[Fredslist] Friar's Roast of Matt Lauer

Sat Oct 25 12:38:36 EDT 2008

To add my 2 cents to what David H. has said on FredsList (below), and to
what Mitch Tobol has posted in his Gotham Blog today, viewable at: 

http://www.gothamnetworking.com/blogs/   

Yesterday's Roast was a unique event, and one heck of a fun way to spend a
Friday afternoon (even for one who had to commute from L.I. into the city
for it).  Having seen video and heard audio of other roasts, I had a pretty
good idea of what to expect, but being there truly added a number of
elements to the experience.  One of these elements was the ability to look
around the room at people on whom the videocameras were not focusing (there
were at least four big screens in the NY Hilton's Grand Ballroom), and see
their reactions to the expletive-laden and deep blue nature of the comedy.
Suffice it to say that there were a couple of people on the dais who seemed
stunned (horrified, mortified, ossified) by what they were witnessing - they
pretty clearly either hadn't been prepped or perhaps no amount of warning
could have prepared them for this.. 

One Gotham buddy of mine summed it up well when she said that she had
thought carefully about her decision of whom to invite as a guest - for
guests to enjoy the Roast they'd have to possess a thick skin and the right
sense of humor, because of the nature of much of the comedy - otherwise, it
could backfire.  

I'll never think quite the same way again about several of the on-air TV
personalities who verbally participated in roasting Matt Lauer: We get
accustomed to their goody-good, milktoasty TV personas, so it was slightly
jarring - and therefore all the more funny - to hear them drop the "F-bomb"
and engage in other ribald forms of humor.  

"Roasting" is an art form separate and apart from pretty much all other
types of comedy.  Some do it better than others.  Some of the professional
comedians yesterday really "killed" and some fell surprisingly flat; and,
interestingly, the same went for the non-professional comedians, those who
have other kinds of on-air or executive day-jobs - several of them did
surprisingly well, whereas with others, many of us felt that they shouldn't
have wasted so much time trying, unsuccessfully.  Many Gothamites in
attendance (with perhaps one exception) expressed gratitude that the
gentleman on the dais sitting next to Omorosa didn't get to roast Matt.
(Hey, Fred, don't shoot the messenger!) 

My bottom line on this event:  I don't get to take many real vacations, and
even when I do they're pretty short, due to the nature of my practice.  So
now and then, I fit in a "mini-vacation" here and there.  That's what
yesterday afternoon was for me, a mini-vacation, and it was a damned good
one.  I wholeheartedly recommend that if the opportunity is offered again
next year, and you have the comedic stomach for it, you should try it.  No
passport, plane tickets, or transfers required.    

David Abeshouse 

Gotham L.I. 

David J. Abeshouse  

Law Office of David Abeshouse  

50 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 400  

Uniondale, New York  11553  

Ph: 516-229-2360   Fax: 516-229-2361  

B2B Dispute Resolution: Alternative Dispute Resolution  

Arbitrator/Mediator  

David at BizLawNY.com  

http://www.BizLawNY.com  

See my LinkedIn profile:   

http://tinyurl.com/455eqj  

See my Avvo profile:  

http://tinyurl.com/4u34gg  

From: fredslist-bounces at gothamnetworking.com
[mailto:fredslist-bounces at gothamnetworking.com] On Behalf Of David Henry
Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 8:16 AM
To: 'Freds List'
Subject: [Fredslist] Friar's Roast of Matt Lauer

I've wanted to go to one of these roasts since becoming a member of Gotham
and realizing we had a connection to the Friars.  When the notice went out
that it was going to be for Matt Lauer, I knew I had to go.  I work in the
PR business and realized this was a must see.  I also decided it would be a
great event for me to take a client, which I did. 

When I bought the tickets I asked Fred where the tables were and he said
"towards the back".  Fortunately for us, we really weren't towards the back,
we were just about midway back and had a great view of the dais.  I was
amazed at how many people there were attending (I think around 1,900) and
the size of the dias (somewhere between 40-50 people).  The introductions of
the dais seemed to take forever.  Interestingly, Fred was seated next to
Omorosa (of The Apprentice).  I don't think he knew who she was.and I don't
still know why she would be on the dais.  

Fred came over right before it started and said "this will be a once in a
lifetime experience."  He was absolutely right!

Because of Matt's stature and celebrity, it brought out many to celebrate
and roast him.  Some of those on the dais were (in no particular order),
Meredith Viera, Al Roker (the roastmaster), Ann Curry,  Jeff Zucker (head of
NBC), Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Martha Stewart, Donald Trump, Bob
Costas, Jim Cramer, Dominic Cianese, Clive Davis, Neil Simon, Abe Vigoda
(yes, he's still alive!), Aretha Franklin, James Lipton, Dara Torres,
Vincent Pastore, Bob Sagat, Jeff Ross, Richard Belzer, Pat Cooper, Gilbert
Godfried, Mario Lopez, and of course, our fearless leader Fred Klein.

After a few video intros, the lights came up and surprise guest Tom Cruise
walked onto the stage.  He was quite funny and self deprecating.  The roast
was mostly what I expected, having seen several on TV and YouTube.  It may
have been a little more tame, given the honoree and the guests in
attendance, but it was at times, as raunchy as you'd expect. 

You'd expect the professional comedians to be funny, I think Jeff Ross was
probably the best of that bunch (some of the pros, not as funny!).  But some
of non-comedians where just as funny if not more.  Surprises were Brian
Williams, Jeff Zucker and Meredith Vieira.  And finally, when Matt Spoke, he
was quite funny as well.

It was a fun lunch.or afternoon as it turned out.  There were many
Gothamites in attendance.  My client had a great time and couldn't thank me
enough for bringing him.  All in all.a great afternoon!

_______________________________________

David P. Henry

President & CEO

TeleNoticias / NovoMedia

212-683-6000

917-860-2468 (cell)

dhenry at telenoticiasusa.com <mailto:david at telenoticiasusa.com> 

www.telenoticiasusa.com <http://www.telenoticiasusa.com/> 

www.novomediausa.com <http://www.novomediausa.com/> 

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