‘Too Many Stars’ uses comedy to aid autism
— You’re a bit late to bid on the chance to join John Oliver in robbing a wine store.
You’re also too late to bid on taking a bow onstage with the cast of the Broadway hit “It’s Only a Play” while Louis C.K. presents you with flowers in front of bemused theater patrons.
Never mind. You can catch such fundraising high jinks and lots more Sunday night during Comedy Central’s “Night of Too Many Stars” telethon, which gathers Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Bill Burr, Steve Buscemi, Gilbert Gottfried, Chris Rock and others to raise money for autism educational programs.
Live cut-ins will feature a celebrity phone bank staffed by stars such as Fred Armisen, Andy Cohen, Tony Danza, Larry David, Willie Geist, Susan Sarandon, Martin Short and Larry Wilmore.
Since 2006, these biennial telethons have raised more than $18 million.
Taped at Manhattan’s Beacon Theatre last Saturday, the evening began with host Jon Stewart reminding everyone that the purpose is not to
raise money for an autism cure: “It’s about helping people who live with autism right now. The only clinically proven treatment for autism is appropriate, intensive education.
“It’s a great show,” he added. “I know, because Brian Williams and Bill O’Reilly told me.”
Jon Bon Jovi performs a rousing rendition of “Wanted Dead or Alive” with vocal assistance from Will Forte, who, between his chime-ins, stays glued to his smartphone, texting.
Jim Gaffigan addresses the region’s raw, miserable weather that seems to always catch sufferers off-guard: “We’re annoyed that it’s freezing in February! We want to
blame somebody: ‘It’s freezing. Obama!’ ”
A highlight is the return of young Jodi DiPiazza, who wowed the crowd at the “Night of Too Many Stars” bash in 2012 when she played the piano and sang in a duet with Katy Perry. This time, Jodi, now 13, performs alongside another of her favorite entertainers, “Weird Al" Yankovic, in a rendition of his “Lola” sendup, “Yoda” (“I know Darth Vader’s really got you annoyed/ But remember, if you kill him, then you’ll be unemployed”).
Besides being a comfortable fit among the night’s stars, Jodi, diagnosed with autism at age 2, is an example of the benefits of proper education and therapy.
“Night of Too Many Stars” arose from the difficulty Robert Smigel and his wife, Michelle, had in finding the right educational resources for their autistic son, Daniel, who now is 17. To fill the gap, they joined with other parents to establish their own school in New York. But the venture required fundraising, as did similar educational programs nationwide they wanted to support.
Smigel is an actor and writer best known for his wisecracking puppet, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (currently headlining with Jack McBrayer on Adult Swim’s “The Jack and Triumph Show”), and he’s held in esteem by many members of the comic mafia. They have flocked to the telethons he has since stewarded; this year’s “Night of Too Many Stars” is the fifth.
“When we started this event,” Smigel told the audience this time, “we called autism a disease. Then we changed it to a disorder. Now we call it a condition.
“Everybody in this room understands,” he said, surely also meaning everyone who sees the broadcast. “But there’s so much left for the rest of the world to learn about what these kids are capable of.”