Much love to both Andrew Sullivan and Joe. My. God. for pointing me to the 111 shirtless men who participated in the latest action by Improv Everywhere. IE is a NYC based group of pranksters who conduct "missions" that bring a little life, and in the case of their most recent action at Abercrombie and Fitch, flesh, to otherwise unremarkable places.

Their latest mission involved 111 men who all converged in the A & F flagship store on Fifth Ave in Manhattan and on cue remove their shirts and shop as though nothing is out of place. Hilarity and hotness ensues as you can see in the video clip to the right under You Gotta See This.

Improv Everywhere is, at its core, about having fun. We’re big believers in “organized fun”. In the process we bring excitement to otherwise unexciting locales and give strangers a story they can tell for the rest of their lives. We’re out to prove that a prank doesn’t have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them.

The group was founded by comedian/actor Charlie Todd who says

We do what makes us laugh, but we’re also interested in reclaiming public space. If giant corporations can slap ads all over town, we should be able to blanket the city with comedy.

Brilliant.