As Rosh Hashana approaches, Jews from around the world become introspective and start doing what is called, in Hebrew, a Cheshbon Nefesh (“accounting of the soul”). To my surprise and to the surprise of thousands of his social media followers, Seth Rogen decided to cut his hair and shave. He shared this image a few […]
We are living in interesting times. In our times, it seems that comedians are in a hard place. Why? Because comedians are the vanguard of free speech. For most Jewish Studies scholars, Lenny Bruce, was hands down, the cutting edge of comedy in general and Jewish comedy in particular in modern post-assimilation America. He breaks […]
Last week, before New Years Eve, I decided to take my chances and Tweet a Question at the biggest Schlemiel Celebrity (other than, say, Larry David or Amy Schumer) in the USA: Seth Rogen. The question I asked Rogen is, to my mind, the ultimate schlemiel question. I framed it in a way so as […]
Within minutes of me posting Seth Rogen’s response to discovering that he was in a Nicki Minaj song, she tweeted him back, “Seth You’re My Hero!!!” 😂 I made a movie like SETH RO!!! #YouAlreadyKnow Go check out the video on VEVO now!!! cc: @Fergie Seth, you’re my hero!!! 😩😜 https://t.co/Rl0hbO0RPI — NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) […]
Seth Rogen’s wildest dream has come true: he’s been mentioned in a song by Nicki Minaj. Ecstatic and feeling vindicated as a human being, he tweeted about it this morning. I got name dropped by @NICKIMINAJ in a song so I’M FUCKING GOOD YA’LL. — Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) September 13, 2017 Minaj – in a […]
Woody Allen’s Zelig character showed American audiences that schlemiels come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. The schlemiel is a chamelon. His Jewishness – argues Daniel Itzkovitz – demonstrates the fact that the essence of the schlemiel character is non-essence. The schlemiel is constantly adapting and changing. And this – argues Itzkovitz, drawing on […]
Ten years after Seth Rogen appeared in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up (2007) as a stoner schlemiel, Seth Rogen has made this character into his biggest selling point. Here is a list of movies where we see the schlemiel-stoner character: Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008), Funny People (2009), This […]
While they were making Neighbors, last spring, Zac Efron and Seth Rogen stopped by the Workoholics set and did a take with them hashtagged – with an obvious wink to Rogen’s film – #cubicleneighbors. Although the show, in itself, never caught my eye, the confluence of the Workaholics cast with Rogen and Efron made […]
The title and the recent review of American Sniper by Matt Taibbi for Rolling Stone suggest that the film, “American Sniper is “Almost Too Dumb to Criticize.” In the article, Taibbi suggests that the person who would enjoy such a film has a lot in common with the character Forrest Gump: The message of Forrest Gump was […]
America has a love/hate relationship with the schlemiel or (as many critics and actors who play schlemiels – such as Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler – call him) the “man-child.” But, in truth, this America is not one; it is two. When it comes to the schlemiel or “man child,” there are two Americas: the […]
Schlemiel Theory 