I have a problem with becoming suddenly star struck and somehow gettting myself into trouble whenever I meet a celebrity. This was the cases last weekend while seeing Kathy Griffin perform at the Dodge Theatre in Downtown Phoenix.
First, a review of the show starring the Emmy Award-winning comedienne.  Griffin starts her 90-minute performance with a retrospective video montage of her career.  The “My Life on the D list” actress then runs on stage, prances around and announces to the cheering crowd “we have so much to talk about.” Compared to Griffin’s toned-down cable version of her comedy routine, the 49-year-old star sucks you in during her live show with raunchy humor and tales of run-ins with A-list celebrities.  Griffin’s latest stage performance in Phoenix was literally ripped from the headlines as she talked about her New Year’s Eve appearance with Anderson Cooper on CNN and the ensuing fallout with her contract.  Griffin also talked about tea with Cooper’s mother (fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt), dinner with Sharon Stone, and the fallout after Renee Zellweger sent her a floral arrangement with a handwritten note attached that read “warmest wishes.”  Griffin brings the routine down to earth and shows a softer side as she weaves in and out of stories about all the Hollywood hoopla with anecdotes about her equally hilarious mother who is celebrating her golden years.  The stories about Griffin’s life on the D list are hysterical, but it’s the relatable stories about her mother that really show the performer’s heart and soul.  You walk away from the night finding it hard not to love Kathy Griffin.
So how did I get myself into trouble?  I bought my ticket a week before the show – and didn’t know I was going to write a review for Downtown Phoenix until last minute.
My mission for the night:  Get a picture with Kathy Griffin.  When I arrived at the theatre, I talked to one of the house managers about meeting Kathy (before or after the show) and getting a picture with Kathy for this post.  The manager said I needed to secure credentials in advance; doing so now might disrupt the artist and possibly the show and she would not be able to accomodate my request.  No problem.  However, I still needed to give it the old college try.  Long story short, I found which entrance Kathy would use when she arrived at the theatre and snapped the accompanying photo:
Score!  My only regret is that I wasn’t in the picture but no big whoop.  Anyway, Kathy was super nice as I yelled out how much I love her and her show and how I follow her on Facebook and Twitter and then she mentioned something about a racy twitpic.  The rest is a blur.
After getting the shot, I started to walk back toward the front entrance and that’s when I got in trouble. Apparently the house manager, upset that I ended up taking a picture of the headliner afterall, came racing out to the street and shouted that I was basically no longer welcome to cover anything at the theatre again.
C’mon, really?  I mean, it’s not like I tackled Kathy Griffin on her way into the theatre.
The Dodge Theater is a three-block walk from the 1st Avenue/Washington light rail station.  More station information and details on how to share the ride can be found here.
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