Happy Yom HaAtzma'ut!

Today, May 8, is the anniversary of Israel's independence--Yom HaAtzma'ut. Israel certainly has made a big splash for such a tiny little country, and it's only turning sixty! Unfortunately, lots of those ripples have ended badly for lots of people...but a comedy blog is no place for such talk. Instead, here are some Jewish gifts for all of us to share!

Current cover of HEEB Magazine:

Ever since PCC started displaying HEEB at the check-out line, my crush on Judaism has only gotten stronger. First challah, now this? It's all a Unitarian girl can do to remain objective.

I know what you're thinking. "Rebecca," thinks you, "Everyone's sick of hearing about Jason Segel! Can't we talk about something else for a change?" I suppose, though I respectfully disagree with you. If Brandi had her way, for instance, the world would be like that scene from "Being John Malkovich" where Malkovich goes into his own head...only there'd be Segels everywhere* instead of Malkovichs. Actually, that sounds like a pretty swell time to me, too, but on to other business.

I think it's time to answer that age-old question "what would 'The Emperor's New Groove' be like in Hebrew?"



Happy birthday, Israel! Shalom!

* Flocks of them!**

** Har.

The Peepes, the Peepes are Calling

Brandi proposed, and I heartily agreed to, concurrent blog posts on a Muppets skit. Watch it before reading either her post or mine. Have you seen it? Excellent. Let’s begin.

Like the miracle child of Oscar Wilde and Janeane Garofalo would be, this skit is predisposed to be funny. The Henson camp made three main choices to set it up: one, “O, Danny Boy” is one of those traditional songs that everyone knows, but no one actually knows the words to. Two, they picked three of the least intelligible Muppets to do the singing; and three, despite the fact that the odds are very much stacked against them, Beaker, Animal, and the Swedish Chef are earnestly invested in performing this song as well as they can. As far as they are concerned, they are musicians of the highest caliber, drawing on the raw, mournful emotional well that “O, Danny Boy” is built upon. They are the conduits between us and the glorious weeping national identity of the Irish, and they commit themselves to it completely.

It is the commitment that wraps up the sketch in a bow for us: though the details and flourishes like Beaker’s high notes and Animal’s “O-boy-o-boy” refrain are hilarious, the whole package works because of the characters' motivations.

Bless the Muppet Show, and happy belated St. Patrick’s Day.