Over the past decade or so, our country’s obsession with celebrity has risen to an insane level. With the advent of the Internet and reality TV, it’s become too easy for the average schmuck to grab his 15 minutes, a phenomenon that makes Andy Warhol look like Nostradamus. But there’s a positive side to this instant celebrity culture — it gives us a whole lot to make fun of.

Many contemporary comedians have managed to carve out some successful careers by almost exclusively lampooning pop culture; Kathy Griffin, Joel McHale and Chelsea Handler are just a few that have used their sharp satirical minds to turn celebrity trash into comedy treasure. But when Handler took the stage on Friday night in Shea’s Performing Arts Center, she did more than just get her barbs in on the rich and famous. Sure, Angelina, J-Lo, Celine and Tiger got theirs, but this self-described “annoying loudmouth hooker” spent most of her time discussing things she can’t stand about everyday life. By the time the dust was cleared, Russians, redheads, children, little people, cats, selfish brides, men in sweatpants, romantic comedies, pretentious new mothers and male genitalia had all gotten theirs.

After taking awhile to really find her groove with a mainstream audience, moving from the prankster comedy of “Girls Behaving Badly” to an unsuccessful talk show before finding a hit in 2007 as the host of “Chelsea Lately,” Handler is riding a significant wave of success. On top of the show, she’s a two-time bestselling author, with a third book — “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” — due out in March. Any time she paused to take a drink during her set on Friday, several members of the sold-out crowd shrieked their love for her, with a fervency that was borderline obnoxious. The comic took the worship in stride, ignoring it mostly, occasionally tossing out a snarky line like, “Hmm, you sound sober.”

Even if her style isn’t your cup of tea — practically every word of her act was bold, intensely critical and resoundingly un-PC— you’ve got to appreciate Handler’s sensibilities.

On this night, Handler was at her funniest when talking about kids. Whether it was about how much she hates how they act on planes, how their parents need to understand how annoying they are, or how they can’t learn fast enough, her rants were pitch perfect and delightfully inappropriate, and probably quite cathartic for any woman who’s not planning on being a mom.

Not all of the material was spot-on, but there was a genuineness to it all that made you want to forgive her for the unfunny parts. Chelsea Handler might try a little too hard to get a rise out of you, but she does it in such an honest, no-nonsense way, you’ll end up cheering for an encore along with the masses.

Comedy Review

Chelsea Handler

Friday evening in Shea’s Performing Arts Center.