In his current column, which I linked to yesterday, Frank Rich makes mention of a roast for Hugh Hefner that was taped not long after 9/11. I see that Comedy Central is rerunning the TV version of it on Monday night or Tuesday morning, depending on which time zone you're in.
It's an odd show, indeed. At one point, Sarah Silverman is roasting Hef and she makes a comment about how he has no idea where he is. At times, it sure looked that way. For most of the show, he sits there quietly and acts like he's enjoying a steady stream of jokes about his age, his declining sexual abilities, his use of Viagra and the low I.Q. and morals of a bevy of blonde lady friends who escort him about. Some of the jokes will make you cringe but there are moments of brilliance, and an occasional oblique reference to the tragedy that was still hanging over New York on the night they taped the thing. You'll get frustrated at all the bleeps and at a number of bad edits that hint that much material (probably dirtier and funnier) has been excised.
If you want to really enjoy it, do this: TiVo the show and watch it with remote in hand. Catch a little of Sarah Silverman, then skip ahead to watch Ice-T, not because he's any good but because what he does is the set-up to Gilbert Gottfried. Then leap to the end and watch Gilbert, who is absolutely hilarious. (On second thought, you might want to miss the part where Ms. Silverman says to Alan King that a nursing home in Florida just called to say, "The last person who thought you were funny just died." It kind of loses something since Mr. King's passing.)