Can Los Angeles\’ schools be fixed by a man who loves to be loved, who with his union allies opposed education reform and whose wife is an educator with no presence in the fight for reform?
They\’ve fought Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Barbra Streisand. And now the boys from \”South Park\” — Eric, Kyle, Stan and Kenny — are back for more in their 10th season on Comedy Central, beginning March 22.
Until recently, the riveting and much-acclaimed 2004 documentary, \”Paper Clips\” — which chronicles the attempt by the small, rural town of Whitwell, Tenn., to educate its students about the enormous number of Jews killed in the Holocaust — could be seen mostly at special screenings and community events. After an initial exclusive release of the DVD version to Blockbuster, as of March 7, the DVD has gone into general release so everyone can finally get a copy, which is sure to broaden the film\’s exposure.
Upcoming Photographic exhibitions.
Shelley Berman is 80 years old and hot, hot, hot. When he cups his hand over the phone and yells to his wife: \”Where am I this week, Sarah?\” he\’s not having a senior moment. Fresh from playing Larry David\’s father on the HBO series, \”Curb Your Enthusiasm,\” he\’s got bookings in Las Vegas, feature film shoots and network television tapings on top of his regular slate of teaching classes at USC. Shelley\’s current schedule would kill a person half his age, which is why, at 44, I\’m functioning as his occasional producer, acolyte and coffee bringer (\”Last time someone brought me hazelnut — can\’t a person get an honest cup of coffee any more?\”) at 24th Street Theatre, where we\’re in the middle of a live Shelley Berman minifestival.
It\’s not every day that I am E-vited to a birthday party promising to feature live ammunition. Excitedly, I E-sponded with a resounding \”yes.\” Paula was throwing a Wild West-themed shindig for her husband Bill\’s birthday. It was a \”BYOF\” (Bring Your Own Firearm) affair.
Parents don\’t understand why 300 young Jews packed the Long Beach Alpert JCC for the Jewlicious sequel on Feb. 17. We came for food and song, complete with banging on the tables and exuberant dancing wherever there was room. At the Sunday night concert, \”Jewbilation,\” you could see the look of shock on the older generation\’s faces as we jammed to Hebrew heavy-metal songs by the Maccabees. This was not your mom\’s \”Oseh Shalom.\”
Ilan Halimi\’s barbarous murder in France should awaken all Jews to the most significant truth of our times: Today, every Jew in the world is on the front lines of war.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Wafa Sultan, an Arab American psychologist from Los Angeles. It aired on Al Jazeera TV on Feb. 21, 2006.
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