Comedy Central (DStv Channel 122) and Nando’s, purveyors of flame-grilled PERi-PERi goodness and irreverent entertainment, have confirmed that they will be staging “The Comedy Central Roast of Leon Schuster”.
The Comedy Central Roast of Leon Schuster, taking place at the Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City, on 3 April 2014, will star Schuster (@SchuksSchuster), the legendary South African filmmaker, comedian, actor, musician and infamous prankster. Following in the singed footsteps of 2012 Roastee Steve Hofmeyr, Schuster is setting himself up to be hauled over the coals by a panel of peers, friends, enemies, critics, comics and entertainment personalities, as they line up to subject him to a humorous barrage of praise, criticism, abuse, jokes and downright lies.
The news was revealed this morning at 8:00 am live on the Gareth Cliff (@GarethCliff) show on 5fm, and confirmed on Twitter by Leon Schuster using his Twitter handle @SchuksSchuster:
Oh Schucks! Sticks & stones may break my bones, but now I’m gonna be ROASTED by @ComedyCentralAF! #RoastZA #Nandos
Click to Tweet: .@ComedyCentralAF & #Nandos to Roast Comic & Prankster @SchuksSchuster #RoastZA #ComedyHeaven
Comments Evert van der Veer, Channel Director, Comedy Central, Africa: “We are delighted that a comedy icon like Leon Schuster has agreed to be roasted by Comedy Central, and thatNando’s is adding flame to the fire. We have always had him in our sights since the idea of an African Roast was first floated, and we are delighted to have worn him down at last: this is South Africa’s chance to get some revenge on the nation’s most infamous practical joker!”
Adds van der Veer: “We are doing our second African Roast a little later than planned, due to Leon’s upcoming movie, but we decided to move the Roast to 2014 rather than compromise on our choice of victim – I mean, Roastee! We will also have a fabulous new Roast to premiere on National Braai Day on 24 September 2013, in the form of the eminently roastable James Franco.”
“Just like Nando’s, Leon Schuster is a South African institution and we’re sure all those who have been pranked by him over the years will be eagerly watching to see the tables turned andLeon having to face what he dishes out,” said Ashley Stansfield, Nando’s Advertising and PR Manager. “Nando’s has a long established reputation of entertaining South Africans and we are looking forward to being part of this opportunity to prank the prankster. We know that Nando’sfans will be eagerly anticipating this event.”
The decision to “Roast” Schuster sets to rest the ongoing Twitter debate about which South African personalities deserved a Roast of their own: the Twitterverse has been alight with speculation about potential candidates, from Gareth Cliff to Herschelle Gibbs, Nonhle Thema, Riaan Cruywagen, Danny K, and Kuli Roberts. Further suggestions received by Comedy Central via its online poll included Kenny Kunene, Debra Patta, Nonhle Thema, Nataniel, Anele Mdoda, Mandoza and John Vlismas.
Staged in 2012, the first African Roast, “The Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr”, was a landmark TV and entertainment event which saw controversial singer, actor, poet and polemicistSteve Hofmeyr (@Steve_Hofmeyr) well and truly spitted by Trevor Noah (@TrevorNoah),Casper de Vries (@casperrasper), John Vlismas (@fortyshort), Anele Mdoda (@anele),Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Robert Whitehead, David Kau (@davidkau1), Kuli Roberts(@kuliroberts) andMinki van der Westhuizen (@minki_vdwest).Comic provocation, good-natured ribbing, outrageous anecdotes (true and false) and some genuinely barbed remarks made the Roast great watching on both TV and video – achieving Comedy Central’s highest TV rating ever, and selling thousands of units on DVD.
Highlights of the show, taped in September 2012 at the Lyric Theatre, Johannesburg, included Hofmeyr arriving on set in a blinged-out, pimped-up “ossewa” (ox-wagon) to the unapologetically triumphal strains of “Baas van die Plaas”. A gleefully wicked stint as Roastmaster by comedianTrevor Noah, a supremely catty dissection of the singer by Casper de Vries, and sharp exchanges between John Vlismas and Hofmeyr – which ended in Hofmeyr literally crammingVlismas’ script down his throat – rounded out the event.
Comedy Central Roastsare standout TV comedy events that have featured famous names from the worlds of entertainment, media, business and celebrity. US Roastees who have previously settled their eminent posteriors on the infamous Roasthot seat include James Franco,Roseanne Arnold, William Shatner, David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, Denis Leary and Flava Flav. Filmed in front of a live audience, each Roastfeatures a Roastmaster who presides over the eventand introduces the guests (or Roasters), who dish out good-natured insults and hilarious tributes to the Roastee. The Roastee also joins in the fun, meets old friends, gets the chance to refute his critics and rounds up the show with a final closing statement.
To find out more about Comedy Central’s latest Roast, like us on Facebook or follow the fun on Twitter (@ComedyCentralAF), Instagram (http://instagram.com/comedycentralAF) or Tumblr(http://comedycentralafrica.tumblr.com). To join the conversation about the next SA Roast, please add #RoastZA to your tweets.
