What2Watch: Kathy Griffin Does It For The Boys

Another season of D-list striving comes to an end.
Kathy Griffin stars in Bravo's 'Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-list'
Bravo
Charlie Toft

Kathy Griffin has spent the latest season of her reality show dealing with the sorts of things we all go through at some point (the loss of one parent and the aging of another), as well as problems that are unique to her, such as: how do I seek publicity for myself, admit that's what I'm doing, and still stay lovable? I'm not entirely sure how she does it, since I would find her sensibility irritating in most other people. But Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List is one of the better slice-of-life reality shows out there. I think it's those moments of self-deprecation where she puts aside the celebrity snark and lets us see the real person that gives the series its greatest appeal.

Tonight's season finale (Bravo, 10 PM) finds Kathy in a place where she's not likely to run into any of "my gays," or if they are there they won't tell: the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she puts on a show for wounded soldiers. She questions whether the younger men will get her sense of humor, even though she has performed for the troops before. My guess is Griffin will do the show for as long as Bravo will have her; this is one Hollywood type who will never turn up her nose at reality TV.

Olympics Highlights: What will we do once swimming ends? Michael Phelps is responsible for half of all American gold medals. Tonight (NBC, 8 PM), he goes for his sixth win in the 200M individual medley, and backstroker Aaron Peirsol is likely to make some noise as well. In gymnastics, it's the women's individual all-around, with Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson considered major contenders. Overnight (USA, 2 AM), Team USA meets the major powers in Olympic baseball, Cuba.

Big Brother 10 (CBS, 8 PM): Either Keesha or (more likely) Libra will be leaving tonight, meaning the rest of the house will have to locate a new scapegoat. Has anyone ever taken this game as seriously as Jerry does? Bringing up Judas in regard to someone lying in the Big Brother house is just a wee bit over the top.

Hollywood Green with Maria Menounos (Planet Green, 9 PM): Tommy Lee has his own show on the channel, so Pamela Anderson turns up tonight to discuss her own green ideas. Also, the cast of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 talks about why they love the planet, and some celebrity baby planners (what??) talk about the concept of green diapers, and since that's a joke that tells itself I won't say any more.

Burn Notice (USA, 10 PM): Someone appears to be embezzling from a charity fund set up by a hip-hop artist, and Michael's plan to get the guy to expose himself involves getting him to steal even more money than he originally intended.

Flashpoint (CBS, 10 PM): A girl gang harasses a teenager to the point where she shoots one of its members. The girl takes refuge in a mall, and the team has to try to protect her from the gang and keep her from committing suicide. Girl gangs are vicious, man.

Miami Ink (TLC, 10 PM): Yoji brings his wife and daughter to Japan so he can introduce his mother to her granddaughter; a doctor asks Darren for a morale boost for a young patient. What could be more inspirational than a tattoo? Besides pretty much everything.

Out of Left Field: the Making of the Chinese Olympic Baseball Team (PBS, 10 PM): Former big league manager Jim Lefebvre and ex-Red Sox pitcher Bruce Hurst battle the language barrier and a simple lack of talent in order to make sure the home team has a suitable entry for Beijing. China lost its first game to Canada 10-0, so they may need to return to the drawing board.

Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (Showtime, 10 PM): Penn and Teller come out tonight against world peace. Sure, you could look at them and tell they have never been in a beauty contest, but this cinches it. To be fair, they are less against peace than against the dangerous idea that a perfect society is possible. Humans have to admit that they love conflict.

Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew (MTV, 10 PM): The SoReal Cru and the Super Cr3w are the two survivors. What is it about being a dance crew that causes people to become unable to spell correctly? There's nothing "cool" about illiteracy, young people!

Reality Bites Back (Comedy Central, 10:30 PM): "So You Think You Can Dive" pits the final five in an Olympic-themed event, and Greg Louganis is among the celebrity judges. Think of it as an antidote to Olympic over-seriousness.


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