Ellen DeGeneres Returns to Emmy Stage to Help Us Find Humor In National Tragedy She Caused

It's a tightrope walk, to be sure, feting the accomplishments of Hollywood's TV industry arrivistes as hundreds of thousands of Americans ponder the hugeness of their recent losses. There are few who can successfully come through this daring acrobatic feat, but Ellen DeGeneres most definitely is one, what with her likable and self-deprecating dry wit, not to mention a vivid insider knowledge of the massive-life-claiming tragedies her Emmy-hosting has directly caused. From today's LA Times:

"The first time she was asked to host the annual Emmy Awards show, it was just before 9/11. This year, it was before Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm going to think twice before I agree to host something again, I can tell you that," she said wryly in a recent interview."

In reminiscing about her triumphant hosting of the 2001 Emmys, the announcement of which earlier that year was the trigger signal for Al Qaeda cells across the country, the article quotes some of the comedian's best lines inspired by the terrorist attacks that were solely her fault:

"In her monologue, she told the audience that the terrorists "can't take away our creativity, our striving for excellence, our joy. Only network executives can do that." She went on to say that she was an ideal host "because, think about it: What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?""

We won't know until Sunday night what kind of industry rib-poking Katrina jokes DeGeneres has in store -- something about NBC showing no noticeable ratings dips in the affected regions, no doubt --  but however she chooses to tackle the sensitive subject of the natural disaster she independently brought on, one thing is for certain: it will have that trademark DeGeneres class.