Mel Brooks Makes ‘Frankenstein’ Sing
Fans of the 1974 movie might not believe this, but Mel Brooks was forced to include the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” in “Young Frankenstein.” The monster forcing him was Gene Wilder.
A Tinseltown Family Business
The name “Gyllenhaal” crops up in a lot of movies these days.There’s actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, America’s sexiest secretary. There’s her younger brother, Jake, who has performed in everything from Gulf War epics to gay cowboy flicks. There’s Stephen, their father, a longtime television and film director. And
Friars Raise Funds
You’d think that at the Friar’s Club, they could make fun of anything.The famous New York humorists’ lair certainly has had its share of tasteless acts over the years. But when it came to the subject of the Gaza disengagement, one recent Friar’s Club performer found precious little to laugh about. “That’s like saying, ‘Do you
Following in Dad’s Footsteps
When she was a child, Jennifer Miller often was late for school, but her excuse was about as good as they come: Her ride was involved in high-level diplomatic talks.Miller, 25, is the daughter of Aaron Miller, longtime adviser to the State Department on Arab-Israeli affairs. She grew up in a hothouse of Middle East policy. As a child she used to
The Thing: Back in the Closet?
Three years ago, “The Thing” — Marvel Comics’s orange-hued, stony-skinned, 500-pound member of the Fantastic Four — revealed that before mutating into a superhero, he was Benjamin Jacob Grimm, a Jew from the Lower East Side (Fantastic Four, Number 56, “Remembrance of Things Past”).But if you were expecting The Thing to revel in his
Star Wars Saga Unfolds on Small Screen — As a Cartoon
About a month ago, Genndy Tartakovsky and his wife strolled past the line that already had formed outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.”As the Tartakovskys got closer to the intergalactic faithful, several faces lit up.Pens were out, and Tartakovsky was asked for his autograph.“I usually
Leading a Congregation That Has a Showbiz Pedigree
All rabbis like to gush about their congregations. They’ll boast about high membership, the quality of their Hebrew school teachers or money raised for tsunami victims.But Rabbi Josh Simon of Congregation Ezrath Israel in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen tends to brag about other things — like the fact that two of the Three Stooges were once
To Boldly Go Where No Jew Has Gone: Book Features Klingon Intermarriage
Esther Silvers is boldly going where no Jew has gone before —under the chupah with a Klingon.The main character in the “Star Trek” e-book series, “Starfleet Corps of Engineers,” Esther is marrying out (of the species) — to Khor, the son of the Klingon ambassador to Earth. The latest installment
Doctor Takes Recreational Activities to the Extreme
At a certain martial arts studio in Canarsie, Brooklyn, Tuesdays are known as “Beat Up the Jew Night.” At least, that’s what the Jew in question calls it.Every Tuesday at around 8 p.m., Dr. Barry Grossman sheds his yarmulke and ritual fringes, puts a bite plate in his mouth and takes his place with his “extreme fighting” class at the
Meet the Man Who Gave Film Audiences ‘The Fockers’
Screenwriter John Hamburg has a thing for nebbishes.Anyone who has ever seen any of Hamburg’s movies — “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers” or “Along Came Polly” — will suspect a deep and abiding love for the little guy; the helpless, Woody Allen-ish character who is flung into a world of gorgeous,
