Olivia Munn (WireImage)
Who in God’s name needs another awards show?
Comedians, apparently.
Taped March 26 at the Hammerstein Ballroom, The Comedy Awards honors every aspect of comedy, from actors, writers, and directors in film and television to stand-up comics, sketch shows, and even viral videos.
We asked some of the superstars on hand if this event was necessary.
“It’s very rare that you can win a made-up award in its first year,” said “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, whose show went on to do just that in winning Best Late Night Comedy Series, only to have Stephen Colbert hijack his trophy on stage.
Seizing on the pre-show mystery surrounding the name and look of the trophy, the Post asked some of the comedians their thoughts on the actual award itself.
“Gosh, I hope it has sharp edges,” said Colbert. “The Writers Guild award is great, because it’s got a pen nib in front of it. No one would suspect it, but it would be a fantastic murder weapon. I’ve actually used it to open a can of peaches.”
As the hostless show began, the mass indifference of its attendees worked in its favor. Stewart, the night’s first presenter, began by telling the crowd, “We’re gonna look back on this night years from now and think, remember that one year Comedy Central did that award show? F***ing weird.”
“The Other Guys” won Best Comedy Film. Tina Fey, accepting the trophy for Best Comedy Actress, Film, for “Date Night,” ended her brief speech with, “on a serious note, Tracy Morgan needs another kidney. I don’t know what happened, but if anyone here is willing to part with a kidney, come over to table 15.”
Not every comedian, including the winners, got into the spirit of the evening.
“This is definitely the greatest moment in the sh***iest night of my life,” said Louis CK, who confirmed that he was not joking after winning the award for Best Stand-Up Special.
“I hate everything else I’ve experienced here this evening. But this [award] is really nice.”
In the end, though, most appreciated the ceremony for the sheer fun of it, and for the recognition it afforded those who don’t regularly earn the accolades and millions of A-listers such as Stewart and Fey.
“When you’re a comedian, you’re the guy they put on at the Comedy Cellar at 1:00 in the morning in front of the wait staff and some drunk Norwegian sailors,” said Stewart. “So anything that brings you beyond that sense of performing for a plate of hummus brings a great deal of satisfaction.”
THE COMEDY AWARDS
Today, 9 p.m., Comedy Central, Spike TV, VH1, CMT, TV Land, and Logo