As Adam Sandler accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, he looked at the legendary humorist’s bronze bust and said, according to the AP, “When I look at this crazy award that I’m holding, I can’t help but think that it could be one.” To be the weapon of the day with which an angry intruder, or possibly Mr. Rob Schneider, put me to sleep.
Sandler is the latest comedian and former Saturday Night Live graduate to earn recognition on a night that was part roast, part tribute and part politically charged humor.
Chris Rock pointed to the weekend’s big news: the possible arrest of Donald Trump in New York, while the former president urged his supporters to protest.
“Are you really going to arrest Trump? Do you know that this will only make him more popular? It’s like arresting Tupac. He’ll just sell more records. Are you crazy? He slept with a porn star and paid someone to keep his wife from finding out. It’s romantic.”
Dana Carvey, Steve Buscemi, Jennifer Aniston, Conan O’Brien, Drew Barrymore and Judd Apatow were also among the celebrities at the event, which airs March 26 at 8pm ET on CNN.
Despite wild success in films like Happy Gilmore And The Wedding Singer, some of his friends also noted some less memorable projects or ones that didn’t get good reviews. According to the AP, Sandler’s writing partner Tom Herlihy said they were responsible for “31 films with an overall Rotten Tomatoes score of 59.”
O’Brien said, “A lot of wonderful people flew to DC to say nice things about Adam Sandler. But have you ever wondered why so many of Adam’s friends were available to speak tonight? I’ll tell you why: Because if Adam does not work, they do not work!”
One notable moment was when Rock referenced a hit by Will Smith on the Oscars stage last year. He joked that Paul Pelosi, who was in the audience, “is the only guy who knows how I felt.” Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was seriously injured in a hammer attack by an intruder last year. He was in the audience with his wife.
“Just you and me, Paul. Just you and me baby,” Rock said.
In tribute to Sandler, Buscemi said, “Nobody makes me laugh like you do, and nobody in this industry has taken care of me better than you.”
Ben Stiller recalled that they both started out in New York and met around 1989. “It was also the year when a miracle happened to me. I was hired by Saturday Night Live. I got the job when my blood, sweat and tears finally paid off when my dad called Lorne Michaels.
He said while Sandler was working on shorts, he was on an MTV game show “where he played a character called Stud Boy.” He said Sandler will “put on a silk robe and ask attendees to guess which celebrity he last had sex with.”
He praised Sandler’s work because “everything looks effortless. I don’t want to say lazy because that’s not the right word.”
Sandler, 56, is one of 20 former Saturday Night Live cast members to receive the Mark Twain Award. Others include Bill Murray, Tina Fey and Eddie Murphy. The first honor went to Richard Pryor in 1998.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
