D-lister Kathy Griffin bringing comedy to Salt Lake City

PASADENA, Calif. — Most TV stars think they're way too cool to wear name tags.

Not Kathy Griffin.

At an NBC Universal star party back in August, Griffin bucked the trend. The events are designed so that TV critics will interview the various celebrities who are there to promote their projects. Although, as is always the case, even the most minor celebrities won't wear a name tag so we know who they are.

Griffin, on the other hand, is accompanied by a publicist carrying a large sign emblazoned with her name and the name of her show, "My Life on the D-list."

"I'm the most fun here," she said. "Where is (David) Hasselhoff? Is he sober? What's going on?"

And that pretty much sums up her act. First, she's built a hugely successful career around the premise that she's not an A-list celebrity — although her Bravo series, "My Life on the D-list," is doing very well in the ratings.

"Yeah, you'd think that maybe Bravo would want to do some promotion or maybe do an ad," she said, biting the hand that feeds her.

Second, Griffin makes fun of other celebrities. A lot.

And, third, she's not afraid to be shocking. As a matter of fact, she revels in it.

Before she hosted the Creative Arts Emmys — or the Schmemmys, as she likes to call them — back in September, Griffin said, "It's my goal to actually be so offensive that I close them down. That this is the last year they even have the Creative Arts Emmys."

She didn't, of course, but she has been known to stir things up. Like when she won an Emmy in 1997 and made fun of other award winners who think that a higher power was somehow involved in their win. In her acceptance speech. And yet they asked her to host the Schmemmys.

"You should know that I am actually a darling of the Academy, and here's why," Griffin said. "Because I really care about winning those Emmys more than anyone."

Griffin is bringing her outrageous stand-up act to town on Saturday when she'll appear at Abravanel Hall.

"I'm coming for my first time. Please come see me," she said.

Just don't expect her to edit herself just because she's in a conservative community.

"Oh, I don't hold back in a market like Salt Lake," Griffin said. "I might go further because I know that people who come to see me in a market like Salt Lake, they need to blow off some steam. They need to talk about some stuff.

"When I play Alabama, look out. I'm worse there than anywhere. I'm worse than anyone you'll ever see. Kathy Griffin."