Bad back puts
DeGeneres in bed—on the set

The talk show must go on. Ellen DeGeneres, who injured her back over the weekend, is hosting her syndicated talk show from a hospital bed on the set.

''No, I'm not being lazy,'' DeGeneres, 49, told her TV audience on Tuesday. ''I'm forced to bed rest right now.... And let me just start by saying, I'm on pills.''

DeGeneres--wearing a pajama-like top and a blanket over her legs--said she ''tore a ligament and did something to something else'' on Sunday when leaning over to pick up her dog in her kitchen and as a result, isn't able to ''sit, to move, or to do anything.''

''This is not a sweeps stunt.... This is not like what Regis [Philbin] did--that whole bypass surgery,'' she joked.

All guests sat upright in separate adjustable beds on Tuesday's show.

The first guest was Ryan Seacrest, who was wheeled out onstage. ''This is a first for me to be in bed with you,'' the American Idol host told DeGeneres, who said she'd like to find him a girlfriend.

Also making an appearance was DeGeneres's doctor, Fred Lerner, who said he expected she would stay in bed for about a week. "I'm hoping in a few weeks we can see you dance here," he said. (AP)