Kathy Griffin brings her brash, funny stories to Benedum Center

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Kathy Griffin does her homework. “I’ve already starting to do my research and development on Pittsburgh,” she said, weeks ago. “Every show is different. Even though my tour is called the ‘Kathy Griffin’s Celebrity Run-Ins Tour,’ to support my book, I really want your readers to know that if you paid your hard-earned money for the book, you will [still] see all-new material when you will see me on Sunday, March 26 at the Benedum.

“I’m a big believer in always switching up the material. Dammit, after 23 specials, I am nothing if not prolific.”

Ms. Griffin, who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for writing, producing and performing all those standup comedy specials, will be bringing her timely, sarcastic brand of humor.

“I love to make every city as specific as possible,” said Ms. Griffin, who went on to “confess something that’s really dorky, but in these times of political and emotional unrest, there is a video I go to at night. I’ll admit, I’m like the crazy person who, when they get particularly upsetting news, I will console myself with dog videos.”

In particular, she said, YouTube videos of canines wailing whenever they hear Pittsburgh’s Jackie Evancho sing.

The self-described “foul-mouthed” comedienne said she respects the young singer’s talent, but that has never stopped her from making fun of all “people, places and things” she finds hilarious. For example … “Even though the Delta Foundation is helping me put on this show, and I love and respect them, I kind of chuckled a bit when I saw ‘Penguins Host First LGBT Night.’

“I thought it was a night where the Penguins were going to play a game against a bunch of gay people, or only gay people would be in the audience, like Disney [theme parks] has ‘Gay Days,’ with only gay people and the women who love them. “Hint, hint: me.” “But then I looked it up online and saw it was the Penguins versus the Flames, which I think is deliberate. And then my heterosexual boyfriend — by the way, one of only about five heterosexual guys I know — said, ‘No, it’s just a regular game and they make a regular announcement that it’s LGBT night and they put the gay [rainbow] flag on the Penguins sign.’

“And I’m like, ‘Well, it’s not that fabulous. It’s nice, but I wanted a bunch of gay guys, preferably Johnny Weir, to duke it out on ice.’”