The Arts

I love to find out the motivation behind an artist’s creation — whether it’s a film, a book, a performance or an exhibit — and to give readers a sense of what the piece could be and/or what it says about society today.

Jason Biggs loves being mistaken as Jewish

The ‘Orange is the New Black’ and ‘American Pie’ star has been playing Jewish roles since he was a child and calls himself ‘the Jewiest looking non-Jew. Read article

Flowers of the Incest

Why did we teenagers love the sick VC Andrews book series, Flowers in the Attic? Read Article

The “Circumcised, Certified Dick” is Back!

The Hebrew Hammer returns in time to save his people. Read Salon Article.

America’s Master of Dick Lit

Meet Jonathan Tropper, America’s Answer to Nick Hornby. Read Article.

If You Leave me, I Delete You (or, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

The International Art of Botching Foreign Movie Titles. Read Article

The Evolution of the Apatow Male

He’s either a virgin, a stoner, professionally inept or emotionally stunted. And he’s whipped. He’s always whipped. Read Article

Graphic Novels Take on the Middle East

Illustrator Harvey Pikar Disappoints, Guy Delisle surprises, in these illustrated tomes about the Middle East. Read Article

Bless Those Long Island Princesses

Bravo’s latest reality TV show will make members of The Tribe Run in Shame. Read Article

The Return of Rick Moranis

The star of Ghostbusters and Honey I Shrunk series now has a new album out. Read Article

Whither Art Thou, American Male?

Jason Segel’s character in The Five-Year Engagement signals the end of the American male onscreen. Read article

Why The Hunger Games Kicks Twilight’s Butt

With the advent of tough teen heroines like The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen, the age of the simpering, love-sick teens like Twilight’s Bella Swan has finally come to an end. Read Article

Why Can’t Hollywood Get Jews Right?

Before Jesse Eisenberg made The Social Network he wore awful sidelocks in Holy Rollers. Read Salon Article

Who’s the Victim Now, Dawg?

If you think Tova Reich’s “My Holocaust” is only making fun of the Holocaust, you’ve missed the point. This somewhat uneven novel satirizes those who base their identity — and business — on tragedy. Read San Francisco Chronicle Article

Book Agents? In California?

Of course in the age of the Internet it’s possible to get an agent in California, but is it preferable? Read PDF

Uma Thurman, Shiksa Goddess

What’s a nice Jewish boy doing falling in love with Uma Thurman? That’s the conceit of Prime, starring Meryl Streep as the Jewish mother/therapist caught in a triangle between her patient and her son (unknown actor). An interview with writer/director Ben Younger. Read article.

Hey, Watch Where You’re Going With That Beard!

Esquire Editor-At-Large A.J. Jacobs practically invented the “quest” book, first with “The Know-It-All,” and now with “The Year of Living Biblically,” which is about…guess what? Read Article.

It’s Not Unusual To Be Tom Jones

Don’t get your panties up in a wad just because Tom Jones is coming to Israel. The aging rocker still had fans — although their underwear — and throwing arms — had seen better days. Read PDF.

Religious Bodice-Rippers: “Oh, Moses, Take Me!”

“Heber’s amused expression quickly turned to exasperation, and he grabbed me…. And with no more care than a stallion takes a mare, and with just as much roughness, he took me.” — “Women of the Bible: Jael’s Story,” by Ann Burton (2006) Read Article