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Friday, April 24, 1998 | 10:38 a.m.

People in the News for April 24, 1998 Out and over

"Ellen" came out of the closet only to be shown the door. The ABC sitcom that brought the issue of homosexuality to televisions across the country will not return for a sixth season, ABC confirmed. The program drew the most attention a year ago when lead character Ellen Morgan announced her sexual orientation -- as did Ellen DeGeneres, the comedian who plays her. She became the first lead gay character in a TV series. Ratings have been disappointing since then. DeGeneres and the network lately have squabbled over the show's content, including whether a kiss between her and another woman could be aired. More than 36 million people watched the April 30, 1997, episode when Ellen revealed she was gay, making it one of the most viewed moments in television history. The series brought criticism from groups such as the 15 million-member Southern Baptist Convention. It urged members to boycott the Walt Disney Co., which produces the show and owns ABC. Joan Garry, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said the cancellation was no surprise but still a letdown. "We're all disappointed ABC made a decision based on ratings," she said. "The show may have been canceled, but I think she gave a gift to gay and straight Americans and that's a legacy that the cancellation cannot take from her." DeGeneres could not be reached for comment late Thursday. The show's one-hour finale is scheduled for May 13 and will take viewers through a satirical retrospective of her career. Guest stars will include Jennifer Aniston, Glenn Close and Phil Donahue.

Posthumous Riches

It was out of character for the late Rich Mullins to covet recognition, though he had always wanted one of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards. The 41-year-old songwriter who died in a September car crash was named the Artist of the Year on Thursday night. "He wanted one of these very very badly," his brother David said as he accepted the trophy. Mullins, who wrote such church standards as "Awesome God" and "Sing Your Praise to the Lord," had left Nashville several years ago to teach music to children on Indian reservations in the Southwest.

Pop queen popped

Madonna's pride and joy apparently gave her a hook and jab. The pop star showed up at a movie premiere party with a bruised left eye she got last week while playing with daughter Lourdes. It seems Material Mom was bouncing the 18-month-old tyke on her lap when the child's head smacked into the bone under her eye. "She was playing peekaboo with her baby," publicist Liz Rosenberg said. "I'm almost embarrassed to tell you about it because it sounds so cute. But that's what happened." In a black off-the-shoulder top and tight pants, the battered Madonna was still the belle of the ball, schmoozing with former boyfriend Warren Beatty at Wednesday night's party for the new Robert Downey Jr. film, "Two Girls and a Guy." "The National Enquirer will probably try to make this out to be a fight in a restaurant," Rosenberg said.

Compiled by SUN staff