Jeff Garlin Named Roastmaster at Friars Club Roast of Boomer Esiason; Jordin Sparks to Perform

The Friars Club today announced that comedian Jeff Garlin will take the helm as Roastmaster at this year's Friars Club Roast honoring Boomer Esiason. The former NFL quarterback and NFL MVP Boomer Esiason will take his turn in the hot seat at the next Friars Club Roast on Thursday, January 30, 2014, at a luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, just in time for NYC to host the Super Bowl. Garlin, star and executive producer of HBO's award winning "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and star of ABC's new hit comedy "The Goldbergs," will lead a dais of A-list celebrities who are coming together to skewer their friend and colleague, Esiason.

In response to being named as Roastmaster at the event, Garlin responded in his characteristically witty humor: "I agreed to host whose Roast?"

Joining Garlin on stage are Friars Club Abbot Jerry Lewis, Larry King, Lewis Black, Bonnie Bernstein, Bill Cowher (CBS' NFL Today), Jeff Ross (comedian), Craig Carton (co-host, WFAN's Boomer and Carton), Jay Mohr (comedian), Carrie Keagan (VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live), Michelle Beadle (sports commentator), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Robert Wuhl (Arli$$), Sam Wyche (Cincinnati Bengals), Ian Eagle (sports announcer), Anthony Munoz (Cincinnati Bengals), and more. Jordin Sparks is scheduled to perform.

It was also announced that New York Giants co-owner and co-chair of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, Jonathan Tisch, will be the event Chairman.

"Part of the excitement of having the Super Bowl in town is the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our youth, long after the last football is snapped," said Jonathan Tisch. "The Friars Club Roast of Boomer Esiason is sure to bring lots of laughs as we raise money for worthy causes. I'm honored to serve as the Chair of this star-studded event."

Boomer is the latest recipient of a Friars honor, joining the ranks of recent honorees Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Don Rickles, and Betty White. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation, the NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation, an initiative of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, as well as the Gift of Laughter Wounded Warrior Program, a project of the Friars Foundation that has responded to the long-term plight and recovery of military service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Boomer Esiason has become the most visible national figure in the fight against cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening, genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of 30,000 children and adults in the United States. Throughout his career in professional sports and the media, Esiason has been a committed and active participant in many charitable causes, but he began focusing on cystic fibrosis (CF) in 1993 when his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the disease. In 1994, Esiason launched the Boomer Esiason Foundation, a dynamic partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities joining with a committed core of volunteers to heighten the awareness, education and quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis, while providing financial support towards research aimed at finding a cure. Since its inception, the Boomer Esiason Foundation has raised more than $100 million to support research toward a cure for CF, as well as programs directly benefiting the CF community. For more information on the Boomer Esiason Foundation, please visit http://www.esiason.org/.

As a result of his charitable work, the NFL honored Esiason in 1995 with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in recognition of his excellence on and off the football field. Esiason ended his career with 2,969 completions in 5,205 pass attempts (57 percent completion percentage) for 247 touchdowns and 37,920 yards.

For more information about the Friars Club Roast of Boomer Esiason, please visit www.friarsclub.com.

About the Friars Club
The Friars Club was founded in 1904 as a meeting place for entertainers and has achieved legendary status over the years. Its membership includes the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, BrIan Williams, Barbra Streisand, Jerry Seinfeld, Rosario Dawson, Les Moonves, Whitney Cummings, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro. The Friars Club Monastery is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan in a classic townhouse and is a Haven for entertainers young and old. For more information including news on upcoming events, please visit www.friarsclub.com.

About the Gift of Laughter Wounded Warriors Program
The Gift of Laughter Wounded Warriors Program, established in 2007, is a project of the Friars Foundation that has responded to the long-term plight and recovery of military service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Gift of Laughter Wounded Warriors Program was established as a project of the Friars Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Friars Club and a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization. The Friars Foundation is the conduit through which the Friars Club accomplishes one of its major goals: to improve society through the performing arts. Among the horrific legacies of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are the untold numbers of terminally ill, maimed and traumatized U.S. service members returning from active deployment. Those afflicted are predominantly once-healthy young individuals who, in many cases, now require full-time medical care and may continue to do so for the rest of their lives. Adding to their misfortune - and perhaps even more pervasive - are the emotional and psychological scars that returning warriors face as a result of the stress of their total experience. The program provides uplifting entertainment as a means of contributing to recovery and fostering good will. For more information, please visit www.giftoflaughter.org.

About the NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation
The NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity, created as an initiative of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee and is independent from the NFL and its individual teams. The NY/NJ Snowflake Youth Foundation will harness the excitement of Super Bowl XLVIII to raise money for charity and leave a significant and lasting legacy for our region. The mission of the Foundation is to transform after-school facilities for youth in New Jersey and the New York metro area. We are focused on assisting locations that provide school-age boys and girls with safe and supervised recreational, educational, and character-building activities. These facilities, such as local chapters of Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), empower our youth and will help them become responsible, productive, healthy, and caring members of our incredibly generous Super Bowl community at large.