…but there’s a good chance he’s getting the last laugh.
There may not have been any twerking—or foam fingers—but there were a lot of jokes about kissing Judd Apatow, and we are not talking about on the lips.
It was part of the brand of humor that Comedy Central has become known for during its infamous roasts, the dirty and defaming-but-all-in-good-fun type that appeals to Hollywood insiders as well as millions of viewers.
The latest target, James Franco, who, unlike many other roastees (Roseanne Barr, Charlie Sheen, Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, William Shatner) is not known for being on television – unless you count the time he hosted a little live show called the Academy Awards.
Sure, you could call Franco a movie star– recent gigs include “Oz, the Great and Powerful,” “Spring Breakers” and “This Is the End” – but his crew of roasters called him many other things during the August 25 Culver Studios taping of the “Comedy Central Roast of James Franco,” which airs on Labor Day at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the cable net.
Egged on by Franco pal and head roastmaster Seth Rogen, the people on the dais – including fellow Apatow mafia member Jonah Hill, ragged on Franco for everything from the notoriously horrendous job he did hosting the Oscars, his stoner persona in “Pineapple Express,” his kissing up to Sean Penn to be in “Milk,” his attendance at Yale, his good looks, his sexual orientation– many, many times– and almost as often, his squinty eyes.
For regular roast aficionados, there were many new faces taking part. In addition to Hill, there was Bill Hader– razzed for leaving “Saturday Night Live” and booking a T-Mobile commercial. There was Andy Samberg, also given hell for leaving “SNL” and forced to listen to many predictions that his new Fox show, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” wouldn’t be around for long. There was Aziz Ansari, picked apart for his ethnicity and his connection the Kanye West. There were also Comedy Central “hometown heroes” Sarah Silverman, Nick Kroll and Jeff Ross.
“This dais is literally Hitler’s wet dream. It’s got Jews, gays and whatever Aziz is,” Rogen said of roasters before addressing Franco.
“Look at me doing all the talking while you sit there doing nothing. I feel like I’m co-hosting the Oscars with you.”
To which newcomer Natasha Leggero added: “James Franco, acting, teaching, directing, writing, producing, photography, soundtracks, editing — is there anything you can do?”
But of course it wasn’t just Franco who was the target. Hill, who was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role opposite Brad Pitt in “Moneyball,” came in for probably more than his fair share of jokes about his fluctuating weight
“Jonah actually gained 50 pounds for his role in the new Martin Scorsese film because the producers wanted the character to be a Jonah Hill type,” said Silverman. “But seriously you’ve had such a body transformation in the past couple of years. You have come a long way from just being Sonny and Cher’s daughter.”
Turning her wrath on Franco, Silverman said, “I don’t think James is gay or straight. It’s just that he literally can’t open his eyes enough to see who he’s f–king.”
Franco took it all lying down until it was his turn to stand up for his inevitable rebuttal, during which he acknowledged his grandmother in the audience who was forced to listen to all the lewd and crude things said about him. “You say I sucked at the Oscars. I was a genius at the Oscars. That was experimental tuxedo sleep art. “
And he continued: “The joke’s on all of you. This is not a roast. This is my greatest most elaborate art installation ever. I’m not the real guest of honor, these aren’t real comedians and we’re not even on a real network. What you’ve seen tonight was my brilliant opus to sequester an artistic visionary and subject him to the mindless incoherent trashings of talentless abnormalities. I call it ‘Genius Unscathed’ and this is my masterpiece.”
Viewers can be the judge of that Monday night. Additionally, Comedy Central is live streaming the Franco roast so that West Coast audiences on tablet, desktop and mobile won’t have to wait for the TV tape delay, a decision some industry observers say could cannibalize some ratings. The live stream will be available on cc.com and the CC:Stand-Up app on Xbox 360, which will be unlocked for users to see Franco take it on the chin.
–Hillary Atkin
