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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

Allegedly

Kathy Griffin

Bravo · 2004 · 86 min

An unapologetic gossip session targeting early-2000s celebrity egos.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Kathy Griffin knows she is not on the A-list, and she has built an entire stand-up act around why she belongs exactly where she is. On stage, she is less of a traditional joke-teller and more of a professional gossip, using the word “allegedly” as a legal shield while she targets the egos of Gwyneth Paltrow, Renée Zellweger, and Barbara Walters. Her approach is a mix of backstage journalism and high-society sabotage, treating the glamorous elite of the early 2000s with the absolute lack of reverence they deserve.

Recorded at the Variety Arts Theatre in Los Angeles in late 2004, the special catches Griffin at a pivotal career transition. Her sitcom Suddenly Susan was a few years in the past, her reality series My Life on the D-List was still a year away, and she was releasing this set directly to DVD to bypass network television censorship. She delivers long, winding stories about pitching a sitcom to Kelsey Grammer, surviving a tense guest appearance on The View, and observing the chaotic behavior of Brooke Shields’ mother at Shields’ wedding. The set also includes an extended look at her USO tour to the Persian Gulf, where she finds comedy in military bureaucracy and desert heat.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Brooke Shields' wedding

    Dishing insider stories about Shields' mother and her wild antics at the wedding.

  2. The View

    Recounting a tense and catty exchange with Barbara Walters during an appearance on daytime TV.

  3. Going to the Persian Gulf / Kuwait USO tour

    Sharing experiences and culture shock while performing for troops overseas.

  4. Gwyneth Paltrow naming her daughter Apple

    Expressing mock outrage and joking that Child Services needs to step in.

  5. VH1 Vogue Fashion Awards

    Awkward and bizarre red carpet run-ins with major film stars such as Renee Zellweger.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, biting, gossipy, and outrageous.
On stage
Loudmouth, direct, and uninhibited 'D-List Diva' exploding with energy while eviscerating A-list Hollywood figures.
Pace
Loud, fast, and furious high-momentum storytelling; includes a moment where she briefly loses her place and is prompted from offstage by her husband.
About
A-list celebrity encounters and gossip, Red carpet reporting, USO tour in the Persian Gulf and Kuwait, Brooke Shields' wedding, Daytime television and talk shows

What the critics said

Praised as direct, fast-paced, and hilarious celebrity skewering, though some reviewers felt the post-9/11 Middle East material showed its age and noted minor pacing hiccups.

In the room: Energetic and engaged, giving birth to Griffin's signature 'gay gasp' running reaction.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, letterboxd.com, moviefone.com, episodedata.com, dvdreview.com, sfgate.com, nytimes.com, allmovie.com, pro.imdb.com.

Backstory

Post-9/11 cultural atmosphere and Griffin's USO trip to entertain military troops in Kuwait and the Persian Gulf.

Details

Released
Taped
Variety Arts Theatre, Los Angeles
Runtime
86 min
Where
Bravo
Director
Keith Truesdell
Topics
Before
Hot Cup of Talk (1998)
After
Is Not Nicole Kidman (2005)

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