Last night CBS broadcast this year's Kennedy Center Honors, held earlier this month, and it was a pretty lovely affair as Mel Brooks, Robert DeNiro, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Brubeck and Grace Bumbry were honored for their incredible contributions to arts and culture. It was an exceptionally star-studded affair, too — not only on stage but in the audience, where President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sat with the honorees. Meryl Streep and Marty Scorsese honored De Niro (great story by Scorsese too, about how De Niro got to the essential truth of a character); Carl Reiner honored Brooks, along with Gary Beach and Matthew Broderick from The Producers ("Springtime For Hitler" was especially hilarious considering the locale, and the audience), plus Jack Black in tights; Herbie Hancock honored jazz great Dave Brubeck (on his birthday!), along with an ensemble performance by none other than his sons; and Aretha Franklin (sans hat) honored Bumbry. There were others — Martin Short, Frank Langella, Ben Stiller, Sharon Stone (looking jarringly young), Ed Norton — and then there was the finale: Bruce. (more...)

A few weeks ago, Comedy Central televised a roast of Joan Rivers, hosted by Kathy Griffin and featuring a whole host of foul-mouthed comics cracking jokes about Joan's various facelifts, how old she is, and how old her vagina is. One of those foul-mouthed comics was Donald Trump, a.k.a. her new boss after Rivers was victorious on last season's Celebrity Apprentice (with a newly-relevant invocation of Godwin's law, no less). I double-taked when The Donald came onscreen and started talking about his "greatest and most ambitious construction project yet: The Joan Rivers Facial & Body Restoration." I double-taked further when I heard what was coming out of his mouth. The Donald was saying that on TV? This video was going to blow up tomorrow! Alas, when I checked the Comedy Central website, The Donald — by far the biggest star on the bill, sorry, Brad Garrett — was nowhere to be seen. Comedy Central PR confirmed that the Trump vid would not be posted. We would just have to be satisfied with Greg Giraldo. Or would we? Turns out Mediaite has obtained the video, and three weeks later it's still pretty damn funny, and shocking. (more...)