FEMALE COMEDIANS

[Guest rippedgymrat]

Just curious to see who some of the favorites are. I was lucky enough last year to see KATHY GRIFFIN (red head from Suddenly Susan) at a show to benefit the Gay Mens Health Center in West Hollywood. She was only supposed to play for 3 nights.....but added almost a weeks worth of shows because of the demand. She was so funny, and she also showed up at the reception after the show to mingle with the audience. I chatted with her for about 5 minutes, and she was every bit as cool as I would have hoped. Im also going to see MARGARET CHO in December...cant wait. I saw JUDY TENUTA back in the spring.....she was so great with the gay guys in the audience. She made a straight guy put on a nighty and spank a gay guy from the front row. Any info on where these ladys will be playing? Any others that you guys love?

[Rick Munroe]

Maggie Cho, Kathy Griffin, Sandy Bernhard and Janine Garafolo rule the planet! Wendy Liebman is really funny, too. I just ordered Margaret's I'm the One That I Want on DVD and we're seeing her in The Notorious C.H.O. next Sunday.

[+ deej]

As someone who grew up watching "I Love Lucy" and the Carol Burnett show, I've always had a soft spot for comediennes.

 

Vintage Joan Rivers can still get me howling, and she really did blaze a trail for women in standup comedy. Rosie O'Donnel has a knack for standup but she got lost in a social conscience and other issues along the way.

 

Paula Poundstone can be a scream but I fear the recent unpleasantness may hinder her career.

 

Judy Tenuta had the crowd HOWLING when she showed up at a gay porn awards show here a couple of years ago.

 

But if you REALLY want to see a diva work a gay crowd, Bette takes the crown. There is only one Divine Miss M. I know she's not a comedienne, but she could be. Easily.

[Guest JON1265]

I agree with you gys on JUDY TENUTA..I saw her a few years back at Philly'sd Gay festival and she was HILARIOUS.

 

I have always enjoyed JUDY GOLD....love her.

 

Ditto on SANDRA BERNHARD but view her as much more than a stand up comedienne - she's just one helluva show.

 

And I saw this woman once at the Comedy Cellar (a great place) in NYC - she is now on SABRINA: THE TEENAGE WITCH - she had me in stitches, but I am drawing a blank on her name...some help guys??

[Guest Zach DC]

Sandra Bernhard transcends all others. Simply brilliant. A goddess.

[Guest biga]

You are thinking of Caroline Rhea who plays Hilda on Sabrina and who is taking over from Rosie O Donnell when she quits the show.

[Guest stry]

Margaret Cho----Lilly Tomlin---ANY of The Golden Girls----Lucille Ball

[+ deej]

OMG! Lily Tomlin! How could I forget!

 

My favorite line from her one-man (ahem!) show was:

 

"Reality is just a collective hunch."

[Guest biga]

I think my fave has to be Roseanne i remember first seeing her on a Rodney Dangerfield special playing a very close version of the Roseanne "character"that became famous in the sitcom,special mentions also to Sandra Bernhardt,Rita Rudner and Joan Rivers -the Liz Taylor standing by the microwave still makes me laugh today

[Guest WetDream]

I nominate Janet Reno, Laura Bush and Martha Stewart.

[Guest LG320126]

>As someone who grew up watching

>"I Love Lucy" and the

>Carol Burnett show, I've always

>had a soft spot for

>comediennes.

>

>Vintage Joan Rivers can still get

>me howling, and she really

>did blaze a trail for

>women in standup comedy. Rosie

>O'Donnel has a knack for

>standup but she got lost

>in a social conscience and

>other issues along the way.

>

>

>Paula Poundstone can be a scream

>but I fear the recent

>unpleasantness may hinder her career.

>

>

>Judy Tenuta had the crowd HOWLING

>when she showed up at

>a gay porn awards show

>here a couple of years

>ago.

>

>But if you REALLY want to

>see a diva work a

>gay crowd, Bette takes the

>crown. There is only one

>Divine Miss M. I know

>she's not a comedienne, but

>she could be. Easily.

 

DEEJ, IF YOU LIKED LUCILLE BALL AND CAROL BURNETT, DID YOU EVER SEE TOTI FIELDS ON SOME OF THE OLD VARIETY SHOWS? SHE WAS A SCREAM!

[Guest alanm]

It's hard to beat Lucy. She was, and is, simply in a class by herself.

[+ deej]

>DEEJ, IF YOU LIKED LUCILLE BALL

>AND CAROL BURNETT, DID YOU

>EVER SEE TOTI FIELDS ON

>SOME OF THE OLD VARIETY

>SHOWS? SHE WAS A

>SCREAM!

 

YES I DID, BUT COULD YOU TURN OFF THE CAPSLOCK? IT'S LIKE SHOUTING! We can hear you just fine.

 

Toti Fields was phenomenal. (And Imogene Coca, from the same era.)

[+ deej]

>It's hard to beat Lucy.

>She was, and is, simply

>in a class by herself.

 

Yes, she was and is. And in more ways than one.

 

The network didn't want to do "I Love Lucy". They didn't think the whole concept of Lucy and her Cuban bandleader husband would work. But coming off of an INCREDIBLY successful radio show, she muscled them into doing it.

 

They changed TV history in several ways. They pioneered the 3-camera shoot. They had a baby almost on the air, while Lucy kept up the very physical comedy she was so good at the whole time. The show still runs every day, in various countries (and languages) all around the world. And later in life, the lady ended up owning the studio that didn't want to give her a shot in the first place.

 

Quite a remarkable woman.

 

I know every word from every show, but I still stop and watch when I bump into it when channel surfing and hear "Ethel, I got an idea". :-)

[Guest WetDream]

How about Joan Davis from "I Married Joan"?

[+ deej]

Doesn't ring a bell.

[Guest JON1265]

Funny (no pun intended), Lucy never did it for me. And thanks for filling in the blank on Caroline Rhea....she did this bit about blowing a guy that had me on the floor...

 

I forgot about Elaine Boosler...whatever happened to her? She was a scream.

[Bilbo]

Since we're going into history as well as current, Zasu Pitts, Marilyn Lorne, Spring Byington, Gracie Allen, and the first great Dame... Her name escpaes me at the moment but she was a wonderful frigate of a woman and was marvelous as Miss Marple.

[Guest Zach DC]

>I nominate Janet Reno,

 

I saw Janet Reno live. Maybe it was an off night. His performance wasn't that funny.

[Guest george]

"But if you REALLY want to

see a diva work a

gay crowd, Bette takes the

crown. There is only one

Divine Miss M. I know

she's not a comedienne, but

she could be. Easily."

 

Deej:

 

I couldn't agree with you more: BETTE MIDLER is the funniest woman working today. She's witty, articulate, intelligent, topical and just plain funny! However, you are wrong when you say she is not a comedienne, she released a stand up comedy album in the 1980's called "Mud Will Be Flung Tonight", which she recorded live at the LA Improv. Plus she always tells jokes and makes comedy a central focus of any live performance she does.

 

I also love Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Lucy, Whoopi, and many others, but the Divine Miss M is at the top of the list.

[Guest WetDream]

RE: Miss Marple

 

That was Margaret Rutherford, Bilbo, but I'm not sure she was a D.B.E. By the way, her adopted son moved to Charleston, SC, in the 60s and caused a great flap by having a sex change operation and marrying a black guy -- her former butler. Don't know why I remember this kind of trash, but I do.

[Guest biga]

RE: Miss Marple

 

The late but very great Margaret Rutherford was indeed a Dame of the British Empire

[Guest bluboy]

Tracey Ullman. Wandy Sykes. Wendy Lieberman. Old- non-serious singing- Sandra Berdhard (loved "w/o you I am nothing" but fell asleep at her last show zzzzz) and there is a big fat black woman on comedy central who I have never caught her name but she rocks. blu

[Justice]

Good question! I'm sure that there's a few others, but the ones that immediately come to mind are: Caroline Rhea, Joy Behar, Lily Tomlin, Bette Midler, Carol Burnett, Lucy, Gracie Allen, Rita Rudner, Elaine Boosler, Imagene Coca, and Paula Poundstone.

[Guest biga]

Could the black woman comedian be Mo'nique Imes from the UPN show "The Parkers"she was also part of the Queens of Comedy tour.Andy