Very interesting piece on Joan Rivers that views her work's cruelty (come on, you know it's true) through a feminist lens. I responded to it. I don't really have a lot of intellectual respect for any responses that go, Fuck her! She doesn't get Joan! Joan was fierce!-level replies. I do think there is a lot to unpack in Rivers's work, even if Rivers herself didn't enjoy delving into it on that level—CNN, much? But I also think that beyond looking at what humor means, which is fair, once you start acting as if humor is identical to serious debate, you run into trouble, as does the author of this thoughtful it not exactly rah-rah piece on Rivers. But it's a compelling read.
On a related note: Kathy Griffin says she wasn't considered for Craig Ferguson's late-night gig because they told me they weren't considering women, and she recalls Joan Rivers in this clip of her new interview with Larry King...
