Ellen Comes to Eugene...Is She Really Here?

The first story of the New Year is a doozy. The Ellen show came to Eugene, Oregon on Thursday for a special segment – a contest for tickets and a trip to the BCS Championship football game in Glendale, Arizona. This is the biggest Bowl game and the best the Ducks have EVER done. The excitement in Eugene is palpable and extremely contagious. The day started when Ellen Tweeted to her fans to come to the EMU - a gathering place for students at the University of Oregon - wearing their best Fiesta wear.

Kim and I decided to go check it out and of course try to be the big winners. We arrived early so as to get a good spot to hang out and “observe”. Ellen’s production crew was already there setting up cameras, monitors and lights. We knew we were in the right place. One of Ellen’s regular road reporters Jeannie, was on sight to do the satellite correspondence between the U of O segment, and the live feed with the show and of course Ellen herself. Kim was so excited she marched down to the crew and shook Jeannie’s hand and proceeded to explain that Ellen’s doppelganger was here and is a huge Duck fan. One by one the production crew turned to look in my direction and did admit to Kim, I looked like Ellen…that is as far as the production staff would go. BUT even the Ellen crew could not deny the Duck fans from meeting Ellen (or as close as they could get to Ellen in person).

It just took one person to approach me and request a photo and the flood gates were open... I became Ellen. By this time the crowd had grown to over 1,500+ people, some in full costume, most wearing Green or Gold, but all had Duck spirit. Slowly the rumor spread that Ellen was sitting at the top of the arena, and one by one the attention shifted from the stage where the Ellen production crew was set to film, to the “Ellen in the crowd”. Picture after picture and conversation after conversation I posed and conversed for over 5 hours with Ellen fans who found it uncanny that I would actually live in Eugene, be a huge Duck fan and that I was NOT Ellen. The most common statement of the day was…”How can you not be her, you even sound like her and act like her?”

Nic, my new BFF hung out with me the entire time. At first he thought I WAS Ellen, until I gently let him know that I really was not. He couldn’t believe it, but after awhile we had a great time hanging out together and he ended up taking well over 100 pictures of me posing with people. What a sport! He posted a picture on his facebook page and before long his friends were texting and ditching class to come see and meet Ellen too. Soon others around us were doing the same.

 

The photos seemed endless but I was more than happy to do it, because it made so many people giddy to be so close to Ellen, or as close as they could get anyway. I posed with babies and dogs, students and parents, children and grand parents. I was interviewed for a television show…not sure who or what, but they wanted to know all about me and why I looked so much like Ellen.

Upon realizing that I really was not Ellen, people would ask me questions like; Where were you born? Are you married? Who are you married to? What kind of car do you drive? Let us see your ring? Are you with the Ellen show? Where to you live? Will you dance for us? Do you work for Ellen? Do you know Ellen? Are they paying you? You should charge for pictures! Did they plant you up here? Are you really Ellen? Are you a look alike? Do you know you look like Ellen? Does this happen all the time? Are you sick of this yet?

The madness/elation continued until the crowd dispersed and Kim and I went on our way to our house on a hill in Eugene, Oregon.

My Experience with Porsche

Porsche Sport Driving School - USA

Photo Opportunity with LynEllen

A few months back Dad and his wife came for a visit. We went to the famous King Estate Winery for dinner and wine tasting. As we were eating in the dining room, a large party was seated next to us. As we dined and sipped wine, I could feel the stares from the other table. One by one the gentlemen at the table kept getting up and walking by our table, but they would have to scoot by my chair and as they went by they touched me, like gently on the shoulder or arm whatever.

Then the moment came, the two gentlemen, did I mention they were in there late 60’s, walked by again, but this time as they passed they looked at me and said “We love your show”. Meanwhile, Dad and my other half, Kim, were in the restroom, missing this whole interaction. I knew what the men meant, but Dad's wife, was clueless and had no idea what they were talking about…so I said to the man, "tell her what you mean." He looked at her and said "What? Don’t you know…that’s ELLEN". As the conversation continued turns out the entire party was talking about me and had seen me on the Ellen Show.

Of course they all told me how much they love Ellen and insisted on getting a picture with me. I shyly obliged and went over for a quick photo opportunity with my new friends. Cheers!

My Ellen DeGeneres Show Experience

I got tickets to be in the audience at one of Ellen's shows. When we arrived in Burbank for the taping of the show, people looked confused when they saw 'Ellen' waiting in line for her own show...but wait, it wasn't Ellen...it was Me. People began acting as if I was Ellen, following me down the street, taking my picture, chanting and yelling "ELLEN", asking for autographs and even giving me hugs. One frenzied fan told me I looked more like Ellen than Ellen. Hum?

While we waited to be seated for the show, one of Ellen's staff came over and took my picture - with a Polaroid camera - and then disappeared. Later, I found out the staffer took the picture to Ellen and the producers of the show. When they ushered us in the studio we were seated in the isle Ellen typically dances down. The show started and sure enough here comes Ellen, down our row, and she stops right in front of me, did a double take and then we started doing this mirror shadow dance thing.

When she got to her seat, she says "when did they put a mirror in the audience, because now I can see myself dancing through?" She then proceeded to do a mini interview with me. After the show was off the air, she looked up at me again and said to the entire audience "I know a lot of people claim to look like me, but you really do, come down here and get a picture with me."

I do get people telling me all the time I look like Ellen, the funny thing is that I don't think I look like her, and I am not trying to look like her. Although, if you gotta have a look alike, I guess she is a good one to look like. So many people LOVE her. I hear it all the time. I think people feel a connection to Ellen when they see me, so they feel compelled to share their Ellen stories. It's great fun!

Do you have any Ellen stories to share?