All this recent talk about the rapture made me think back to something my daughter Celia said when she was a little girl.
One day we were driving in the car and the radio was on. Someone on the air said something about the messiah. Celia, who was about four or five and sitting in the back, asked me what a messiah was, and I explained it the best I could. Then she asked me how the messiah is going to know that he or she is the messiah, and I said that God will speak to them and tell them that they're the one.
"God spoke to me," Celia said, sweetly and innocently.
"He did?" I asked. "Well, what did he say?"
"He said, 'You're not the one!'"
__________________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your marketing communications needs.
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id440.html for all your Benny Bell book needs.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Enter Kvelling, Part I
What are the three most important questions about Judaism in America?
1) How will the high rate of intermarriage affect American Jewry in the years to come?
2) Is anti-Semitism still a problem in some facets of American society?
3) Was Alan Brady Jewish?
Okay, fine--I'm probably the only Jew in the country asking that last question. And okay, fine--maybe it's really not that important. But trust me: when you don't want to sit around wondering how much the plumber who's been in your bathroom for three hours trying to fish a cell phone out of your toilet bowl is going to charge, and you don't really care to wonder if radio evangelist Harold Camping is going to be right this time about the day of the Rapture, then it's perfectly okay to sit back, kick off your shoes, and wonder if Alan Brady was Jewish.
The wonderful Carl Reiner, one of my favorite humans, created Alan Brady on the classic "Dick Van Dyke Show," a character loosely based (or perhaps not so loosely) on his real-life former boss, Sid Caesar, who was Jewish. So if that's any clue...
Both Sid and Carl are mentioned in my first and second books, "The Jewish Book of Lists" and "Reel Jewish: A Century of Jewish Movies," but not in terms of Alan Brady's Jewishness or non-Jewishness. And mostly that's because the is-he-or-isn't-he element wasn't integral to the success of the show. What was integral was making true-to-life characters in true-to-life situations consistently funny. The writers, directors and cast of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" accomplished that for five consecutive years.
Millions of us say it every day, but I'll say, too: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was my favorite sitcom of all time. Not just because I wanted to be a writer like Rob. Not just because one of my first crushes was on Laura. Not just because a dentist lived next door (who, I always assumed, gave the Petrie family a discount--though I could be wrong about that). Not because a dart board was allowed in the office (today you'd be arrested for that). And not because Alan Brady might have been Jewish. But because it was all so real and all so funny. They looked like they were having as much fun in New Rochelle and New York City as I was in my living room on Long Island.
From what I recall, as I mentioned in a previous "License to Kvell" (March 9, 2011, "Pickles at a Bar Mitzvah"), the only thing really Jewish about "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was the episode in which everyone thinks Buddy is cheating on his wife, when in fact he's sneaking around to study with his cantor so that he can finally have the bar mitzvah he didn't have when he was a kid. According to an internet source, it was the favorite episode of Morey Amsterdam who, it has been reported, never had a bar mitzvah in real life.
But back to Carl Reiner, without whom there would be no Buddy Sorrell at all. I'm a Reiner nut. In addition to creating the Van Dyke Show, making the 2000-Year-Old Man records with Mel Brooks, and directing more than two brains worth of Steve Martin movies, he also co-wrote or co-starred in two of my all-time favorite films, "The Thrill of It All" (1963) and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966).
[Both films, by the way, were directed by the brilliant non-Jewish Norman Jewison, who also directed the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof." Alan Arkin, who co-starred in "The Russians Are Coming," played Carl's alter-ego David Kolowitz in the Broadway version of the autobiographical Reiner play, "Enter Laughing." But I realize you may have as much interest in this six-degrees-type trivia as you do in my gurgling cell phone.]
So where does this Reineresque stream of consciousness--admittedly the most rambling "License to Kvell" since the blog began on January 3, 2011--leave us? Have we answered one of the three most important questions in American Jewry? No. Do we have to? No. Why? Because Alan Brady was make-believe and Carl Reiner is real. He's the one we kvell about.
(Part II follows)
________________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com/
http://bennybellbook.webs.com/
1) How will the high rate of intermarriage affect American Jewry in the years to come?
2) Is anti-Semitism still a problem in some facets of American society?
3) Was Alan Brady Jewish?
Okay, fine--I'm probably the only Jew in the country asking that last question. And okay, fine--maybe it's really not that important. But trust me: when you don't want to sit around wondering how much the plumber who's been in your bathroom for three hours trying to fish a cell phone out of your toilet bowl is going to charge, and you don't really care to wonder if radio evangelist Harold Camping is going to be right this time about the day of the Rapture, then it's perfectly okay to sit back, kick off your shoes, and wonder if Alan Brady was Jewish.
The wonderful Carl Reiner, one of my favorite humans, created Alan Brady on the classic "Dick Van Dyke Show," a character loosely based (or perhaps not so loosely) on his real-life former boss, Sid Caesar, who was Jewish. So if that's any clue...
Both Sid and Carl are mentioned in my first and second books, "The Jewish Book of Lists" and "Reel Jewish: A Century of Jewish Movies," but not in terms of Alan Brady's Jewishness or non-Jewishness. And mostly that's because the is-he-or-isn't-he element wasn't integral to the success of the show. What was integral was making true-to-life characters in true-to-life situations consistently funny. The writers, directors and cast of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" accomplished that for five consecutive years.
Millions of us say it every day, but I'll say, too: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was my favorite sitcom of all time. Not just because I wanted to be a writer like Rob. Not just because one of my first crushes was on Laura. Not just because a dentist lived next door (who, I always assumed, gave the Petrie family a discount--though I could be wrong about that). Not because a dart board was allowed in the office (today you'd be arrested for that). And not because Alan Brady might have been Jewish. But because it was all so real and all so funny. They looked like they were having as much fun in New Rochelle and New York City as I was in my living room on Long Island.
From what I recall, as I mentioned in a previous "License to Kvell" (March 9, 2011, "Pickles at a Bar Mitzvah"), the only thing really Jewish about "The Dick Van Dyke Show" was the episode in which everyone thinks Buddy is cheating on his wife, when in fact he's sneaking around to study with his cantor so that he can finally have the bar mitzvah he didn't have when he was a kid. According to an internet source, it was the favorite episode of Morey Amsterdam who, it has been reported, never had a bar mitzvah in real life.
But back to Carl Reiner, without whom there would be no Buddy Sorrell at all. I'm a Reiner nut. In addition to creating the Van Dyke Show, making the 2000-Year-Old Man records with Mel Brooks, and directing more than two brains worth of Steve Martin movies, he also co-wrote or co-starred in two of my all-time favorite films, "The Thrill of It All" (1963) and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966).
[Both films, by the way, were directed by the brilliant non-Jewish Norman Jewison, who also directed the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof." Alan Arkin, who co-starred in "The Russians Are Coming," played Carl's alter-ego David Kolowitz in the Broadway version of the autobiographical Reiner play, "Enter Laughing." But I realize you may have as much interest in this six-degrees-type trivia as you do in my gurgling cell phone.]
So where does this Reineresque stream of consciousness--admittedly the most rambling "License to Kvell" since the blog began on January 3, 2011--leave us? Have we answered one of the three most important questions in American Jewry? No. Do we have to? No. Why? Because Alan Brady was make-believe and Carl Reiner is real. He's the one we kvell about.
(Part II follows)
________________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com/
http://bennybellbook.webs.com/
Enter Kvelling, Part II
[continued from the last "License to Kvell"]
So why did I pick this particular time to write about Carl Reiner? That's simple. My dear friends Jeanine Kasun and Stu Shostak of Shokus Internet Radio mentioned his name to me the other day just as I was logging onto the computer to begin a new "License to Kvell." Jeanine and Stu had interviewed me several times when my last book was published, and we've grown close since then. Jeanine told me that Carl was dropping by, and I asked her if she'd share my blog with him. I thought perhaps that he'd enjoy it. Maybe it would even make him smile. Jeanine said she be happy to pass it along. (She has, hasn't she, Carl?)
The book I was plugging when I was on the air with Jeanine and Stu is about my grandfather, the novelty entertainer Benny Bell. It's called "Grandpa Had a Long One: Personal Notes on the Life, Career & Legacy of Benny Bell." In addition to novelty songs like "Everybody Wants My Fanny," "Take a Ship for Yourself" and "Shaving Cream," my grandfather wrote some ballads and love songs, such as "Ship Ahoy, Sailor Boy," which was recorded in 1950 by Rose Marie, who played Sally Rogers on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." So there's another Carl connection: would Rose Marie have been as iconic as she has become had not "The Dick Van Dyke Show" been around to make Sally Rogers such an integral part of our lives? It's a question that even Mr. Reiner may have asked himself once or twice. (You have, haven't you, Carl?)
I had sent a copy of the galleys of my book to Rose Marie to get a testimonial. She read the book, liked it, and provided the testimonial. That was a thrill. Then, Jeanine and Stu interviewed Rose Marie on the air, and while they had her in the studio, they asked her to sign a copy of the 45 rpm record of "Ship Ahoy, Sailor Boy" and a copy of the sheet music, and she graciously complied. What a marvelous person do to that. Both the record and the sheet music are now hanging in my home-office, right next to my glossy publicity still of Rob, Buddy and Sally sitting in the writer's room over at the Alan Brady Show. (Buddy is sleeping, with a pencil in his mouth.)
Figures that such a marvelous man like Carl Reiner would be associated with such a marvelous woman like Rose Marie.
Although my own life-long dreams to write for stage and screen have yet to be realized, and my career but a shadow of what I've long wished it could be, I kvell every time I look at the "Ship Ahoy" record and sheet music, and now I'll kvell every time I look at my glossy of Rob, Buddy and Sally, knowing that the man who invented them smiled because of something I wrote. (You did, didn't you, Carl?)
_____________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com/
http://bennybellbook.webs.com/
So why did I pick this particular time to write about Carl Reiner? That's simple. My dear friends Jeanine Kasun and Stu Shostak of Shokus Internet Radio mentioned his name to me the other day just as I was logging onto the computer to begin a new "License to Kvell." Jeanine and Stu had interviewed me several times when my last book was published, and we've grown close since then. Jeanine told me that Carl was dropping by, and I asked her if she'd share my blog with him. I thought perhaps that he'd enjoy it. Maybe it would even make him smile. Jeanine said she be happy to pass it along. (She has, hasn't she, Carl?)
The book I was plugging when I was on the air with Jeanine and Stu is about my grandfather, the novelty entertainer Benny Bell. It's called "Grandpa Had a Long One: Personal Notes on the Life, Career & Legacy of Benny Bell." In addition to novelty songs like "Everybody Wants My Fanny," "Take a Ship for Yourself" and "Shaving Cream," my grandfather wrote some ballads and love songs, such as "Ship Ahoy, Sailor Boy," which was recorded in 1950 by Rose Marie, who played Sally Rogers on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." So there's another Carl connection: would Rose Marie have been as iconic as she has become had not "The Dick Van Dyke Show" been around to make Sally Rogers such an integral part of our lives? It's a question that even Mr. Reiner may have asked himself once or twice. (You have, haven't you, Carl?)
I had sent a copy of the galleys of my book to Rose Marie to get a testimonial. She read the book, liked it, and provided the testimonial. That was a thrill. Then, Jeanine and Stu interviewed Rose Marie on the air, and while they had her in the studio, they asked her to sign a copy of the 45 rpm record of "Ship Ahoy, Sailor Boy" and a copy of the sheet music, and she graciously complied. What a marvelous person do to that. Both the record and the sheet music are now hanging in my home-office, right next to my glossy publicity still of Rob, Buddy and Sally sitting in the writer's room over at the Alan Brady Show. (Buddy is sleeping, with a pencil in his mouth.)
Figures that such a marvelous man like Carl Reiner would be associated with such a marvelous woman like Rose Marie.
Although my own life-long dreams to write for stage and screen have yet to be realized, and my career but a shadow of what I've long wished it could be, I kvell every time I look at the "Ship Ahoy" record and sheet music, and now I'll kvell every time I look at my glossy of Rob, Buddy and Sally, knowing that the man who invented them smiled because of something I wrote. (You did, didn't you, Carl?)
_____________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com/
http://bennybellbook.webs.com/
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
License to Gittle
My friend from high school, Bob Gittleman, whom I hadn't seen in about 35 years, recently got in touch with me and insisted that I join the Facebook nation. I had always resisted. I'm really not interested in what some people had for breakfast. But knowing that I am always trying plug a book or find sources for an article or push my corporate writing services, he said that at the very least, joining Facebook would be good for self-marketing. He badgered me until I signed on.
I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that Facebook in Yiddish is Gittleman. I thought maybe to Gittle meant to find someone's face, and that a Gittleman was a person who had a talent for finding long-lost faces. Hey, anything's possible. So I researched it extensively and am now ready to issue my report.
Gittleman does not mean Facebook in Yiddish. The Yiddish word gittel actually means good. Not good face. Just good.
Anyway, one day Bob plugged "License to Kvell" on his Facebook page, and the blog received more visitors on that one day than in all the previous five months of its existence. I was blown away!
So who do I thank? Bob Gittleman? Mark Zuckerberg? Ian Fleming?
Why Ian Fleming? Because he is more or less responsible for the popularity of the phrase "License to kill," from his James Bond books, which is the phrase from which this blog borrows its own name.
But in researching Mr. Fleming and his work I discovered that many characters who might be Jewish are always depicted in highly unflattering ways, both physically and behaviorally, and it is said that many of the most villainous villains have Jewish blood (which is actually a line used in one of the Bond novels). Many were supposed to have 'large lobes,' which I guess was thought to be a Jewish physical characteristic. Also, Jewish female characters are nonexistent in the Bond books. There was a great article in The Forward a few years ago about this topic, which can be found here: http://www.forward.com/articles/9024/.
So I'll pass on thanking Mr. Fleming for the moment.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook? I don't know. I suppose he's a nice enough guy. But as depicted by Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," he was incredibly shifty-eyed, which is not how I'd like rich, famous, entrepreneurial Jews to appear to the world. His eyes darted here and there, as if he had not a social network but a social disease. He could never look you in the eye for more than two seconds. What's with that? We don't need Bond villain ears and we don't need Zuckerberg eyes to help identify us, do we? After all, even those of us who are not rich, not famous, and can only spell entrepreneurial need all the help we can get in this crazy world.
So, for the time being I'll pass on Mr. Zuckerberg, too.
Which, I suppose, makes Bob Gittleman the winner. By a nose.
________________________________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com for all your marketing communications needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSC-iHVl13A to see a video on my current book
http://bennybellbook.webs.com for more information on the book.
Please feel free to pass "License to Kvell" along to all your friends and relatives, regardless of whether they are Jewish, fun-loving or even human. The blog also gratefully accepts comments or even guest columns. Send submissions to LicenseToKvell@comcast.net.
I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that Facebook in Yiddish is Gittleman. I thought maybe to Gittle meant to find someone's face, and that a Gittleman was a person who had a talent for finding long-lost faces. Hey, anything's possible. So I researched it extensively and am now ready to issue my report.
Gittleman does not mean Facebook in Yiddish. The Yiddish word gittel actually means good. Not good face. Just good.
Anyway, one day Bob plugged "License to Kvell" on his Facebook page, and the blog received more visitors on that one day than in all the previous five months of its existence. I was blown away!
So who do I thank? Bob Gittleman? Mark Zuckerberg? Ian Fleming?
Why Ian Fleming? Because he is more or less responsible for the popularity of the phrase "License to kill," from his James Bond books, which is the phrase from which this blog borrows its own name.
But in researching Mr. Fleming and his work I discovered that many characters who might be Jewish are always depicted in highly unflattering ways, both physically and behaviorally, and it is said that many of the most villainous villains have Jewish blood (which is actually a line used in one of the Bond novels). Many were supposed to have 'large lobes,' which I guess was thought to be a Jewish physical characteristic. Also, Jewish female characters are nonexistent in the Bond books. There was a great article in The Forward a few years ago about this topic, which can be found here: http://www.forward.com/articles/9024/.
So I'll pass on thanking Mr. Fleming for the moment.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook? I don't know. I suppose he's a nice enough guy. But as depicted by Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," he was incredibly shifty-eyed, which is not how I'd like rich, famous, entrepreneurial Jews to appear to the world. His eyes darted here and there, as if he had not a social network but a social disease. He could never look you in the eye for more than two seconds. What's with that? We don't need Bond villain ears and we don't need Zuckerberg eyes to help identify us, do we? After all, even those of us who are not rich, not famous, and can only spell entrepreneurial need all the help we can get in this crazy world.
So, for the time being I'll pass on Mr. Zuckerberg, too.
Which, I suppose, makes Bob Gittleman the winner. By a nose.
________________________________________________
http://joelthewriter.webs.com for all your marketing communications needs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSC-iHVl13A to see a video on my current book
http://bennybellbook.webs.com for more information on the book.
Please feel free to pass "License to Kvell" along to all your friends and relatives, regardless of whether they are Jewish, fun-loving or even human. The blog also gratefully accepts comments or even guest columns. Send submissions to LicenseToKvell@comcast.net.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Soup to Nuts
I was at the Chang-An restaurant the other night picking up some Chinese kreplach (steamed vegetable dumplings) and grabbed one of those 'alternative' newspapers that they have on the window sill. I'm always looking for editorial outlets, although this particular paper was not necessarily one with which I'd like to be professionally associated, what with its picture ads for more-than-just-massages and its no-holds-barred sexual advice columns. Flipping through I stumbled upon the Personals section and scanned it just for fun. You never know when something will trigger an article idea.
Well, the only thing that was triggered was complete confusion. You have to have a damn abbreviation guide just to know what the hell you're reading. And if you can't find the guide, then you're on your own. I was on my own: SWF looking for SWM, SBM looking for SBF, DBF looking for SBM, DWM looking for DorSWorBF, SWJF looking for SWJM...
It can drive you nuts.
And since I'm not looking for either a Single White Jewish Female or Divorced White Bisexual Male and have no patience for unfamiliar acronyms anyway, I put the paper down. But then I wondered if they are even enough acronyms for some people. (Maybe that's the article idea!) If a single white conservative Jewish female, for example, were looking for a black Orthodox Jewish male, it would have to say SWCJF looking for BOJM. I don't think they have those categories. Not yet, anyway. And shouldn't there be separate categories for people who just want their date to be Jewish but not necessarily to be a practicing Jew? You know--for those who are not really religious Jews but recognize the importance of Jewish heritage.
It can get very complicated. Who has the time for all this? You might as well just let one of those computer services do all the work. Like J-Date, which is for Jews. Is there a CJ-Date, too? Or an OJ-Date? How about an NRRJ-Date? Figure it out for yourself. My Chinese matzo ball soup is getting cold.
__________________________________
Attention fans of classic Yiddish/Jewish novelty songs:
There's a new Benny Bell CD of only Yiddish/Jewish material, called "Benny Bell: Lost Legend of Elton Street."
Twenty songs! You must own it. Write to me at joelthewriter@comcast.net for more details.
Also, please visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs. And
http://cakesbywildflour.com/ for all your special cake needs.
Well, the only thing that was triggered was complete confusion. You have to have a damn abbreviation guide just to know what the hell you're reading. And if you can't find the guide, then you're on your own. I was on my own: SWF looking for SWM, SBM looking for SBF, DBF looking for SBM, DWM looking for DorSWorBF, SWJF looking for SWJM...
It can drive you nuts.
And since I'm not looking for either a Single White Jewish Female or Divorced White Bisexual Male and have no patience for unfamiliar acronyms anyway, I put the paper down. But then I wondered if they are even enough acronyms for some people. (Maybe that's the article idea!) If a single white conservative Jewish female, for example, were looking for a black Orthodox Jewish male, it would have to say SWCJF looking for BOJM. I don't think they have those categories. Not yet, anyway. And shouldn't there be separate categories for people who just want their date to be Jewish but not necessarily to be a practicing Jew? You know--for those who are not really religious Jews but recognize the importance of Jewish heritage.
It can get very complicated. Who has the time for all this? You might as well just let one of those computer services do all the work. Like J-Date, which is for Jews. Is there a CJ-Date, too? Or an OJ-Date? How about an NRRJ-Date? Figure it out for yourself. My Chinese matzo ball soup is getting cold.
__________________________________
Attention fans of classic Yiddish/Jewish novelty songs:
There's a new Benny Bell CD of only Yiddish/Jewish material, called "Benny Bell: Lost Legend of Elton Street."
Twenty songs! You must own it. Write to me at joelthewriter@comcast.net for more details.
Also, please visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs. And
http://cakesbywildflour.com/ for all your special cake needs.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
We've Got Mishugas, My Friend. Right Here in River City.
The other day I had to decide which of four important things to do right away. 1) Pay some long-overdue bills. 2) Catch a chipmunk that had somehow gotten in my basement. 3) Get the car ready to pick my son up at college later in the day. 4) Watch a musical.
So as "The Music Man" began, I was listening to the opening number in which all the traveling salesmen are on the train discussing their profession and the reputation of the enigmatic Professor Harold Hill. I know the show pretty much from the first line to the last note, so I knew one of the salesmen in that opening number (which, by the way, was one of the first rap songs) would talk about a Jew's harp, mentioning it as one of the only musical instruments that can successfully be sold by a traveling salesman. But I never knew the origin of the name. I never knew a Jew who played one. It's not mentioned in the Old Testament. Could it, I wondered, have some sort of negative derivation based on its shape, its sound, its myths and legends?
Wouldn't surprise me at all, skeptic that I am. And that might add a new element to my flawless admiration of the Meredith Willson classic.
So after many years of riding that train (figuratively speaking), I finally researched it, silently praying I wouldn't discover anything unseemly.
The result? A Jew's harp has absolutely nothing to do with Jews. The instrument has actually been referred to by more than a thousand different names throughout the centuries, including juice harp, jaw's harp, and gewgaw, which is a Middle English word meaning worthless trinket. There's an organization called the Jew's Harp Guild whose website, http://www.jewsharpguild.org/history.html, has a lot of good information about the Jew's harp, for those of you who are interested. They even have their own annual convention, which this year is from August 12 to 14 in Bay City, OR.
I'd consider going, but that might be the time when I have to pay some more overdue bills, catch another critter in the basement, or get ready to take my son back to school.
Or watch "Bye, Bye Birdie."
__________________________________
Visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs. And visit http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id440.html to find out how to get your copy of my book, "Grandpa Had a Long One: Personal Notes on the Life, Career & Legacy of Benny Bell."
So as "The Music Man" began, I was listening to the opening number in which all the traveling salesmen are on the train discussing their profession and the reputation of the enigmatic Professor Harold Hill. I know the show pretty much from the first line to the last note, so I knew one of the salesmen in that opening number (which, by the way, was one of the first rap songs) would talk about a Jew's harp, mentioning it as one of the only musical instruments that can successfully be sold by a traveling salesman. But I never knew the origin of the name. I never knew a Jew who played one. It's not mentioned in the Old Testament. Could it, I wondered, have some sort of negative derivation based on its shape, its sound, its myths and legends?
Wouldn't surprise me at all, skeptic that I am. And that might add a new element to my flawless admiration of the Meredith Willson classic.
So after many years of riding that train (figuratively speaking), I finally researched it, silently praying I wouldn't discover anything unseemly.
The result? A Jew's harp has absolutely nothing to do with Jews. The instrument has actually been referred to by more than a thousand different names throughout the centuries, including juice harp, jaw's harp, and gewgaw, which is a Middle English word meaning worthless trinket. There's an organization called the Jew's Harp Guild whose website, http://www.jewsharpguild.org/history.html, has a lot of good information about the Jew's harp, for those of you who are interested. They even have their own annual convention, which this year is from August 12 to 14 in Bay City, OR.
I'd consider going, but that might be the time when I have to pay some more overdue bills, catch another critter in the basement, or get ready to take my son back to school.
Or watch "Bye, Bye Birdie."
__________________________________
Visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs. And visit http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id440.html to find out how to get your copy of my book, "Grandpa Had a Long One: Personal Notes on the Life, Career & Legacy of Benny Bell."
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Someone Wants My Help. Oy My God!
I received a lovely email yesterday from an author named Amy Fellner Dominy, who first told me that she thinks "License to Kvell" would be a great place to promote her new book, "OyMG," which sounds terrific, and then admitted that she wishes she would have thought of the name "License to Kvell" before I did.
Well, Amy, even though I wasn't the first to use it and it's not a copyrighted phrase, if you'd like, I'll give you permission to use it for the title of your next book under two itsy bitsy teeny weeny little conditions: One, make sure you hire me to write the screenplay, and two, make sure my daughter Kate gets a part in the movie when the book is sold to Hollywood. After all, "License to Kvell" is a family affair. So if you become rich and famous before I do, adopt my family!
"OyMG" (Walker Books) is about a Jewish girl who goes to a Christian summer camp to win a private scholarship, only to discover that she'll have to hide her religion in order to do so. Interesting concept. Amy produced an adorable video about the book (see the link below) and even created an "OyMG" tee-shirt to use in various promotional ways. She certainly has her marketing hat sitting snugly on her head. (Hey Amy, I also write new book press releases for a living, just so that you can keep track of the business activities of your new family members.)
Now, I'm not planning to plug everything that passes across the "License to Kvell" desk, but this one seemed interesting and Amy seems very nice. (We'll see if she comes through on the conditions.) So I decided to do a little interview as today's "License to Kvell." Besides, publishing can always use fresh new twists on some old challenging topics.
Q: Hi, Amy. What gave you the idea for the story?
A: I grew up as one of the only Jewish kids in my neighborhood. I knew what it felt like to be different. I also understood the temptation to hide the part of yourself that you think other people might not accept. The question is how far will you go to fit in? From there, the character of Ellie Taylor and the story of "OyMG" developed.
Q: Do you want to continue writing?
A: I've been writing since I was a kid. (I still have my first rejection letter from when I was thirteen years old.) I've published short stories over the years and also had plays produced in various cities across the country. And yes, I hope to continue writing for a long time. My second book comes out fall 2012, also from Walker, titled "Audition and Subtraction."
Q: I take it you are Jewish? Can’t always tell from the name.
A: Yes, I'm Jewish. My mom and dad were both Jewish, as were their mothers and fathers. I'm the one who broke the mold by marrying out of the faith. We've raised the kids Jewish but they know what it's like to have an interfaith family.
Q: What are your favorite Jewish-oriented authors and books?
A: For adult books, I love Elinor Lipman, especially "The Inn at Lake Devine," Anita Diamante's "The Red Tent," and I loved Nicole Krause's "History of Love." For children/young adult books, Sarah Darer Littman's "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" is a wonderful book. And I have to mention Judy Blume. "Are You There, God? It's me Margaret" is an all-time favorite.
Q: What do you hope the book accomplishes for you personally and professionally, and for its readers, as well?
A: The books I loved best growing up were ones that took me out of my world, but also (strangely enough) connected me more strongly to it. Personally, I'd love to be able to do that, to create characters that teens can relate to, care about and learn from. Professionally, my goal is to keep telling stories. Hopefully, if people like this book I'll get to continue doing just that!
Her Amazon web link is http://astore.amazon.com/wwwamyfellner-20 and her own website is http://amydominy.com/, where more information about the book and her promotional efforts can be found. And here's a link to her video. It's actually more of a trailer, as if "OyMG" were already a movie. (And I thought I was the only eternal optimist in our family!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_smfj4QbkM
________________________________________________
Visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs.
Visit http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id440.html to learn about my newest book.
Well, Amy, even though I wasn't the first to use it and it's not a copyrighted phrase, if you'd like, I'll give you permission to use it for the title of your next book under two itsy bitsy teeny weeny little conditions: One, make sure you hire me to write the screenplay, and two, make sure my daughter Kate gets a part in the movie when the book is sold to Hollywood. After all, "License to Kvell" is a family affair. So if you become rich and famous before I do, adopt my family!
"OyMG" (Walker Books) is about a Jewish girl who goes to a Christian summer camp to win a private scholarship, only to discover that she'll have to hide her religion in order to do so. Interesting concept. Amy produced an adorable video about the book (see the link below) and even created an "OyMG" tee-shirt to use in various promotional ways. She certainly has her marketing hat sitting snugly on her head. (Hey Amy, I also write new book press releases for a living, just so that you can keep track of the business activities of your new family members.)
Now, I'm not planning to plug everything that passes across the "License to Kvell" desk, but this one seemed interesting and Amy seems very nice. (We'll see if she comes through on the conditions.) So I decided to do a little interview as today's "License to Kvell." Besides, publishing can always use fresh new twists on some old challenging topics.
Q: Hi, Amy. What gave you the idea for the story?
A: I grew up as one of the only Jewish kids in my neighborhood. I knew what it felt like to be different. I also understood the temptation to hide the part of yourself that you think other people might not accept. The question is how far will you go to fit in? From there, the character of Ellie Taylor and the story of "OyMG" developed.
Q: Do you want to continue writing?
A: I've been writing since I was a kid. (I still have my first rejection letter from when I was thirteen years old.) I've published short stories over the years and also had plays produced in various cities across the country. And yes, I hope to continue writing for a long time. My second book comes out fall 2012, also from Walker, titled "Audition and Subtraction."
Q: I take it you are Jewish? Can’t always tell from the name.
A: Yes, I'm Jewish. My mom and dad were both Jewish, as were their mothers and fathers. I'm the one who broke the mold by marrying out of the faith. We've raised the kids Jewish but they know what it's like to have an interfaith family.
Q: What are your favorite Jewish-oriented authors and books?
A: For adult books, I love Elinor Lipman, especially "The Inn at Lake Devine," Anita Diamante's "The Red Tent," and I loved Nicole Krause's "History of Love." For children/young adult books, Sarah Darer Littman's "Confessions of a Closet Catholic" is a wonderful book. And I have to mention Judy Blume. "Are You There, God? It's me Margaret" is an all-time favorite.
Q: What do you hope the book accomplishes for you personally and professionally, and for its readers, as well?
A: The books I loved best growing up were ones that took me out of my world, but also (strangely enough) connected me more strongly to it. Personally, I'd love to be able to do that, to create characters that teens can relate to, care about and learn from. Professionally, my goal is to keep telling stories. Hopefully, if people like this book I'll get to continue doing just that!
Her Amazon web link is http://astore.amazon.com/wwwamyfellner-20 and her own website is http://amydominy.com/, where more information about the book and her promotional efforts can be found. And here's a link to her video. It's actually more of a trailer, as if "OyMG" were already a movie. (And I thought I was the only eternal optimist in our family!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_smfj4QbkM
________________________________________________
Visit http://joelthewriter.webs.com/ for all your corporate communications needs.
Visit http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id440.html to learn about my newest book.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)