Kathy Griffin: Take No Prisoners

Today was a day. When I finally got home, all I wanted to do was find one half hour of television that would give me the mental, spiritual, and physical strength to jam in a couple hours of work before hitting the rack. And there it was--in a full glorious hour: the new Kathy Griffin Special on Bravo.

I have loved Kathy Griffin ever since My Life on the D-List premiered on Bravo a couple seasons ago. Before that, I'd seen her on Suddenly Susan (with Brooke Shields...a mediocre show at best) and thought, "Huh...why does Vicky Lewis look different?" (Vicky Lewis, by-the-by, was the tart-tongued redhead on News Radio with Dave Foley...another mediocre but longer running show that was also Phil Hartman's last--bless his heart). Anyway, watching Kathy in her own life is much more entertaining than anything she could ever offer on a sitcom. Her stand-up--even better. Here's why:

She's been the entertainment industry's whistle blower that I've waited most of my adult life for; the irony of her career built solely on her "outing" of the true idiots in the industry who the "dumb hordes" (of which I'm usually one, so no pretension here) blindly give an immense amount of cultural power (and economic power too) just makes me giddy with joy. Her fame has nothing but tripled with the recognition that she's willing to talk the "truth" about Hollywood. And she's not a shrinking violet--she's taken on Oprah (Yeeessss!), Barbara Walters, Starr Jones, Martha Stewart, Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul with no fear--NO FEAR-- of repercussion. And I can't get enough.

She's the voice crying in the wilderness--the prophet here to tell us what it all looks like "inside." She's truly the organic intellectual that I think Antonio Gramsci was waiting for. She's risen from the masses, gained power through the establishment but has never forsaken her roots (she was raised in Oak Park, Illinois) as one of the "regular people," and now she's using her platform to systematically poke holes in the hegemonic forces of mass media (and entertainment) fame. She stands on that stage, massive red hair extensions swinging, and openly makes fun of Paris Hilton...and Ryan Seacrest...and Dr. Phil...and anybody else who obviously deserves as ass-kicking because they're virtually flaunting all the reasons that legitimately talented individuals who actually have something redemptive to give to the world will beat their heads against a conveniently located wall until the end of time at the injustice of the system. Kathy is the balm to soothe that resultant aching migraine of reality (alright, alright...so the tickets to her show were in the hundreds of dollars when we (Meghan, JP, and I) thought about trying to buy some...but as she says--"Mrs. Kathy's gotta go make the money"). Her unabashed "F-you" to every self-important celebrity gives me joy on so many levels it's almost hard to explain.

And thanks to the magic of Bravo, she's available to watch almost every hour, if you don't mind re-runs...and I don't. I'm coming Kathy...