Ellen DeGeneres' Netflix Farewell Comedy is Well...a Final F.U. Adieu

"For Your Approval" airing on Netflix is Ellen DeGeneres' stand up comedy special where she shares what's been happening in your life, since she's been out of the limelight. "...Oh yeah, I was fired from entertainment," she says with an impish grin after reading from her pocket . For three decades since the 1990s, Ellen's presence in the media was ubiquitous. She starred in TV sitcoms and her own talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for which she earned 33 Daytime Emmys. Ellen landed on the cover of TIME mag., received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, hosted the Emmys and Grammy Awards and made TV history by coming out as a lesbian on TV. The opening reel of "Ellen Degeneres: For Your Approval," is a montage of memorable moments and honors she's received in what attests to a remarkable career. Ellen swaggered through the back halls of the Orpheum Theater in SF as her past flashes alongside. She's wearing dark blue slacks and sweater accentuating her cerulean blue-eyes looking much the same with her pixie haircut and ubiquitous sneakers. "If I look older, it's because I am," she quipped. Much of her jocular banter was met with canned laughter which was off-putting. Heartfelt, belly grabbing guffaws came later. Perhaps the blue garb was a deliberate choice to symbolize sincerity, loyalty and trust. Ellen tackled the topic of her ignoble exit from show business amidst allegations of a toxic work environment. Comics build a rhythm, circle back and drive their point home with humor. Ellen's humor is observational and family friendly. Ellen claimed this to be her coup de grace to any future interest in show business. "Let's see what have I been up to? I bought a lot of chickens. I love chickens, I'm not going to run on like people tend to do about their chickens, but let me tell you more about mine." Ellen's persona was likable and dead-pan. This served well for her self-reflections on her managerial style. Ellen's candid assessment revealed her to be a reluctant boss with a lot of responsibilities and people reporting to her. "We had fun around the office. I would drop fake snakes from the ceiling and chase staff through the halls and around the desks. Hmm...I can hear now where that sounds like I tortured the people who worked for me." Ellen's forlorn impressions revealed her vulnerability. "All I ever wanted to do was make people laugh and feel good. And if I made them laugh then maybe they would like me. All I can say is, thank god for the money." Ellen's "last" foray into entertainment may or may not prove factual. However, Ellen may have had the last laugh by taunting us with her talents we'll be missing.  She ended by saying "I've stopped caring what others think of me." Ellen brought her actress wife, Portia, on stage to an uproarious   ovation showing us she's happy and fulfilled outside the limelight. "Goodnight to all of you and goodnight Mrs. Calabash...wherever you are." (J Durante)