Jerry Seinfeld. Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

Why should Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein settle for putting a bird on when their sketch show Portlandia can now boast Jerry Seinfeld’s stamp of approval? “I’m kind of obsessed with Portlandia right now,” Seinfeld told Vulture last night at the Clio Awards. “I mean, wow, it’s just too beyond brilliant. I was just in Portland, and everywhere you go, it’s like, is this a sketch, or is this the real show?” Seinfeld told us his favorite Portlandia characters were lesbian bookstore owners Toni and Candace, and added, “You know what they’re really good at? We kind of did this on my show: They’ve got extremely mean waiters, and random people who are really mean for no reason. I love it when people are difficult and hostile for absolutely no reason. I don’t know why, but that’s really funny.” In fact, Seinfeld was willing to go to the mat for Portlandia: “I think that’s the best comedy on TV right now,” he told us, “and it’s easily one of the best comedies of all time.” High praise! “Well, it’s my opinion,” he said, adding with a sly smile, “What do I know about comedy?”