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Last Updated: May 22, 2009 - 10:25:28 AM
Laugh riot
By Daniel A. Kusner - Life+Style Editor
Jul 24, 2008 - 3:57:18 PM
Kathy Griffin’s certainly ubiquitous. But her jokes aren’t getting old
Maybe Kathy Griffin should fear overexposure. Bravo can’t resist re-airing her reality show. Her “gays” couldn’t escape her if they tried: Pride events, queer cruises and even gay-chartered airplane flights. And she never stops touring — in fact, on Saturday, she returns to North Texas.
Since winning her Emmy, Griffin’s thirsty for more awards. That’s why she released “For Your Consideration”— so she can hopefully be nominated for a spoken word Grammy (last year’s winner was a tie: Jimmy Carter, and Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis). While the effort is probably a Bravo-crafted stunt, Griffin’s standup concerts always seem effortless: “Strong Black Woman,” “Allegedly,” “Straight to Hell” …
On “For Your Consideration,” there are 14 tracks, recorded Feb. 17 at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, Calif.
Like Margaret Cho, Griffin gets a lot of mileage talking about her mom, 87-year-old Maggie — the Irish-Catholic who tips her boxed wine to pour out every last drop. On her reality show, Griffin hoards celeb gift bags and is always hunting for freebies. This trait, she inherited from Maggie — whose frugality was shaped by the Depression. Maggie lives for the 99 Cent Store, shops for clothes at Saint Monica’s halfway house and busts her extravagant daughter when she buys $40 shirts at Nordstrom.
Maggie gets angry reading a menu that lists a chicken sandwich $8.95, and she takes out her frustration on the waiter, telling him, “You’ve got a lot of crust! Last time I checked, I could get 18 chicken sandwiches for $8.95.”
Instead of Scientology, this time Griffin takes on another deity — Oprah “and her boyfriend, Gayle.”
Griffin focuses in on Winfrey’s “Favorite Things” episode, which this year went on location to Macon, Ga — where Oprah tried to turn on Macon to the pleasure of having Williams-Sonoma FedEX croissant dough that takes six hours to bake. “And you know Gayle is doing that shit. You know Gayle is a nervous wreck watching that yeast rise.”
Griffin also details the strangeness of the “100 Osmonds” episode, when Southwest Airlines flew in the whole Utah clan. “Let’s call it like it is: You know that some of those Osmonds had never seen a black person before.”
The longest cut is the last, and the best. Griffin talks about a celebrity run-in in Las Vegas — where she and Steven Spielberg pay their backstage respects to Jerry Seinfeld who was performing at Caesar’s Palace.
In 2005, Griffin was fired from red carpet events on E! after making a rehab jokes about 9-year-old Dakota Fanning, who was then starring in Speilberg’s “War of the Worlds.” In rich detail, Griffin explains how she suffered “like a shaky wet dog at the pound” while Seinfeld introduced them. When she shook Speilberg’s hand, “There was a fucking chill. I peed a little bit — not a lot.”
When Speilberg left, Griffin asked why Seinfeld introduced them. “Seinfeld goes, ‘How am I supposed to keep track of all the celebrities who are pissed off at you?’”
In comparison to other comedy albums, “For Your Consideration” is just as good as anything that Margaret Cho would record. But the holy grail of live comedy — Sandra Bernhard’s “Without You, I’m Nothing” — doesn’t have anything to worry about. And Bernhard was never nominated for Grammy …
CATCH KATHY IN NORTH TEXAS
On Saturday, the D-List diva visits North Texas. Kathy Griffin performs at Nokia Theatre, 1001 NextStage Dr., Grand Prairie. July 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $45. NokiaTheatredfw.com.
TUNE IN
On Friday, Griffin hosts “Larry King Live” and she’s taking questions. At CNN.com, you can e-mail her questions. Griffin’s topic will be “Paparazzi Wars;” celebrity obsession and the photographers who fuel the frenzy. Should stars have a zone of privacy? Should paparazzi fight back?
July 21 at 8 p.m.
TYSON ON OAK LAWN AVENUE
Tyson Beckford is a smoking hot and super-cool straight dude. Earlier this year, Dallas Voice interviewed Beckford as the host of “Make Me a Supermodel,” where Beckford proudly defended the reasons why he made a personal appearance at a gay club in Washington, D. C. — a gig that made him the target of fierce homophobic criticism.
On Saturday, Beckford visits Big D to host “Cocktails And Couture,” a glitzy fashion and art show. The venue has changed: Earlier, it was supposed to be at the Women’s Museum in Fair Park. Now it will be held at The Apartment — a venue in the Dallas Design District.
The Apartment, 1444 Oak Lawn Ave. July 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets $30 pre-sale, $40 at door. For more info, visit DFWaction.com
AND MAY THE BEST HAIR WIN —
On Sunday, something called The World’s Largest Hair Art & Fashion Show is taking over the American Airlines Center. From the looks of it, this will be a competition focused on African-American hairdo culture — with a focus on nifty clipper-carving techniques.
There’s a $100,000 prize and one of the hosts is Rhona Bennett (who joined R&B supergroup En Vogue in 2003).
It will be interesting to see if this event is half as exciting as the Web advertising promises — especially in a venue as large as the AA Center.
American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. July 27 at 5 p.m. Tickets start at $30. 800-406-7711. HairArtShow.com
These articles appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 25, 2008.
 |
Maybe Kathy Griffin should fear overexposure. Bravo can’t resist re-airing her reality show. Her “gays” couldn’t escape her if they tried: Pride events, queer cruises and even gay-chartered airplane flights. And she never stops touring — in fact, on Saturday, she returns to North Texas.
Since winning her Emmy, Griffin’s thirsty for more awards. That’s why she released “For Your Consideration”— so she can hopefully be nominated for a spoken word Grammy (last year’s winner was a tie: Jimmy Carter, and Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis). While the effort is probably a Bravo-crafted stunt, Griffin’s standup concerts always seem effortless: “Strong Black Woman,” “Allegedly,” “Straight to Hell” …
On “For Your Consideration,” there are 14 tracks, recorded Feb. 17 at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts in Tracy, Calif.
Like Margaret Cho, Griffin gets a lot of mileage talking about her mom, 87-year-old Maggie — the Irish-Catholic who tips her boxed wine to pour out every last drop. On her reality show, Griffin hoards celeb gift bags and is always hunting for freebies. This trait, she inherited from Maggie — whose frugality was shaped by the Depression. Maggie lives for the 99 Cent Store, shops for clothes at Saint Monica’s halfway house and busts her extravagant daughter when she buys $40 shirts at Nordstrom.
Maggie gets angry reading a menu that lists a chicken sandwich $8.95, and she takes out her frustration on the waiter, telling him, “You’ve got a lot of crust! Last time I checked, I could get 18 chicken sandwiches for $8.95.”
Instead of Scientology, this time Griffin takes on another deity — Oprah “and her boyfriend, Gayle.”
Griffin focuses in on Winfrey’s “Favorite Things” episode, which this year went on location to Macon, Ga — where Oprah tried to turn on Macon to the pleasure of having Williams-Sonoma FedEX croissant dough that takes six hours to bake. “And you know Gayle is doing that shit. You know Gayle is a nervous wreck watching that yeast rise.”
 |
| Kathy Griffin "For Your Consideration" Music With a Twist |
The longest cut is the last, and the best. Griffin talks about a celebrity run-in in Las Vegas — where she and Steven Spielberg pay their backstage respects to Jerry Seinfeld who was performing at Caesar’s Palace.
In 2005, Griffin was fired from red carpet events on E! after making a rehab jokes about 9-year-old Dakota Fanning, who was then starring in Speilberg’s “War of the Worlds.” In rich detail, Griffin explains how she suffered “like a shaky wet dog at the pound” while Seinfeld introduced them. When she shook Speilberg’s hand, “There was a fucking chill. I peed a little bit — not a lot.”
When Speilberg left, Griffin asked why Seinfeld introduced them. “Seinfeld goes, ‘How am I supposed to keep track of all the celebrities who are pissed off at you?’”
In comparison to other comedy albums, “For Your Consideration” is just as good as anything that Margaret Cho would record. But the holy grail of live comedy — Sandra Bernhard’s “Without You, I’m Nothing” — doesn’t have anything to worry about. And Bernhard was never nominated for Grammy …
CATCH KATHY IN NORTH TEXAS
On Saturday, the D-List diva visits North Texas. Kathy Griffin performs at Nokia Theatre, 1001 NextStage Dr., Grand Prairie. July 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $45. NokiaTheatredfw.com.
TUNE IN
 |
On Friday, Griffin hosts “Larry King Live” and she’s taking questions. At CNN.com, you can e-mail her questions. Griffin’s topic will be “Paparazzi Wars;” celebrity obsession and the photographers who fuel the frenzy. Should stars have a zone of privacy? Should paparazzi fight back?
July 21 at 8 p.m.
TYSON ON OAK LAWN AVENUE
 |
On Saturday, Beckford visits Big D to host “Cocktails And Couture,” a glitzy fashion and art show. The venue has changed: Earlier, it was supposed to be at the Women’s Museum in Fair Park. Now it will be held at The Apartment — a venue in the Dallas Design District.
The Apartment, 1444 Oak Lawn Ave. July 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets $30 pre-sale, $40 at door. For more info, visit DFWaction.com
AND MAY THE BEST HAIR WIN —
 |
There’s a $100,000 prize and one of the hosts is Rhona Bennett (who joined R&B supergroup En Vogue in 2003).
It will be interesting to see if this event is half as exciting as the Web advertising promises — especially in a venue as large as the AA Center.
American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave. July 27 at 5 p.m. Tickets start at $30. 800-406-7711. HairArtShow.com
These articles appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition July 25, 2008.
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