The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Bethenny Frankel.

Just a little over two weeks after announcing her separation from husband and reality TV co-star Jason Hoppy, Bethenny Frankel visited "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and opened up about the "excruciating" experience.

"Do I want to be doing this exact thing right now?" Frankel said, questioning her own decision to go on a talk show so soon after the split. "No, but I can't just only be on reality TV and show everything when it's the 'fairy-princess fairy tale' and then not take my hits when I have to. I've had kind of the best-worst year ever. So I have to (take) the highs and the lows."

In this case, though, the low is hitting Frankel harder than she anticipated.

"Just going through something personal, you have so many different emotions," she said through tears. "I feel like a bit of a disappointment to all of you, and I feel like a failure. … I don't know how people go through this because this is excruciating, I have to say."

But ultimately, she plans to figure how to get through the same way she's figured out much of her life over the last few years -- in the public eye.

"I never wanted to be a role model, but (to) some people I am or have been," she explained. "So this is an important time, because it’s about what I do next. How I handle myself now with grace, with dignity. This is the time now that matters."

Fans of the "Bethenny Ever After" star will get to see how she manages that as she shares her ups and down on her new talk show "Bethenny," which will air nationwide later this year.

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The commercial itself is hardly controversial. Comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, wearing holiday-themed gloves and hat, sits at a diner table with three of Santa's elves. She asks them to make more toys for a JC Penney contest, and ends up accidentally insulting the tiny little helpers with a bunch of clumsy short jokes.

"I know this is no small feat," DeGeneres says as the elves grimace at what they take as a height reference. "Well, it's a big deal." Finally, she changes the subject entirely: "Who wants a cookie?"

But the appearance of DeGeneres, a lesbian, is controversial indeed to those belonging to One Million Moms. The group posted this update Tuesday on its website:

"Since April, JC Penney's has not aired Ellen DeGeneres in one of their commercials until now. A new JCP ad features Ellen and three elves. JCP has made their choice to offend a huge majority of their customers again. Christians must now vote with their wallets."

The mention of the DeGeneres ad appeared on the group's website after a warning about the Victoria's Secret fashion show and before one about Urban Outfitters selling sweaters with an expletive on them.

Viewers of the ad on YouTube were puzzled by the group's objection. 

"THIS IS SO OFFENSIVE -- Said nobody with a brain ever," wrote one viewer.

Wrote another, "There is nothing wrong with this. 'one million moms' (40,000 to be exact, lol) needs to relax, worry about raising their kids and not spending time & energy on hating a '30 second' holiday clip of elves and Ellen at a diner. Really?"

Back in February, One Million Moms, which is a project of the American Family Association, asked shoppers to call JC Penney and ask that the company replace DeGeneres as a spokeswoman.

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Michael Rozman / Warner Bros. via AP

Daytime talk host Ellen DeGeneres dressed up as her guest and fellow CoverGirl, Sofia Vergara, on Wednesday's show.

Ellen DeGeneres kept things in the family -- the CoverGirl family -- this Halloween. The 54-year-old comedian dressed up as fellow makeup spokeswoman Sofia Vergara on Wednesday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Wearing a recreation of the "Modern Family" star's teal Zuhair Murad Emmys dress (yes, the one that split down the backside! ), Ellen did a pretty hilarious Sofia impersonation.

"Muchas gracias everybody, muchas gracias, hola! My name is Sofia Vergara," Elen said in a thick accent. "I am easy breezy beautiful CoverGirl from Colombia. Happy Halloween. As you can see, I put my pumpkins out."

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"I like being Sofia Vergara, but it's hard being this beautiful," Ellen quipped. "I'm so busy with CoverGirl and Diet Pepsi and Burger King and my clothing line, the award-winning 'Modern Family.' I get so much work with this fake accent. People think it's real but...."

At that point, Sofia walked out, surprising Ellen. "Your ass looks huge...Ellen," she exclaimed.

"What? Sofia. Hi Sofia, I didn't know you were here," Ellen said.

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Sofia, 40, questioned Ellen about her costume's padded rear end. "I mean what is this?" she asked. "You look ridiculous."

"I feel sexy!" said Ellen.

Sofia graciously taught Ellen a few phrases in Spanish before suggesting to her fellow CoverGirl, "Let's go dancing!"

And dance they did. Happy Halloween, y'all!

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Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Khloe Kardashian.

TV reality star Khloe Kardashian is in the running to become a host of "The X Factor," the singing contest's creator Simon Cowell said on Tuesday.

Cowell told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that Kardashian, 28, one of the three adult sisters of the wealthy California socialite family, was one of many people who had auditioned for the role, and had impressed him.

"It could be a Kardashian. I think that would work," he said, adding that "we have to find people who have a great chemistry, but Khloe is definitely up there in running." Cowell spoke on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday.

Khloe Kardashian rose to fame in reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its spin-offs, but is often overshadowed by her more outgoing sister, Kim. She is married to basketball player Lamar Odom and was recently in the news over the couple's efforts to have a baby.

Cowell fired the original host of "The X Factor" -- British TV personality Steve Jones -- in January, along with judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, after a disappointing first season on U.S. television.

Britney Spears and former Disney Channel singer Demi Loavto make their debut as new judges on Wednesday when the show returns with early audition rounds filmed in the summer.

Cowell has said he would like two hosts -- preferably with little experience -- to take the helm when the singing contest starts its live broadcasts in October.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Gary Hill.)

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Peter Mountain / AP file

When Johnny Depp needed some inspiration for playing Willy Wonka, he looked to a former president of the United States: George W. Bush.

"Certain ingredients you can add to these characters -- Willy Wonka, for example, I imagined what George Bush would be like incredibly stoned," he said Monday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "And thus was born my version of Willy Wonka."

DeGeneres and her audience laughed at the mention of Willy Wonka and Bush in the same sentence. "The next time I watch that movie, which I think we're all going to watch it again now, that's what George Bush would look like incredibly stoned."

As for the other iconic characters Depp has played?

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"[Edward] Scissorhands was really like a combination -- really like, a newborn seeing things for the first time and also the dog that I had," the 48-year-old actor said. "This dog that I had had this unconditional love and this sort of purity. Those were the basic ingredients."

DeGeneres praised Depp for "the humor" he adds to the characters he plays.

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"Anywhere that you can find a moment of irreverence or absurdity, I can stick it right in there," he said laughingly. "Sometimes to the dismay of the director and certainly the studio."

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