Ever see a newscaster wear fangs?

Last night, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow took a few moments to feature the comedy of a character named Billy Bob Neck, a right-wing, tea party extremist invented by liberal jokester Paul Day.

He'd recently brought a dire message to the Internet: the shocking revelation of Maddow's status as a covert, lesbian vampire, exposed thanks to a cleverly-disguised bite mark on her neck.

Day's shtick was funny enough that it left Maddow and her staff "unable to work, talk and in some cases breathe like normal humans are supposed to breathe," she explained.

Following the segment, the host donned a cape and fangs, yucking it up with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

"Now that I have been exposed, I can't say for certain that I will see you on Monday," Maddow said. "But, I hope you have a good weekend anyway."

Watch:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/v/aG2zO_x5WLs?fs=1&hl=en_US expand=1]

Back in 2007, Boston.com covered Day's exploits as the aw-shucks, boot-slapping, conspiracy-loving Republican character ...

Day, a former actor, invented Neck for a John Kerry benefit in 2004, trying to break up the monotony of liberal comics indulging in Bush bashing. He's played him exclusively ever since, and does it so well some people don't realize it's a joke. People call in to his weekly radio show, "Billy Bob Neck's Hour of Bein' Good," on Tufts's WMFO-FM (91.5) or post to BillyBobNeck.com or his My Space page to complain. He's also gotten some national exposure from liberal pundit Arianna Huffington's Huffington Post and the political satire site ShelleyTheRepublican.com.

He has infuriated right wingers and liberals who think he's real, even when he posts a video of himself on a comedy club stage. "The best e-mail I ever got was from the Huffington Post, and it said, 'I hope you know they were laughing at you and not with you,' " says Day, laughing. "Well, I'm standing in front of a sign that says 'The Comedy Studio.' "

Day, a father of two and computer professional from Watertown, Mass., has more material of himself as Neck on the Internet. A clip featuring his stand up comedy follows ...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/v/mT5SNerGJ7Y&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1 expand=1]