
6. Maria Bamford
Bamford has made clinical depression and family dysfunction the currency of big belly laughs, working a quirky combination of self-deprecating jokes, comic impersonations, and surrealism into a tapestry of non-stop ;laugh-til-it-hurts routines. Her onstage friends and rivals frequently point to her as “the most creative and original comic working today.” Audiences probably know her best as the star of a series of Target holiday commercials in which she plays dual roles—aggressive mom determined to be first in line, and ordinary mom content to get there when she gets there. Her first album, Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, hit stores in April, 2009, winning great praise from critics and brisk sales among fans.




