From Paula to Palin
CASINO RAMA: Comedian Kathy Griffin advises not to bring holy books to her stand-up show on Saturday
Posted By NATHAN TAYLOR, THE PACKET AND TIMES
Posted 5 months ago
Not many so-called D-list celebrities garner as much attention as Kathy Griffin.
Then again, not many have tried as hard.
From showing up at theTeen Choice Awardshand in hand with Levi Johnston (father of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's grandson) or telling Jesus to "suck it" during an Emmy acceptance speech, Griffin knows how to attract the spotlight -- even if she has to lug it around herself.
The two-time Emmy-winning actress, comedian, reality-TV star and author, known for deriding celebrities in her stand-up act and for her desperate antics on the showMy Life on the D-List,will be at Casino Rama on Saturday.
"Do not bring children. Do not bring your Bible," she warned. "It's an adults-only night of swearing and negativity."
No surprise there.
During an interview with The Packet & Times this week from her "palatial mansion" in Los Angeles, Calif., Griffin hinted at some of the celebrities who might become targets of her stand-up routine this weekend, including Paula Abdul, who recently announced she would not return as a judge on American Idol.
"I'm in mourning because of the Paula Abdul crisis. I know you guys haveCanadian Idol, but let's cut the s---. It's all about Paula Abdul and I'm not taking this well at all," Griffin said. "So, I'm going to have to come out of my self-imposed grieving period just to even do the show there."
On stage, Griffin is not an opportunist. She's selective when deciding who to go after.
"I love people that either think they're above the fray or that I have decided are above the fray. So, that would be your Oprahs, your Ryan Seacrests," she said.
"I run into them, and it's awful. It's a nightmare," she said. "Every so often, a celebrity will have a good sense of humour about it, but usually I find that they don't. In other words, the people I talk about in my act, I'm talking about them because of their lack of sense of humour."
Grammy award-winning singer Gloria Estefan recently asked Griffin why she hadn't been included in the comedian's act.
"'You've never gone to rehab. You've never shot anybody. It's not as much fun,'" Griffin answered.
Besides, she when I have Miley Cyrus dancing on a pole, that s---writes itself. I'm not going to waste my time on a celebrity that has a good sense of humour about themselves when I've got the entire Cyrus family to worry about."
The Hannah Montana star's pole dance did, in fact, happen at this year'sTeen Choice Awards,and Griffin was there to see it.
"I was there with my new boyfriend, Levi Johnston. I went on a date with him," she said of the man nearly 20 years her junior. "I'm going to talk about it -- every gory detail -- at the Casino Rama show."
Politicians are also ammunition for a comedian, Griffin said, describing Palin as "the gift that keeps on giving."
"Just when I think she will have learned her lesson or she could shut her mouth, or she wouldn't open her mouth without doing a little bit of research, she proves me wrong," she said. "Sarah Palin: perfect, perfect target for me. Oh my God. Zero sense of humour."
Griffin's show at Casino Rama comes only a couple of weeks before her memoir, entitled Official Book Club Selection,hits the shelves. She will also have a holiday CD, calledSuckin' it for the Holidays -- "a touching way to celebrate Kwanzaa," she said.
The show starts at 9 p. m. Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.caor in person at the Casino Rama box office.
