The Onion unpeels another layer

The Onion is best known as a spoof newspaper, with a lesser known spinoff book series and radio clips. 

Now comes a weekly half-hour TV version of the brand, the Onion News Network. This spoof of TV news (mission statement: "A tomahawk of honesty in the skull of lies") is currently broadcast on the IFC cable channel. 

As with the newspaper, website, books and radio show, there are some dud jokes that fall flat. But for the most part, ONN is a spot-on spoof of local and national news.

The spoofs start from the get-go, with a bombastic, sound-effect heavy intro that weaves in the ridiculous (images of digital fingerprints, ala "CSI"). "Anchors" spoof the latest in overwrought broadcast TV gadgets, such as touchscreen pinch-and-zoom monitors that look good but add little to the storytelling. ONN cut no corners when it comes to production values. 

Actress Suzanne Sena plays anchor "Brooke Alvarez" perfectly. Sena has a real-life TV background so she knows the ins and outs of the business. She's perfect as ONN's caustic voice of reason, regularly chastising ONN reporters, sources and viewers for being mere shadows of her greatness. 

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This may be the funniest Onion bit ever

Child Bankrupts Make-A-Wish Foundation With Wish For Unlimited Wishes

'25 Bands, 25 Cover Songs, 1 Small, Round Room'

The Onion's AV Undercover has come up with a great idea: Have 25 bands perform live covers of 25 songs by artists big and small. Here's the catch: The list of 25 songs is finite, with one song performed a week. After a song is performed, it's scratched off the list, leaving fewer choices for the next performer.

Week to week you don't know who the performer will be or what song they'll choose.

So far, artists as diverse as Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Alkaline Trio, Cursive and Justin Townes Earle (Steve Earle's kid) have had their shot in the spotlight, covering songs by Tears for Fears, Archers of Loaf, Starship and Bruce Springsteen.

Songs yet to be performed include M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes"; REM's "Driver 8"; and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." Journey's "Faithfully" is even on the list, which is some kinda curveball. I'm waiting to see who has the courage to tackle The Replacements' "I Will Dare."

It's all great fun, and a cool way to show off some fresh artists adding their own twists to great songs.