I don't mean to sound like a grouch but many of the recent awardees are just unworthy.  They give it to Hollywood and TV celebrities so all their Hollywood and TV friends can be part of the big star-studded gala program.  That's all it's really about, imo.  TV folks like Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are worthy because, like Twain, their humor is tired to social satire and their programs have truly impacted public debate. But just to give it to comedians and comediennes who did funny sketch comedy on TV or acted in silly comedy movies - bah, humbug.

If anyone deserves the award nowadays, imo, it'd be the founders and editorial staff of TheOnion.com.

Steve Hoffman
Takoma Park MD


Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: Kent Rasmussen <[log in to unmask]> 
Date: 10/22/2013  5:02 PM  (GMT-05:00) 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Subject: Re: This year's Mark Twain Prize for Humor 
 
According to the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize web page, the "Prize
recognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways simi=
lar
to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mar=
k
Twain." If that is the case, why is it that the prize has never been awar=
ded
to anyone known primarily for writing?=20

So long as the prize helps keep Mark Twain's name before the public, I
suppose it is for the good However, I'd feel a lot better about it if it =
had
at least been offered to Kurt Vonnegut. (Does anyone know if it was?)

Kent Rasmussen

P.S. While Googling to see if I could find an answer to my question about=

Vonnegut, I found a page hypothesizing that he is the reincarnation of Ma=
rk
Twain! I don't believe in reincarnation, but if it really happens, that
hypothesis is certainly intriguing.

http://www.iisis.net/index.php?page=3Dmark-twain-kurt-vonnegut-reincarnat=
ion-past-life-lives-kevin-ryerson-walter-semkiw&hl=3Den_US

P.P.S. Can someone explain to me in what ways Will Ferrell's impact on
American society has been similar to that of Mark Twain?