The Malcontent's Life on the Z-List

Last night kicked off Kathy Griffin's new series, a one-woman rant on Bravo known as "My Life on the D-List."  The Malcontent lives in a Manhattan, yet we were at home on the couch watching her.  That tells you what list that puts us on.

"D-List" is a reality show with a strong whiff of Valerie Cherish, wherein a marginal celebrity is followed by cameras as she attempts to be somebody in the savage crucible of Hollywood.  Except that in this case, Griffin is well aware that the joke is on her, as opposed to Lisa Kudrow's oblivious Cherish.

I don't even mind that Griffin could work as a voice double for Lady Elaine Fairchilde, I have found renewed love for this woman.  (The Malcontent Googled for a better picture of Lady Elaine but found only an image of a man ejaculating across the poor puppet's face.  We have spared you that indignity.)

In fact, we didn't realize why we loved her so much, given her sub-C-List status.  Then we realized that it is because gays are instinctively drawn to her, which is illustrated in this clip from last night of Griffin performing at a drag benefit:

[Download clip -- WMV format, 9.15mb]

The show explains the attraction of "her gays" (as Griffin calls them) by pointing out that she says things that everyone else wants to say but doesn't: things such as speculating at length on the sexuality of celebs such as Ryan Seacrest or Clay Aiken (of whom she does a spot-on impression in her stand-up routine).

The first show addressed other topics such as Griffin's search for a free sectional sofa, her lovable but kooky parents, and her overweight husband's subterfuge in order to get gastric bypass surgery.

Toward the end of the episode, one especially painful but funny clip showed Kathy bombing before a crowd of upper-crust oldsters at another charity event.  She tries to make a purse out of the sow's ear by joking about Gary Coleman, but her punchline about how she "fucked him" only turned the crowd against her more.

The premiere is the first of six episodes.  While we endured the slower pacing of some of the standard "reality" scenes in order to get to her far-superior stand-up comedy, "D-List" is still a diamond in the rough that proves Kathy Griffin has seriously underestimated her place in the Hollywood pecking order.

[Watch the entire show -- WMV format, 12mb, low quality]

What Others Are Saying:

Daniel Brown's TV Blog says: "She's going to be huge mostly because us gays love her and we are always on the leading edge."

Naked Boy says: "It was the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. She is so good."

Potusol says: "I guess I have a new show to watch on Wednesdays."

A Little Pollyanna asks: "Which is better? Being Kathy Griffin with a bad reality show? And confused with other stars? Or being Vicki Lewis, forced to promote Swiffer as her next career move?"

Fresh 'N' Tasty says: "She's got a mouth like a sailor, tits I'd turn straight for and the comedic timing that's just priceless."

Suck My Blog found Kathy's iTunes playlist and savaged it roundly.

Meanwhile, the Louisville Courier-Journal does a great run-down of Kathy's one hour of stand-up comedy that preceded her reality show's premiere.

Comments

[Toby]

Please please please please please please I beg of you, STOP WRITING 'WE.'

[The Malcontent]

What, you think it can't possibly take more than one guy to waste this much time?

[Roy]

Huh? I don't get the "we" thing! So.....you love Kathy too? I watched for a bit last night, and I was in stitches! She is hilarious!!!