Sabba Rahbar is a public speaking coach, communication strategist, and founder of Speak with Confidence. Before that, she was a celebrity gossip blogger and editor-in-chief at Socialite Life, managed content and social media for the food website Cooking Panda, and was a digital platform manager for entertainment clients, including DC Comics, IMDbPro, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Video Games. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Speak with Confidence htt...
Nov 06, 2023•22 min•Ep. 26
Elizabeth Schwartz is the author of The Sweet Fragrance of Life and Other Horror Stories. She’s also the vocalist of the klezmer group Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi, the subject of a Romanian documentary film, Searching for Schwartz, and co-creator of the award-winning audio dramas The Witches of Lublin and Debs in Canton. Elizabeth contributed a chapter on klezmer vocal technique to Shpil: The Art of Playing Klezmer, and has recipes in A Wandering Feast: A Journey Through the Jewish Culture of E...
Oct 30, 2023•20 min
Greg Laemmle is president of Laemmle Theatres, a family-owned and operated art house theater chain that has operated in Los Angeles County since 1938. He’s the subject of the 2022 documentary, Only in Theaters, and is one of the few exhibitors with membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren About Laemmle https://www.laemmle.com/pages/about Only in Theaters – trailer https://www.youtube.com/watc...
Oct 23, 2023•25 min•Ep. 25
Maggie Rawling Smith is a writer, filmmaker, and activist. She directed the documentary Tucson Salvage, co-written with her husband Brian Jabas Smith, co-adapted Brian’s collection of short stories into the Amazon Prime series Spent Saints, and directed the documentary Whole Enchilada, about the roots of Tucson’s desert rock music. She is also the author of a forthcoming young adult novel Catamopus, and edits the literary magazine Glue Gun. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Pro...
Oct 16, 2023•21 min•Ep. 24
Lloyd Kaufman is a director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and co-founder of Troma Entertainment. Lloyd has directed numerous feature films for Troma, such as The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., and Tromeo and Juliet. He is also the author of several books, including Make Your Own Damn Movie!, Direct Your Own Damn Movie!, Produce Your Own Damn Movie!, and Sell Your Own Damn Movie! IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0442207/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Lloyd’s website https://w...
Oct 09, 2023•40 min•Ep. 23
Rebecca Clarren is an award-winning journalist who’s been writing about the rural American West for more than twenty years. Her articles have appeared in Mother Jones, High Country News, The Nation, and Salon.com. She has also authored a novel, Kickdown, and a new non-fiction book, The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota and an American Inheritance. The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647961/the-cost-of-free-land-by-rebecca-clarre...
Oct 02, 2023•21 min•Ep. 22
Ben Nadler is an illustrator, writer, and comics artist. His books include Heretics!: The Wondrous (and Dangerous) Beginnings of Modern Philosophy, The White Snake, and, most recently, The Jewish Deli: An Illustrated Guide to the Chosen Food. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Ben’s website https://www.bennadler.ink/ The Jewish Deli https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/the-jewish-deli Heretics! https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691...
Sep 18, 2023•20 min•Ep. 21
Actor and writer Stephen Tobolowsky is known for playing insurance agent Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, Commissioner Hugo Jarry on the HBO series Deadwood, Principal Earl Ball on the ABC series The Goldbergs, and a whole lot more. He also has a podcast, The Tobolowsky Files, and is the author of three books: Cautionary Tales, The Dangerous Animals Club, and My Adventures with God. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Stephen’s IMDb https://www.imdb.co...
Sep 04, 2023•44 min•Ep. 20
Brad Pomerance hosts the travel show Air, Land & Sea and the genealogy series Generations, both on the cable network Jewish Life Television (JLTV). Brad also hosts Uncovered in the Archives, which he developed for PBS-affiliate KVCR in Southern California. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Brad's IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3165699/ Air, Land & Sea https://www.jltv.tv/air-land-sea Generations https://mjhnyc.org/blog/mjh-jewishgen-and-...
Aug 21, 2023•22 min•Ep. 19
Paul Golin is executive director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism and previously served as associate executive director of Big Tent Judaism/Jewish Outreach Institute. He was recently profiled on the American Philatelic Society website, and can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @JustAboutStamps. Paul is also the Ashkenazi half of a “Jewpanese”—Jewish & Japanese—household, and maintains the Jewpanese page on Facebook. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-enginee...
Aug 07, 2023•25 min•Ep. 18
Helene Siegel is a Los Angeles food writer who runs the Pastry Sessions blog. She’s the author of 40 cookbooks, including the Totally Cookbook series and Pure Chocolate. In the early 90s, Helene produced a series of Barbie books for 8- to 12-year-old girls—in a time before gender neutrality—including The Barbie Party Cookbook. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren My Years With Barbie https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/357198/my-years-with...
Jul 31, 2023•28 min
Matthew Bennett is a composer, ethnomusicologist, sound artist, and founder of the design firm, Acoustic Ecology. Matthew created and directed the Sound & Sensory Design Program at Microsoft, where he made micro-musical compositions that are heard on billions of devices every day. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Acoustic Ecology https://soundandsensory.com/ Microsoft Story Labs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sqg63imHx0&t=1s The man beh...
Jul 24, 2023•26 min•Ep. 17
Jennie Bunde, a native of Galesburg, Illinois, was a contestant on Jeopardy! in March of 2022. A lifelong trivia enthusiast, Jennie holds master’s degrees in biology and rabbinic studies. She shares an insider’s perspective on the show and tips for would-be contestants. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Final Jeopardy!: Shakespeare's Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3WTywuFGg8 Galesburg Native Competes on Jeopardy! https://www.kwqc.com/2022/...
Jul 10, 2023•25 min•Ep. 16
As the WGA strike of 2023 continues, we chat with legendary screenwriter Michael Elias, an award-winning writer, actor, and director who has written film, television, theatre, and fiction. You may know Michael as the co-screenwriter of The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, or The Jerk, starring Steve Martin, both from 1979. He also created the hit sitcom Head of the Class, which ran on ABC from 1986 to 1991. More recently, he has turned to writing novels, including You Can Go H...
Jul 03, 2023•33 min
Mathew Klickstein is a writer, filmmaker, playwright, arts therapist, and pop culture historian whose writings have appeared in Wired, the New York Daily News, and Splitsider. He co-authored Springfield Confidential with Simpsons writer Mike Reiss, and recently published an oral history of the San Diego Comic-Con, “See You at San Diego,” and The Little Encyclopedia of Jewish Culture. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name...
Jun 26, 2023•47 min•Ep. 15
Molly Surno Davis is an artist, curator, and cultural producer. She was part of the team that created TEDx and was the first Outreach Director for Kickstarter. She’s been called a tastemaker and a person to watch in the art world by The New Yorker, The New York Times, LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, Filmmaker Magazine, and more. Push Products: Creation and Cultural Programing https://www.push-projects.com/ Molly’s Website http://www.mollysurno.com/ The Creators Forum: Meet Molly Surno https:/...
Jun 12, 2023•28 min•Ep. 14
Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of over 80 books on pop culture, including Hunting for Meaning in the Mandalorian; The Villain’s Journey; and Who Tells Your Story? History, Pop Culture, and Hidden Meanings in the Musical Phenomenon Hamilton. Several of her books focus on women’s roles in fiction, such as Buffy and the Heroine’s Journey; Superheroines and the Epic Journey; and The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen. She’s currently editor of Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy, publishing an aca...
May 30, 2023•23 min•Ep. 13
Jeremy Kagan is a director, writer, and producer whose film credits include directing the 1970s box-office hits Heroes and The Big Fix, the Chaim Potok adaptation The Chosen, an Emmy-winning episode of Chicago Hope, directing, co-writing, and co-producing the 1994 Showtime movie Roswell, and much, much more. He is the author of a series of books, Directors Close Up: Interviews with Directors Nominated for Best Film by the Directors Guild of America. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-...
May 15, 2023•27 min•Ep. 12
Lorna Lembeck, née Patterson, is best known for playing flight attendant Randy in Airplane! , her leading role on the early 80s CBS sitcom Private Benjamin , and voicing Dr. Susan Rand in the 1987 animated film, Ultraman: The Adventure Begins . Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666309/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Airplane! – singing scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHVXsLnkTqg Private Benjamin – opening credits https://w...
May 01, 2023•24 min•Ep. 11
Joshua Dolgin, aka Socalled, is a Montreal-based pianist, accordionist, producer, journalist, photographer, filmmaker, magician, cartoonist, and puppet maker. His collaborators have included, among many others, Itzhak Perlman, Fred Wesley, Andy Statman, Irving Fields, and Matisyahu. He was the subject of The Socalled Movie, a 2010 feature documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren The Socalled Movi...
Apr 17, 2023•33 min•Ep. 10
Harris Shore is the original, live-action Mario of the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. commercials for ColecoVision in 1982-1983. He sits down with Amusing Jews to review the new Super Mario Bros. Movie. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0794928/ Harris as Mario – Donkey Kong Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEaCgww5tI4 Harris as Mario – Donkey Kong Jr. Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNTpXX43Q...
Apr 10, 2023•28 min
Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren We talk with longtime film editor Gary Pollak, whose recent credits include the Netflix docuseries Last Chance U: Football , Last Chance U: Basketball , and Gunther’s Millions , about a dog with a trust fund and a wacky handler. IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1909602/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Gunther’s Millions – trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j3obY76-Kk Last Chance U: Football – trailer https://www.youtube.com...
Apr 03, 2023•21 min•Ep. 9
Veteran TV producer Eric Mazer is perhaps best known for his work on true crime series and the UFC. He’s executive producer of iCrime with Elizabeth Vargas and co-executive producer of Killer Siblings. His projects have aired on Oxygen, Spike, NBC, Fox Sports, TBS, Sci-Fi, History, Travel, MTV, VH1, and most of the Discovery Communications networks. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1847911/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 iCrime ...
Mar 20, 2023•23 min•Ep. 8
Dr. Reba Wissner is assistant professor of musicology and coordinator of the public musicology undergraduate certificate at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. An expert on music in 1950s and 1960s television, she’s the author of A Dimension of Sound: Music in The Twilight Zone; We Will Control All That You Hear: The Outer Limits and the Aural Imagination; and Music and the Atomic Bomb in American Television, 1950-1969. She’s also co-editor of Music in Twin Peaks: Listen to the Sound...
Mar 06, 2023•26 min•Ep. 7
We spend time with Noah Segan, who wrote, directed, co-produced, and stars in the 2022 movie Blood Relatives , now streaming on Shudder. Noah also has roles in Glass Onion, Knives Out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Looper, Brick , and a bunch of other films. Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0781913/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 Blood Relatives trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0ERclqxnc Joey’s favorite scene from Brick htt...
Feb 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 6
We chat with actor and author Melanie Chartoff, who starred on Fridays (ABC) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (FOX). She played George Costanza’s recurring girlfriend Robin on Seinfeld, and voiced Didi Pickles and her mother Minka on Nickelodeon's Rugrats…and a whole lot more. Her first book, Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories, explores the risks of becoming an actor before becoming a fully realized human being. She currently coaches performers and non-performers in being more charismatic ...
Feb 06, 2023•30 min•Ep. 5
Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren We chat with legendary screenwriter Michael Elias, an award-winning writer, actor, and director who has written film, television, theatre, and fiction. You may know Michael as the co-screenwriter of The Frisco Kid , starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, or The Jerk , starring Steve Martin, both from 1979. He also created the hit sitcom Head of the Class , which ran on ABC from 1986 to 1991. More recently, he has...
Jan 23, 2023•33 min•Ep. 4
Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren We sit down with singer and actress Rena Strober, the voice of Esmeraude, a member of the villainous Black Moon Clan, on the anime series Sailor Moon . Her Broadway credits include the role of Cosette in Les Miserables and a national tour of Fiddler on the Roof , playing Tevye’s oldest daughter Tzeitel. Recent television credits include characters on the Netflix animated series Dogs in Space . Rena is currently on...
Jan 09, 2023•24 min•Ep. 3
Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren Joey talks about Hanukkah and its many spellings with Jonathan Friedmann, professor of Jewish music history and dean of the Master of Jewish Studies Program at the Academy for Jewish Religion California. He is also director of the Jewish Museum of the American West, president of the Western States Jewish History Association, and community leader of Adat Chaverim—Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Los Angeles. Jo...
Dec 19, 2022•29 min•Ep. 2
Amusing Jews Ep. 1: A Festivus for the Rest of Us – with Seinfeld actor Harris Shore Co-hosts: Jonathan Friedmann & Joey Angel-Field Producer-engineer: Mike Tomren We chat with Harris Shore, an actor, writer and director who takes his place in American pop culture as the original, live-action Mario of the Donkey Kong commercials for ColecoVision (1982), and as the original Mr. Lippman on Seinfeld (“The Library,” 1991). He’s currently making the film festival circuit with his award-winning sh...
Dec 12, 2022•23 min•Ep. 1
