Thank goodness for Gary Shandling, who led the final conversation back to praise of Apatow, causing him to ask "Is this a reverse roast?" Still, I was left feeling like I wasn't inside the Apatow fandom enough to fully appreciate the evening, since the laughs and insight didn't quite make up for the uncomfortable moments. Though I'm not sure anyone in the crowd was a particularly hardcore fan of Tom Arnold or Andy Dick, and if their reminiscences had been focused on Apatow anecdotes instead of themselves we all might have been happier.
Whatever PaleyFest lacked for me this year by my not being a hardcore fan of the honorees, it more than made up for with the thrill of being a fan of television and being given a peek behind the scenes. Even witnessing the coming together of fans and the object of their fandom is a happy experience, as long as you don't get between a squealing teen and her sightline of FNL's Scott Porter.
The Paley Center is attempting to expand PaleyFest beyond the 900 or so who could fit into the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood by posting video highlights of all sessions on their website, and they partnered with The Futon Critic, who did live blogging of many sessions. Full session videos are available at the Center's libraries in Los Angeles and New York.
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1 - Josh Lasser
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