Favorite Comedian/Inspiring Funny

What makes you laugh out loud? What authors and people have driven you to write comedy?((Your mother driving you to a comedy workshop, while really swell, is not what I mean.))

I just started reading Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain. He's a lot funnier than I knew him from Huck Finn. http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/twainlfe.htm It's also very anti-religious. So if somehow you've slipped into this funny realm but don't like anti-religion talk, stay away from this.

Uncle Fred Flits By, by P.G. Wodehouse is an old short story. A classy bit of funny. http://members.multimania.co.uk/shortstories/wodehouseuncle.html

I can't say enough about Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut as authors. As musicians though, dreadful. ((Note: completely made up. They're probably both a sight better than I at anything musical. Except, of course, descending from a line of people that got kicked out of chorus by a nun. I really do excel there. That's my musical forte if you will.)) Mitch Hedberg and Steven Wright as comedians. Dave Barry and Steven Colbert are also genius and inspiring to me.

Share with me your favorites, your inspirations. I need to consume more funny.

My favorite comedian is Steve Carroll. My laugh out loud author is Sophie Kinsella, with the Shopaholic Series. And I love those stupid old Leslie Nielsen films, espl. Top Secret. Oooh, and Shawn of the Dead!

Groucho Marx. He's been inspiration for hundreds of funny lines I've done.

I also love Douglas Adams. He's epic.

I'm a huge fan of standup, so my two favorites are Gabriel Iglesias and Jeff Dunham.

Mitch Hedberg, most definitely. Plus Eddie Izzard and Jim Gaffigan.

Spike Milligan's novella, 'The Murphy.'

The dark humour of Lemony Snicket.

All of the Blackadder episodes, from all the series.

Robert Rankin's 'Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of The Apocalypse.'

The Flight of the Conchords.

Most of what I read is funny in some way, usually funnier the second time. I like subtler jokes, usually, in novels, but huge recurring things are great too. Most of my favorite authors (Scott Westerfeld, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black) tend to write fairly serious plotlines with outrageously funny characters or situations, which is great.

But if I'm going for new instant funny inspiration, I like to watch a couple episodes of Gin Tama (which is the funniest anime in history, believe me.) It always cheers me up and helps me when I have writer's block.

It can't get much better than Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.

I know none of you care, but I get to see Jeff Dunham tomorrow night from the fourth row. Aww yeah.