Roasting Hoff on Comedy Central

With some rare and notable exceptions, Hollywood/television stars/personalities tend to be or become air-headed, insipid examples of what human beings can devolve into when elevated to the rank of the idolized or even to the level of the personalitized.

They also become, among other things, masochists.

The truly-sloshed, burger-eating, daughter-berated, grossly-disgusting David Hasselhoff, who is far from an idol except in Germany, went YouTube-viral when daughter Taylor Ann decided to make public her video of dear old dad drunkenly slobbering and dripping burger on the side of the family pool a few years ago.

Taylor Ann, who probably had the good, interventionist intention to embarrassed her father into going on the wagon, was in attendance when “Comedy Central” chose Dad to be the subject of a roast. That video was cited by virtually every roaster.

Now, I’m no prude and I’ve seen televised roasts before on the somewhat more civilized broadcast channels, Last night was my first viewing of a cable channel roast and I discovered that cable channel roasts were markedly different.

I subscribe by default to “Comedy Central” but usually confine myself to the occasional “South Park” episode and more recently to the 35 year old, German born, Daniel Tosh who hosts the totally irreverent “Tosh O.”

The roast of David Hasselhoff, to me at least, was in a class of its own, or a classless class of its own.

It was also hilarious once you got past the concept of skewering someone mercilessly as that someone watched in person and laughed himself silly over having his flawed life and admitted alcoholism displayed for millions to witness.

But, then again, I think “South Park” and “Tosh O” are (usually) pretty funny.

What struck me most about the roast was the equal-opportunity bashing and roasting. Not only was the remarkably well-preserved 58 year old star of “Baywatch” and “Knight Rider” taken apart and reduced to kindling but every member of the roasting panel came in for his and her fair share of dismantling and ridiculing.

Those attacks by some people they barely knew were often followed by a perfunctory mea culpas and, almost, every major religion, both sexes, homosexuals and straights, and a few nationalities were reduced to comedy fodder.

Islam and Muslims, awesome sources of loads of comedic material, went unmentioned and unscathed. Allah would not have approved and Comedy Central took notice of that fact.

Little else was off limits, however, often preceded or followed by the disclaimer that, Hey! this is a roast! Auschwitz Jews sprinting to the ovens, the dying body of Bobby Kennedy lying on that hotel floor in 1968, and Anne Frank in her attic were used by the multi-ethnic, but exclusive-of-blacks panel, not as the **** of jokes but more as joke props.

Panel member Pamela Anderson came under the most vituperous attacks with frequent, lewd references to her *** video with Tommy Lee, her worn-out ****** and her prodigious breasts, all of which she freely referenced in her own monologue.

After Hasselhoff and Pamela, Hulk Hogan, who looked as if he’d love to bash his bashers, graciously accepted the most assaults, on his manhood, his sexuality, his ex, and even his daughter.

The TV-Hollywood set apparently has a great deal of tolerance for abuse. It’s amazing how that lot will agree to having themselves, their personal histories, and their families exploited and subjected to televised public ridicule, all in the interests of entertainment.

Or, do they tolerate public attention and abuse in the form of a roast in the crass interest of making a sleazy buck at whatever expense?

Ever wonder what celebs think of at night, after they peddled their wares, showcased their bods, babbled inanities, and sold out their souls?

I don’t think their thoughts would be a pretty sight.

By: Gene Lalor

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