Women are funny

Christopher Hitchens raised a ruckus recently on the pages of Vanity Fair, proposing that men are inherently more humorous than women. The author grudgingly offered a few counter-examples of funny gals, but his picks — Nora Ephron, Fran Lebowitz, among others — aren't exactly titans of today's comedy. Perhaps Hitchens offered such feeble examples to buttress his own argument that men are vastly superior when it comes to a good joke. Or maybe he's not funny either.

We're not buying his argument. We've known plenty of gals who are a "laff riot." And we don't know the gals listed here, but here are four famous funny women who are much more amusing than many men who are considered hilarious. Stack these ladies up against Dane Cook, Adam Carolla or Carrot Top and see whether you agree:

SAMANTHA BEE: As one of the "reporters" on "The Daily Show," Bee consistently comes up with the most memorable and, yes, funny material. Given the strength of the male-dominuated cast both past and present, that's no small thing. Along with Stephen Colbert, Bee is among the best at keeping a straight face and evoking the degree of sincerity necessary to make a "Daily Show" segment work. Bee's visit to a Hooters restaurant in Ohio showed her daring side — yes, she wore the outfit. And she even successfully made light of al-Jazeera in a story about the network's nascent U.S. operation.

AMY SEDARIS: The younger sister of writer David Sedaris, Amy is proving herself a renaissance woman of comedy. Although her "Strangers with Candy" TV show was a taste many of us never acquired, it's something to admire — and just consider how it would have been simply unwatchable without Sedaris. More recently, Sedaris has branched out into books with the half-mocking "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." Written in the form of a Martha Stewart book, "I Like You" has real recipes and absurd tips on entertaining guests. The book in itself is so entertaining that there's no need to invite anyone to dinner. Just read "I Like You" over your mac and cheese.

SARAH SILVERMAN: The foul-mouthed comic first came to our attention as the annoying girlfriend in "School of Rock." Now we know her for her profane and uproarious comedy. Silverman filters the cruel sensibilities of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog through her "not so nice Jewish girl" persona. She's known for touching on taboo topics such as rape and religion. Her new show debuts on Comedy Central next month, and for once, the adjective "long-awaited" is actually applicable. We can't wait to see what she will try to get away with.


WANDA SYKES: It's no coincidence that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" clicked when Sykes began showing up, challenging Larry David's mannerisms and social skills (or lack thereof). The scene in which she accuses Larry of being an "ass man" is still one of the finest and funniest moments in the series. Given the improvisatory nature of "Curb," Sykes can't rely on scripts or routines to make her funny. She just is. Indeed, she is less amusing in carefully planned and written situations. Let Wanda be Wanda.