Something funny's going on behind closed doors.

by Contributor

Place Matters
What began in 1904 as a meeting of the Press Agents Association has grown into a members-only club whose Manhattan headquarters is steeped in comedic history. The elegant entrance hall with its rich wood paneling and imported Italian marble conveys an air of class and respectability that Carrot Top will never attain. Photos of legends like Johnny Carson and Milton Berle surround the main dining room while the Celebrity Room features portraits of "Roast" honorees amidst encased paraphernalia like Jack Benny's violin.

On the Scene
The Friars legendary ranks include everyone from George Burns and Groucho to contemporaries like Drew Carey. A place of privacy and fellowship, this place is most publicly associated with its annual celebrity roasts--for which honorees are subjected to peer testimonials ranging from witty tributes to filthy insults. The lesser-known Testimonial Dinners recognize humanitarian endeavors.