In the heat of a roast

Flanked by a squadron of dancing German maidens and swinging his best Vegas-ready groove, David Hasselhoff -- former “Baywatch” star, European rock god, ex-”America’s Got Talent” judge and drunken YouTube sensation -- stormed into a packed Sony Studios soundstage and launched into a hearty rendition of the ‘70s classic “Hooked on a Feeling.”

“I’m high on believing that you’re in love with ME!” “The Hoff” crooned, maneuvering through a throng of cheering fans and celebrities for the taping of “The Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff,” which premieres Sunday on the cable network.

But sometimes love hurts. A highlight reel showcasing Hasselhoff’s career was punctuated by the cringe-provoking home video of him shirtless on the floor of a hotel room, slurring his words and drunkenly trying to eat a hamburger while his daughter pleaded with him to stop.

And as he sat above the proceedings in a lifeguard chair, a parade of comedians and a surreal mix of personalities including former costar Pamela Anderson, wrestler Hulk Hogan, actor George Hamilton, comic Gilbert Gottfried and talk-show host Jerry Springer spent more than three hours killing Hasselhoff softly with their jokes, labeling him a washout, a lush and a has-been.

“How can you embarrass a man who so thoroughly embarrasses himself?” quipped roast master Seth MacFarlane, creator of Fox’s hit “Family Guy.” Comedian Lisa Lampanelli cracked that Hasselhoff’s liver was so black it could have sex “with two of the Kardashian sisters.” Greg Giraldo told Hasselhoff that when alcohol does its taxes, “it lists you as a dependent.”

“How’s that chain of all-you-can-eat-off-the-floor restaurants working out for you?” joked Jeffrey Ross, stealing a look at the guest of honor. As the comic carnage continued, Hasselhoff grimaced, moaned and shifted in his seat, but a smile rarely left his face.

Hasselhoff, 58, is the 15th “guest of honor” of the Comedy Central Roast, a series of annual specials which have grown in the last few years into the network’s most popular offering, attracting between 2 million and 3 million viewers. Uncensored versions of the roasts have been hot sellers on DVD, also boosting the visibility and profiles of Lampanelli and Ross.

Producers say the Hasselhoff roast, which follows comedic skewerings of Anderson, Flavor Flav, William Shatner and Bob Saget, is perhaps the most lavish and meticulously produced yet.

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A tradition of teasing

The Comedy Central roast is a steroid version of the tame televised roasts Dean Martin hosted in the 1970s. And in the end, the “roast” is a crash course of affection and tribute for the roastee. The jokes, while vicious in content, are never meant to be personally harmful. It is one of the few forums where seasoned comedians and celebrities can feel comfortable in blasting one another with the understanding that nothing is to be taken seriously.

After the Hasselhoff event, Ross said, “This is what the true comedians do when we get around each other, when we can feel the freedom of creativity.”

The tradition of “roasting” began with the Friars Club of New York, a fraternity of show business insiders, in 1909 and became a more formal event in 1949, when Maurice Chevalier was the first “roastee” at a luncheon. Distinguished by dirty jokes and ribald humor, the events are designed to honor celebrities with “spectacular careers.’”

Said Michael Caputo, general manager of the Friars Club: “We only roast the ones we love.” Quentin Tarantino is scheduled to be roasted by the Friars Club this October, with Samuel L. Jackson as roast master.

Still, the no-holds-barred nature of the roasts have sparked controversy. A 1993 Friars roast of Whoopi Goldberg drew fire when then-boyfriend Ted Danson appeared in blackface and used racial slurs. The Pamela Anderson event in 2005 was nearly overtaken by Courtney Love, who repeatedly interrupted the proceedings with outrageous and apparently inebriated behavior.

In 1998, Comedy Central started airing roasts held by the Friars Club of New York before deciding in 2003 to produce its own.

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Agreeing to be mocked

When he agreed to participate in Comedy Central’s event, Hasselhoff knew his campy acting career, his enormous popularity in Germany and his problems with drinking would make him an easy target, particularly because he has mostly stayed quiet about his notoriety.

Yet he prepared for weeks for the grilling and approached the event not as an ordeal but as the best and funniest way to address his notorious past and put it behind him.

Said Elizabeth Porter, Comedy Central’s senior vice president for talent and specials: “David was game, thoughtful, strategic, hilarious and open. He can say, ‘I’ve fallen down and messed up. And you know what? I’m going to deal with it in a humorous way. I’m going to deal with the elephant in the room, drag it out, shoot it and then it’s done.’ ”

In preparations leading to the roast, Hasselhoff was very much in the loop, and producers made it a priority to make him feel comfortable in being part of the joke. He engaged in writers’ meetings for his rebuttal at the end of the roast and was involved in jokey promos. (In one, he sang “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?”) Instead of being a beating, it was clear that the roast was more akin to a tribute.

“I fell in love with David Hasselhoff,” Porter said. “I was personally invested in what he was going to hear, what he was going to go through. I was very nervous for him. But through it all, he was fine.”

Still, many in the audience probably felt sorry for Hasselhoff. Some of the raw language and punch lines involving the Holocaust, offensive racial stereotypes and barbs directed not only at him but at others on the dais provoked shocked gasps and surprised “can-you-believe someone really said that?” laughter from the audience.

Lines of political correctness were not only crossed, they were covered with dynamite and blown up. When Lampanelli compared Anderson’s breast enhancement operations to surgeries performed on film critic Roger Ebert, whose battles with cancer have robbed him of his lower jaw and the ability to speak, the audience groaned.

The comedian immediately fired back with a coarse barb at the audience, reminding them, “It’s a roast.”

Porter said the roasts have given a boost to the edgy brand of Comedy Central, which also airs “South Park,” “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report”: “We as a network should push to be loud and provocative and impactful. It speaks to our world where there is this bizarre daily consumption of celebrity culture. The roast is the way of dealing with it with self-deprecation.”

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Not all happy campers

Some past roastees, including Joan Rivers and Chevy Chase, have indicated that being a good sport while being publicly bombarded with insults about careers, family and other potentially delicate topics didn’t make for an entirely enjoyable evening.

Chase, who stars on NBC’s “Community,” does not have fond memories of his New York Friars Club/Comedy Central roast in 2002.

“I didn’t know three-quarters of the people on the dais,” Chase said. “They just battered me. It’s one thing when it’s your friends and they know you. It’s different when you’re being dumped on by people who are half as funny as you are. I didn’t know how sensitive I was till I went through that. But I got over it.”

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Understanding the appeal

Dr. Paul Dobransky, a Chicago-based psychiatrist who has written about the meaning of behavior in comedy, said roasts are healthful outlets, both for the honoree and the audience.

“If roasts were more prevalent, it might be a cure for hate speech,” said Dobransky. “Society has set up these rules for us to be courteous when we’re socializing. But there’s this reptilian side of us, this unconscious dark side that drives us to do things that are impulsive and allows us to laugh at ourselves. Participating or watching a roast is a healthy way of being human. It’s a pressure valve release for everybody.”

At the after-party, Hasselhoff, who just finished filming “Hop” with Russell Brand and is currently shooting a reality show with his daughters for A&E;, was in the mood to celebrate.

“It’s humbling to be here, and I’m happy to be sober,” he said, munching on a hamburger. “It wasn’t so brutal. I’m glad to be where I am in life, with my career and my family. I’m very honored.”

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greg.braxton@latimes.com