Shes Funny! (For a Girl)

"Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler Simon Spotlight Entertainment $24.95 264 pages

Of late, a debate has been raging - Resolved: men are funnier than women. In our defense, I would say, "Women have the best sense of humor; look at the men we marry."

You will have your opinion of how funny Handler may (or may not) be. I can say that if similes were removed from her writing vocabulary, this book would only be 132 pages long.

However sucessful Handler's career has turn out ("Chelsea Lately" on E, appearances on Leno and Letterman) it didn't start out with much promise. At 6 she was lying to classmates about being in a movie with Meryl Streep; at 12 she set up a babysitting business and sat with children two years old than she was at the time.

"I got my first DUI a week after my 21st birthday" she starts a funny account of some 24 hours at Sybil Brand Women's Prison. Her adventures continue -- travel with girlfriends and an unforgettable trip with her Dad. He got them upgrades into 1st Class by claiming she was his new wife and that they were honeymooning. Since Handler lies at the drop of a hat, we could argue that the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree.... Maybe her Dad is even funnier; we'll have to wait for his book.