Has Kathy Griffin Lost Her Groove?

Two extremely acerbic comediennes, Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler, have been burning up the gossip outlets this week with their slams on other women celebrities – Bristol Palin and Angelina Jolie.  While this schitck is not out of character for either of them, it does prove they are both in need of new jokes.

I am a very loyal Kathy Griffin fan.  Her “My Life on the D-List” TV show premiered at just the right time for me to really appreciate that comic relief as a viewer and it helped get me through a very dark time in my life.   I have seen her perform live twice, but I am sorry to report that her last show in Baltimore, a city with a large enough gay population to be referred to as “The San Francisco of the East,” did not sell out as it did the first time I saw her.  The audience was not even two-thirds full on a balmy fall evening.   As someone who seems completely revenue driven, I wonder what Kathy thought about the attendance?

 At the VHI “Divas Live” show the other night, Kathy made fun of Bristol Palin for being the only “star” on “Dancing with the Stars,” to ever gain weight and she was booed by the U.S. troops she was entertaining.  I don’t believe this is because it’s out of line to slam Bristol, someone who is now an adult,  but it was because Kathy didn’t seem to remember her audience.  Many of the fine men and women who enlist in the military are conservative and have a similar political view as the Palins.  But what self-respecting liberal chick wouldn't want to take a shot at "The Pistol?"

It pains me to say that Kathy seems to be getting a bit tired with her material, and needs to reinvent herself.  I wouldn't say it if I didn't care about her as a fan.   Everybody needs to reinvent himself or herself from time to time, even those who seem perfect, like Martha Stewart, whose empire I read is losing money hand over fist now.  Who can afford to take Martha’s homemaking advice these days?  She better come up with a new plan, and soon.  Both Kathy and Martha are too smart to fade into obscurity, so what’s a workaholic girl to do?

If you will recall, Kathy received her greatest fame dishing on celebrities and now that celebrities are aware of her tactics, they won’t speak to her.  So, on to making fun of reality stars, who if Kathy is D-list, I would consider to be F-list.  I don’t want to sit through a pricey concert listening to her dish on the “Real Housewives,” when I can find freaks to dish on myself just by walking out my front door.  I love Maggie Griffin, but there are only so many "Maggie's being appalled," jokes that fly and Maggie, is well, VERY old and she won't be around forever.  I think the funniest work Kathy has done in the past year included what I will call her “fish out of water” routine when she competed on “Toddlers in Tiaras,” and her political shenanigans in Washington, DC, the week she attended the hearings to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.   

As much as I love Kathy just being her goofy self and partaking in weird pop culture events, I think she may have a real future as a political comedian.  She told such funny stories about her encounters with seemingly clueless politicians (like crazy-ass Michele Bachmann) at her DADT rally when we saw her.  Think about it – if Kathy switched from F-list reality TV stars to politicians, she’d NEVER run out of material.  Plus, most of them are very likely so taken with themselves, that they probably wouldn’t even know who she was.  Back in business, baby! There’s no reason she can’t do what Bill Maher does, but do it in a star spangled "starvation" bikini bod.

So, that is my idea and hope for Kathy Griffin to keep her career steamrolling ahead of her critics and to garner even more fans.  If any of her fans that read this agree she could be a political comic dynamo, please share this sentiment with her as well. 

Chelsea Handler – you’re on your own.