Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and AOL announced today the launch of a cross-platform program, "Wish You Were Here." Visitors to ellen.aol.com can share photos, videos and stories about the entertaining people, places and events that make their hometowns special. The submissions will be featured on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (check your local listings) and the website.


Over the course of the ten-week program, fans will have the opportunity to showcase their hometown pride by visiting Ellen's AOL site and uploading their own stories, photos and videos, each detailing why Ellen should come visit the town. Ellen will showcase some of these submissions on her show, culminating with a special visit from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to a selected hometown.


"Everybody's always asking me to come to their hometown. I really appreciate it. I haven't been able to do it in the past because I've been learning how to play the pan flute and that takes a lot of practice, practice, practice. But this year I'm gonna visit somebody's hometown," said Ellen DeGeneres. "We're partnering up with AOL and we're calling it, 'Wish You Were Here.' You just have to go to ellen.aol.com and tell me what's great about where you live."


"We are thrilled to team up with 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' to create this unique interactive online program," said Bill Wilson, EVP of Programming at AOL. "By creating a place where Ellen's fans can easily share their stories, pictures and videos about their hometowns, 'Wish You Were Here' gives people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with Ellen and with each other."