taping of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which took place just north of the Michigan Avenue bridge. It featured guests Robin Williams and "American Idol" rejects Michael Johns and Carly Smithson, who sang two songs together. The episode is set to air 3 p.m. Tuesday on NBC.