Esther Kustanowitz: September 2008 Archives

With every Rosh Hashanah season comes a surge of short video content designed as electronic greetings for the new year. For instance, last year saw the emergence of Rosh Hashanah Girl, in which singer Michelle Citrin and creative partner William Levin (both close friends of mine) took the "Obama Girl" video concept and altered it in an homage for the Jewish New Year.

In honor of the 5769 Election Year, Levin returns with "Phone Atone:"

A goodie from a previous year is Dan Meth's "Hebrew Crunk" Rosh Hashanah card, which was one of the early entries in the genre. That was followed by Levin's "Tekiah" and "Head of the Year," from previous years.

And fans of Showtime's serial killer show "Dexter" are likely as awestruck by the opening credits sequence, which illustrates how violent breakfast really is. But over at Jewish comedy site Bangitout.com, they're translating the opening scene with a distinctly Jewish accent for 5769.

And here's Dessler --a Jewish take on Dexter's morning routine from Dan S on Vimeo.

Whatever your favorite viral video, Idol Chatter wishes our Jewish readers a happy Rosh Hashanah, and hopes for a year of health and happiness for all of us.

Celebrity, whether in the political or entertainment sphere, usually means relinquishing control over the message of who you are and what you're about. Members of the media smell a story and run with it, sometimes despite the truth of the matter, and usually without regard to the feelings of the story's subject.

So now, Grandmama Lynn Spears wants to know why her daughter was "crucified" in the press for getting knocked up and keeping the baby, when Bristol Palin, daughter of a vice-presidential nominee, was largely spared a skewering. In a recent interview with Newsweek (via TMZ), Brit's and Jamie Lynn's mom noted the difference in the public reaction to the teen pregnancies:

With Lindsay Lohan officially announcing that she's been dating Samantha Ronson for "a very long time" and Clay Aiken (finally) coming out in his most recent feature story in People, it might be time to look at the week in gay news.

First, Lohan. Lindsay and Samantha are dating, yes, but are not engaged.

Now, Aiken. He came out because he didn't want to keep secrets from his newborn son. "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things," he reportedly said in the new issue of People.

Over on "Dancing with the Stars," Lance Bass (NSYNC) and partner Lacey Schwimmer cut a rug and survived the first elimination round on the popular ABC reality show. Bass is the first openly gay contestant on the show, and according to E!Online, "wouldn't mind" having a DWTS show that featured only same-sex couples, but thinks that the original DWTS may be the wrong venue. He also feels a real responsibility to represent the gay community well:

"I think it's so important for me to do this," he says. "But my biggest concern is I just hope it doesn't hurt the gay community in any way because, you know, we definitely can be scrutinized and picked apart. I definitely feel a responsibility of making sure I represent well."

Miley Cyrus and father Billy Ray Cyrus have apparently expressed a desire to exit the Disney show that made Miley's millions and redeemed her Achy Breaky Daddy from one-hit wonderland, TMZ recently learned.

The popular entertainment gossip website broke the news after reports from "spies" on the set of Hannah Montana who claim that Miley's hoping to get fired so she can concentrate on her music career, and daddy agrees, noting that there's greater earning potential in music. As a result, the article noted, "the father-daughter team has been showing up to the set ridiculously late, stalling production and infuriating cast and crew."

If you'll allow us, IC would like to sum up the rest of the article as follows:

In ad campaigns for the drama's current season, "Gossip Girl" has embraced its seamy side, using quotes from negative reviews as positives to attract viewers to the sex-ridden show. Now a new review, by actor and vocal Christian Stephen Baldwin, has been issued. And Gawker, predicting it's only a matter of time until a rather provocative quote from that review ends up on a GG ad poster, has taken the initiative of Photoshopping their own ad poster using a Baldwin quote about the campaign: "Mocking God."

The phrase in question somehow evokes John Lennon's claim about the Beatles being bigger than Jesus. So here's a word problem for you: If Stephen Baldwin mocks Gossip Girl, and Gossip Girl mocks God, and the Beatles are bigger than Jesus, then what is the relationship of Stephen Baldwin to the Beatles? And what does this have to do with Paul's impending visit to the Holy Land? Scroll down two lines for the answer.

[Answer: Nothing. It's completely unrelated.]

Fancy yourself a Jedi? In the UK, long the home of pioneering Jedi religious beliefs since Welsh brothers founded an official Jedi church last year, now finally there's a Jedi course at Queen's University, Belfast to teach you all those...

So much for "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "All We Need Is Love." Such messages are apparently lost on "self-styled preacher of hate" Omar Bakri, who--according to the UK Daily Express--has threatened knighted Beatle Paul McCartney that "he will...

Which '90210' actress, now reprising her role in the new series, gives sermons on Sundays? While many of us might like the story that would result if the answer had been "Shannen Doherty," the real answer is Ann Gillespie, who...

When you think Chabad, the religious Jewish outreach organization that creates Jewish community centers in various places all over the world, you probably think about one name...Jon Voight. You don't? Well, you should, and you will, since Voight--a Catholic--has been...

A few years ago, the PostSecret site took off, providing people with a central place for posting their own hidden truths and spy on the secrets of others. This public confessional was perfectly reflective of the technology-enabled, "tell-all generation." The...

Elul is the Hebrew month that precedes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and is traditionally treated as a pre-repentance period, during which Jews become aware, through special prayers and study, that the High Holidays are coming. Which makes it the...

Say what you want about Madonna, but you always know where you stand with her. For instance, whether you're Hitler or John McCain, it doesn't really matter to the controversial Madame Madge: if she goes on tour, you're going in...

Whenever I see a story of celebrity misdemeanors and odd behaviors, I have to wonder how I'd stand up to public and constant scrutiny. For instance, while using my blog to voice my disappointment with someone is entirely possible (although...