This month "Vanity Fair," chose new legends of comedy for a portfolio that uses classic comedic and historic characters to showcase their talents. As VF says in its intro:
In these tough times, America is lucky to have the community of comic talent featured here: men and women who will band together for the perfect setup, charm laughs from their audience, and seize on just about any icon.
The portfolio is mostly Judd Apatow's men (and their circle) but does include SNL alum Amy Poehler, House Bunny's Anna Faris and Arrested Development's Jason Bateman.
It begins with a jab at Vanity Fair itself and the famous "Tom Ford's Hollywood" cover that showed three nude starlets and the eponymous guest editor fully clothed. This time the shot includes Paul Rudd creepily sniffing Seth Rogan's neck while Jonah Hill and Jason Segel lounge in nude suits.
Next comes Danny McBride ("The Breakthrough") pictured as Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." He's the star of the new HBO comedy series "East Bound and Down," which has been critically well received.
And, of course, husband and wife team Amy Poehler and Will Arnett featured here as the "Accomplices." Both are working on NBC shows, Arnett on "30 Rock" and Poehler on the upcoming "Parks and Recreation."
Also pictured are Russell Brand as Charlie Chaplin; Paul Rudd as Gene Wilder's character from "Young Frankenstein"; Bill Hader, Anna Farris, Jason Bateman, and Leslie Mann as The Honeymooners; Jonah Hill as George Washington; Jason Segel as Buster Keaton; and this Kahlo-inspired pic that looks nothing like Seth Rogan.
Vanity Fair's site also has video of each of the shoots. Here's a look at some of the set-ups that didn't make the cut and short interviews with Jason Segel, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogan: