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Arts and entertainment  |  UW and the community

April 7, 2014

Hundreds turn out for Ellen

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” made a surprise visit to the University of Washington Monday, and hundreds of students turned out for a shot at appearing on national TV – and maybe more.

Crowd gathered at UW for The Ellen Show.

Part of the crowd on Rainier Vista for “The Ellen Show.”University of Washington

Initial word came on Friday that the popular syndicated talk and variety show featuring Ellen DeGeneres, in conjunction with Seattle’s Best Coffee, would be shooting in Seattle, and the organizers hoped to make it happen at UW.

The episode airs Tuesday (April 8) and the UW segment is posted on the show’s website.

By late Monday morning a satellite truck was on campus and the plans quickly fell into place. DeGeneres appealed to her huge Twitter following to bring people out.

  • Today’s the day, Seattle! Grab some @SeattlesBest coffee to get ready and follow my tweets for the deets!
A Space Needle costume at The Ellen Show.

At least one Space Needle turned out for “The Ellen Show.”University of Washington

  • My crew says it’s a beautiful day in Seattle @UW. I can’t wait to see it live from my studio. &anyone who shows up there, of course. 2:30pm!
  • I wanna see Seattle’s best at Rainier Vista at @UW today at 2:30pm.  There are gonna be some big prizes!
  • Hey Seattle, I want you dressed up as Seattle’s Best! Whatever that means to you. But if I don’t see a Space Needle, I’ll be disappointed.

By mid-afternoon a large crowd gathered between Mary Gates and Johnson halls on Rainier Vista, with lots of signs and costumes. And she got her wish – there was at least one Space Needle.

The episode showed off highlights of the UW campus — Rainier Vista with blooming cherry trees, Drumheller Fountain and Mount Rainier in the distance.

“I would have gone to college if I had seen that place. That’s beautiful,” DeGeneres remarked.

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