Kids are unfiltered, and thus, terrifyingly honest. Enter 30-something Bill Geerhart in the ’90s — unemployed, opinionated, and best able to express his snark through writing. Thus began Little Billy’s Letters, a collection of correspondences between some of the most recognizable figures in popular culture and Bill, posing as ten-year-old Billy (chicken scratch, typos, and all). Think political, religious, and educational advice from icons who range from the cast of 90210 to Charles Manson. While some of the responses Billy receives consist only of a signed head shot, others are incredibly sensitive and well thought out. Check out his letter to then Governor Sarah Palin, along with the response he got from her dad, after the jump.

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In Daniel Nester’s book of essays How to Be Inappropriate he tells us about dating a Williamsburg painter who had her feet licked for money; attempting to put a curse on his neighbor for failing to curb his dog; befriending The King of Kong video gamer Todd Rogers. He also provides us with a short cultural history of mooning. Yes, that mooning. We’ve excerpted our favorite bit after the jump. Warning: Thanks to his hilariously inappropriate Periodic Table of Mooning it’s probably NSFW.

Variations of moon/the moon as act/mooning, as defined by the author:
1. Anonymous Moon
2. Backwards Yoga Instructor Moon (see Inadvertent Moon)
3. Banana Split, male handstand with legs spread
4. Beaver Moon, moon with female genitalia somehow exposed (see Rotating Beaver Moon)
5. Bent-Over Moon Read More »

Street-installation artist Mark Jenkins uses unlikely juxtapositions to shake people loose from their day-to-day expectations.

The streets of world cities aren’t just the backdrop for Mark Jenkins’ sculptural interventions; they’re also an integral part of the work itself. His clear-tape and more realistic mixed-media sculptures of animals, babies, and scraggly, Robert Gober-esque transients incorporate edifice walls, bent poles, and even garbage piles into site-specific subversions of the norm. Read More »

There are infinite LOLs to be had on the internet, but only one book each year can win the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The contenders for an award that has in the past gone to David Sedaris and Jon Stewart this year include Sloane Crosley, Ian Frazier, Don Lee and Laurie Notaro. Among the unrecognized: the prevailing internet trend of LOLCats, which was translated into last year’s paperback I Can Has Cheezburger?: A LOLcat Colleckshun.  Instead, this year’s nominations went to three essay collections and a novel.  How did Crosley, nominated for I Was Told There’d Be Cake, take the news? She told us:

I’d be honored to be on the same e-mail chain as these other writers, so to be put up for the same prize is out of control.

As for Professor Happycat, there’s always next year.

The Weddings & Celebrations section  of the New York Times may sometimes seem like a parody of itself (“The bride, 26, was until recently a second-grade teacher at Fancy Schmancy Prep School…”), and this old joke finally reaches its apotheosis in sketch comedy group Kasper Hauser’s new parody, Weddings of the Times. The book is a collection of fake wedding announcements that look and read remarkably like the ones in the Sunday paper. Their humor is so subtle, in fact, that if you lose your context for a second, you might forget you’re reading a parody. (And it gets even freakier when you check out the videos that go along with the book.) Read More »

1. Sir Alan Sugar (the Trump of the British Apprentice) has been appointed an Enterprise Tsar by prime minster Gordon Brown [via Guardian]
Why this IS funny: If this is the beginning of reality show stars joining the political powers, bring on Speidi as Obama’s press management, and Janis Dickinson as cultural adviser.
Why this ISN’T funny: Sir Alan does have over 40 years of successful business experience, and if there’s any silver lining to the economic crisis, with his expertise and foresight, maybe it’ll be him who finally gets rid of the PM by shouting “you’re fired!” Read More »

1. South Carolina funeral home closed after dismembering corpse to fit casket [via Count On 2]
Why this IS Funny: The corpse in question was buried back in 2004.
Why this ISN’t Funny: “…a funeral home employee used an electric saw to cut off James Hines’ lower legs so he would fit in a casket that he was too tall for.” Barf. Also, they were only fined $1500. Doesn’t that seem too nice? Read More »

1. A Brinks armored truck accidentally dropped $335,000 on the street in Syracuse, New York [via CNN]
Why this ISN’T funny: $60,000 of Brinks’ money is still missing, most likely being squandered on wine, women, and/or art supplies.
Why this IS funny: CNN reported yesterday that the men who returned the other $275,000 were rewarded by Brinks Co. with a T-shirt and a gold coin commemorating the company’s 150th anniversary. Read More »

We should have realized the real answer to our post-Obama comedy question would come from the talented snark lords over at The Onion.

Luckily for our country, their mocking abilities know no limits. Be honest, you have a friend who could have been “interviewed” for this piece — or maybe you’re the one who is feeling a little blue.

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are