Rocky ends up 'well done' in roast

If Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson had been a Thanksgiving turkey at Friday night's "Rockyroast" fund-raiser, he would have come out well done.

The event, which parodied Dean Martin's celebrity roasts of the past, was held to raise money for the Salt Lake Acting Company.

Between laughs, while mingling with guests prior to the roast, Anderson said he felt "apprehensive" about the event.

And who could blame him?

Anderson agreed to have himself berated in front of more than 400 community members, not exactly something any person would sign up to do.

He was escorted into the Rose Wagner Center by Salt Lake's own nontraditional cheerleading group, Pom Poms not Bomb Bombs, whose members were wildly waving crossing flags. The crowd rose and roared loudly as Rocky entered to the song "Gonna Fly Now," the theme from the movie "Rocky."

"I understand the mayor enters City Hall this way every morning," emcee and ABC4 News reporter Chris Vanocur said.

The two-hour roast featured Pat Bagley, a political cartoonist from The Salt Lake Tribune; Jim Braden, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon's public information officer; Dani Eyer, a lawyer and former director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah; Tom Barberi, Utah's radio broadcaster; Babs DeLay, a planning and zoning judge; and a surprise appearance by Anderson's son, Luke.

No portion of Anderson's life during his past seven years of service was safe.

Jokes targeted Anderson's policies on local transportation, pedestrian-crossing flags, the banning of water bottles, his constant firings of employees, his stance on international politics, his campaign to impeach President Bush, ugly neckties and his personal relationships.

But all in all, the cynical attempts to roast Anderson came out warm and fuzzy. Each "roaster" thanked him for his dedication, time and service to the community.

As Anderson was escorted to the stand by "Gayle Godzika," a rapping drag queen, for his final words, the crowd again rose, clapping and cheering. Shouts of "Rocky! Rocky!" bounced off the walls.

As Anderson stood there, contemplative before the crowd, he impatiently waved off the music. Then, turning to the roasters, he said, "I wish I could hire each one of you and fire your ---!"

Anderson then graciously thanked everyone for their participation and support of SLAC and for their support during his time in office.

Anderson's second term as Salt Lake City's mayor ends in early 2008.

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E-mail: nhale@desnews.com