Friars Club to Roast Jack Black in 2013

The Friars Club will put Jack Black in the hot seat for its next annual roast.

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The comedian will join the ranks of the organization's most recent honorees, Betty White and Quentin Tarantino. The 2013 Friars Club Roast will take place on April 5 in New York.

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“We only roast the ones we love, and with Jack, we love his comedy, we love his music and we love his enormous talent," said Friars Club "Abbot" Jerry Lewis. "It’s going to be a great day for all of us!”
 
“What did I get myself into this time? I’m searching for a loophole in my contract, maybe there’s a way I can weasel myself out of this thing," Black quipped in a prepared comment. "Those bastards are going to brutalize me, but Jerry Lewis assured me it’s going to be the highlight of my career, so I guess I got to go through with it.”
 
Friars Club executive director Michael Gyure praised Black as one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors and comedians. “He is loved by movie and concert goers of every generation, and he is an excellent and deserving recipient of this revered tradition,” he said.
 
Other past recipients of the honor include Milton Berle, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson, Lucille Ball and Billy Crystal.


The Friars Club was founded in 1904 as a place for entertainers. Its members have included such Hollywood legends as Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ball and Berle. More recent Friars include Barbra Streisand, Jon Stewart, Brian Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert De Niro, Tom Cruise, Rosario Dawson, Whitney Cummings, Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Fallon.

STORY: Barbara Walters Named Roastmaster at Betty White Friars Club Roast

The Friars Club “Monastery” is located in midtown Manhattan and is designed to serve as "a haven for entertainers young and old," according to the organization.

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com

Twitter: @georgszalai