Onstage, Triangle expatriate Alina Simone has been known to break out the occasional Britney Spears cover. From there, one supposes, it's a short step to performing in the guise of Rielle Hunter -- notorious paramour of North Carolina's former senator/presidential candidate, John Edwards.

Improbably, Simone will don a blonde wig to do just that on Thursday at Brookyn's PowerHouse Arena, playing Hunter in "Edwards! The Musical." A satirical treatment of a pretty tragic series of events, "Edwards!" has been tapped as entertainment at the launch party for "The McSweeney's Book of Politics and Musicals." You can check out the script for "Edwards!" here.

When you get right down to it, most every popular song ever written is about one thing and one thing only. You shouldn't have to ask about what that one thing might be. But in case you do, McSweeney's breaks it down.

(Thanks, Brian.)