Ellen wants to call Australia home

Ellen and Portia talk to Tracy Grimshaw of A Current Affair at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne. Vision courtesy of Nine.

• Star says she could imagine herself living in Australia
• The welcome from fans has been overwhelming
• VIPs attend the black-tie cocktail in Melbourne

TV STAR Ellen DeGeneres said she could imagine living in Australia one day as she and wife Portia de Rossi attended an exclusive cocktail party in Melbourne.

"I shouldn't put it out there, but I can see us living here one day,"she told the crowd at the Grand Hyatt Hotel where 300 VIPs graced the red carpet for the black-tie event hosted by Premier Denis Napthine.

"Not for a while as I've got shows to do, but I can see it happening,"  she said.

"This is the most incredible trip, I will never forget it."

The event featured prominent business, entertainment and sporting figures including Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, Sonia Kruger, John Bertrand, Shane Jacobson, Magda Szubanski, Lisa Wilkinson, Hawthorn footballer Josh Gibson and many more.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi pictured on the red carpet at the Grand Hyatt. Picture:  Julie Kiriacoudis

DeGeneres was asked her thoughts on Mr Napthine who told 3AW radio he didn't support gay marriage.

"There are people who don't support it and people who do, politicians or not it doesn't make me judge them, as a human being," she said.

"That's his opinion, I obviously think he is wrong, but he will come around," she added.

The Premier welcomed DeGeneres at the cocktail party, telling the audience he admired her style.

Brynne Edelsten was among the VIP crowd at the cocktail party. Picture:Julie  Kiriacoudis

"I am a great fan. I remember watching your show Ellen and thought it was one of the best shows of its time," Mr Napthine said.

He also made reference to Portia and said the people of Geelong wanted to say a special hello.

"I was in Geelong yesterday and the people of Grovedale wanted to say hello," he said.

De Rossi said next time she arrives she definitely would take Ellen to her home town of Geelong.

Magda Szubanski also made an appearance at the black-tie event. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis

DeGeneres also said she has been humbled by the support her Australians fans have shown, despite her recent illness which initially forced her to postpone her trip.

"I was supposed to be here early so thank you , I got a bit sick," she said. 

"I'm back and I'm healthy.

"I've wanted to come to Australia for a long long time, before meeting Portia."

Swisse boss Radek Sali praised DeGeneres after her performance in front of thousands of fans at Birrarung Marr.

"I don't know how you have the energy, I'm fried from sitting in the front row," he said.

DeGeneres said the support has been incredible in Australia, and she promised to return.

"We will be back," she said.

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Ellen Express skips footy for beach

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres takes a walk along Manly Beach in Sydney. Picture: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros Source: Supplied

WEARING a striped shirt and beaming smile, Ellen DeGeneres led Sydney fans on a mad game of "Where's Wally" yesterday as she popped up at Manly Beach but was a no-show to watch Russell Crowe's Rabbitohs at Penrith.

After surprising fans with her impromptu beach promenade, with wife Portia de Rossi and a camera crew in tow, the visiting talk show host had been expected to take up an invitation to see Crowe's beloved South Sydney clash with the Panthers at Centrebet Stadium.

A game source confirmed club officials had made arrangements to host DeGeneres in the Chairman's Lounge, where "the table was set and the meal ordered" but her party failed to arrive. Federal Sports Minister Kate Lundy and NRL boss David Smith were among the waiting VIP guests ready to welcome the star to western Sydney.

They weren't the only locals put out by the US celebrity's whistlestop trip, with Botanic Gardens staff receiving complaints from wedding parties that noise from The Ellen Show taping on Saturday had been so loud it drowned out their vows.

"Every effort was made to help (couples) have a successful wedding but the show went over time and had been scheduled to finish by 1pm," a Botanic Gardens spokeswoman said. "The last thing we wanted was for this to affect anyone's big day."

Meanwhile, her security team used decoy cars to distract from DeGeneres' activities but her Twitter fans took to the social media network to help track Team Ellen as she criss-crossed the city.

If producers were expecting their boss to go unnoticed for a Sunday stroll on a perfect day at the beach, they were mistaken. DeGeneres and de Rossi were mobbed from the minute they stepped from their chauffeur-driven car.

It is understood the TV star and her Aussie partner have been overwhelmed by the scale of DeGeneres' popularity here, while her production team has been caught unprepared for the media following her every move.

The intense interest in the Emmy winner was best illustrated when she tweeted a snapshot of herself beside a Moreton Bay fig, writing: "I never met a tree I didn't like." The innocuous image was then retweeted by more than 10,000 followers in less than five minutes.

The Ellen Express jets to Melbourne this morning with DeGeneres confirming she will meet fans at Birrarung Marr parklands (near Federation Square) on tomorrow.

She will also be guest of honour at a champagne cocktail party at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt hotel, to be hosted by Swisse ambassador and Channel 9's Mornings host Sonia Kruger.

But in a snub likely to upset Victorian fans, an Ellen spokesman confirmed the pair have scrapped plans to visit de Rossi's home town of Geelong.

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Who is the real Ellen DeGeneres?

Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres has arrived in Sydney to film segments for her daytime program Ellen. Courtesy: Nine News

Talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. Picture: Getty Source: AP

Ellen DeGeneres with wife Australian actress Portia Di Rossi. Source: Herald Sun

IN every way, Ellen DeGeneres is a loveable superstar.

She's made a habit of dancing her way onto the set of her daytime TV show, and the comedian radiates the kind of joy that comes from celebrating your inner dork through the medium of dance.

The audience usually responds by busting their own unique moves. The result always looks like an onscreen love-in between the presenter and and her fans as they flail around with delighted abandon.

Despite the current rapport with her audience, it wasn't always this way. The frontwoman of The Ellen DeGeneres Show is something of a televisual Lazarus.

The talkshow host, currently in Australia for the first time filming upcoming episodes for her program, has found mega-popularity after a very public falling out with fame.

Not so long ago, the roles had dried up, she was broke and her TV career at a dead end. Further success seemed unlikely.

After coming out as a lesbian onscreen and in real life in 1997 during the run of her successful sitcom, Ellen, she was in freefall. Despite winning a slew of Emmys, including one for the episode when DeGeneres' character revealed her sexuality, the show lost sponsors, TV stations were picketed by religious groups, ratings declined and the series was cancelled the following year.

The decision to become the first openly gay lead character in a TV show, while initially hailed as ground-breaking, had backfired.

It seems like an attitude from ancient history, but it appeared the viewing public wasn't ready to embrace a star who decided to be open about her sexuality.

DeGeneres says she was a “punchline'' for late night TV shows and the comic was ridiculed about her sexual orientation in a way akin to public bullying. The message: it wasn't cool to be a lesbian, look like one and she certainly wasn't a prime-time fodder.

In a recent interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair, DeGeneres said she lost everything after coming out.

“I was furious at the time.

“Nobody wanted to hire me; for three years I didn't have any offers. Literally, the phone did not ring for three years. I had no money.''

DeGeneres took the opportunity to return to standup, her first love, and left behind her TV career.

Despite her falling out favour a few years earlier, DeGeneres was picked as the host for the Emmy Awards in 2001.

It turned out to be a pivotal gig.

The show had been postponed twice after the 9/11 attacks due to concern the ceremony would appear inappropriate. But when the comic took to the stage, her gentle humour and self-acceptance guided the audience of nervous celebrities through what could have been an awkward and frivilous celebration of entertainment.

She issued a fabulously icebreaking quip from the stage.

“What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?'' she said, and the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles erupted with laughter.

It was as though the audience could breathe a sigh of relief and the show could go on. Suddenly she'd given it a raison d'aciêtre and was setting the tone; the public realised they actually liked DeGeneres.

It wasn't an instant reversal of fortune.

Her follow-up TV sitcom The Ellen Show ran in the US from 2001-2002 failed to make an impact and quickly disappeared from screens.

It was only when, in 2003, she voiced the bumbling character Dory in Finding Nemo and debuted The Ellen DeGeneres Show, her daytime talk show, the public realised they really liked her.

In a culture that loves a redemption story, DeGeneres has one of the best. Her public rise, fall and rise undercuts her fame and fortune (estimated to be upwards of $90 million) and has made her about as normal as a megastar can be.

She's naturally empathetic and audiences know she's had a tough time and can relate - we've all gone through something shit at some point.

On the show, which has since won 35 Daytime Emmy awards, DeGeneres has made a point of letting people in on the detail of her life. She talks about her home, her love of animals and it's through this open attitude she's steadily developed a strong relationship with her fans.

DeGeneres is also refreshingly casual about being a lady who loves to love ladies. After the initial furore that greeted her coming out, there's nothing to hide and it's now just part of what crops up in her general chat.

Knowing about her sexuality isn't even especially important any more, but she's sharing private aspects of herself she once kept hidden. It's built trust with her audience.

After a string of public breakups, she settled down and married Australian actress Portia Di Rossi in 2008 - she bagged a hottie and seems blissfully in love. Somehow that makes DeGeneres all the more adorable.

And then there's the dancing.

DeGeneres' moves let people know it's ok to be themselves, and she's convinced the likes of Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Beyonce,
Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum (who took things a little further with a personal lapdance) to shake their tail feathers on her show.

She uses the power of her show for good, delivering grand gestures and gifts to guests who've faced tragedy. DeGeneres is like a generous aunt who has made compassion cool.

And while she's very funny, DeGeneres is never cruel with her humour. After being vilified for her sexuality, the comedian publicy advocates kindness over cruelty and her shows reflect an anti-bullying ethos.

She didn't last more than a season as a judge on American Idol, and said it was because she couldn't stand ruining people's dreams. A statement explained her decision at the end of the 2010 series. “While I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings,'' she remarked.

DeGeneres has helped other realise the error of their ways too - Perez Hilton changed the tone of his infamously bitchy blog after a interview where she took him to task on her show.

This affection for DeGeneres has gone global. She's proved emotionally accessible, and while that's something Australian audiences don't see often with local talent, it's one of the main reasons we love her. Expect mobbing scenes reminiscent of Oprah Winfrey's time Down Under in 2010 as DeGeneres travels around the country during her visit.

The connection between the talkshow stars is no coincidence.

When Winfrey ended her long-running show a couple of years ago, it left room for DeGeneres to take her place as daytime TV's top host.

But long before that, DeGeneres chose to come out on Winfrey's show in 1997, and Winfrey returned the favour by playing DeGeneres' therapist in the Ellen episode where her character confessed to being a lesbian.

Few would have predicted their shared time on television would set the wheels in motion for her troubled but ultimately triumphant journey, but
DeGeneres has finally traversed the terrain from entertainment outcast to queen of the small screen.

victoria.hannaford@news.com.au
twitter @vhannaford
 

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Ellen at Taronga after tweeting party

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi wave from the back of Sydney ferry Borrowdale as it heads into Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay. Picture: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

ELLEN DeGeneres has gone on a tour of Sydney Harbour in a vintage ferry.

Ellen  DeGeneres, her partner, Australian actress Portia de Rossi, and DeGeneres' mother were mobbed when they arrived at Circular Quay.

"Wow this is crazy," DeGeneres said as she made her way through to the ferry terminal.

She shouted "It's amazing" from the top deck of the ferry as fans continued to chant her name.

The US talk show host did not board a luxury yacht or speed boat for the US talk show host with her posse boarding the Borrowdale - a 1985 steel twin catamaran vessel owned and operated by Sydney Ferries Corporation.

Ellen was welcomed aboard the ferry and watched her own private indigenous welcome to country ceremony.

Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres has arrived in Sydney to film segments for her daytime program Ellen. Courtesy: Nine News

The ceremony was performed on the back deck of the 105 tonne vessel by Tracy Keys, the first aboriginal deckhand for Sydney ferries, and regular crew member of the Borrowdale.

Customer experience manager for the ferries, Mark Champney, said the crew were surprised to discover who they were transporting today.

"We only found out late they would use our service and they kept all the regular crew," he said. "They didn't pick and choose, there didn't ask for anything glamourous.

"Just the rostered crew and that's it."

Then she tweeted the news that her fans wanted to read:

Ellen arrives at Sydney Airport, stopping to dance with fans. Photo: Simon Black

"All right Sydneysiders, tomorrow's on! Come to the Opera on the Harbour at the Fleet Steps. The fun starts at noon.

"If you’re planning on coming tomorrow, and I hope you are, Sydney, you can’t line up over night. The line starts at 6am!"

Her warning was designed to prevent crowds turning up tonight and interrupting the opening night of Carmen, which starts at 7:30pm and finishes at 10:30pm.

The entourage cruised past the Opera House before taking a scenic tour around the harbour and stopping at Taronga Zoo.

Ellen and her followers hopped in a troupe of black vans before headed in the direction of the VIP entrance.

Ellen DeGeneres has arrived in Australia

DeGeneres is getting an amazing reception since this morning's arrival.

Naomi Vidler, who had travelled from Wagga Wagga, said seeing Ellen was "fantastic".

"It was amazing. She waved and said hello," Ms Vidler said.

Another fan, who asked only to be known as Josh, said he was nervous waiting to see her.

"She seemed very happy and glad to see everyone, like her usual positive self," he said.

Ellen's tech team have posted a video to Twitter via 'Vine' video app, of Ellen meeting the Qantas flight crew.

"She waved to me and said she loved my t-shirt."

Earlier today she checked into her penthouse suite in Sydney's prestigious Intercontinental Hotel. She  immediately went to a window and admired the view of Sydney Harbour on a sunshine-filled autumn day.

DeGeneres, de Rossi and their crew earlier arrived at Sydney Airport to the delight of hundreds of screaming Aussie fans.

The US talkshow queen stopped to groove along with the "Ellen choir" as she walked into the international arrivals lounge with Portia.

Ellen stopped and chatted to fans before being swept into waiting black vans swamped by her fans.

Even embattled Prime Minister Julia Gillard got in on the act.

Crowds at Sydney Airport ahead of talkshow queen Ellen's arrival. Photo: Simon Black

Ms Gillard tweeted: "Welcome to Australia @TheEllenShow. Hope you get to see as much as possible of our beautiful country. JG"

Hundreds of screaming fans crowded into the international arrivals terminal of Sydney airport waving banners and bearing gifts.

Several more hardcore fans clutched gifts they hoped would reach the US star.

Ellen stops to dance with fans in the arrivals lounge of Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

"She embodies everything that's good about people," mother of two Lucy Brightman said. "She's so positive, what she does for people is amazing."

"She's so genuine."

Olympic star Geoff Huegill joined organiser Swiss' CEO, Radek Sali, at the gates.

"One of the measures of success if an event is how many people come and ask us for freebies," Mr Sali said.

"And we've organised sporting events, speaking events, but we have never had so many requests and so much buzz around an event as this."

"I'm sorry to Geoff but this has been number one for us."

US TV personality Ellen DeGeneres and her partner, Australian actress Portia de Rossi, arrive at Sydney Airport. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

"Not at all, this is huge," Mr Huegill agreed. "What a crazy atmosphere."

Olympic swimming champ Geoff Huegill joins Ellen fans at Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

But not everyone was here for the festivities.

"I'm just here to pick up my mom," Canadian holiday-maker Chelsea McDonald said. "This is weird timing."

"There's so much jumping around. I had to come and sit down."

A number of additional police are in the arrival lounge.

While the terminal is incredibly crowded the atmosphere is overwhelmingly positive.

"What the hell is happening," one passenger snaps as he tries to push his way through the crowd.

Told Ellen is arriving he immediately brightens. "Oh I love her," he says. "Nice lady."

The Destination NSW cheerleaders marking the arrival of US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and hier partner, Portia de Rossi.

A fan of talkshow queen Ellen shows off her scrapbook at Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

Meanwhile, an excited group of 40 Ellen fans have gathered at The Rocks this morning before they embark on a tour of Sydney on a double decker bus to celebrate Ellen DeGeneres's arrival in the county today.

The fans won a competition run by Destination NSW and The Sunday Telegraph to spend the day touring Sydney on the official fan bus.

A group of cheerleaders have also gathered and the bus has been decked out with "Sydney loves Ellen" signage.

Amanda O'Connor entered the competition with her daughter Erinn, 17, who has always wanted to travel to LA to meet the popular talk show host.

"Erinn loves Ellen, ever since she's watched her on TV, she's wanted to go and watch her overseas," Ms O'Connor said.

Ms O'Connor said they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Ellen on their tour.

"Apart from going around beautiful Sydney, we're hoping to get a glance of beautiful Ellen and be part of the excitement of welcoming her to Sydney," she said.

"She's funny, she's kind, fun-loving. She's got a really nice personality and she likes to make other people happy."

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said Ellen's trip was a "golden" opportunity to promote Sydney.

"I think Ellen has a very diverse audience and has done a lot of work for charity and animal welfare," Ms Chipchase said.

"She personifies Sydney. She's friendly, funny, witty and people love being with her."

"Who knows where she'll pop up but we're very excited about having her and her team in Sydney."

"There is a lot of excitement around the personality of someone like Ellen," Detective Acting Superintendent Anthony Bell told reporters at The Rocks on Friday.

During the next two days, Ellen and her team will be involved in a number of events in the NSW capital.

"Our message is clear - enjoy the moment but consider other people, keep safe and listen to any direction of security or event staff and police," Supt Bell said.

Portia de Rossi and Ellen Degeneres arrive at LAX airport. Picture: Rupert Thorpe / News Limited Source: news.com.au

US TV personality Ellen DeGeneres geets a Welcome Ellen cheer squad at Sydney Airport. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

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Ellen at Taronga after tweeting party

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi wave from the back of Sydney ferry Borrowdale as it heads into Sydney Harbour from Circular Quay. Picture: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

ELLEN DeGeneres has gone on a tour of Sydney Harbour in a vintage ferry.

Ellen  DeGeneres, her partner, Australian actress Portia de Rossi, and DeGeneres' mother were mobbed when they arrived at Circular Quay.

"Wow this is crazy," DeGeneres said as she made her way through to the ferry terminal.

She shouted "It's amazing" from the top deck of the ferry as fans continued to chant her name.

The US talk show host did not board a luxury yacht or speed boat for the US talk show host with her posse boarding the Borrowdale - a 1985 steel twin catamaran vessel owned and operated by Sydney Ferries Corporation.

Ellen was welcomed aboard the ferry and watched her own private indigenous welcome to country ceremony.

Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres has arrived in Sydney to film segments for her daytime program Ellen. Courtesy: Nine News

The ceremony was performed on the back deck of the 105 tonne vessel by Tracy Keys, the first aboriginal deckhand for Sydney ferries, and regular crew member of the Borrowdale.

Customer experience manager for the ferries, Mark Champney, said the crew were surprised to discover who they were transporting today.

"We only found out late they would use our service and they kept all the regular crew," he said. "They didn't pick and choose, there didn't ask for anything glamourous.

"Just the rostered crew and that's it."

Then she tweeted the news that her fans wanted to read:

Ellen arrives at Sydney Airport, stopping to dance with fans. Photo: Simon Black

"All right Sydneysiders, tomorrow's on! Come to the Opera on the Harbour at the Fleet Steps. The fun starts at noon.

"If you’re planning on coming tomorrow, and I hope you are, Sydney, you can’t line up over night. The line starts at 6am!"

Her warning was designed to prevent crowds turning up tonight and interrupting the opening night of Carmen, which starts at 7:30pm and finishes at 10:30pm.

The entourage cruised past the Opera House before taking a scenic tour around the harbour and stopping at Taronga Zoo.

Ellen and her followers hopped in a troupe of black vans before headed in the direction of the VIP entrance.

Ellen DeGeneres has arrived in Australia

DeGeneres is getting an amazing reception since this morning's arrival.

Naomi Vidler, who had travelled from Wagga Wagga, said seeing Ellen was "fantastic".

"It was amazing. She waved and said hello," Ms Vidler said.

Another fan, who asked only to be known as Josh, said he was nervous waiting to see her.

"She seemed very happy and glad to see everyone, like her usual positive self," he said.

Ellen's tech team have posted a video to Twitter via 'Vine' video app, of Ellen meeting the Qantas flight crew.

"She waved to me and said she loved my t-shirt."

Earlier today she checked into her penthouse suite in Sydney's prestigious Intercontinental Hotel. She  immediately went to a window and admired the view of Sydney Harbour on a sunshine-filled autumn day.

DeGeneres, de Rossi and their crew earlier arrived at Sydney Airport to the delight of hundreds of screaming Aussie fans.

The US talkshow queen stopped to groove along with the "Ellen choir" as she walked into the international arrivals lounge with Portia.

Ellen stopped and chatted to fans before being swept into waiting black vans swamped by her fans.

Even embattled Prime Minister Julia Gillard got in on the act.

Crowds at Sydney Airport ahead of talkshow queen Ellen's arrival. Photo: Simon Black

Ms Gillard tweeted: "Welcome to Australia @TheEllenShow. Hope you get to see as much as possible of our beautiful country. JG"

Hundreds of screaming fans crowded into the international arrivals terminal of Sydney airport waving banners and bearing gifts.

Several more hardcore fans clutched gifts they hoped would reach the US star.

Ellen stops to dance with fans in the arrivals lounge of Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

"She embodies everything that's good about people," mother of two Lucy Brightman said. "She's so positive, what she does for people is amazing."

"She's so genuine."

Olympic star Geoff Huegill joined organiser Swiss' CEO, Radek Sali, at the gates.

"One of the measures of success if an event is how many people come and ask us for freebies," Mr Sali said.

"And we've organised sporting events, speaking events, but we have never had so many requests and so much buzz around an event as this."

"I'm sorry to Geoff but this has been number one for us."

US TV personality Ellen DeGeneres and her partner, Australian actress Portia de Rossi, arrive at Sydney Airport. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

"Not at all, this is huge," Mr Huegill agreed. "What a crazy atmosphere."

Olympic swimming champ Geoff Huegill joins Ellen fans at Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

But not everyone was here for the festivities.

"I'm just here to pick up my mom," Canadian holiday-maker Chelsea McDonald said. "This is weird timing."

"There's so much jumping around. I had to come and sit down."

A number of additional police are in the arrival lounge.

While the terminal is incredibly crowded the atmosphere is overwhelmingly positive.

"What the hell is happening," one passenger snaps as he tries to push his way through the crowd.

Told Ellen is arriving he immediately brightens. "Oh I love her," he says. "Nice lady."

The Destination NSW cheerleaders marking the arrival of US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and hier partner, Portia de Rossi.

A fan of talkshow queen Ellen shows off her scrapbook at Sydney Airport. Photo: Simon Black Source: The Daily Telegraph

Meanwhile, an excited group of 40 Ellen fans have gathered at The Rocks this morning before they embark on a tour of Sydney on a double decker bus to celebrate Ellen DeGeneres's arrival in the county today.

The fans won a competition run by Destination NSW and The Sunday Telegraph to spend the day touring Sydney on the official fan bus.

A group of cheerleaders have also gathered and the bus has been decked out with "Sydney loves Ellen" signage.

Amanda O'Connor entered the competition with her daughter Erinn, 17, who has always wanted to travel to LA to meet the popular talk show host.

"Erinn loves Ellen, ever since she's watched her on TV, she's wanted to go and watch her overseas," Ms O'Connor said.

Ms O'Connor said they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Ellen on their tour.

"Apart from going around beautiful Sydney, we're hoping to get a glance of beautiful Ellen and be part of the excitement of welcoming her to Sydney," she said.

"She's funny, she's kind, fun-loving. She's got a really nice personality and she likes to make other people happy."

Destination NSW CEO Sandra Chipchase said Ellen's trip was a "golden" opportunity to promote Sydney.

"I think Ellen has a very diverse audience and has done a lot of work for charity and animal welfare," Ms Chipchase said.

"She personifies Sydney. She's friendly, funny, witty and people love being with her."

"Who knows where she'll pop up but we're very excited about having her and her team in Sydney."

"There is a lot of excitement around the personality of someone like Ellen," Detective Acting Superintendent Anthony Bell told reporters at The Rocks on Friday.

During the next two days, Ellen and her team will be involved in a number of events in the NSW capital.

"Our message is clear - enjoy the moment but consider other people, keep safe and listen to any direction of security or event staff and police," Supt Bell said.

Portia de Rossi and Ellen Degeneres arrive at LAX airport. Picture: Rupert Thorpe / News Limited Source: news.com.au

US TV personality Ellen DeGeneres geets a Welcome Ellen cheer squad at Sydney Airport. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

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