2:00 P.M., July 22, 2000
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SHECKY! A magazine about standup... treks to Montreal for the second straight year to bring you daily slices of the world's largest comedy festival!

\Roasting Managers!

\Industry Address!

\Comedy Central Party!

\SHECKY! On The Air!

ANDY KINDLER catches up with SCOTT LAROSE (Blair Bitch Project) after the SOTIA.

DAVE CHAPELLE and JEFFREY ROSS share a Polaroid moment after the An Industry Roast Luncheon.

SHECKY! editor BRIAN MCKIM gets up close and personal with JACKIE MARTLING.

L to R: JOEL ZADAK (Power), standup comic JEFF ROTHPAN and ADAM WINSON (Spivak) smile gamely for the SHECKY! camera at the Comedy Central bash.

ADAM FERRARA and RICH HALL failing to remain unphotographed at the Comedy Central soiree..

Clockwise from top left: HOWARD BUSGANG, ERNIE BUTLER, MIKE LUKAS and CJAD's DAN LAXER carry on the CJAD 800 tradition of late night interviews across from the Delta bar.

MONTREAL--We filed Thursday night's dispatch as soon as we got back to the hotel. We knew we had to rise early Friday because they were holding two very important and wildly entertaining functions during daylight hours: An Industry Roast Luncheon (hosted by Jeffrey Ross) and Andy Kindler's State of the Industry Address.

The idea behind the Roast was to afford standup comics Ross, Adam Ferrara, Phil Tag and Sheryl Underwood, along with comedy patriarch Budd Friedman, the opportunity to trash four prominent New York talent managers. This was done in full view of a packed function room heavily attended by many of the people who lives have been "touched" in one way or another by the four roastees.

Ross set the tone and brought up the roasters one by one. Lots of inside jokes, lots of jokes that were just plain funny regardless of how well you might know one or more of the powerful ones. The unfortunate victims were Barry Katz, Rory Rosegarten, Dave Becky and Jeff Sussman. They manage some of the more recognizable standup comics who have become television stars (Ray Romano, Kevin James, Jay Mohr, etc.). Roaster Underwood passed her mike to a friend (fellow comic Earthquake), totally bypassing emcee Ross-- a violation of a vague Friars-esque protocol-- causing a mildly uncomfortable moment. Ross regained control by hammering Earthquake ("I think it's time for an aftershock."), then turned the mike over to special guest Dave Chapelle for his comments.

Each of the roastees took to the podium in turn for a rebuttal. Each lamely attempted to emulate the comic geniuses they represent, and all of them squeezed out the occasional laugh in spite of their comic ineptitude (Rosegarten actually sounded like a comic). We here at SHECKY! appreciate Ross's Roast and his Black Tie Optional show. At a festival that's all about the "next, big, NEW thing," it's nice to see that Ross is blending old traditions with new talents and sensibilities.

The Delta turned the room over, halved it, and Todd Glass brought on the unparallelled industry ballbuster Andy Kindler to deliver his annual State of the Industry Address. A packed Delta function room watched in fascinated semi-horror as Kindler said the things that most in the room only mutter in private, through clenched teeth. His indictment of network executives, Jay Leno, Whoopi Goldberg, South Park and Me, Myself and Irene were funny and, for many, cathartic. We can only compare it to the only other SOTIA we've seen (1999's): it was tighter, shorter, better written and the air conditioning was working this time. There were more gags and they were sharper ("I can't tell you how much I despise panel shows. Particularly (VH-1's) The List. This show makes me hate chairs.")

While these two events may seem, to the outside observer to be mean-spirited, it should be pointed out that anyone who was attacked has set him/herself up for such ribbing.

Afterward, the Hollywood Reporter threw a party next door and everybody was all huggy and kissy. Any hard feelings were checked at the door. The editor of the HR got up behind the podium and addressed the crowd (as is his right, him being the dude who's paying for the cheese and crackers) and made a preposterous statement or two about how standup comics are supportive of each other and how they are all part of a big community. Hmmm... While comics are certainly always happy to see each other and they always have a good time when they get together, "community" is stretching things a bit. SHECKY! has always been appalled at the lack of community among comics. (Indeed, one of the missions of SHECKY! is to create a community and reinforce the bonds that exist. We've still got a ways to go.)

At one minute before midnight, Comedy Central invited Festites to partake of crudites and liquor in a large, loud, boxy ballroom, dressed up tonight to reflect the theme "Comedy Central's Martini Lounge." Gone were the tables groaning under vast chafing dishes filled with scrambled eggs, pancakes and multiple pork products. And, although the temperature in the room was considerably lower without the blazing sterno cans, the gobs of food were sorely missed. Woe to the attendee who came hungry! SHECKY! editor Traci Skene ordered a martini and was served a vodka martini. Martini means gin where she comes from! Are we wrong on this? Is it a Canadian thing? Had vodka taken over as the default liquor in a martini when we weren't looking? Such questions! In years past, the Comedy Central breakfast was the event to attend. After last night, it has lost some cache.

Carrying on the tradition established by the late Mark Rennie, Dan Laxer and Nest proprietor Ernie Butler broadcast comedy interviews all night on CJAD 800. At one point, early in the proceedings, SHECKY! editors Brian McKim and Traci Skene parked behind the mikes for a segment or two, exhorting Montrealers to hop onto their humble publication.

Celebrity spotting: Among the many comedy-related celebs spotted at the Industry Roast and elsewhere was Richard Belzer. Also seen waiting for a shuttle was comedy legend Jerry Stiller. He's in town because he's in a film that's being exhibited as part of the Festival. It's called The Independents.

It is a very strange sensation to spend an entire day among industry types. The intensity of the Festival experience seems to occasionally foster microbursts of crappy behavior among some folks. Fortunately, we haven't been the object of anyone's wrath. The only wrath we've experience so far has been Dave Rath and he said some very nice things about SHECKY! Thanks, Dave! Big star Belzer was very gracious when we tendered our SHECKY! business card and expressed a desire to interview him for a future issue. Tim Allen graciously signed an autograph or two for some fans during a late-night swing through the lobby. Jackie Martling was genuinely pleased to see SHECKY! editor Brian McKim and even remembered his name WITHOUT sneaking a look at McKim's press badge! For the most part, everyone is very approachable at the Festival. And isn't that the way it should be?

RAW DATA: Last night's gala was hosted by former Python Eric Idle who brought on Rich Hall, Jeff Rothpan, Susie Essman, and someone simply known as Trampoline Guy, whom, we are hoping and praying, has a trampoline somewhere in his act. Craig Shoemaker, John Caponera and Mo'Nique were on the Bubbling With Laughter bill. And Kindler hosted the first of two Alternative Shows at the tres moderne Arts Interculturel Montreal ("It's not a theater, man, it's a...space.") bringing on Zach Galafiniakis, Peter Spruyt, Brent Butt and others.

Tomorrow: Festival buzz and what it all means!