Ellen DeGeneres will be back as host of this year’s Emmy Awards, CBS and Emmy organizers announced Friday.

“You know me,” the comedian said in a statement, “any excuse to put on a dress.”

The 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 18 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

The Big Four networks ? ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC ? rotate the broadcast, with this year’s ceremony scheduled to air live on CBS.

DeGeneres previously hosted the Emmys in November 2001, a ceremony twice-delayed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Her performance was widely praised for its grace and wit, marking her comeback following the end of her ABC sitcom ?Ellen? in 1998.

Since then, she has had a well-received stand-up tour and a voice role in the hit animated film ?Finding Nemo.?

Her syndicated talk show ?The Ellen DeGeneres Show? won for best talk show and host at this year?s Daytime Emmys and returns for its third season on Sept. 6. A live episode on Sept. 19 is tapped to include behind-the-scenes footage from her Emmy job.

DeGeneres was also one of 11 co-hosts at the 2003 Emmys.

Dick Askin, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, had high praise for DeGeneres.

“Ellen has demonstrated her extraordinary ability to connect with the television viewing audience. … We are delighted to have her back,” said Askin, according to AP.

Industry executives hope DeGeneres? popularity and the recent success of broadcast network programs, including ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost,” will spark interest in this year?s Emmys and reverse a slide in ratings.

Emmy presenters announced this week include Halle Berry, Jon Cryer, Mariska Hargitay, Charlie Sheen, Jon Stewart and Kiefer Sutherland.






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