To Comb Over or Not to Comb Over?

There are several methods men use to hide their baldness: some wear ballcaps (director Ron Howard did it for many years); others don toupees (Tony Curtis, Burt Reynolds, William Shatner, etc.); and some even shave their skulls to look intimidatingly masculine (Bruce Willis).

But there are a few men who think a cap too juvenile, a toupee too artificial, and a hairless dome too much like an exposed baby's bottom. It is this minority who resorts to the COMBOVER, a hairstyle that 9 times out of 10 finds a man parting his hair east to west or west to east. A few men, however, create variations on this style.

1.) The Combforth (a.k.a. the Back to Front)
This hairstyle is a rarity; when spotted, you better have a camera handy to capture this once-in-a-lifetime event. Like Haley's Comet, you'll most likely see one during your time on this planet.
* This man seems to be getting good coverage, but he can't hide the unnatural hairline from which the follicles have been parted forth.
* This hair, like the famous Clint Eastwood orangutan movie, is Every Which Way But Loose! If Jackson Pollack used hair to decorate a canvas, this would be the result.

2.) The Combback (a.k.a. the Front to Back)
Like its name, this variation on the combbover is not laughable. The man, when combing his hair to the back, is merely tidying up the follicular folly that he has been dealt.

* James Lipton, host of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio, sports the combback.
* Here's Jack with the combback. Some have suggested that he is responsible for popularizing this hairstyle.

For those of you who are thirsting for the "real deal" combover, watch the documentary Combover: The Movie (2004). This film, which runs slightly less than one hour, is a cross-country search for the best combover. Check out the link (below) for more information.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sundancechannel.com/UPLOADS/films/320x240/c/combover1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500193666&h=240&w=320&sz=51&hl=en&start=19&tbnid=ug1F8x9GstxTZM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcombover%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

* One of the subjects who appears in Combover: The Movie.

If you can't get your mitts on this coveted film, feel free to stare at the images below to your heart's content. Happy combing!

* The Donald is thought to have a combover. Something is going on with his cotton candy hair, which looks like it could be whipped up and feasted on at a carnival.

* Sports journalist and broadcaster Tony Kornheiser wears the traditional combover.

* Gene Keady, the former head basketball coach at Purdue and assistant coach of the Toronto Raptors, wore the greasy combover. Rumor has it that Keady was a greaser back in the '50s, but as his hair bid his scalp adieu, he just couldn't quit the grease.

* Rudy "9/11" Giuliani used to part his hair left to right, but he forsook it for boring baldness. This may explain why he is not doing well in the primaries. Don't worry, Rudy. I hear the Floridians are quite partial to bald men.