Red Carpet Barbecue: Joan Rivers and a Gaggle of Celebs Spawn the Roast of All Roasts

That red carpet was actually snow white, making the color scheme the only thing "clean" at the taping of the Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers.

In fact, there were more insults than actual guests at the wild soiree, which airs 10 pm Sunday, Aug. 9 and repeats throughout the month. Legend Carl Reiner, and stars Mario Cantone, Jeffrey Ross, Tom Arnold, Greg Giraldo, Brad Garrett and Whitney Cummings handled grilling duties. (Watch for Gilbert Gottfried, who brings down the house.) Melissa Rivers, Jackie Collins, Michael C. Hall were also in attendance.

Needless to say, the latest addition of the popular roasts will go down in history as the cable net's most savage endeavor. Barbs--most so far below the belt, you can felt knees buckling--flew with careless abandon. (It's a far cry from those Dean Martin roasts ...)

"Joan knows what she signed on for," host Kathy Griffin joked on the red carpet before the show's taping. "Besides, she's getting paid a lot of money, so [insert expletive here] her and the horse she rode in on."

The Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated razor-tongued redhead, whose clearly wandered incredibly far north of D-List status of late, is prepping for a monstrous concert in the Bay Area on Sept. 4.

"I love San Francisco," she deadpanned. "That's where all the gays are -- power gays, and every category of gay is there. Bear Fest, International Bear Roundup, Cubs, Twinks -- all of them. I love the gay audience and this is such a 'gay' night. Joan, me, Melissa [Rivers], Mario [Cantone]. It gets gayer the more I think about it."

Fans take note: Griffin's new book, aptly dubbed Official Book Club Selection arrives next month.

Still, all eyes were on the lady of the evening, Rivers, whose celebrity keeps rising this year after nabbing top honors on Celebrity Apprentice. Her new TV Land series, How'd You Get So Rich, debuted this week.

The comedienne happily admitted that when the night was over she would no longer be a "Comedy Central Roast virgin." "I am totally prepared," she told me on the red carpet. "I want to hear what they all have to say and it will be fun to have them roast me. Although... I don't think they'll come up with anything I didn't think of yet!"

(Well, wait and see ...)

Rivers also sang the praises of comics Sarah Silverman and Griffin -- they keep making a dent on the comedy scene -- before adding: "I have a big announcement at the end of the show."

We're talking big.

(For a look at what unfolded on the red carpet, watch the video, edited by Jeff Dinnell, below. Photos by Frank Micelotta.)

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Comments

[CARTERJ]

It was pure comedy heaven (except for the inteminable commerical breaks.) Nonstop wit and filth, and I loved every moment of it. And then, after everyone had had their say, Joan comes up to the dais and slays them all.

You go, Joan RIvers.

[KEMLoyola]

Gilbert Gottfried pretty much saved the show for me. The rest of it was incredibly unfunny, and I felt kind of embarassed for Carl Reiner just standing up and saying dirty words.

[buckbuck11]

You could tell Kathy Griffin's genuine respect and admiration for Joan, which kept the whole affair from crossing the line from a good-natured roast to a total dis-fest. The plastic surgery jokes were repetitive and unoriginal and I'm not sure that tragedy + time formula has been achieved for David Carradine jokes, but I did get a few good hoots from Kathy Griffin and Joan, herself.

[WillCooney]

Hate to nitpick but, it's Gilbert Gottfried. Saw the show Sunday night and it wasn't as funny as some in the past have been. Seems to me that the Dean Martin roasts were funnier and cleaner. I don't really find vagina jokes that funny and this evening was overloaded with them. Oh, and BTW, who is that Whitney broad? I thought at first it was Sarah Silverman.

[jazz09]

Whitney Cummings is a comedienne regularly on Chelsea Handler's show. I wonder if having her on this roast was a dig at Chelsea since Joan said she didn't think Chelsea was funny...? HMMMMM...I­'m just sayin'.

[PatA]

I think Joan is cool. Lots of comics have come and gone but Joan goes on! No, I didn't intend for it to rhyme.....­I was thrilled when she won Apprentice and took the title from that poker playing gritch.

[carlosmessi]

I like those shows, They allow you at least for a little time to see life differently and that's very good for everyone. Yeah once in a while I need this.

[rongbeech]

SURVIVOR!