During last night’s CNN coverage of New Year’s, co-host Kathy Griffin decided to strip down to her bra much to the chagrin of Anderson Cooper, who then had to subsequently field a call from political correspondent David Gergen. Awkwardness ensued.

Tomorrow marks the fifth anniversary of the first New Year’s Eve in which Anderson Cooper courageously accepted co-hosting CNN’s last broadcast of the year with unpredictable comedienne Kathy Griffin, and she has yet to disappoint in the ways she inspires, as Cooper put it, “dread” in her co-host. Tonight she appeared on Anderson Cooper 360º to discuss tomorrow’s ceremonies, and promised various stages of undress– and possibly a drive-by disturbance of Paul Begala.

Kathy Griffin was one of the more unpredictable guests to swing by Piers Morgan Tonight when she did so last August. Despite the obvious risks, Piers Morgan invited her back, however, and received something of a grab-bag of thoughts from the comedienne that ranged from how sexy Henry Kissinger‘s voice is to what her plans are to further embarrass Anderson Cooper this New Year’s Eve.

Kathy Griffin was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday night, and she dished on some of her adventures with Anderson Cooper, her co-host for CNN’s New Year’s Eve celebration, revealing that she walks around Cooper’s house in the Hamptons naked most of the time, and saying she wants to hog-tie Ryan Seacrest and put him in a can of peanut brittle at some point thie New Year’s Eve.

Last night on Conan, Kathy Griffin described a chance encounter she had with Michele Bachmann in an elevator. At the end of her story, she looked at the crowd and said, “President Bachmann, come on, think about it, people,” reveling in the assumed horror of the idea. If the audience is anything like us though, they’re too distracted considering the absolute misery that would be being stuck in an elevator with both Griffin and Bachmann.

Forget four years, that’d be hell in four seconds.

Most cable news guests asked about the massive selloff on Wall Street Thursday did not climb on top of the host’s desk, crawl over to them and kiss them. But one did. On CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, guest Kathy Griffin (who vowed at the start of her live interview to get Piers Morgan “fired” and “thrown off television,” resulting in Morgan’s aside that “you’d probably be very popular if you did that”) argued that President Obama‘s problems were largely created by George Bush. And then she, you know, jumped up on Morgan’s glass desk and made things very awkward and extremely interesting.

The ongoing feud between comedian Kathy Griffin and Sarah Palin continues with Griffin portraying a character on last night’s Fox hit show Glee that looked remarkably similar to Palin and sounded like a mix of past Tea Party candidates. Wearing a red dress and glasses, and being labeled a “Twitterer,” the intention to mock Palin was clear. Now it will be interesting to see whether Palin has another comment on the work of Griffin, who she previously dubbed a “has-been comedienne.”

Kathy Griffin is really keeping to her New Year’s resolution to “take down” 16-year-old Willow Palin– or at least to annoy her mom. Griffin visited Lawrence O’Donnell tonight to respond to Sarah Palin calling her a “has-been comedian” and a “bully,” among other things. Griffin, of course, is thrilled– the Palin feud caused her show to sell out so fast she had to schedule an extra two nights of performing.

During an appearance on Fox News this weekend Sarah Palin was asked about comedian Kathy Griffin and her frequent jokes/attacks on not just Palin, but her daughter’s as well. The former Alaskan Governor called Griffin a “50 year-old adult bully”before requesting that Griffin “leave (her) kids alone.” Well Griffin visited Howard Stern this morning, and made clear that she has no intention of leaving Willow Palin out of her “cross-hairs.”

Sarah Palin was asked this weekend to respond to reports that comedian Kathy Griffin had been booked to play a “Sarah Palin Tea Party type” on the hit show Glee. Palin did not demur, calling Griffin (who has viciously mocked the former Alaskan Governor in the past ) a “50 year-old adult bully” and a “has been.” Ooooh…it’s on!

Regular readers of Mediaite know that we are pretty big fans of the media criticism and satirical news stylings of Jon Stewart and The Daily Show. But yesterday’s praise does not mean that Stewart is beyond reproach, and we’ll call out a stinker when we see it. Take for example on last night’s show in which the “fake” newsman feebly tried to find humor in yesterday’s reported attack on CNN’s Anderson Cooper by pro-Mubarak protesters. Really?

Anderson Cooper is, perhaps, the bravest man on television. He’s traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan in the midst of war, turned the world’s eyes to Haiti after it was rocked by a massive earthquake, and ventured to a New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. All that to prepare for this: interviewing not just his New Year’s Eve co-host Kathy Griffin, but also comedians Joy Behar, Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers – who had a little gossip to share concerning none other than Oprah.

The last 60 minutes of 2010 ended in a draw–of sorts–with Fox News winning New Year’s Eve with the most viewers, but CNN winning in the key demographic of viewers 25-54.

On CNN, the heavily promoted New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin easily beat Fox’s All American New Year’s among viewers 25-54 (715,000 viewers for CNN, to 454,000 for Fox).

The New Year is here, and with it, the annual exercise in futility that is the New Year’s Resolution. As you stare into the abyss of another 365 days in which to improve yourself, it might help you to know that the figures who make Mediaite go ’round have some things to work on, too. Here’s what we think some of them are saying into the mirror this morning.

So, before you try to shake off that Cold Duck and Four Loko hangover and blearily search for a gym membership you can get out of when you get tired of it after 3 sessions, why not check out our list  of New Year’s Resolutions for Everyone Else?

Comedian Kathy Griffin appeared on The Late Late Show to tell host Craig Ferguson that there’s a very good reason why she makes jokes about the Palin family — including calling Dancing with the Stars “star” Bristol Palin “the white Precious” for having evidently gained weight throughout the show’s season. Griffin is merely, she explained, trying to capture the attention of The View and Bill O’Reilly.

Kathy Griffin is back co-hosting CNN‘s New Year’s Eve special with Anderson Cooper, and if her recent appearance on Howard Stern‘s radio show is any indication, CNN might have a lot to fear. For the past two years, Stern accurately describes the “holiday tradition” of Griffin appearing on the CNN telecast, blurting out an inappropriate expletive, CNN apologizing and subsequently banning Griffin from the network, only to then bring Griffin back the next year.

Despite rumors comedian Kathy Griffin might be banned by CNN from repeating her New Year’s Eve co-hosting gig with Anderson Cooper, the network confirmed today the often hilarious pair will be in Times Square on December 31.

“The most trusted name in news just got a whole lot more trusting,” said Griffin, who in previous years has dropped f-bombs live on the air. “I’m thrilled they’re letting me co-host…again.

When Kathy Griffin joked that Bristol Palin looked like “the white Precious” after her supposed weight gain, her audience—a group of servicemen and women at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California—booed in response. Curiously, though, the group responded much more positively when Griffin made a crack about “deformities”—even though soldiers injured in battle must have been watching the show, VH1 Divas Salute the Troops, both during its taping and as it was simulcast around the globe.

Comedian and self-proclaimed “D-lister” Kathy Griffin hosted VH1 Divas Salute the Troops which was taped for an audience of servicemen at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California, and aired last night. The ribald and unconventional comedian set the tone for the night when she joked about Bristol Palin and her supposed weight gain while competing with Dancing With The Stars. But the joke fell flat, as the military men and woman in attendance lustily booed the host for taking a shot at Sarah Palin‘s daughter.

Never one to shy away from publicity and attention, Ann Coulter headlined gay conservative fundraiser, Homocon, this weekend and everyone is reacting as planned in Coulter’s perfectly choreographed appearance. Progressives and gays and lesbians are appalled, conservatives are titillated, and GOProud has gotten tons of ink.

Apparently Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston are more interesting on the printed page than they are in reality. Reality TV that is. The New York Post is reporting that the newly reunited “young adults” were paid $100,000 for last week’s bombshell US Weekly cover story, though the magazine is denying the amount is accurate.

Sen. Scott Brown isn’t the only Massachusetts politician speaking out against comedian Kathy Griffin for calling his daughters “prostitutes” on her Bravo show.

Now longtime Democratic Congressman Rep. Barney Frank is defending Brown and calling out Griffin for her “terrible comment.”

Republican Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown has somehow, through no effort of his own, found himself in a feud with the cable network Bravo and comedienne Kathy Griffin. The Republican Senator’s office released a statement today censuring Griffin for a joke she made in which she called his daughters, Ayla and Arianna, “prostitutes.”

As my colleague Steve Krakauer pointed out earlier today, Larry King and his 9 pm hour on CNN have been the subject of speculation lately, amid that network’s ratings woes and staffing shakeups. But aside from all that, what he should be getting attention for right now is his great fundraising initiatives, not the least [...]

If only actual dating were this easy. During Kathy Griffin‘s vivacious appearance on The View yesterday, she admitted, somewhat reluctantly, that her mother was a huge Fox News fan, and especially Bill O’Reilly‘s. She even calls him “my boyfriend”! Which is why Kathy Griffin’s mom is the greatest Patriot of June 16, 2010.