“Passing” gas
Ron Rosenbaum’s essay urging Jon Stewart to change his name back to Leibowitz is pretty cutting edge — for 1972. Here’s a taste:
Stewart is just so 20th-century, a relic of that dark age when Jews in show biz changed their names because they feared “real Americans” wouldn’t accept the originals….
[O]n a more serious note, it would represent the end of a shabby, antiquated era, pronouncing that aspect of anti-Semitism now (hopefully) dead and gone. It might even make it easier for young comedians, actors, and rock stars to resist the temptation to try to “pass.”
His essay comes out in a week that features the premier of Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Jason Schwartzman. SNL’s hottest star is Andy Samberg. Starring in Quentin Tarantino’s new movie is Samm Levine. The stars of two of the most popular sitcoms of the past 15 years were Jerry Seinfeld and David Schwimmer.
Who is it who is trying to “pass,” exactly?
JustASC is written by Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of the 