NEW YORK, Dec 26, 2001/ --- The editors of MAD Magazine, America's foremost experts in stupidity, have chosen Rev. Jerry Falwell, for blaming the terrorist attacks of September 11th on "the abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians" to top its list of the fourth annual MAD 20, the humor monthly's year-end review of "The Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2001."

"We thought Falwell had reached his personal pinnacle of dumbness a few years ago when he accused the Teletubbies of promoting homosexuality," said MAD co-Editor, John Ficarra. "Give the guy credit, we underestimated him."

"He was listed sixth on the list in 1999," chimed in fellow co-Editor, Nick Meglin. " But now he's redefined dumbness and made it to the top spot. We congratulate the Reverend!"

The MAD editors point out that the millennium is off to an extraordinarily dumb start. Ficarra explained, "The botched Presidential election made 2000 a very dumb year, but between Falwell's moronic comments after September 11th, the Gary Condit affair and the XFL debacle, 2001 was even dumber!"

The previous winners of MAD's "dumbest thing of the year" were Monicagate (1998), The Y2K Panic (1999) and last year's Presidential Election.

The MAD 20, a special full-color 18-page section, is featured in the year-end issue of MAD Magazine (#413), on sale at newsstands, bookstores and comic book shops everywhere.

THE MAD 20
The Dumbest People, Events and Things of 2001

1. Jerry Falwell's Ugly Remarks About September 11th


2. Celebrity Substance Abuse As A Career Move


3. "13-Year Old" Danny Almonte And The Bronx Little League Scandal


4. Bill Clinton Gets A Sweet $10 Million Book Deal


5. Anne Heche Says Bye "Bi," Goes Hetero


6. NASCAR's Abysmal Safety Record


7. Err Jordan: Michael's Foolish Comeback


8. The Supreme Court Snuffs Out Medical Marijuana


9. The Timothy McVeigh Death Lottery


10. Fuzzy Math: The Bush Tax Rebate


11. McDonald's McFixed Monopoly Game Contest


12. Puff Daddy Changes His Name To "P. Diddy"


13. The Butchers Of Beijing Awarded Olympic Games


14. Elton John Duets With Eminem At Grammy Awards


15. Weird Beard: Al Gore Grows Facial Hair


16. The XFL Debacle


17. The Bush Daughters Drunken Adventure


18. That Millionaire Guy Who Bribed The Russians To Launch Him Into Space


19. The Gary Condit Affair


20. MAD Magazine Sells Out, Accepts Ads