You ready for some Miller?

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 | 7:38 a.m.

When: 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday

Where: MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre

Tickets: $79

Information: 891-1111

Vitriolic comedian Dennis Miller hits the stage with both lips blazing Thursday for a five-day slam-fest at the MGM Grand.

His hot topic this go-round?

"Immigration," he said during a telephone interview from his Southern California home.

"I have nothing against anybody wanting to come to America, as long as they sign the guest book on the way in," he said.

The 52-year-old Miller is the Libertarian-leaning political observer and stand-up comic who gets liberal blood boiling with some of his comments.

Trying to get him to criticize the conservative powerhouse in Washington is futile.

Indicted Republican Congressman Tom DeLay?

"I assume all these guys are greased - Ted Kennedy, DeLay," Miller said. "It's not like one particular side or the other.

"I might be in the minority, but I don't care if they get perks. It doesn't bother me - it probably goes all the way back to Thomas Jefferson."

He doesn't seem too concerned about a recent published report that President Bush is contemplating military action in Iran that could include nuclear weapons.

Miller even finds a certain brilliance in Bush.

"If anybody thinks Iran is not going to be a problem in the future, they are dreaming," Miller said. "I think Bush established a presence (in the Middle East) because he knew all of this was inevitable."

He says Iran is bringing the threat upon itself.

"To my way of thinking, this guy (Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) is talking about scraping Israel off the map - and Israel is our ally," Miller said. "Are we going to start running from these people?

"He (Ahmadinejad) says he doesn't believe in the Holocaust."

Miller is not in favor of war, but neither is he for running in the face of a fight.

"War is horrible, but the worst thing is to lay down for punks," he said. "I wish there was a country called al-Qaidaland, but there isn't so we went after Saddam Hussein."

Miller said Osama bin Laden and his forces should now be terrified of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I know they are afraid of Cheney," Miller said. "Hey, Cheney shot his best friend in the head just because he got between him and a bird."

Much of Miller's humor comes from the headlines. He studied journalism at Point Park College in his native Pittsburgh, but soon found himself immersed in comedy.

In 1980 he landed a writing job for PM Magazine in Pittsburgh, which led to hosting a local teen-oriented show, "Punchline."

He rose to national prominence as the "Weekend Update" anchor on "Saturday Night Live" from 1985 to 1991. He also gained national exposure when he joined Al Michaels and Dan Fouts as co-host of "Monday Night Football" on ABC. He was with the show from 2000 to 2002.

Miller has other TV work on his resume - "Dennis Miller Live" on HBO ran from 1994-2002. He had a short-lived talk show on CNBC.

And he has been in films.

But he has never done a sitcom.

That may soon change. He recently taped a pilot with Bonnie Hunt. Hunt plays a police detective who is recently divorced and Miller is her therapist.

"The premise is sort of a post-'Barney Miller' series with 'CSI' people," Miller said. "I would play the role of a psychiatrist.

"If it's picked up I get to charge a salary, plus $175 an hour."