Kathy Griffin at The Mirage Aug.1, & Sept. 7
Special’ K from reality series, ‘My Life on the D List’ posted on July 30, 2013 by Michele LaFong
Kathy Griffin, who first made a name for herself on Bravo’s two-time Emmy Award- winning reality series, “My Life on the D List,” and recently had her own talk show, “Kathy,” on Bravo, has broken the record for having the most comedy specials, male or female, with her latest called “Calm Down Gurrl.”
“I just love Las Vegas,” Griffin proudly admitted. “I love everything about it…slots and all! If you come see me at The Mirage, you will hear different material than you’ve heard before. If you come see me a month later, you’re going to see different material than I did last time! I just can’t keep up with all the crazy celebrities. Amanda Bynes with the blue wig…Lindsay Lohan doing a show with Oprah…I mean, we have a lot to talk about.”
This prompted the question, “How do you remember everything?”
“It’s a very free-flowing form,” she said without skipping a beat.
“It’s been so improvisational for so long, I couldn’t do it any other way. Most comedians write an act and memorize it, and it’s all perfect. My show is very imperfect. I’m in the middle of one story, and I get distracted, and then I start another story, but go back to the first story, and somehow I try to tie it up in a filthy, dirty, offensive row.
“And these stories are real things that have happened to me,” she continued. “I actually saw Kris Jenner on the night of the birth of little baby North West.
“And so I really try to focus my act on things that I personally have witnessed or that have happened to me. So you get something a little bit different than a joke about something…like my very own run-in with Amanda Bynes.”
But how do you have such reckless abandon of the consequences when talking so publicly about everyone?
“I just don’t care! I have a 93-year-old alcoholic mother. She loves her box of wine, and you get a little Franzia in Maggie, and she’ll just say anything,” Griffin said. “So I blame her. It’s all her fault!”
Kathy admits that when suffering humiliation of any kind, it feels like the end of the world at the moment.
“Like yesterday was the first time in seven years where my stand-up special wasn’t nominated for an Emmy and I cried like a baby,” she said. “I mean, you would have thought that I was in the middle of a genuine tragedy, as opposed to a ‘Hollywood Tragedy.’
“And then I just started thinking about how to make it funny. You lick your wounds, and then boom! Your mind starts to think about how do I put this in the act; how do I make it funny, relatable, and enjoy a good tragedy?”
So how does one deal with the Gate-Keepers who won’t let you in?
“I have a ‘kill list!’ It’s very long, and has the names of the people I want to push off my balcony,” Griffin said.
Kathy’s favorite comedians are Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Bill Maher, and Howard Stern.
“All the people who are fearless,” she said. “I love that experience, especially in Vegas where anything goes…and I can go see comedians that just don’t give a (bleep) and will say anything and genuinely feel that way.”
What of the rumors about Kathy and Anderson Cooper doing a show together on CNN?
“I love doing New Year’s Eve with him on CNN…It’s how the straight guys know me,” she said. “Straight guys only know me from being on Seinfeld twice, and New Year’s Eve with Anderson Cooper.
“But I wish CNN would just one time film the commercial break. They are just filled with Anderson sometimes begging me not to say certain things.
“He actually has a Mental Ninja mind-game he does on himself where he just goes to a ‘safe-place,’ and then knows it will be over in a couple of hours and then he’ll have to clean up my mess,” Griffin added.
“It’s a whole system and he’s confided that he gets more nervous with me on New Years than he does when he’s in a war zone…So what do you think that says about me?”
Griffin is appearing at The Mirage on Aug. 2 and Sept. 7 at 10 p.m. Her full interview can be heard Thursday on “Las Vegas Backstage Talk,” with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM in Las Vegas, and The Web.
Visit Michele’s webiste at LasVegasBackStageTalk.com. Contact Michele at MicheleLaFong@GamingToday.com.
Kathy Griffin, Little Anthony-LVBST/w Comedian Michele LaFong
August 1, 2013 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV&Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Kathy Griffin guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM KLAV in Las Vegas, and The Web.
Kathy first made a name for herself on Bravo’s two-time Emmy Award Winning Reality Series, “My Life on the D List,” and recently had her own talk show “Kathy” on Bravo, has broken the record for having the “Most Comedy Specials, Male or Female,” with her latest Special called “Calm down Gurrl,”. She is appearing at The Mirage August 2, & September 7, at 10pm and her pre-recorded interview will air in full on August 1, on Las Vegas Backstage Talk radio show at 6pm PST.
Little Anthony & The Imperials
![little-anthony-and-the-imperials[1]](https://www.lasvegasbackstagetalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/little-anthony-and-the-imperials1.jpg)
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Little Anthony guests on Las Vegas Backstage Talk with Comedian Michele LaFong on 1230AM in Las Vegas and The Web.
Little Anthony and the Imperials were one of the finest vocal groups to emerge from the talent-rich New York scene. Moreover, they enjoyed unusual longevity for an act of that type, having hits in both the doo-wop Fifties and the soul-music Sixties. They outlasted their peers by virtue of “Little Anthony” Gourdine’s powerful, beseeching vocals and the consummate professionalism of the Imperials, who mastered a broad range of material and knew how to work a stage.
“Tears on My Pillow,” their first single as the Imperials, was released on End Records. This classic vocal-group ballad was one of the biggest hits of 1958, reaching #2 on the R&B chart and #4 on the pop chart. Little Anthony and the Imperials were suddenly stars. The story might have ended there, with “Tears On My Pillow” fondly recalled as a vocal-group classic from one of the many one-hit wonders from that era. In fact, some of their followup singles did flop, strong as they were. But the group rebounded with an uptempo number, “Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko Bop,” that capitalized on a dance craze.
Other hits include “Hurt So Bad,” and “Going Out of my Head.”
They received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2008, Little Anthony and the Imperials released You’ll Never Know, an album of new songs and rerecorded oldies to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a group.
Little Anthony & The Imperials will be appearing at The Eastside Cannery on Aug. 3.
TweetBill Maher, Scott Record-LVBST w/Comedian Michele LaFong
Nov.1, 2012 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Audio of interviews posted below (Scroll down)
Comedian Bill Maher, a favorite guest on “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” radio show, with Comedian Michele Lafong which now airs on KLAV, 1230 am in Las Vegas, and The Web, answers questions about his personal experiences on other talk shows, his feelings on Elizabeth Hasselbeck’s treatment of him when he guested on “The View,” and Barbara Walter’s response behind the scenes. He also speaks about the republican party, President Obama, and the upcoming presidential election.
For the last 18 years, Maher has pushed the boundaries of how far political humor and satire can go on American television. First on “Politically Incorrect” (which first aired on Comedy Central before moving to ABC), and for the last seven years on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and scathing humor have garnered him 21 EmmyR nominations. In October 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s swipe at organized religion, “Religulous,” which went on to become the seventh-highest grossing documentary ever.
In addition to his television program-which has featured such regular visitors as Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Arianna Huffington, Alec Baldwin and Michael Moore-Maher has written four bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden” and most recently, “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer.”
Bill Maher will be featured in Comedian Michele LaFong’s Syndicated “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” column, in June’s issue of Casino Player Magazine. He will also be LaFong’s Cover/Feature Interview in “Getting Personal with the Stars” in November’s 2013 edition of CP Magazine.
For more about Bill Maher click here.
For more about “Real Time with Bill Maher” click here.
You can catch Bill live at The Orleans
Orleans Showroom, Nov. 3 & 4 – 8:00pm
Comedian / Impressionist – Scott Record
Scott Record, another favorite on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show, with Comedian Michele LaFong, returns live in-studio with his many impressions, and show biz road stories. He shares the story of some friendly, last minute comedy advice that he gave to his “buddy,” Comic Tom Cotter, that ultimately resulted in placing Tom in the finals, on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, 2012.
Scott is one of the most requested headliners on several of the world’s most elite cruise lines. Corporate appearances make up yet another large percentage of Scott’s current schedule. Many Fortune 500 companies such as KMPG, Lucent, Warner Lambert, IBM, ATT, Chrysler, Ford, Isuzu, Phillip Morris, GE, Sunoco, American Airlines, Sun Microsystems, Pfizer, Kraft Nabisco and Motorola have enjoyed Scott’s performances and continually book him for return engagements. Scott has a great web site, check it out especially his great videos.
For more info about Scott, CLICK HERE!
You can catch Scott live at Harrah’s Las Vegas The Improv Comedy Club, Oct. 30-Nov. 4 Showtime:8:30PM, 10:00PM
You can listen to a recording of our show below!
Bill Maher, Frank Sinatra Jr., Arturo Sandoval-LVBST w/Michele LaFong
Sept. 6, 2012 6pm-7pm PST 1230AM in LV & The Web
Bill Maher returns on Las Vegas Backstage Talk Radio Show with Comedian Michele LaFong on 970 AM KNUU, in Las Vegas, and The Web. He will talk about his personal experiences on other talk shows, like “The View”, and most recent insights into the upcoming presidential election.
For the last 18 years, Maher has pushed the boundaries of how far political humor and satire can go on American television. First on “Politically Incorrect” (which first aired on Comedy Central before moving to ABC), and for the last seven years on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and scathing humor have garnered him 21 EmmyR nominations. In October 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s swipe at organized religion, “Religulous,” which went on to become the seventh-highest grossing documentary ever.
In addition to his television program-which has featured such regular visitors as Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Arianna Huffington, Alec Baldwin and Michael Moore-Maher has written four bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden” and most recently, “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer.”
Maher will be featured in Comedian Michele LaFong’s Syndicated “Las Vegas Backstage Talk” column in June 2013 edition of Casino Player Magazine, as well as LaFong’s Cover/Feature Interview in “Getting Personal with the Stars” in November 2013 edition of CP Magazine.
For more about Bill Maher click here.
For more about “Real Time with Bill Maher” click here.
You can catch Bill live at The Orleans
Orleans Showroom, Sept 8th – 9th 8:00pm
For reservations
Singer – Frank Sinatra Jr.
Born into one of the most talented and loved families in Hollywood history, it is no surprise that Frank Sinatra Jr. was pursuing music by the age of five. By the 1960s, Frank Jr. was performing on his own, living up to the Sinatra name, dazzling audiences wherever he went.
However, his talents did not stop at the doors of the recording studio. From there he went on to appear in movies such as Cool World and Code Name: Zebra, and television shows including the Patty Duke Show, The Sopranos, and the Red Skelton Hour.
By the late 1980’s, Frank Sinatra Jr. was one of the few performers who still toured with a full big-band, preserving his classic style that stood the tests of time. Releasing six albums over the course of his career, his most recent CD, That Face!, was released in 2006.
Now, Frank Jr. is back at it, reviving his father’s hits with a genuine, unmatched Sinatra authenticity and carrying on the family legacy.
Frank Sinatra Jr. at The Club in The Cannery Hotel & Casino Sept. 8th, 8:00pm
Musician – Arturo Sandoval
A protégé of legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval hails from Cuba. He began studying classical trumpet at the age of 12 and has since evolved into one of the world’s most leading jazz artists. In 1973, Sandoval was a founding member of the Grammy® Award-winning group Irakere, whose explosive mixture of jazz, classical, rock and traditional Cuban music caused a musical sensation.
Sandoval has received 12 Grammy® Award nominations and has won six times – including a win for “Best Instrumental Album” for “Time For Love” in 2010. He has also received six Billboard Awards and one Emmy® Award, the latter for his composing work on the underscore of the HBO movie based on his life, “For Love or Country,” that was released in 2000.
Earlier this year, Sandoval released two albums, “Tango – Como Yo Te Siento” and “Dear Diz, Every Day I Think of You,” a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie.
For more about Arturo Sandoval click here.
You can catch Arturo Sandoval at The Orleans
Orleans Showroom, Sept 15th – 16th 8:00pm
For reservations
You can listen to a recording of our show below!
