All the Roasting of Adam Sandler As He Won the Mark Twain Prize
The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor award ceremony turned into an unofficial Adam Sandler roast last night, with several of his comedy friends showing up to zing the Sandman. It wasn’t an evisceration in the vein of what all of those young vicious comics did to Chevy Chase years ago, but some hilarious shots were fired nonetheless. (Several nice things were said as well — if that’s what you’re looking for, watch the show next week on CNN.) For the comedy insult fans, here are some highlights:
Conan O’Brien: O’Brien marveled at the turnout by Sandler’s celebrity friends, but it raised an important question — “Have you asked yourself why so many of Adam’s friends were available? Because if Adam isn’t working, they aren’t working.” No such problem for O'Brien, as he noted that Sandler has never cast him in any of his films. O’Brien lauded Sandler for the “first award he’s ever received where he hasn’t been slimed.”
Idina Menzel: This is the first year PBS isn’t broadcasting the ceremony, presumably because its recipient wasn’t high-brow enough for its pledge-making viewers. Menzel dressed as one of Sandler’s iconic characters and sang/explained the PBS situation Opera Man-style: “Suze Orman’s as low as we’ll go… that’s why it’s on the CNN-o!”
Don't Miss
Tim Herlihy: The veteran Saturday Night Live writer and longtime collaborator noted that he and Sandler were responsible for “31 motion pictures with a combined Rotten Tomatoes score of 59.”
Ben Stiller: “His work feels effortless. I don’t want to say ‘lazy,’ because that’s not the right word… But I don’t have a better word right now, so let’s go with it.”
Judd Apatow: The one-time Sandler roommate noted the number of early friends who remain in the comic’s inner circle. “Apparently, the best job opportunities at NYU were living in the vicinity of Adam Sandler.” Like many of the night’s speakers, Apatow predicted fame for Sandler at an early age: “The moment you met him, you knew Adam was going to be a big star. And so did Adam.”
David Spade: Spade chimed in on the notion that the comedian’s movies are mainly created by family and friends, noting that a call sheet on a Sandler movie looks like “an Ancestry.com page.”
Steve Buscemi: When Sandler started transitioning from goofy comedies to indie drama, Buscemi was concerned, cautioning, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stay in your lane, Waterboy.”
For his part, Sandler was appreciative and gracious in accepting the award, placing his hand on the Twain bronze bust and imagining “one day (it) might be the weapon used to bludgeon me in my sleep, by an angry intruder… or Mr. Rob Schneider.”
