The Weekly Schmooze: I'm on a boat!

A Jpost column wrapping up the hottest Jewish culture news: DIY PEZ-uzahs, "Tajew" instead of Taboo; Duchovny shills for HOT.

By LAHAV HARKOV
weekly schmooze 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
weekly schmooze 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Two-thirds of the "Saturday Night Live" musical comedy group 'The Lonely Island' are Jewish – Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer – but apparently that wasn't Jewish enough for everyone. Three Israelis teamed up and filmed an almost exact translation of The Lonely Island's song "I'm on a Boat" into Hebrew, replacing Kevin Garnett with Herzl, and somehow managing to get a bust of David Ben-Gurion into the clip.

Celebrities often give their children
interesting names. There's Chastity Bono, Moon Unit Zappa and Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter, Apple Martin. Now Natalie Portman has added a name to the list. Two weeks ago, at her son's bris, the baby's name was announced: Aleph Portman-Millepied. Yes, Aleph, like the letter. On the bright side, it'll probably be easy to spell, right?
What does your mezuza look like? If you said Hello Kitty, then you have something in common with writer Joanna Brichetto, who turned her PEZ dispenser collection and turned it into Judaica. Just put a scroll where the candy should be, draw on the Hebrew letter "shin," and voila! You have a PEZ-uzah. Brichetto even explains why the PEZ is Kosher.In Boston, two friends turned a Jewish DIY idea into a real game manufactured by Hasbro. That idea is the Jewish edition of popular game Taboo. The Boston Herald reported that friends Seth Burstein and Ian Framson created a licensed version of the Shabbat-appropriate game, with cards referencing terms like "Adon Olam" and "Bar Mitzva."
Gene Simmons's recent visit to Israel made headlines earlier this year, and now the KISS rocker's trip to the Holy Land made his reality TV show, "Gene Simmons' Family Jewels." Simmons, born Chaim Witz, checked into a hotel in his hometown, Haifa, under the pseudonym "Mr. Vey," as in "Oy Vey." The rock legend was awarded a medal from the city of Haifa, and he visited his father's grave. Watch the very emotional scene here.
If we're already discussing celebrities in Israel, actor David Duchovny filmed a funny commercial for Israeli cable company HOT, in which he is almost tricked into marrying an Israeli fan.
Two Haifa graphic design students recently created a video titled "Kollel vs. College," which they say "shows the inequality between Israeli students and religious Yeshiva boys." Regardless of your stance on the issue, this is a fun Super Mario parody, that makes great use of the ABBA song "Money Money Money."

The Weekly Schmooze collects the hottest Jewish culture news from around the world. Ranging from celebrities to philanthropy to quirky communities, we're here to schmooze about Jews. If you have any news to share with The Weekly Schmooze, write to:weeklyschmooze@gmail.com