At the Friars Club roast of Pat Cooper, which was held last Friday, Oct. 19, in the main ballroom of the New York Hilton in midtown, Richard Belzer apparently had a severe cold, or something.
During his roast, the actor-cum-conspiracy theorist was repeatedly and loudly sniffing into the microphone, opening and closing his jaw in a circular motion and intermittently licking his chops as he delivered a slew of sassy bon mots directed mainly at Mr. Cooper, 78, and “Roastmaster” Lisa Lampanelli (a.k.a. ‘The Queen of Mean’). His behavior was so bizarre, it caused most of the people in the audience and on the dais to shift nervously in their seats.
Then, after Mr. Belzer finished his sniffle-peppered roast, the comedian Greg Fitzsimmons stood at the podium and broke the ice. “Richard Belzer, it’s great to see your success has parlayed into you still being able to afford an eight-ball before the Roast!” Hearing this, the actor pretended to do a line of cocaine off the table in front of him while the audience erupted into hysterics.
On November 5, Mr. Belzer will host the 10th anniversary party for AboveTopSecrets.com, which bills itself as the “world’s leading website for ‘alternative topics,’ including conspiracy theories, aliens & UFO’s, government secrets, and paranormal phenomena.”
