Did you watch the Roast of
William Shatner on Comedy Central last August? Now, are you dying to see it again without all those pesky bleeps? Well, here's your chance. Gather all your friends, break out a few beers, and get ready to laugh and groan the night away.
Two days before the Shatman's birthday, Comedy Central and Paramount Home Entertainment are releasing the notorious Shatner Roast on DVD, uncensored and extended. To be perfectly straightforward, if you have low tolerance for bawdy humor, this product is not for you. But if you're willing to witness how far out to the edge today's comedians will go to celebrate the life and career of our beloved William Shatner, then this is required viewing.
If nothing else, the close-ups on Shatner with his "I can't believe you just said that!" expression are priceless. That, and the über-awesome clips interspersed throughout the program recalling his seminal performances in TV, film and commercials (Promise!), including his venerable interpretations of "Rocket Man" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." The best ever: Shatner singing "Keep it gay, keep it gay, keep it gay" with Merv Griffin.
For Star Trek fans, it's an interesting cultural study in how Trek and the icon of Captain Kirk are perceived by the more — to use the term loosely — mainstream factions of society. Not all of it is flattering, but the overwhelming sense from this is that Star Trek nerddom is actually quite a wonderful thing and quite appreciated as essential and integral to our modern world. There are more of us out there than one may realize!
But you also can't pass up the chance to see George Takei get skewered just as much as the official man of the hour, being the recent newsmaker that he is. A lot of that material is way over the top — as clearly evidenced by the looks of shock on people's faces throughout the program (Rene Auberjonois, sitting in the audience, is downright precious) — but again, this viewing experience is not for the timid.
Also of significance to the Trek community is the presence of Nichelle Nichols, who bravely grimaced and laughed through all the racial and sexual jokes delivered in her direction. Unfortunately, her time behind the podium was edited down to a one-minute montage (out of eight minutes she actually spoke) which in the broadcast served as a commercial bumper, and used in the DVD as a segue. To be fair, the live show ran nearly three hours, and the editors had to make some hard choices to keep the show moving at a crisp pace, and Nichols, for all her talents, isn't the most polished comedienne. (The more seasoned comic Fred Willard was similarly edited down, and Andy Dick's bizarre routine went on for 10 minutes and was wisely reduced to just over two.)
Takei, on the other hand, seemed quite at home, and his set was kept largely intact. Of course, Takei has become quite the comedy pro, with numerous spots on sitcoms and other appearances including his recurring gig on The Howard Stern Show (his Stern cohort Artie Lange was with him on the dais).
The DVD is advertised as not only uncensored, but extended versus the broadcast version. Roughly 10 minutes of material was added, mostly extra jokes by the comedians, to make it come in at 80 minutes (no more excessively long commercial breaks!). Kevin Pollak was lucky enough to be promoted from commercial bumper to full set, which was a good call. Clint Howard's pre-taped "Balok" segment was extended a few seconds, and one of Shatner's Promise Margarine commercials was added. The closing credits now show behind-the-scenes moments with some of the VIP guests, including Auberjonois and Brent Spiner.
There is, however, one very odd omission. If you saw the broadcast, you'll remember that it opened on a video of Shatner calling Leonard Nimoy at home, asking him to be part of the roast. That segment is missing from the DVD. Was there a contractual issue? Anyway, if you want to recall that moment, the clip is still available at ComedyCentral.com (click "Videos" in the left-hand menu, then "Roast of William Shatner," then on the right click "Next").
The bonus materials on the disc are fun to watch, if not outstanding (if you've seen all the clips on ComedyCentral.com, there isn't much new). The Red Carpet Interviews are hosted by a girl who's clearly a novice at this game, but it's entertaining to see the comedians skillfully play off her set-ups. Though, why is it censored?
The best bonus feature is probably "Making of the Roast," showing Shatner planning the show with the producers, although it's way too short. Turns out inviting Farrah Fawcett to be a roaster was his idea — no doubt amused by the potential train-wreck factor.
STARTREK.COM was there at the roast during the taping at the CBS Studio Center, and in our original report we didn't want to give too much away from the show. But now that the DVD is out, and since we, um, took very (*ahem*) comprehensive notes, as a public service we can now fill you in on some of the material that was left on the editing room floor — including Nichols' talk in almost its entirety. Because we're nothing if not givers. Click forward to page 2.
And when you get your DVD, enjoy the show!
[Sandy]
