TORONTO - Comedian Kathy Griffin has a message for the producers of "The View" as they ponder their choice of replacement for the outspoken Rosie O'Donnell: learn some lessons from O'Donnell herself.
"What Rosie proved is that soccer moms and stay-at-home women really do want to talk about the war and about how disappointed they are in this administration," Griffin says from California, where she's on tour for her standup act.
"As a viewer, I hope that whoever they choose, they don't stop talking about political issues. It was really exciting when Rosie brought up those issues."
Griffin, whose reality show, "My Life on the D-List," is airing in Canada on Thursday nights on the Comedy Network, is herself on the short list of candidates to replace O'Donnell. But that doesn't stop her from speaking honestly about the woman who could one day be her boss.
"Pursuing the Paris Hilton interview was a bad call," Griffin says of Barbara Walters's ultimately unsuccessful efforts to land Hilton's first post-jail interview last month. "It's just another chapter in the dumbing-down of America, and Barbara's someone who's interviewed every head of state and every president.
"I know that the ratings for Larry King were good, but believe me, I guarantee that the next one-on-one sitdown with Paris Hilton will be a bust. We all saw it, it was boring, she's a moron and a liar -- people see through that."
Americans, in fact, want to discuss weightier issues than Hilton's self-made messes-something proven by O'Donnell, whose fiery stint on "The View" significantly boosted ratings.
"The audience would burst into applause when she said: 'Impeach Bush.' It shouldn't obviously become some radical show, but I hope it doesn't become 'and here's how to make a good omelette for your husband.' And if it does, someone else is going to scoop them. Rosie will do it somewhere else."
It's surprisingly clean straight talk from Griffin, 46, best-known for her brand of foul-mouthed humour on everything from celebrity culture to Scientology and politics. Her standup act, for example, features some deliciously dirty barbs aimed at Ann Coulter, the divisive and controversial right-wing pundit in the United States.
But fans of "My Life on the D-List" know that the red-haired Griffin is multi-faceted, and never more so than in Season Three, where she deals with the devastating breakup of her marriage and the death of her beloved father, a man who was a frequent fixture on the show during its first two years on the air.
It was difficult discussing on camera her growing awareness that she'd badly misjudged her husband, Matt Moline, Griffin says. The comedian has alleged that Moline pilfered money from her during their marriage.
"Believe me, I had absolutely no intention of crying and it's sort of embarrassing but what could I do?" Griffin says of her inability to hold back tears. "It all happened when the cameras were there and it's very raw. A marriage breakup sucks. It really sucks."
The death of her father, John, at the age of 90 was another terrible blow, Griffin says, yet a loss that made her grateful to be doing the Emmy-nominated "My Life on the D-List."
"The show really captured who my Dad was. One thing I am proud of is that the show really is real and nothing is fake and nothing is scripted, so it's actually a pleasure for my family and I to have that record of my Dad's last couple of years when he was really sharp and really himself."
Griffin is dealing with the losses by staying busy both doing the show and touring-with a stop in Vancouver on the horizon and hopefully additional Canadian cities.
"I love Canada," she says. "I think Montreal's my favourite because I love French food but it's all gorgeous, it's a great country that has absolutely everything. And you know what I've never done that I've always wanted to do? I've never done that thing where in the winter, you put maple syrup on snow and then eat it. That looks so good; I really want to do that."
She's also not paying much attention to the fact that at any moment, she could get a phone call asking her to become part of "The View."
"I think I have a chance, but to my knowledge they haven't even decided whether they want one person or two at this point," she says.
"But I am glad it's taking time right now because I couldn't get off my tour schedule even if I wanted to. I love touring. I'm playing Madison Square Garden in January and you can't top stuff like that."
