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Tag: Comedy
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All I want for Ramadan is you!
Old Jewish joke, new language
VIDEO: Heeb Olympics 2008—Gefilte Fish Wrestling
Four modern-day gladiators do battle for the gold (a lifetime supply of Gold's mustard) in the Heeb Olympics
VIDEO: The Bris Saver
It was an ordinary brit milah -- until the mohel passed out cold . . .
Calendar Girls Picks and Clicks August 9-15: Tisha B'Av, music, opera, comedy and Brad A. Greenberg
There's nothing like a heated, intelligent political debate to get Jews' social synapses firing. Jewish Journal staff writer, Brad Greenberg, a.k.a. The God Blogger, will be holding the reins of "The Young Jewish Vote," where Republican Jewish Coalition Director Larry Greenfield will face Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena) in a battle to win the hearts and educated minds of young Jewish professionals between the ages of 21 and 39
The Daily Show ripped me off!
VIDEO: Woody Allen and the Jewish robots (from ‘Sleeper’)
Woody Allen is fitted for a new suit by robot Jewish tailors. Ginsberg & Cohen, Computerized Fittings, Since 2073. From 'Sleeper'
Calendar Girls Picks and Clicks for August 1-7, 2008: Dance, comedy, sports, theater, politics
Armageddon Survival 101
"It starts when you open your eyes in the morning. Maybe you're awakened by the sounds of random gunfire, or the howling of souls being cast into the lake of fire," Kutner writes. "But at least it's not that godawful clock-radio buzzer."
VideoJew does Hadassah
Coming soon to a blog near you—VideoJew returns
VIDEO: toasteroven416’s JDate diary—Richard
Her YouTube bio says she's 36 and lives in Canada, fellas. You too can be a diary entry!
Calendar Girls picks and clicks for June 28 - July 4
‘Hoops’ harder than rocket science
Caltech has more Nobel laureates than any other university and is considered among the top five academic institutions in the world. The Pasadena campus' contributions to science and technology are vast. And then there's their basketball team, the Beavers.
VIDEO: Sid Caesar on the Chabad Telethon
It's the fake dialect bit, and he invented it and no one has ever done it better
Video de Pesaj from Argentina—‘Don’t worry, be matzoh!’
Hollywood-Israel link flourishing
A group of hotshot Hollywood television executives sit around a table sipping Evian water, working their cellphones and bemoaning the lack of fresh ideas for a series to pull their network out of the cellar.
VIDEO: A Good Joke
Miriam and Shoshana—the hardcore Jewish gangster girls from Pico-Robertson
VideoJew discovers kosher water
VideoJew tries kosher water -- Mizmor -- fresh from the riparian office buildings of Pico-Robertson
VIDEO: Sarah Silverman explains kabbalah
Judy Toll is one funny valentine
So what can you say about a 44-year-old comedian who died? That she leaves a certain legacy of laughter, through the efforts of her brother, to those who never heard of her.
Rivers, refuseniks and traitors come together at L.A. Jewish Film Festival
The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival will appropriately mark Israel's 60th anniversary with an opening film on the country's transition from British mandate to independent state.
Voice of reason in a sea of insanity, Jewish Dodgers, Prager, archaeologists, politicians and peace
letters to the editor
My two cents on “Sarah Marshall”
Teen angst bring laughs film director won’t ‘Forget’
Nicholas Stoller remembers the day he joined the "Jew-Tang Clan," the creative posse led by comedy wunderkind Judd Apatow ("The 40-year-old Virgin," "Knocked Up").
Apatow was interviewing the then-24-year-old writer for a job on his 2000 college sitcom, "Undeclared."
“King Davids” win some, lose most
Einstein’s allure is more than theory on stage
We think of Albert Einstein, and we conjure up the image of a frail, unkempt and absent-minded old man, but a visit to the Einstein archives at Caltech provides quite another picture.
The man who radically transformed our understanding of the universe was adored by women, at 23 fathered an illegitimate child and after marriage had a few side flings with other women.
Calendar Girls picks and clicks for April 12- 18
Calendar Girls picks and clicks for April 12- 18
The matzah challenge…VideoJew’s blind taste test
Comedy: Getting back at life with a one-two punchline
Mo Mandel had difficulties fitting in as a child. He grew up in the rural town of Boonville, more than 100 miles north of San Francisco, where his Jewish parents were hippies and he didn't have many friends. Between finding ways to rebel against his family and being the butt-end of anti-Semitic jokes by rednecks, the young social outcast eventually learned to channel his anger and frustration into comedy.
Richard Lewis, comedian from heaven
The husband from hell. The uncle from hell. The comedian from hell. Richard Lewis is fully aware he has problems. And by the end of his set, his stand-up audiences know he has problems.
Picks and clicks for March 15-21
Picks and clicks for March 15-21
Calendar Girls picks and kicks for March 1 - 7
Calendar Girls picks and kicks for March 1 - 7
VIDEO: It’s Not Fair - Let The Jews In Hollywood!
When the Writers went on strike, even comedy paid a price.
VIDEO: Shopping in Israel can get intense
Things are a little tense in Israel these days -- even when you're just shopping!
Educating the governator
Political cartoon.
U CAN HAZ LAFFS
Joan Rivers’ ‘Life’—audacious, as always
MUSIC VIDEO Brandon Walker Harris—‘Chinese Food on Christmas’
A sad tale of a lonely Jewish boy on Christmas
Israeli TV commercial for HDTV
This Israeli television commercial for HDTV has kippot spinning all over Ha'Aretz!
Comedy singer drawn to Jewish thought—but not shul
It is commonplace that the best comedy is essentially serious. Of course, clichÃÂ(c)s often have an underlying truth, so maybe that explains why Rob Tannenbaum, one half of the comedy-music duo, Good for the Jews, playing at the Knitting Factory on Dec. 14, is both a very funny guy, and nevertheless someone who discusses his work in surprisingly sober terms.
Sarah Silverman explains kabbalah [video]
Funny and frum
Mark Schiff is a rare bird. He's made a living as a stand-up comic for more than 30 years and is much admired in the fraternity of American comedians. For years, he's been performing on the road with Jerry Seinfeld (one of his closest friends). Last year, his book, "I Killed," a compilation of stories of the road from the country's top comedians, got a glowing review on that most exclusive of book review stages, the Sunday New York Times. But swing by my neighborhood at around midday on any Shabbat, and chances are you'll see another Mark Schiff. This is the Orthodox Schiff, who is quietly walking back from synagogue with his wife, Nancy, and one or more of his three sons.
Rags for richies, LOL
People and places around Los Angeles briefs.
Girlz in the hood
'Miriam' and 'Shoshana' live in the Pico-Robertson area. They're seniors at a religious girls' school, they study Torah, dress modestly and keep the Sabbath. But Miriam and Shoshana are not your ordinary Orthodox girls. They rap. They use foul language. They fantasize about professional wrestler Bill Goldberg. And they head up a dreidel-rolling gang. The two faux frumsters are the comedic creations of Kara Luiz and Deena Adar.
Religious riot act, deaf in Africa, small sculptures, kid paint
Generations of comics salute Mort Sahl on his 80th
"Mort Sahl changed the face of comedy. Before his, that face was Marty Allen's."
-- Jack Riley
Sitcom superstars, sultry songstresses, literary diamonds
Picks and Clicks
Q&A with writer-director Judd Apatow
The Journal recently caught up with Judd Apatow to talk about filmmaking, the plethora of Jewish characters in his films and working with his family in "Knocked Up."
Real life comedy at the flea market in Jaffa, Israel
Here's all we know: A wacky college student on a Taglit-birthright trip to Israel found a kindred spirit at the flea market in Jaffa . . .
MUSIC VIDEO: Cockney Melody, Yiddish Ditty (British home movie)
MUSIC VIDEO: Cockney Melody, Yiddish Ditty (British home movie) 43 secs.
‘The Ten’ (commandments) return to the big screen as a comedy
The Ten Commandments have been around for a long, long time. Ever since the 13th Century B.C.E., to be exact. Yet in all this time there have only been two major live theatrical motion pictures made about them; the 1923 silent version and the 1956 epic starring Charlton Heston, both directed by Cecil B. DeMille. But neither one of them had many laughs. Now, after 3,000 years, writer/director David Wain has delivered unto the world a scathingly funny and irreverent take on the commandments in his new film "The Ten."
Vintage British sitcom sketch: The Two Ronnies ‘Jewish Insurance’
Only a British sitcom could come up with a skit about someone wanting to purchase 'Turning Jewish' insurance. From 'The Two Ronnies' circa 1987.
Hooker to the stars is a saucy satirist
American Israeli writer-actress Iris Bahr says she is fascinated with Russian culture and created Maksimovsrskaya (whose name grows weekly as an inside joke) over the years on stage, on screen and on air. At the invitation of KCRW general manager Ruth Seymour, Bahr has developed her into a regular radio character for "Social Studies," a four-minute rapid-fire satire segment that runs locally on KCRW during NPR's "All Things Considered."
Laughing for Unity
A friend sent me an e-mail telling me I "can't miss" this Jerusalem rabbi's one-man show Sunday night at Beth Jacob Congregation. I opened the e-mail a few minutes before show time, so, on a whim, I ran over to catch "The Four Faces of Israel," starring Rabbi Benji Levene. After two hours of Benji, my head was spinning.
The musical Baron Cohen brother comes into his own
"We used to develop and perform material after Shabbat dinner in our parents' house," recalls Erran Baron Cohen.
Adam Gopnik: Doctor, Doctor! There’s a joke in my Judaism
It all began with a Purim spiel. Seven years ago, the much-loved New Yorker magazine writer Adam Gopnik was living in a kind of secular New York Jewish limbo.
The Imus Affair: It’s not hip to be vulgar
Is Imus a racist? Does complicity in negative Jewish stereotyping make one an anti-Semite? Is the point to just label the other guy and move on? If we're going to beam a little light unto the nations, Jews should take the lead in reversing the progressive vulgarizing of entertainment, and that work begins at home.
Japanese video --- ‘Improve your matzoh handling technique’
Breaking matzoh clean
Yo! This week it’s Yatzpan, YULA and Yelchin
Weekly events
MUSIC VIDEO: Teapacks—‘Push the Button’ (Eurovision entry)
Your handy guide to performing at Jewish functions
There are two things about being a comedian and doing Jewish events -- first, getting hired for the event and, second, everything else.
Syndicating Purim
"Everyone puts Purim on the calendar, but sometimes the spiel gets short shrift," says Rob Kutner, a staff writer for "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."
Director Ari Sandel ‘Banks’ on Oscar buzz with short ‘Story’
Ari Sandel knew that he wanted to say something about politics and the Middle East, two of his longtime passions. His first idea had to do with checkpoints and suicide bombers, but he was looking for something more hopeful and funnier.
The artist Elimelech, the comic David Steinberg
Picks and Clicks
Alan Arkin—not just another kid From Brooklyn
Alan Arkin is no more a stranger to playing curmudgeons than he is to receiving award nominations.
Briefs: Sacha Borat Cohen scores at Golden Globes; Former Carter Center official at Temple Sinai
Briefs
Films: The ‘Little Miss’ that could maybe hopefully
When Peter Saraf signed on to co-produce the film, "Little Miss Sunshine," he says he did so without hesitation. The script, about a dysfunctional family's road trip, spoke to him immediately, and he was proud to bring his great-aunt and great-uncle to see it.
Sarah Silverman ‘Nightline’ interview
What's funny to Sarah? And does she tell racist jokes? Well, she does use the 'C' word
ORT Ovation; Law and Laughter; Stand and Deliver
Books: Shmegegis of old, shmegegis of gold
Who doesn't love old Jewish comedians? Those mamzers of mirth and halutzim of humor who paved the road from the Catskills to Vegas as first-generation entertainers.
Swingin’ Chanukah with Kenny Ellis; The Klezmatics at the Disney; Three More Tenors
Picks and Clicks
Gurus galore, puppet people, jazz giants and Jackie Mason
Arts in LA
Arts
Didja hear the one about the old Jewish joke?
"The Big Book of Jewish Humor" is a treasury of recent comic quotes, classic Jewish jokes, and selections from great comic writers from Sholom Aleichem to Israel Zangwill, from Woody Allen to Allen Sherman, from Groucho Marx, S.J. Perelman and George Kaufman to Saul Bellow, Philip Roth and Bernard Malamud, from Bruce Jay Freedman to Lenny Bruce, Leo Rosten and Sam Levenson.
Michael Richards: Still not a Jew
Richards is the former "Seinfeld" star who was videotaped at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood lashing out at hecklers using the N-word.
Borat, Seriously
Following the massive success of the movie "Borat," there is bound to be an equally massive deluge of punditry on what it all means.I defy you to watch the movie and not cramp up from laughter. And by all means, continue laughing when the pundits say "Borat" reveals something dark, ugly or frightening about America. Taking "Borat" seriously is seriously ridiculous.
Choice of a Jew generation
"Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People"
You’re Lucky You’re Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom
The following excerpt is the prologue to "You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom," (Viking, 2006) a memoir by Phil Rosenthal, creator and executive producer of "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Will kill for laughs
"I Killed" features headliners like Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Jonathan Winters and Shelley Berman for the first time telling tales away from the "comedy caravans" and "yuk-yuks" and even yuckier joints they endured while perfecting their craft.
Comedy director David Zucker goes to GOP? You can’t be serious!
David Zucker sees threats to America and Israel mounting, and he believes the Democrats are unable or unwilling to confront those challenges, so he has decided to go public with his belief that the Democrats have lost their way.
7 Days in the Arts
7 Days in the Arts
Jill Soloway says comedy and tragedy go together
7 Days in the Arts
7 Days in the Arts
Raising Bucks With Bunnies
Up Front
Whither Jewish Comedy?
Hofstetter and Rosenberg are the driving force behind "King Davids," which borrows its name from a MySpace page that honors Jewish stand-up comedians.
The Mad Adventures of Gerard Oury
The King of popular comedy is dead," proclaimed Le Figaro after Gerard Oury, one of France's most successful directors (if not its most successful) died on Thursday, July 20, at his home in St. Tropez. I know Oury's work because as a teenager I went with my mother to New York's 68th Street Playhouse, an art house, to see a film called "The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob." A French comedy about a rabbi? Seemed like a contradiction in terms.
7 Days in the Arts
7 Days in the Arts
The Perfect Reads for Those Lazy Days of Summer
This season brings engaging reading in a mix of genres: literary fiction, comedy, love stories, detective novels, memoirs, historical fiction and books that break genre boundaries; books by veteran authors and others not-yet well-known.
Dozens of Cousins
Imagine all the "Cheaper By the Dozen" kids grown up, married and with kids of their own. That's my family. My mom is one of a dozen, and I'm one of the children of the dozen. And maybe not that surprisingly, my mom chose to have only two children (me and my brother) and my husband and I limited our brood to three.
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Featured Stories
World
Will new ‘Cold War’ play out in Middle East?
With talk of a new Cold War in the offing following Russia's recent military successes in Georgia, Israel is worried Russia might reassess this policy and use the sale of new weaponry to Syria -- or the threat of it -- to strengthen Russia's hand vis-à-vis Israel's primary
Kids & Teens
Cambodia’s killing fields revisited
I can vividly remember the first time I visited the Museum of Tolerance, in seventh grade. Not personally knowing anyone who had survived the Holocaust, I had been shielded from the grisly details of World War II.
Calendar
Calendar Girls picks and clicks for Sept. 6–12: Hip hop art, veggie Jews, string theory & laughs
Torah Portion
Moving beyond charity
Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9) One of the biggest misnomers in the Jewish vocabulary is the translation of tzedakah as "charity." This mistranslation has gone on for so long in the American Jewish community that it's a hard habit to break.
Opinion
Joon
Since 1978, Iranian Jews have injected into a stable, maybe even staid Jewish community talent, industry, a profound connection to their Jewish roots and a desire to have a positive political and social impact on the city. They have energized a Jewish community that could always
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