Comedy Central's Roast of William Shatner (Uncensored) DVD will be available March 20, 2007, and we have a little snippet available for your viewing pleasure. Click on the images to your left to see a trailer, and an exclusive preview of the guests. (Warning: adult-themed content.)
For those new to the concept of a "celebrity roast," it's a star-studded affair where the subject is comedically insulted and praised by peers, former co-stars and comedians. The concept began early in the last century by the private and exclusive Friars Club, which later evolved into the televised Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts that featured a regular cast of professional insulters like Milton Berle, Don Rickles and Nipsey Russell. Comedy Central revived the idea of the celebrity roast in recent years with Pamela Anderson, Chevy Chase and Denis Leary, among others, all turning up in the hot seat.
Last year, the chair was turned over to Star Trek captain and entertainment icon William Shatner who bravely sat through the insults and left-handed tributes. Like a true professional, Shatner took the heat and later found time to praise roaster Lisa Lampanelli, his personal favorite of the evening. Other guests joining Lisa in the roasting were host Jason Alexander, Artie Lang, Jeffrey Ross, Jimmy Kimmel, Betty White, Trek-cohorts Nichelle Nichols and George Takei, Farrah Fawcett, Fred Willard, Greg Giraldo, Kevin Pollack and the face-licking Andy Dick (For the record, Alexander and Dick are both Trek alums, having turned up in Voyager episodes.) Other guests in attendance included Shatner's Boston Legal cast mates, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley and Rene Auberjonois, TJ Hooker co-star Adrian Zmed, Star Trek alumni Brent Spiner, Jolene Blalock and Jeri Ryan, actor Eric Roberts, actresses Sandra Bullock, and Carrie Fisher.
The DVD includes additional celebrity skewing from the dais and is completely uncensored for your viewing pleasure. Bonus materials on this one-disc set include "The Making of the Roast" featurette, behind-the-scenes and red carpet interviews.
It's important to note that the broadcast on Comedy Central was censored due to the raunchy nature of the material, so now is your chance to hear the real, raw deal for the first time in all its uncensored glory. Be warned, this is not for the faint of heart! The material is very adult in nature and should be treated as such. But let's be honest: Any event that commences with William Shatner entering astride a white horse is worth the price of admission!