When Rita Rudner calls, you answer. Even when the call is unscheduled.

Imagine letting that call go to voicemail! At least you know it would be funny, in that signature gracious and soft-spoken way of hers.

The call didn't go to voicemail, and the conversation — she on the phone from her home in Las Vegas — was of course funny. In that signature gracious and soft-spoken way of hers.

Sure, she caught us by surprise. But what a nice surprise. And by "nice" we mean nice, as in kind, as in she's really just a nice person whose head hasn't been much affected by 25 years of fame.

Rudner is scheduled to perform her standup comedy act tonight at Pipeline CafŽ. She also has a full-time in gig in Vegas, where she just signed for another three years of Vegas work, and has recently released her fifth book, "I Still Have It I Just Don't Know Where I Put It."

And like she always has, she makes jokes at her own expense ("I'm bringing my bathing suit and one of those sarong hip wraps so I don't have to show anyone what's really going on"), which is why we like her so much.

Q. Let's talk about life in Vegas. You've been doing your act there for how long now?

A. We came originally for two weeks, and we stayed for eight years.

Q. How is life there?

A. I absolutely love it. It was kind of the right thing at the right time. I had been traveling since I was 25 and I'm now 111, so I wanted to get off the road. But I never thought that Vegas would be a natural fit because I'm kind of an understated comedian who keeps her clothes on.

Q. Yeah, you DO seem a little too classy for Vegas.

A. But apparently I'm not! All I know is that I go out and I tell jokes and everybody laughs and that makes me happy.

Q. From what do you draw inspiration?

A. Everyday life — my marriage, my child, my life, the grocery store, my parents. I'm very glad that I don't rely on political humor now because the funny president is out of office. What are these late-night guys going to do now that there's someone competent and well-spoken in the White House?

Q. There's Joe Biden.

A. That's true — they always have Joe Biden. They can do some hair-plug jokes. It's the first time we've ever had a hair-plug vice president.

Q. What made you switch careers from being a Broadway dancer to being a comedian?

A. I don't know. And I forgot to ask when I was in therapy. It seemed like it was a good idea at the time, and it was. I just thought the question of why people laugh was so interesting, which led to me asking what would make people laugh at me. To this day, I still want to know. It's a never-ending search to find what's funny.

Q. Do you think it's important to be able to laugh at oneself?

A. I think it's so important. People always ask me how I go out every day and make people laugh, and I have to say that even when I have a bad day, I go out and I tell jokes and I feel much better. And I always rely on the lighter side of life. I'm never going to mention the things that are truly upsetting. You won't hear me talk about Afghanistan in my act. You might hear "burqa" because I'm thinking of getting a burqa bathing suit — that way you'll only see my eyes.

Q. You've heard of chick lit and chick flicks. Could your comedy be categorized as chick comedy?

A. You know, I think I'm an equal opportunity comedian, because I make fun of myself as much as I make fun of my husband. So I get mostly couples. I also get a lot of families because I think I'm one of the only comedians around that doesn't swear on stage. I only swear when I stub my toe.

Q. Even though everyone knows who you are and is, at least to some extent, familiar with your work, you have your comedic fingers in much more than most people even know, like co-writing the Oscars. And you had a daytime advice show on television, and you write screenplays ... and, and, and ... You're a very busy woman.

A. Oh yes! We keep getting into new little projects. My husband and I just wrote our first play last year, which was produced here in Las Vegas, and we're thinking of writing another one this year. We're always trying something new — we don't want to get stale. I'm also always writing new material and trying to expand the way I can be funny on stage.

Q. Which brings me to this: Do you ever get tired of your own material? You perform almost every night. Does it ever get old?

A. Never! It's an honor to do any show! And I do always try to write new material. But I have to say that even when I do my old material, it's always fresh to me because I'm always telling it to a new audience. It's like dancing with a partner. If you're doing the same dance with a different partner, it's got a different rhythm. Every audience has a different rhythm. Sometimes I'll tell a joke one way for a really long time, and then I'll tell it a different way depending on the audience, and it turns out funnier. It's so exciting! And anytime I think of a new joke, I still get a rush.

Q. Are jokes just always coming to you?

A. No! I'm always trying. Sometimes I'll think of a word that might make a good punch line, and then I have to come up with the joke. Or I'll think of the set-up and have to create a punch line. It always comes in different ways.

Q. So it's very much a cognitive process.

A. Oh, yes! If there were one way to do it, I'd tell you. Somebody said "bad perm" to me one day, and I thought that's a good term. And then I had to think of the joke. It's like a puzzle.

Q. Let's talk about the color pink.

A. Oh, I know! If it's pink, I'll buy it. If it's pink, I'll wear it. If it's pink, I'll carry it. If it's pink, I'll eat it. I just love pink. There's just something about pink. I can stretch, though. I can go to purple.

Q. Have you always been this way?

A. No. It used to be blue.