A Toast to George

I don't know if I'm gonna make it through this post without losing it. I'm still not quite over the death of George Carlin. At the time of his death, he was prepping for his next HBO special and had just found out he was going to be the next recipient for the Mark Twain Prize -- something he would have truly enjoyed. It's just such a damn shame that we were robbed of his genius so soon. I'm glad to find out that a bevy of respected comedians, and friends of Carlin's, gathered to posthumously award him the Mark Twain Prize, which will air this spring for us all to enjoy and pay respects:

The Kennedy Center's posthumous presentation of the Mark Twain Prize to George Carlin had the feel of an Irish wake as a who's who of top comics paid irreverent tribute to the pioneering social satirist on Monday night. Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin, Bill Maher and Joan Rivers were among those who took part in the raucous event at the Kennedy Center. Carlin was named this year's Twain Prize recipient in June, one week before his death at age 71. Presenters also included Lewis Black, Garry Shandling, Denis Leary, Richard Belzer and Margaret Cho. When they weren't poking fun at Carlin or at frequent target Sarah Palin, comics were praising Carlin's social criticism and his impact on their own careers....Carlin's family looked down from a box at the center's Concert Hall as a parade of video clips spanned the influential comic's career...The Twain Prize, in its 11th year, is produced by Bob Kaminsky and Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, Cappy McGarr and WETA Washington. Event will air on PBS stations April 1. [variety]