Friars Club to roast actor Jack Black

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NEW YORK, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Actor, comedian and musician Jack Black is to be the subject of the 2013 Friars Club Roast in New York this spring, organizers said Wednesday.

The high-profile comedy event is to take place April 5.

Previous honorees include Betty White and Quentin Tarantino.

"We only roast the ones we love and with Jack, we love his comedy, we love his music and we love his enormous talent. It's going to be a great day for all of us. We are all big fans of Jack and being roasted by the Friars is an honor he richly deserves. I wouldn't miss this event for the world, nor will his peers," Friars Club Abbot Jerry Lewis said in a statement.

"We could not be more pleased to have Jack Black as our guest of honor for our next roast,"

Friars Club Executive Director Michael Gyure said. "He is loved by movie and concertgoers of every generation, and he is an excellent and deserving recipient of this revered tradition."

"What did I get myself into this time? I'm searching for a loophole in my contract, maybe there's a way I can weasel myself out of this thing," Black said. "Those bastards are going to brutalize me, but Jerry Lewis assured me it's going to be the highlight of my career, so I guess I got to go through with it."

Black's film credits include "Bernie," "Tropic Thunder," "Nacho Libre," "King Kong," "School of Rock," "High Fidelity" and "Shallow Hal," as well as the "Kung Fu Panda" animated movies.