Steve Martin has been awarded the eighth annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The ceremony sounds fun:
Dave Barry, who wrote jokes for Martin’s Oscar-hosting gig two years ago, mentioned that he performed his Academy Awards monologue with his fly open. "And," said Barry, " I think it says something about Steve as a performer, and as a man, that no one noticed."
The most off-message message of the evening came from Larry David, who told a hilarious shaggy-dog tale in which Martin mistreats a homeless guy, plagiarizes a Dorothy Parker story, abuses a cat, acts boorish in a theater and finally insults David’s Jewish heritage. "Maybe next time you’ll give this award to someone who deserves it," said David. "Someone whose personal conduct is beyond reproach. Someone like . . . uh, you’ll figure it out."