vh1 divas

"Let's talk about 'Dancing With the Stars'!" comedienne Kathy Griffin yelled to the crowd. Oh, can we? What shall we discuss? How Carrie Ann Inaba is of mixed Japanese, Chinese and Irish ancestry? Do we want to talk about Derek Hough's record third win on the show? Should we gab about Florence Henderson's 'Brady Bunch'-themed tango? Or are we ... going to end up talking about Bristol Palin again?

"We got two words," Griffin continued. "BRISTOL ... PALIN." Ah. We see. Kathy was performing in front of a huge crowd of soldiers for 'VH1 Divas: Salute the Troops.' (Sun., 9PM ET on VH1). But as soon as she mentioned the dreaded words "Bristol Palin," the boos started rolling in from the troops. Wait. What are we booing again? Bristol? Kathy's sailor outfit? ... Kathy's comedy routine?

It turned out that the troops were jeering Ms. Griffin's routine. "You're gonna like this," she continued gamely. "[Bristol is] the only contestant in the history of the show to actually gain weight. ... She gained like 30 pounds a week. I swear to God, it was fantastic -- she's like the white 'Precious.'"

Have you wondered why American Idol's recently debenched judge Paula Abdul has yet to land somewhere? You know, as a TV personality, it seemed like after her tweet that she was not returning to the show, she was hit with an avalanche of offers... and then nothing. No dancing show. No talk show. Just rumors. Okay, there was the VH1 Divas thing and a guest appearance on Drop Dead Diva, but nothing substantial.

Now, Ms. Abdul herself has hinted that there's yet a new possibility for her. She again used Twitter which is cheaper than a publicist. Paula sort of attached herself to The X Factor. The British musical competition show is coming to America next year if Simon Cowell can work out the deal. Paula may be part of that package. Paula tweeted: "Hey guys, I'm having a great time in London. Going to watch x factor rehearsals now. So excited! Almost the weekend!!!! Xoxo"

I'll admit I have no way of knowing what Paula Abdul's thinking at any given time. Even people who listen to her talk generally have no idea what she's thinking. You have to figure that after negotiating to join So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars and Ugly Betty, Adbul hosting the latest VH1 Divas special on Thursday, September 17 is a bit of a let-down.

It's a great nab for VH1; people will be curious to see her first post-Idol gig. You can even argue that the choice makes sense, considering the concert will feature two former American Idol winners: Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks. Joining them are Adele, Leona Lewis and Miley Cyrus. It doesn't take nearly as much to be a diva these days.

It'll be fun watching Abdul try to steer an entire show rather than just a single coherent sentence of criticism. Who knows, maybe she'll find out that she's great at this and she can take over VH1 the way Ryan Seacrest took over E!. As long as they don't do a Who's That Girl? series with male skanks like Corey Clark trying to date her.