THEATRE + COMEDY

Verizon Wireless Theater presents Kathy Griffin, for two performances Saturday, August 7.

Emmy award winning Chicago native, Kathy Griffin, a multi-faceted performer with a rapid fire wit, is probably best known for her four-year stint on the NBC sitcom "Suddenly Susan" as Vickie Groener, Brooke Shields' acerbic colleague. After moving west and joining the famed Los Angeles Groundlings comedy improvisational troupe, Kathy began building her resume with guest starring roles on such series as "ER" and "Seinfeld" where she created recurring character Sally Weaver.

After her various TV guest spots, Kathy began gaining notice as a stand-up comedienne and landed her own "HBO Half Hour Comedy Special". In 1998, HBO gave Kathy her own One-Hour Special, "A Hot Cup of Talk". Kathy has supplied voices for characters on the animated series "Dilbert" and "The Simpsons", and she appeared in a dual role on the "X-Files" as well as in Eminem's video, "The Real Slim Shady", which was co-directed by Dr.Dre. Kathy has co-hosted The Billboard Music Awards three years in a row; and appeared on numerous talk shows including "Late Night with David Letterman", "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Howard Stern" and "The View", as well as having been featured in the films "It's Pat" and "Four Rooms" among others.

Kathy has a great passion for reality TV. She participated in, and won "Celebrity Mole" on ABC, and then hosted the NBC reality series "Average Joe" as well as the MTV series, "Kathy's So-Called Reality". Kathy has yearly performed a set of four very successful stand-up specials for Bravo. The first in 2005 called "Kathy Griffin...Is Not Nicole Kidman", the second in May of 2006 called "Strong Black Woman". Kathy's third DVD stand-up special "Allegedly" is in stores now.

Her newest entry "Everybody Can Suck It "will be aired in the summer of 2007. In August 2005 Kathy's reality show, "Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List ", debuted on Bravo to rave reviews. It has run for three seasons, the latest of which was broadcast during the summer of 2007 by Bravo. Emmy Wins The first three seasons of "My Life On The D-List" were each nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program. Seasons three and four won that prize back-to-back in September of 2007 and 2008.