Kathy Griffin returns to TPAC for July 21 show

Don't tell the evangelical theater folks in Pigeon Forge, but Kathy Griffin's headed back to Tennessee and, this time, who knows whom she'll be telling to "suck it"?

Just a simple girl with a simple dream: the outspoken and outrageous comedy legend (surely, that will get me the exclusive and private interview I covet) brings her unique brand of comedy back to Nashville this summer for the first time since her last sold-out performance at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Griffin, whose life is decidedly on the A-list these days - what with her seemingly daily appearances on America's favorite TV shows like Glee, Law and Order: SVU, CNN's New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper and her own Bravo reality series - returns to Nashville on Thursday, July 21, for one performance only at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall.

The two-time Emmy Award-winner, New York Times best-selling author, and Grammy nominee, who just took Broadway by storm with her critically acclaimed Kathy Griffin Wants A Tony, is a multi-faceted performer with outrageous candor and rapid-fire wit - but still she can't get a man - and has been making audiences laugh for years with her unique perspective on such pop culture icons and sacred cows (no offense, Oprah!) as Ryan Seacrest, Lindsay Lohan, Bill O'Reilly, Kate Gosselin, the entire Palin family (especially that no-talent Bristol) and so many more.

It was over a decade ago when Griffin starred in her first HBO special, played Brooke Shields' sharp-tongued colleague on Suddenly Susan, and last summer wrapped up the final season of her acclaimed Bravo reality show, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. She continues to star in comedy specials for Bravo and it was just announced this week that she will headline a comedy special for TV Guide Network, focusing on the upcoming royal wedding.

The bawdy redhead recently won rave reviews for her Broadway show, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony (her Playbill bio alone was worth the price of a ticket - well, maybe we exaggerate) featuring two hours of hilarious Hollywood gossip and stand-up commentary on blunders of the rich and famous. Dishing on all pop culture and shining a light on inappropriate water cooler talk, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony featured all new material about her hilarious observations and run-ins with celebrities.

In addition to her little comedy routine, Griffin is a tireless advocate on behalf of American veterans (she's made several trips to various Middle Eastern hotspots, entertaining American service people) and is an outspoken supporter of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender equality,

Tickets range from $39-$69, and may be purchased online at www.tpac.org, at the TPAC Box Office downtown or at the new TPAC Box Office in The Mall at Green Hills, or by calling (615) 782-4040.