"Naked Pictures of Famous People reveals a basic truth: you've got to be smart to be a smartass." - Entertainment Weekly

Q: What do Martha Stewart, Adolf Hitler, the Hanson brothers, and Microsoft all have in common, besides being pure evil?

A: In this book, they are all mercilessly mutated from semi-dignified entities into mere playthings for our own private amusement.


Naked Pictures of Famous People (hereafter referred to as NPoFP) is amongst the rare gems of literature with the capability to make its reader forget his/her air of indifference and laugh aloud within earshot of peers. In these 18 short satires written by comedian Jon Stewart of The Daily Show fame, it is found that nothing is sacred.

NPoFP begins with a charming little satire entitled "Breakfast at Kennedy's", which, it is safe to say, is not the most politically correct story ever. However, any essay that can seamlessly combine Kennedy and a room full of mutant humanoids earns a hearty spank with my Stamp o' Approval (TM), regardless of politicallycorrectedness**.

From there, we move on to "A Very Hanson Christmas". Witness first hand the effects of fame on the family of everybody's favorite girly band via the annual Christmas Letter sent out by Mamma Hanson. This one struck a chord with me, partly due to the hilarious content, and partly because I cannot help but to laugh whenever I see anything Hanson-related...

Skipping ahead a bit, there is a chapter devoted solely to Martha Stewart's naughty bits. This essay is not as depraved as it seems upon first glance. Truly, it is quite amusing.

Judaism is next on the hit list. Of course, Stewart himself is Jewish, which adds a pleasant personal touch. He calls for a New Judaism, "to battle the erosion of the population caused by defection, apathy, and blondes", and gives a fully detailed report on the matter. I highly recommend not to be drinking milk while reading this one: it could get messy.

I believe the Larry King interview with Adolf Hitler was perhaps his most aggressive satire. You can't help but to imagine this scenario really happening, shaking your head and laughing sporadically the entire time.

Princess Di, Mother Theresa, Gerald Ford, the Taco Bell Dog, Jesus and his apostles, Da Vinci, Bill Gates... they're all here and all hysterical.

Stewart's style is somewhat reminiscent of Woody Allen's works, but I don't criticize him for that. Every one of his essays in this book are intelligently written and most are downright hilarious. There are even illustrations in one of the chapters. But, sorry - no real naked pictures. Bummer.

I tried to find something I didn't like about this book. Really, I did. The most I could come up with was the photos on the cover. I don't think they do Stewart justice. However, the photo on the back cover more than makes up for them. But you'll have to see that for yourself.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor. Someone who is easily offended on matters of religion or politics probably would not find the book quite so funny, but it would still have its moments. Read it whenever you need a good laugh.


** If George W. Bush can make up his own words to suit his needs, so can I, gosh darnit.


Recommended: Yes