Happy 40th Birthday, Margaret Cho!

From Blake & Margaret

Early 1993. It's 11:00pm on a school night. VHS tapes are flying!

I've turned on The Arsenio Hall Show, as I always do, to see who the guests will be. Tonight, the name "Margaret Choooooooo" rings out. (Arsenio was extending his vowels LONG before Oprah started doing it!)

I think I've seen her before. This chick is damn funny! The clock is ticking. I have to find a video tape I can record over before Margaret walks out. There's no YouTube or Hulu.com yet. If I don't record this appearance, I may never see it again!

With mere seconds to spare, the sacrificial tape is found. I hit RECORD on the VCR and sit back to enjoy the performance.

"How do you like my disco jumpsuit?" Margaret asks in a valley girl accent. Her curled hair bounces as she throws her arm up in a 70s dance pose. I laugh violently for five straight (well...) minutes.

Omigod! I want her to be my friend! At 18, I haven't related to a performer like this before. Sure, Dolly Parton and the Mandrell Sisters fascinated me as a child. And yes, Madonna provided the soundtrack to my teenage years. But never before have I felt this connection. If she went to my school, Margaret Cho and I would be eating lunch together with the other less-popular kids.

That night changed my life. Margaret talked about the music she loved. She told stories about her gay friend. She was fun! "She gets me," I thought.

I just had to see this gal in person! My dad braved "Hollyweird" to take me to a taping of All-American Girl. (It turned out to be the last episode.) I made my own CHO shirts before they sold such a thing. And of course I was there when Margaret came to Fresno, giving her a Charlie's Angels lunchbox!

From Blake & Margaret

My best friend/pseudo-sister Racheal and I trekked to the Irvine Improv time and again to see Margaret's stand-up. We chatted her up in the back of the club, getting autographs and taking pictures with her. We even paid to see the early AND late shows!

From Blake & Margaret

If you ever doubt the impact a comic can have on someone's life, look no further than Margaret Cho. She's never too busy to sign an autograph or pose for a photo. She's always there with kind words and a friendly smile. She's a tireless crusader for equal rights--not only for the gay community, but for anyone who is marginalized. She's there laughing with us through the good times and crying with us through the bad.

Here's Margaret laughing with us in Prop 8: The Musical, rockin' the hot pink tank top in all her tatted glory!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

I love you, Margaret. Happy, Happy Birthday! Thank you, and keep on rockin'!

Last Week of The Cho Show!

I can't believe The Cho Show is winding up already. There are only two new episodes left, and they both air this Thursday night!

I remember when I first heard about All-American Girl in 1994. I was so excited that Margaret would have her own sitcom! Before the internet and things like YouTube were so accessible, it was thrilling that my gal was going to have a weekly gig in homes across America via network TV. As it turned out, AAG was a sanitized, Disney-ized version of the irreverent comic performer. The Cho Show is much truer to who Margaret is. She's at her best with her fun-loving, no-holds-barred comedy. Here's an extended version of her stand-up from episode one:

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But just as the show is establishing itself and getting into a groove, the first season is ending. At just seven episodes, it was simply not enough! Hopefully VH1 will give Margaret, Selene and the Glam Squad another season. Check out this hilarious extended scene where the gang discusses how Mr. & Mrs. Cho believe that Selene Luna is born of Margaret:

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"Quit Cruising, Bitches!"

Last night, comic Margaret Cho and friends rocked it out at West Hollywood's Here Lounge. The party marked the premiere of VH1's new reality sitcom The Cho Show. Looking flawless, Margaret worked the arrival line, mingled with guests, and introduced the show. She commanded the crowd, "Quit cruising, bitches!" as the screening began. I cozied up with Margaret, the cast, and friends Bruce Daniels and Ian Harvie as we watched the shenanigans unfold.

With ABC's All-American Girl, La Cho had the first Asian-American family featured on TV. In 1995, I attended the taping of the last episode of that sitcom and met Margaret for the first time. Two years earlier, I had been captivated by her standup comedy on the Arsenio Hall Show. No one had made me laugh like her, and I knew I'd never be able to get enough!

Margaret returns to TV with the second Asian-American family on The Cho Show. "I'm number one and number two!" she announces triumphantly. The show features assistant Selene Luna and Cho's Glam Squad: John Stapleton, Charlie Altuna and John Blaine. But the greatest treat is the appearance of Margaret's parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cho have been staples of their daughter's routines, and her hilarious impressions of them can make even the strongest bladder incontinent!

This season captures such adventures as g-spot shots, tattoo sessions, and the proclamation of Margaret Cho Day in San Francisco. You'll see famous faces such as Joan Rivers, Wanda Sykes, MadTV's Bobby Lee, Gary Busey, Dave Navarro, Project Runway's Jeffrey Sebelia and more.

Comparisons to Bravo's fabulous D-Lister are inevitable. But onstage touting her own show, Margaret declared, "I want you to stop comparing me to Kathy Griffin and start comparing me to Nelson Mandela!" Tune in to VH1 this and every Thursday at 11pm (or 8pm if you have DirecTV in California like me) to see what all the buzz is about!