Make Me Laugh

Panty raid: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey

Looks like it's time to renew my subscription to Vanity Fair. The new issue pays tribute to some of our favorite funny ladies by dressing them up for photos depicting them as the tabloid-fodder "stars" of today. Annie Leibovitz snapped the fun shot of Sarah Silverman, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for VF's cover story (see inset, below) on their trade.

This inside shot features five of my faves -- (left to right) Sandra Bernhard (as Jessica Simpson???), Chelsea Handler (Britney Spears), Jenna Fischer (Lindsay Lohan), Sarah Silverman (Amy Winehouse) and Wanda Sykes (Naomi Campbell).

Others included in the spread include Leslie Mann, Susie Essman and Amy Sedaris. Hollywood has come a long way since Lucille Ball, but as Vanity Fair says, how this evolution happened is not entirely clear. The backlash school of feminism would argue that it’s the tyranny of a looks-obsessed culture that promotes sex appeal over talent, be it in comedy, pop music, or even sports. Joan Rivers blames the entertainment industry and the men who still control it. "Oh, please," she says. "Nowadays, you can’t even get on open mike with less than a C cup." Lucky for us, Chelsea Handler more than fills that bra -- and is hilarious. (VanityFair)