If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, what is parody? We have no idea - except in the case of these 50 Shades Of Grey spoofs, very, very funny indeed.
The book of the moment, which has already sold a million copies and is now being spotted on trains at a rate of ten copies per carriage - has inspired ribbings from all corners of the internet and TV.
Naturally, Twitter has been leading the pack with a series of quite excellent spoof accounts, the details of which are here:
Meanwhile American TV funny lady Ellen Degeneres was filmed giving a 'reading' of the book complete with dubious sound effects...
50 Shades of Mom Porn is a YouTube video making fun of 50 Shades author E. L. James and her readers in a send up of the so-called 'Mommy Porn' phenomenon...
Meanwhile on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 50 Shades of Grey Karaoke is exactly what it sounds like, badly-sung songs inspired by quotes from the book...
Another reading finds legendary American voice artist Gilbert Gottfried - you might not recognise the name, but you'll certainly recognise the grating cadence - taking to the mic, with horrific results.
Finally, because someone somewhere had to do an animal parody, check out 50 Shades of Greyhound...