#5 - David Cross

David Cross is a master of sarcasm, but what sets him apart from other comedians is his perspective. He grew up in the south, outside of Atlanta. You wouldn't know it by looking at him or listening to him, but his experience there was certainly atypical and often finds its way into his act. He's jewish for one, but only by birth. His religion is actually atheism which is probably the more outlandish of the two given where he grew up. Then there's the open letter to Larry the Cable Guy, and the super liberalism he can't help but bring out in his bits.

Cross would be higher in the Top 5 if he did more stand-up work, but he hasn't recorded any original material since 2004. To his credit, that's mostly because he's being doing more lucrative work, as his writing and acting are both top notch as well. You'll remember him as Tobias in Arrested Development or in various roles on HBOs Mr.Show. His stand up is pretty NSFW, and his topics are mostly political or religious. So when I set out to find an example of his funnier stand up work, I tried to avoid all three. I failed, but this is still funny.

So here's David discussing heaven at his most recent appearance in his hometown of Atlanta.