Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson Uncensored
Paramount Home Video
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Tommy Lee, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Bea Arthur, Courtney Love-Cobain
Extras: Behind-The-Scenes Footage, Roast Outtakes, Red-Carpet Interviews
Rating:
Remember the good old days of the Dean Martin celebrity roasts? In that similar style, yet by no means considered the same format, we now have Comedy Central's presentation of "Roast of Pamela Anderson" to enjoy on DVD. In no way acknowledging myself as a fan of Pamela Anderson, I consider her more of a train-wreck, for some reason you just have to watch her whenever she is present.
Pamela Anderson sometimes appears like a larger than life celebrity persona; one that comes from a career based more on sex appeal and bubbly personality, rather than boasting a career filled with film and television acting. Working on shows like "Baywatch" and "Stacked", her attempt at a feature-film career with "Barb Wire" (which is a guilty pleasure all its own), to her various appearances on the covers of Playboy magazine, Pamela Anderson is known more for her shapely body then as a source of entertainment to be taken seriously.
She does however manage to utilize her celebrity status in a truly positive way. Donating time and money to P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) organization, which became the main reason she agreed to be "roasted" by friends and colleagues for Comedy Central, after the network made a large donation to that organization. Once you factor that in, Pamela Anderson actually shows that there is a bit of goodness hiding behind the sexy, bordering on trashy image that so many in America have come to love.
Making a grandiose entrance in a large circle-style swing to a sweeping round of applause, Pamela Anderson takes her seat on-stage, next to the always out-of-control, oddball and outrageous Courtney Love-Cobain. Then the mudslinging begins!
Here we get the entire raunchy presentation, a completely uncensored raw roast of any celebrity I have ever seen! Seriously folks, if you have a weak stomach for foul and abusive language, then "Roast of Pamela Anderson" is not for you. I on the other hand had a blast witnessing the truly bizarre humor and insane dialogue that was continually thrown around the room, including a surprise contribution from a frail, but still hilarious Bea Arthur. The on-stage antics never cease from the first second to the last moment, even the crowd is not immune to the insults that are dished out in good fun as a rather unsuspecting Anna Nicole-Smith found out.
Paramount Home Entertainment presents Comedy Central's "Roast of Pamela Anderson" on DVD in a great presentation, displaying its original television broadcast format of 1.33:1. Color saturation and black levels are reproduced naturally and display flesh tones that appear realistic in presentation. There is no distraction in the form of dust or dirt particles. Even the most basic problems associated with video compression did not rear their ugly head here, just a clean and crisp image to highlight the insanely entertaining evening of comedy.
The soundtrack comes in the form of a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo presentation that suits the visual material appropriately. Vocals are reproduced to appear natural in exhibition and the two channel soundtrack actually manages to encompass the on-stage dialogue as well as capturing the laughter and odd comments from members of the audience in fine sonic form.
If the roasts 82 minute running time didn't manage to fulfill your taste for off color humor, then there are a few added special features to consider checking out. Exclusive rehearsal footage from behind-the-scenes provides more laughs. An uncensored roast outtakes section is worth a peek, as well as some red-carpet interview footage from after the show all add to this good delivery of Comedy Central's "Roast of Pamela Anderson" on DVD.
"Roast of Pamela Anderson" is by no means material that should be put under the microscope to challenge every aspect of its comedic presentation. The evening is hosted by the hilarious Jimmy Kimmel and features a musical performance from Tommy Lee, taking time out of his input in the roasting of his former wife. We are also witness to participation from; Adam Carolla, Eddie Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Jeffrey Ross, Nick DiPaolo, Andy Dick, Elon Gold, Bea Arthur, Lisa Lampanelli and the ever disastrous Courtney Love-Cobain, there is something for everyone, so long as you are not easily offended. For an evening filled with laugh-out-loud foul mouthed comedy, you might, just like I found myself, pleasantly surprised with the facetiousness.
