Mel Brooks’s 11-Finger Hollywood Handprint

Image by Getty Images
Getty Images
When he’s not watching “Downton Abbey” with Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks keeps busy by pranking future generations.
The comedian finally cemented his Hollywood legacy on Monday afternoon during the Hollywood Cement Ceremony outside Mann’s Chinese Theater (“Blazing Saddles!”). The event also marked the 40th anniversary of “Young Frankenstein.” Dressed as only Mel Brooks can be, in a white suit and floral tie, the 88-year-old wore a prosthetic finger on his left hand, proving that life imitates art.
Basically, 100 years from now, people will walk by and remark: “Wow, there’s Mel Brooks. He had 11 fingers, you know.” Genius Mel. Genius.
Brooks later tweeted about the event:
I desperately need to wash my hands. pic.twitter.com/fKVl4FyMFt
— Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) September 8, 2014
Hands are clean but the shoes will never be the same. Now I’m off to tape @ConanOBrien tonight! #teamcoco
— Mel Brooks (@MelBrooks) September 8, 2014
Mazel tov, Mel! Keep the laughs coming.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chief