MY URBAN KVETCH

The Big Question for Jewish Innovation

[cross-post from ROI Community] 

 When it comes to Jewish innovation, what's your big question?

 Last week, I presented on Jewish innovation at the Milken Community High School in Los Angeles, California. The school prides itself on its pluralism, as well as its "moral, spiritual, and intellectual way of life which, in the context of community, refines the human being (tikkun atzmi) and repairs the world (tikkun olam), and the students are diverse in terms of their denominational affiliations and interests. The class was doing projects on the subject of American Judaism today, and I was given free reign to either do a discussion or to discuss my work and do a Q&A with the students.

I did a little bit of both - we started by talking about Jewish innovation and what it might mean, and then moved on to my "introduction to Jewish innovation through YouTube." With limited time, I couldn't talk about all 400+ innovators in the ROI network, and focused on a few of the Jewish innovators who regularly visit the L.A. area: beginning with the second 2008 ROI video, we went on to focus on Marcus Freed's Bible-based plays and Bibliyoga; followed by Sarah Lefton's G-dcast; then Y-Love's "State of the Nation" song, which is based on the National Jewish Population Survey; the robust rap scene in Israel featuring the Israelity Tour which toured California in 2007 with a bunch of ROI alumni as organizers. Then we moved on to how ROIers William Levin and Michelle Citrin decided to work together, yielding the Rosh Hashanah Girl, 20 Things to Do with Matzah, Let My Parents Go, I Went to Israel - I Liked It, and Light the Candle videos. You can see the YouTube playlist here.

Then we opened it up to questions, of which there were only a few.

Hanukkah Flash Mob in Jerusalem

It's not "Food Court Musical: All-Hummus Edition," but it's a start.

 

"Dr. Horrible 2: Teenage Boogaloo"

OK, so that's not its name. But someone (I suspect College Humor) has created "A Horrible Turn," a sorely needed musical prequel to "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." It's unauthorized, made by superfans, and depicts Dr. Horrible's early years. (And it'll be out on November 10 - view the trailer here or below.)

Production value looks good, and I have every expectation that the original cast and creator of "Dr. Horrible" will appreciate this for the video fanfic that it is. Those who are expecting that this homage will approximate the success of its predecessor may be disappointed - while I'm sure the actors in this trailer (and yes, I'm judging it from the trailer until the film is released) are fine, they're no NPH, @feliciaday and @nathanfillion, who have their own substantial hordes of followers. Not to mention that "inspired by Joss" is probably not the same level of adored genius as "actual Joss." (Gosh, why don't Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris tweet? We need to get @feliciaday on this.) 

But I'm fairly sure that the original team will see this as fan flattery and not as plagiarism. Check out the trailer, and begin to feel a little bit of the craving return. (Hat tip: Jake Marsh)

Digital Hollywood Content Summit: Initial Observations

So, in case I haven't mentioned it, I'm at Digital Hollywood's Content Summit this week in Santa Monica. This is exciting a) because I love learning about how technology has impacted the entertainment sphere and b) because this is the first conference in a while that doesn't feature the term "good for the Jews" anywhere in the program.

Here are some initial "shorts," just perfect for you short-attention-spanners for whom a 5-minute YouTube video seems too long:

• Jewish conference: "What? Food again?" / Hollywood conference: "Where's the bar?" (There was no food anywhere that I saw during this conference. Tomorrow, I bring sandwiches. And sell them.)
• One thing that Jewish conferences and Hollywood conferences seem to agree on? Sarah Lefton and G-dcast are awesome. Sarah pitched G-dcast to a panel of Hollywood tastemakers and content producers...and they liked it.
• There was some debate over whether, when it comes to viral video, it's better to be first than be best. Thoughts?
• Saw Justine Bateman within ten minutes of my arrival. She was already surrounded, so I chickened out of talking to her. 
• Several people predicted that online space would totally take over the entertainment world in the next five years. Others thought it already was taking over the entertainment industry, but that the money models aren't really set yet - we have to figure out when doing our projects what people are willing to pay for in order to monetize the product. I know my money models aren't set yet. :)
• In "We Live in Public," the film's subject - Josh Harris - made a ton of money in the dot com boom, and engaged in experiments regarding living in public, having every moment of their lives taped. He's alternately hailed as a visionary, an artist, and a genius (often all by himself), but the truth is that he's accurately foreseen the trends that today's internet users embrace: self-exposure, the need for community approval, connection to people without really connecting to them.
• Harris admitted after the screening that he had never experienced real "intimate love," despite the fact that one of his experiments was him and his girlfriend - or as he referred to her, his "fake girlfriend" - living together and being taped in every moment. And the moment when it all clicked that intimate love had evaded him? When he watched "The Truman Show," and saw Truman's wife in their wedding picture, with her fingers crossed behind her back. 

There's much more to say on this film and the issues it brought up, but that'll have to be tomorrow. Writer's Boot Camp starts early in the am...

Good night, Hollywood. 

Starting Off the New Year With...

...introspection?

...reflection?

...contemplation of the year gone by and repentance for the areas where we fell short?

NOPE. (At least not in this post.) Instead of all those things, see how a Michael Jackson parody video transforms into something even more horrifying...

Keep your eyes on the little boy with the Coke-bottle glasses. He's got "breakout star" written all over him.

(on Twitter, via Hadassah Sabo Milner, of InThePink)

 

Who's the Real Rosh Hashanah Girl?

When you think of Rosh Hashanah Girl, you probably think of the brilliant video co-created by Brooklynites (and ROIers) William "the Jewish Robot" Levin and singer/songwriter Michelle Citrin. And you should. Because who could compete with that, really?

But what many people don't know is that I rocked Rosh Hashanah first. This classic clip is an interview that the very funny Teresa Strasser did several years ago (before she was exploiting her baby) when she lived in New York and worked for Good Day NY - because the network decided that talking to rabbis about Jewish holidays was a little boring, they opted for a fresher voice...

There was initially talk of my becoming GoodDay's "Go-To-Jew," who'd come in periodically and talk about Jewish life and holidays. That didn't happen for whatever reasons, probably including the fact that Teresa moved back to LA. But that was my first real TV appearance, and now that I'm a seasoned professional living in Los Angeles, you never know what the future will bring. (You hear that, future? Bring it.)

While we're on Rosh Hashanah as a topic, let me remind you of a Yom Kippur option for people who can't get to (or don't feel comfortable going to) synagogue: I'm helping JewishTVNetwork to promote their online Kol Nidre service, which will air online erev Yom Kippur (September 27) live from Los Angeles. For more information, contact me (esther.kustanowitz at gmail) and/or click over to the special High Holidays page of the JewishTVNetwork.com site, which also has links to relevant video clips, recipes and more!

Really? Bernie Madoff: The Musical

I wish I were kidding. But I'm not (via eJewishPhilanthropy).

   

It's one of three scenes, so I should probably watch the whole thing before I criticize it, but when it comes to rhymed musical parody, I've got really high standards, and unfortunately, this doesn't meet them. (Although I know Yale would say the same about me, so touche.)

The other issue I have might fall under the heading of "too soon." Hearing all of Bernie's sins laid out in the familiar song gave me a bit of indigestion - I know too many people and organizations affected by Madoff's years of scheming to be able to laugh it all away with a song like this one.

Don't throw tomatoes at me for being overly critical: when it comes to creative (and admittedly, somewhat weird) Madoff-skewering,  no one beats Woody Allen. Plus, I've just watched another outstanding episode of "Glee," and I still can't forget "HP: The Musical." I think I'd just like Jewish a cappella - even good Jewish a cappella - to somehow be less nerdy than it is. And maybe that's unfair. But that's how I feel. 

[Ducks, as the crowd begins to pelt her with rotten fruit.]

A Plea From the Fans to JJ Abrams and the New 'Star Trek' Movie

I have this friend in Los Angeles whom I've met only a few times in person: we have a lot of friends in common, through PLP, a Jewish professionals talent network we're both involved with. (Or, see this explanation.) But the rest of our relationship has been conducted solely over Twitter and Facebook.

Gordon Eick (or defenestrator1, as his Twittercommunity knows him), it seems, has always been a filmmaker. (For his early work in the zombie genre see the 1988 classic "Toxic Zombies.") But this one caught my eye, both for its wacky approach and for the sincerity of the plea, uttered by every "Star Trek" fan in anticipation of the new J.J. Abrams' helmed reboot of the franchise.

Here's Gordon and his friend from RTD Studios expressing their hopes for the new movie. For more of the world according to Gordon, check out the RTD Studios channel on YouTube, especially last summer's plea to Spielberg. And to register for PLP's upcoming programs, including ThinkTank4 and LiveNetworks, where you can meet lots of interesting creative people like Gordon (and me), see if you're eligible at JewishLeaders.net.

Stealing the Show This Passover? Bitter Herb

Here's the latest from animated mad genius William Levin and Taglit-Birthright Israel.

White Jews Rapping: I Blame the Beastie Boys

Seriously. I remember when word broke at our local yeshiva high school that one, if not all of the Beastie Boys were not just Jewish, but yeshiva alumni. From then on, it set a dangerous precedent, and Jewish boys grew up with that influence, thinking that within their Semitic DNA was not just the potential for, but an innate ability to, rap.

While there are some notable exceptions, where Jewish boys grew up to be decent or even good rappers (and I'm not listing any of them, so as not to leave anyone out), and while I commend the efforts of the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs for their attempt to modernize the tefillin-donning instructions, I now feel obligated to share with you this:

"The FJMC presents the first in a series of Wrap Raps. This fun songs tell the story of Tefillin. This one shows how to put it on with a cute song. Please visit our website http://fjmc.org."
I do have to say that I really, really support the efforts of Jewish institutions to take real risks in presenting traditional concepts for a new generation. But rap isn't always the right way. And allow me to call your attention to the most chilling part of this: the phrase "the first in a series." That's right, folks. More wrapaciousness to come.