Making people laugh is a good gig, and Comedy Central senior vice president of specials and talent Elizabeth Porter says she loves working on the network's roast events. After four years involved with the special and party (including last year's roast of William Shatner, which just picked up an Emmy nom), she says, "It's one of those things where you think, Last year was crazy, maybe this year will be lame. And then each year shapes up to be a bigger bag of crazy."
Crazy was a spot-on term to describe Sunday night's roast and down-home-food-filled after-party for over-the-top personality Flavor Flav. Along with press, guests, and other celebrities, the honoree walked a purple carpet; he was rigged with a lapel cam (wired somewhere near his massive dangling clock) that showed his point of view to fans on the network's Web site (and potentially also on the TV special, which is scheduled to air on August 12).The taping, in front of 1,100 guests seated at gold-clothed cocktail tables as well as in bleacher seats, took place on a stage decorated with colorful clocks and an oversize viking helmet. Former Salt-n-Pepa DJ Spindarella—a contemporary of Flav in his Public Enemy days—served as DJ. Comedy Central contracted Tenth Planet to produce the taping on a Warner Brothers stage, and the Warner Brothers Studios team led by Hillary Harris handled all the logistics like food, beverage, and transportation.
After two-plus hours of sustained laughter (roasters including Snoop Dogg and Ice-T hit their marks with uproarious lowbrow jokes), about 850 guests—wearing their party passes in the form of clock-shaped laminates on lanyards around their necks—headed to the after-party a few stages down on the lot. Borrowing its raucous vibe from the taping, the party featured hip-hop blaring from the DJ booth, and buffet stations in all four corners of the room offered comfort food in large quantities, including pulled-pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, corn bread, and cupcakes.
"We wanted the party to reflect Flav: it's girls, it's sex appeal, it's outrageous," Porter said. "I'll never try to out-fancy anyone with these parties. It's not chichi, it's not passed sushi. It's about a great time." A confessional booth allowed guests to record their own jokes and feedback. The Comedy Central and MTV Networks special events teams designed the party, working with Warner Brothers' team to coordinate local vendors and details.
"The fun thing about the roast is that it's the biggest event we do all year, and it never gets old because every single time is different," Porter said. "You brace for something terrible to happen, but it just keeps building."
Crazy was a spot-on term to describe Sunday night's roast and down-home-food-filled after-party for over-the-top personality Flavor Flav. Along with press, guests, and other celebrities, the honoree walked a purple carpet; he was rigged with a lapel cam (wired somewhere near his massive dangling clock) that showed his point of view to fans on the network's Web site (and potentially also on the TV special, which is scheduled to air on August 12).The taping, in front of 1,100 guests seated at gold-clothed cocktail tables as well as in bleacher seats, took place on a stage decorated with colorful clocks and an oversize viking helmet. Former Salt-n-Pepa DJ Spindarella—a contemporary of Flav in his Public Enemy days—served as DJ. Comedy Central contracted Tenth Planet to produce the taping on a Warner Brothers stage, and the Warner Brothers Studios team led by Hillary Harris handled all the logistics like food, beverage, and transportation.
After two-plus hours of sustained laughter (roasters including Snoop Dogg and Ice-T hit their marks with uproarious lowbrow jokes), about 850 guests—wearing their party passes in the form of clock-shaped laminates on lanyards around their necks—headed to the after-party a few stages down on the lot. Borrowing its raucous vibe from the taping, the party featured hip-hop blaring from the DJ booth, and buffet stations in all four corners of the room offered comfort food in large quantities, including pulled-pork sandwiches, mac and cheese, corn bread, and cupcakes.
"We wanted the party to reflect Flav: it's girls, it's sex appeal, it's outrageous," Porter said. "I'll never try to out-fancy anyone with these parties. It's not chichi, it's not passed sushi. It's about a great time." A confessional booth allowed guests to record their own jokes and feedback. The Comedy Central and MTV Networks special events teams designed the party, working with Warner Brothers' team to coordinate local vendors and details.
"The fun thing about the roast is that it's the biggest event we do all year, and it never gets old because every single time is different," Porter said. "You brace for something terrible to happen, but it just keeps building."
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography