Ahmadinejad Addresses Pakistan in Final Appearance Before Writers Strike

By Matt Kaufman & Noah Berkowitz

MEMPHIS (NB) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran and comedian, performed a stand-up gig yesterday in Tennessee as an impending writers strike loomed over the entertainment industry.

"Tonight was likely my last opportunity to get some work in before the writers go on strike. Sure, I write a lot of my own material, but I work with a team of anti-Semites to come up with new material. With the strike pending, I had to do one last gig with the help of my comedy writers," said Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad utilized the appearance to weigh in on the current situation in Pakistan. Over the weekend, President Pervez Musharraf declared martial law and suspended Pakistan's constitution indefinitely. Launching into new material that clearly payed homage to Jerry Seinfeld, Ahmadinejad stated, "What's the deal with things in Islamabad, Pakistan? I mean is it Islam or is it bad?" Although the Tennessee crowd seemed uninterested in international events, Ahmadinejad continued, "The President of Pakistan is named Musharraf. If you ask me, it sounds like what they really need is a New Sharraf in town!"

While Ahmadinejad's performance was symbolic of how many comedy fans could be impacted by the writers strike, it was announced that one show would continue despite the upcoming strike. In a press release from Comedy Central, the network declared that Carlos Mencia's show Mind of Mencia will continue to be produced despite the writers strike because the show is written by a team of mentally impaired gerbils who are not affiliated with Writers Guild of America.