On Thursday, the California State Supreme Court ruled gay marriage legal. On Friday, during a taping of her popular talk show, Ellen Degeneres announced that she would marry her long-time girlfriend, actress Portia de Rossi. But is this a good move for Degeneres, career-wise? Marketing experts Laura Ries and Peter Shankman debated the merits. Ries thought it was a bad idea: "This is great for gay marriage, but this is terrible for a talk show. Talk show hosts are best when we know little about them, when they put the light on the guest, not on themselves and not on their own issues." Shankman disagreed: "She built her entire show... on the fact that she came out. This is all about an audience that understands her and wants to know more and more and more." Hill pointed out that a gay wedding might alienate some of Ellen's broad fan base: "Does that sort of put it too much, perhaps, in the face? Because certainly, she's got a wide range of people watching her right now. They probably don't sit there and think about her sexual orientation every time they turn on her show."
News Link: Ellen set to marry lesbian lover
