This week on TAL, another grand slam of an episode , but first a word on Howard Stern.

In Act II of TAL’s newest “Play The Part” episode, Ira Glass admits something known by fans of broadcaster Howard Stern for some time: Ira Glass is indeed an unabashed Howard Stern fan.  On Howard Stern’s Sirius Radio show a clip is often played between commercial breaks amongst the endless clips of talk show hosts, sports announcers and weathermen letting an expletive slip out on air, there’s an oft-played clip of Ira Glass on Late Night with David Letterman in which Ira is asked by Dave about his influences.  Wearing a dark brown two-piece suit, a matching brown tie and the signature Elvis Costello glasses (now arguably “Ira Glasses”) Ira says, “I’m a huge Howard Stern fan.  Public Radio audiences get a chilly, they don’t understand it, but there’s an overlap.  Everyday 8% of our audience switch between Morning Edition and Howard Stern.  He does a great show, and there’s things to learn from it. “

The subject is brought up in the week’s Second Act about a woman who realizes via an online quiz that her husband has Asperger’s.     It turns out though, that the suspicions which lead her to take the online test are shared by women across the world, who often upon hearing about the symptoms of Aspergers, believe their husbands have the affliction.  This is especially interesting in light of a tidbit I recently learned talking to singer/songwriter/social worker Sean Bonnette, who told me that Borderline Personality Disorder is diagnosed almost exclusively in women.  Moreover, months ago after watching The United States of Tara I learned that Multiple Personality Disorder is diagnosed almost exclusively in the United States.  The notion that psychological diseases can be contingent, on geographic location, sex, and the cultural zeitgeist is a odd one.  The husbaund in this story with Aspergers keeps a journal of more appropriate ways of dealing with situations that challenge him.  He mentions that one of the ways in which he learned to interact with people is by listening to and mimicking Howard Stern, the way he lowers his voice and slows down his speech when he means to be sincere, for example.  What Glass knows, which ostensibly the world may soon learn, is that Howard Stern isn’t quite the rude shock jock of the 1980’s, that most people expect.  In its later years, the Stern Show while still retaining many of its old characteristics especially in terms of sexuality, has become much more a show about personalities and human drama.  Fans as well as news anchors and sportscasters have espoused that Stern is actually the greatest interviewer alive.  With his upcoming role as judge on NBC’s top rated show America’s Got Talent, it will be interesting to see whether the rest of America finds themselves in agreement with Ira Glass.  Or will Stern, as the fill in for the tough, Simon Cowell-like Piers Morgan, become merely the hardnosed angry judge he’s expected to be and simply Play The Part.

Act I of this week’s episode dealt with an in debt man living in the Bronx, who after having been recently  fired from his job, finds himself faced with an interesting development in his life: a new candidate, suddenly the subject of massive media attention stemming from his bid for president, looks almost exactly like him. This man, Louis Ortiz, is quickly convinced to appropriate headshots, an agent and gigs impersonating Barack Obama.  However, impersonating proves to be his weakness and beyond a “Thank You,” Ortiz’s Obama falls flat.  Still, his world changes vastly as he begins to fall into the role of President Obama and a few overseas acting gigs as well as a cameo on Flight of the Concords become a major escape for him from his Bronx locale.  Unfortunately, the gigs begin to dry up midway through the Obama presidency mirroring almost directly the Left’s approval of our President.  With the recent developments in the Republican primaries, this aspect of Act I seems especially poignant.  In the end, Ortiz commits himself to bettering his Obama impression through practice and hard work.  Meanwhile, his success obtaining gigs will probably depend greatly on the results of the upcoming election as well as his own efforts as an actor.  Are those who’ve lost their initial passion for the Obama administration, playing the part as well, and if so, what does that mean for the next presidential election?  Perhaps this episode as much as it is about playing the part, is about people unable to escape a part bestowed upon them by the world at large, hoping for change, and a second chance.

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I can’t imagine that the offices at WBEZ aren’t currently inundated with letters and emails (probably letters because this is far more emo, maybe even just ripped out diary pages) from men imagining the Denton TX-based female singer songwriter from this week’s intro is indeed their very own Manic Pixie Dream Girl (see The Search for Magical Jews for more on this.)   First of all, Denton if you’ve never been is like utopian hub in Texas near Dallas filled with gorgeous, tall, artistic individuals and wacky super creative dark Indie bands like The Paper Chase and every year they throw this outdoor music festival called The Fry Street Fair where everyone gets drunk and has sex in Porta Potties as though they’re on some kind of sexual Rumspringa.  Okay maybe this was just my experience, but from what I was able to gather, Denton Texas is everything great about the South, minus the less desirable traits we’ve come to equate with places below the Mason Dixon, Denton is Austin, but less “blown up.”  Back to the show, the quixotic romantic from this week’s intro behaves strangely in hope of winning back a lost love.  She learns through experience that there’s a double standard when it comes to serenading (not for the emo listeners) and that keeping your ex boyfriend’s favorite foods in the fridge is rather unhealthy behavior and finally, that just because this particular ex enjoys a good prank, doesn’t mean he’ll respond kindly to his number being plastered across club bathroom walls throughout the country Jenny-style.  In the end, our dream Manic Pixie Dream Girl from the intro starts a band called The Town Criers, covering sad old country songs by Hank Williams and the like.  For months, I’ll be dreaming about this girl throwing rocks at my apartment window, waiting for me to open up so she can serenade me with “A Tear In My Beer.”

In Act I, a couple in a stable, long term relationship realize that the reason they’ve yet to discuss marriage is  that they’ve both got an aching voice in the back of their minds fixating on what it would be like to bone other people.  They decide on a relationship Rumpsringa (for a great understanding of this concept see The Devils Playground) in order to get “get the poison out” so to speak.  Kurt, our protagonist in Act I comes to some major realizations during his Rumpsringa, such as, the coolest part about sleeping around in NYC is getting to see other people’s apartments.  Perhaps Kurt could save from money and potential disease by attending the occasional open house.  Approaching each casual interaction with utter honestly and regarding his Rumspringa, Kurt found his openness to be a major boon in his sexual conquests.  Eventually he emerged with the following truth: “You can get laid any night of the week in New York City as long as you stay at the bar until 4 in the morning and dramatically lower your standards.”  Meanwhile, Kurt’s girlfriend keeps busy sleeping with men from across the globe, as if she were frequenting the bars of Epcot Center.  In the end, Kurt finds himself unable to separate his feelings from his physicality and the two break up.  In retrospect, Kurt realizes that they were probably looking for an out when they decided on Rumpsringa in the first place.  People get to a point in their 30’s where either they marry, or they Rumpspringa.  Mind you, had they gotten back together at the end, this story would have been Norah Ephron-style romantic comedy gold.  Alas they didn’t, and Kurt now believes that every married couple should have to re-marry after 7 years to in order be sure of their love.  Ira, however, being the romantic he is, points out that the “no escape clause” of marriage, is comforting, and perhaps the beautiful thing about it all.  Suddenly,the couple from this act seem merely like two debauched weirdo’s next to the sanctity that is the Glass’s.

Act II, a kid in high school, a good kid from all accounts, falls head over Nikes for a new student, and asks her to prom.  She declines, for it’s not prom that she desires but the sticky icky purple bud of which Snoop Dogg speaks.  Desperate to please and impress, the young man labors over her requests, searching for months for some pot, which he eventually gives her.  Only she insists on paying him and eventually does.  Well, “say jump” young man, because you’ve been punked by officer Judy Hoffs, 21 Jump Street style.  I didn’t think that TAL could broadcast a better Police Entrapment story than they did with the Bait Car episode (now the second TAL segment to be made into a reality show) but this case defines the term!  That this young man couldn’t enter the Air Force because of the felony pot charge on his record stemming from this incident is an atrocity.  I know this was supposed to be a lighthearted piece, but in the end I wanted to take up this kid’s cause.  Perhaps a fair rule would be that undercover Narcs in high schools cannot be Johnny Depp or Holly Robinson level sexy, otherwise, the young people don’t stand a chance.

Act III was another this American Life fable about a duck that falls in love with a rock or something which I think is supposed to be an analogy to a vibrator but I was too busy being angry about Act II, which I will hold on to, because frankly, I cannot handle anymore romantic mush on a day like this.  Lucky for us, Ira Glass, in his infinite wisdom, and his undying belief in the power of love, can act as a surrogate valentine for all the lovely listeners in NPR and Jewcy land.  Kisses.

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As far as minority representation on television is concerned, some seem to think that Jews have gotten off pretty lucky.  TVTropes.org a collection of recurring tropes and archetypes in TV, Film and books posits that Jews are plentiful in TV and film because the influence Jews wield in Hollywood.  A section on the site titled, “You Have To Have Jews” lists the examples of TV shows with predominant Jewish characters, it is however surprisingly short, and filled with almost entirely contemporary examples.   On Wikipedia’s List Of Fictional Jewish Characters, the same characteristic is present, examples of Jewish TV characters from before the 1990’s are few, and from before the 1970’s non-existent.   TVTropes has also compiled of tropes specific to Judaism including some predictable, and some less so.  Predictably Jews are stereotyped as: cheap, argumentative, bad-ass (only if they’re Israeli), nerdy, complaining, sexy (to non-Jews) and sexually obsessed (with non-Jewish women.)  More interestingly, the site points out the tendency for Jews on TV to be always be portrayed as Ashkenazi, never Sephardic as well as the tendency for Jewish characters to be paired with Irish characters.  Then there’s “The Ambiguous Jews” characters often played by Jewish actors with Jewish characteristics or tendencies but who are either never identified as Jewish or only cryptically so, such as David Duchovny as Fox Mulder on The X Files. In attempt to quell any sensitivity, the site goes onto reason that there was once few career options for the ambitious, educated non-Christians, and that Jews happened to be among the few willing to take the risk on both film and TV when they were new mediums.  As a result, the Jews practically built Hollywood, yet they are still so under and misrepresented.  Spike Lee popularized the term, “The Magical Negro” while lecturing to a group of students at Washington State University, but it had been ostensibly identified as a trope some time before that.  Most authors cite Sidney Portier’s role in The Defiant Ones as the first of this kind, but similar examples of African American characters span up to the present. Though the stereotypical and often demeaning trope is most pervasive with black fictional characters, in more recent years it’s seemingly spread to other minorities.  The Magical Minority has 3 basic characteristics.

1. A Sacrificial Lamb: A magical minority is put into a fictional world to further the agenda of the white male protagonist.  Most often to help them see some kind of evident truth and overcome some kind of obstacle.  Not always, but often the Magical Minority will give their lives for the protagonist’s cause.
2. Sagacious: Particularly when applied to an African American Character, a sort of folksy, “seen it all” kind of wisdom is needed in order for the Magical Minority to further the agenda of the protagonist.
3. Magic: The extent of a magical minority’s magic differs from character to character, story to story and minority to minority, and some characters’ powers are more overt than others.

The examples of such characters are many but here’s a start.  Notable Magical African American Characters include, Will Smith in The Legend of Bagger Vance, Scatman Crothers in The Shining, Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty and Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile. These characters all share folksy wisdom, martyrdom and numerous magical abilities.  But the Magical Character Trope has made its way across the rainbow, pervading minorities throughout movies and TV.  Magical Native American characters such as Jose Chavez in Young Guns are given wisdom and magic with categorically spiritual implications while Magical Gay characters’ wisdom and power is a mixture of one part wisdom and one part camp.  Magical Female characters have been represented in a number of markedly different ways but “A Magical Girlfreind” is a character brings a protagonist out of some kind of funk and helps them discover their real purpose in life.  Recently, a more specific version of the Magical Girlfriend has emerged in the form of, “The Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” a term cooked up by The Onion AV Club’s Nathan Rabin.  Manic Pixie Dream Girl’s include Kirsten Dunst’s character in Elizabethatown and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  According to Rabin, these characters exist, “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Often Manic Pixie Dream Girls are characterized as Jews, either ambiguously or not, as is the case with Dharma Finkelstein in Dharma and Greg or Jenny Shecter in The L Word or even Barbara Streisand in What’s Up Doc.

Interestingly, Jews have yet to be formally included in the Magic Minority archetype, and that may be a mistake. Mandy Pantinkin compellingly plays the role of the role of Saul Berenson on Showtime’s Homeland. As the methodic and wise CIA boss over protagonist Carrie Mathison, it seems Patinkin has perhaps shed light on the current TV writers’ rendition of “A Magical Jew.”  Carrie Mathison, the haphazardly brilliant, bi-polar CIA agent played the oh-so-waspy Claire Daines (who once played a Jewish Manic Pixie Dream Girl in Igby Goes Down) depends on Saul to bring her down to earth during her incremental manic binges.  Carrie also looks to Saul to push her frowned upon hunches through CIA red tape, often to his detriment.   She even goes as far as to offer herself to him sexually skirt the rules.  However, in true Magic Minority fashion, Saul refuses her advances (seemingly he’s the only character capable of doing so, such is the magic of the Jew) and always sacrifices himself to her whims.  When Mathison goes off her medication and has to be watched after 24/7, Patinkin steps in despite his marriage crumbling on the periphery.   As Saul, Patinkin plays a magic Jew.  He may be educated which seems to go against the usual Magic Minority archetype, but in a sense, this is his magic.   Practical scholarly wisdom intended to bring down the more folksy, charming WASP protagonist is the magic or the Jew.

If the theory is that magical Jews are written just as other magical minority characters only with wisdom pertaining specifically to practicality and book smarts, then another notable Magical Jew in recent TV history would be The West Wing’s Toby Ziegler.  Though Ziegler notably went a city school rather than an Ivy like the rest of the Bartlet White House staff, Ziegler remains the quiet, even-keel wise man of Sorkin’s West Wing, always ready with a raspy-voiced aphorism to put Martin Sheen’s world into perspective.  Ziegler, the son of an ex-Jewish gangster who is supposedly based on Clinton advisor Patrick Cohen, is always willing to let his personal life fall apart (he divorces early in the show) in order to aid President Bartlett. Zeilger’s magical abilities include his acerbic wit, keen eye and the ability to “fix” social security after a sleepless night.  The identifying characteristic of the Magical Jew is that he’s an advisor of sorts to the protagonist, always able to pull practical wisdom out of his yarmulkah in order to save the day.

In the end, there have been Magical Jews all along; only a more uniform version has begun to take shape on TV in recent years.  The Magical Jew embodies all the stereotypical characteristics TV writers have been attributing to Jews for decades: they’re nerdy and argumentative, they’re sometimes irresistible, sometimes full of lust, and like all other minority characters, they’re self-sacrificing for the good of the protagonist, and until Jewish characters are given room to exist as full fledged three-dimensional characters, or even (gasp) as the protagonists themselves, we’ll just have to settle for borderline magical intellect as a sort of door prize instead.

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We must acknowledge TAL for they’ve accomplished in 2012.  Sine the beginning of this still-nascent year This American Life has broadcast two episodes that centered upon a particular issue that had for the most part not yet been reported or covered by mainstream media, only to have that issue become the center of the medias attention in the weeks that followed.  Specifically I am referring to the Mike Daisy Apple Episode and last week’s Self Deportation episode.  From CNN to Bill Maher, the mainstream media took these subjects and ran with them, but only after Ira had his way with them.  In all seriousness, both these issues were of utter importance from a human rights perspective thereby proving once more that TAL is more than just a radio show.

Therefore, it was only fair that Ira and co take a break this week with a re-run from long ago.  In my reverence, this weeks flashback had me feeling like a member of 30-year marriage, flipping through my wedding album, remembering the person with whom I first fell in love. Oh Ira you were even more bushy back then than you are now!  This week’s re-run of this very early (August, 1997) episode served a perfect then and now comparison, reminding us how Ira and the crew have evolved over the years.

Right off the bat the difference was noticeable and the nostalgia came rushing.  Within the span of the short intro to this episode, Ira cracks two jokes discussing the world of conventions with a hotel worker and it’s clear that what we’re seeing is a fresher, less confident, but more determined Ira.  His voice is on the squeakier side, and the music/quality of the episode, somewhat diminished, all of which helps the atmosphere of the 90’s to just seep into your ears.  It’s like watching a film from the early 90’s where just the slightly diminished picture quality, coupled with the Def Leppard music brings one right back to the time, wondering whether they’ll get enough wears out of those MC Hammer pants to make it worthwhile to splurge.

Act I wherein Ira discusses a TV show convention akin to a more authentic version of a Twilight fan gathering, again reminds us of Ira’s talent.  The way he reaches out to the guest storyteller, showing utter understanding and empathy for the experience of having to reach out to strangers with whom one has only a single thing in common, this is the Ira who turned TAL into what it is now.  Such is the case with ACT II where Pete The Dish Washer (who along with David Sedaris is one of the original and most beloved TAL characters) visits a convention for the Nation Restaurant Owners Association.  There, Pete is a fish out of the water, not unlike if The Slice Harvester (infamous pizza-eating punk rock zinester) showed up to judge the Aspen food and Wine Festival.  However, he quickly finds himself uncomfortably embraced by the institution.  In Act III a man meets his one true short-lived love at a computer convention, specifically a roast for Steve Jobs.

What this episode, when compared to episodes of late reveals, is not that Ira is somehow phoning it in, or putting less effort into TAL than he used to, but that Ira has learned to take a step back and let some of the other members of TAL crew shine.  Also allowed to shine are the writers or characters that the show has publicized over the years.  While TAL, in the beginning, was about showcasing Ira’s talent as a broadcaster. Ira has now reached Howard Stern-like heights in that world and needn’t prove much more, but it’s nice to hear and oldie now and then to remind us of the man we first fell in love with.

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Israel is not a nation known internationally for their filmmaking, and certainly not here in the United States.  That may all be changing very soon.

When it comes to the Best Foreign Language category at the Oscars, Italy and France are juggernauts; France having earned 36 nominations in the category thus far with 12 wins and Italy with 27 nominations and 13 wins.  Far down the totem pole there’s Israel who in the history of the Academy Awards has received 10 nominations in the Best Foreign Language category, and zero wins.  Similarly, at the Cannes Film Festival, Israel has thus far earned two awards in the festival’s lifetime both for acting, until this year when Footnote, the fourth film by Israeli director Joseph Cedar, took home the Best Screenplay Award. Now, with the tenth Israeli film to receive a nomination for the Best Foreign Language prize at the Oscars, Cedar might well be on his way to putting Israel on the map of world cinema.

Footnote is the story of Uriel Sklolnik and his father Eliezer, both renowned Talmudic scholars at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.  Where Uriel is something like the Malcom Gladwell of Talmudic study, a rock star at translating the age-old text (in a profession appropriately devoid of rock stars) Eliezer is more like an undiscovered Proust, his work methodical and rigid, and to most people, too complex to even approach.  However, when Eliezer is finally notified that he’s been chosen to receive the annual Israel Prize for Talmudic studies, everything about him begins to change, even his bitter and impossible-to-please demeanor.  Even Uriel, whose father is seemingly the only person whose approval he is unable to obtain and who has yet to receive the prize for his own work, is pleased for his father, if not a tad jealous.  That is, until he learns that there’s been a major mistake, one that may prevent him from ever being eligible to win the prize himself.

In watching Footnote, it’s immediately refreshing to see how lighthearted this expectedly serious, scholarly film, actually is.  Immediately breaking the third wall and playing with filmic convention, Footnote appears almost like a Rob Reiner film in its silly approach to dealing with very serious characters.  Viewers are likely to walk into Footnote expecting one thing and getting another, because, though Footnote is a film about academia, and in particular Talmudic studies at the Hebrew University, there’s a sense that it could really be about any profession or competitive arena.  The dominant themes in Footnote are so universal that one needn’t even know what the Talmud is to understand and enjoy the film.  Above all, it’s a film about father and son, and the jealousy that naturally comes along when one person out of a small circle becomes “chosen,” both noun and an adjective.

Looked at form the point of view of screenplay writing, for which the film received the prize at Cannes, Footnote is a very subtle and nuanced work wherein the audience is left to draw their own conclusions and connect multiple dots, but from a filmmaking standpoint, Footnote is rather illustrious, with it’s non-linear storytelling, odd angles, and an elaborate, dramatic score.  Taking place in the heart of Jerusalem, Israel is certainly something of a character in the film, however, much like Footnote seemingly could have been about any profession, there’s also a sense that it could have taken place anywhere in the world, such is the brilliance and universality of the story.

“The Talmud is a vast tremendous document that covers all areas of life.  It is maybe the most impressive document ever composed. Footnote film deals with one of the values in that text, that argument is good.  The Talmud is fueled by the notion that conflict is an ingredient for progress and in order to crystallize an idea, you have to argue over that idea,” says Director Joseph Cedar about the Talmud’s importance to the film.

When asked whether Israeli film on the world stage, Cedar told me:

“The last 10 years have been great for Israeli cinema, we’ve been in all the festivals and we’ve had 3 Oscar nominations in 3 years,” although Cedar neglects to mention that two of these nominations were for his own films.

It’s interesting to ponder whether any kind of style is developing amongst Israeli filmmakers, or whether there are any identifying characteristics endemic to Israeli film. According to Cedar it’s just the opposite:

“I have friends who are making films and we like each other but we’re not part of some cinema movement, which is part of why film in Israel is vibrant.  Look at Romanian cinema, it all looks the same, all these national cinemas that have had a good wave of films, there’s something common about them.  The films that have been successful out of Israel have nothing in common. You never know what will do well and filmmakers feel like they have to surprise the audience, and that’s a good thing. As long as we feel like we have to supersize ourselves, we wont fade away.”

While no French or Italian films are nominated in this year’s Best Foreign Language category, Footnote remains the darkhorse contender due the presence of Iranian Filmmaker Asghar Farhadi’s “A Seperation,” the only foreign film also nominated for a the Best Original Screenplay Award at this year’s Oscars, and the most critically gushed upon foreign language film of the year.

So once again, Israel gets to be the underdog.

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This week on the “You Reap What You Sow” episode of This American Life was perhaps the most startling series of revelations since when we found out that Apple was kind of evil.  First, we’re told the story of man with a plow truck and a heart of gold, who decided to dole out justice and generosity in the form of huge, unshovellable mounds of snow.  Much like the Mr. Plow of episode of The Simpsons, we learn in this story that any man’s life problems can be easily solved investing in a truck and fastening a plow to the front of it.

Act I however, was like watching one of those Born Into Brothel style documentaries, nearly unrelenting if not enlightening.  “Self Deportation” is a buzzword that not many were familiar with (fortunately this will change after this week’s episode) but has been all the rage in Alabama where a Final Solution of sorts is being implemented regarding immigration.  What does it mean?  The theory is that if we turn every interaction between cops and citizens into a checkpoint of sorts, “show me ID!  No let us see yo ID!” (see Higher Learning) illegal aliens will eventually become so miserable and paranoid that they’ll leave under their own accord.   Forget that fact that illegal immigrants are far less a major issue in Alabama than many other states.  Disregard that Alabama has sort of poor track record as far as being accepting of diversity.  What you have is a state that went totally rogue with regard to this “problem” and implemented a law that comes really close to ripping a section or two out of the constitution.  How does something like this happen?  Well, it’s rare that circumstances bring people to the point of making such sweeping and poor decisions but there’s set of circumstances that historically do the trick.  When people are out of work and the economy is bad, they will sometimes act irrationally as was the case here.

The episode brings us the voices of the people who made the laws and the people who are suffering as a result of them.  Those who made the laws claim that the action has resulted in a major blow to the sate’s unemployment, but TAL beautifully and unceremoniously refutes the shit out of that notion immediately.  All that’s really happening as a result of “Self Deportation” being implemented is that Alabama is starting to seem a lot more like Chiapas in the worst way possible.  On an ominous note the episode ends with Mitt Romney who, has taken on Self Deportation as his choice method of dealing with illegal immigrants, and meekly, Santorum jumped on the bandwagon afterwards.  Of course, Mitt Romney believes that Jesus lived in Missouri, but few Republicans are able to claim to come from a family that’s been here all along.  Right?

On the other side of the coin, this episode also informs us the accelerated rate at which the Obama administration is deported illegals.    Is this disappointingly conservative Obama people have been referring to all along?  Clearly there’s only one logical plan, and you can expect a Facebook group in the near future.  3 Words.  Ira in ’16.

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TAL this week was one of those episodes that usually either grabs you or it doesn’t, a single solitary story manned by Planet Money.  We’ve seen it before, and usually it means following a number of different strands, and hearing the words, “inflation” and “deficit” repeated multiple times throughout the show.  However, even if this type of episode is not that type that would usually grab one, one might find oneself pleasantly surprised by this week’s euro clash.  “Continental Breakup” tells the tale of the European financial crisis and the origin story of the seemingly nascent euro.  Though a Planet Money story, the episode is chock full of good old fashioned drama, so much so that this week’s episode of This American Life paints a picture of Europe that makes the continent and its struggle to unite seem most like a American network TV family dramedy.

“Whatchu talkin’ about Mr. Drumond?” You might be asking. Well, we threw out a lot of descriptors in the above declarative sentence, but the “network TV family dramedies” to which we refer are a breed of television show made popular in the last decade that revolve a around a family, often a abnormally large family, who after being separated for some period of time are forced to live in close quarters and function as a family unit despite their unique, discordant personalities.  The two leading network TV family dramedies, and the ones upon which to best draw comparison are NBC’s Parenthood and ABC’s Brothers and Sisters.  By using the characters from these two shows collectively, we should be able to successfully draw comparison to every European Nation involved in the current European debt crisis..

Act I began with a shout out to Victor Hugo of Les Miserable fame who was quoted on the show, stating his desire for a solitary United States of Europe a beautiful, strong and powerful nation whose unity to would give way to economic prosperity.  When the first attempt to estate the Euro and bring forth the EU was made, an immediate conflict sprang up between France and Germany.   Germany, having been gutted by past financial mistakes which gave way to the inflation of the 1920’s, wanted to be sure that the other European nations would go all in and become one United States, because if they didn’t more inflation was imminent.  Furthermore, they’d have to play by German rules financially in order to guard from inflation.  France being a prideful, sovereign and lets face it somewhat eccentric nation, did not want to give up their individuality, and essentially get in bed with Germany whose spotted past (cough, WWII, Cough) made them not the most desirable bedfellows. Eventually France to play by Germany’s financial rules, but to not to become a united nation like the US in order keep their individuality.

In this case, Germany and France are most comprisable to two brothers on the show Brothers and Sisters.  On Brothers and Sisters, Justin Walker, upon returning home from Iraq is met with distrust due to his potential instability having just returned from war, and because of his past addiction issues.  His older brother Matthew Walker, is thus afraid to become close with or engage him, thus he might encroach on his successful independent lifestyle as a single lawyer (Matthew being France has nothing to do with his sexual orientation.)  Nonetheless as families do, the two brothers realize they must come together and function as a family for the good of the unit.

Greece has difficulty with thix new deal, financially, and once it’s put into place, Greece starts cooking books in order to make their financial situation look better then it is and thus qualify for the euro. This is very similar to Zeek Braverman’s character on the show Parenthood (played by Craig T. Nelson from Coach.) Zeek allows his daughter Sarah to move into his large East Bay home, even though he’s been shrouding a financial secret for months, namely that he’s deeply in debt.  But Zeek, being the older, prideful patriarch is too ashamed to come clean his family who are in turn to respectful to mention it, even though they know.  The EU, like the Braverman family was strong (they’ve got Brave in their name) and Greece wanted to be a part of it.

In Act II, the Euro is finally instated the narrator and European nations rejoice.  But quickly, due to the sudden influx of currency and ease of attaining loans, people in Greece begin to spend without restraint.  Sub in love and emotional openness for money, and this mimics both family dramedies perfectly.  Greeks bought cars and houses galore, they let the Euro into their hearts.  Some kind of major financial mistake was made regarding Greece’s deficit and everything fell apart.

What was the problem?  No one knew where all this money came from.  Most people don’t.  We certainly don’t, except for the rare occasions on which a Planet Money themed episode of TAL makes us understand, otherwise, it’s much easier to just watch family dramedies, where in the end, everyone always understands why things happen the way they do, and it all works out. Just like how politics is becoming more and more like reality television so that people will pay attention.

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If asked, who’s the greatest Jewish American musician of all time, journalists, historians and fans alike are likely to name Bob Dylan in an instant, but a new documentary that focuses on another great American Jewish musician makes a strong case for another contender. PBS’s American Masters series recently made a major splash with its 2-part documentary on Woody Allen, but this coming Monday, the series continues with a documentary focused a man considered by many to be the unsung hero of the folk movement and one of the great American songwriters of all time.  Phil Ochs was a talented, prolific and outspoken American musician, and now according to PBS, a master of his craft, but while most are quickly to associate Bob Dylan with his Jewish upbringing, fewer are aware that Phil Ochs was also Jewish.

Watch Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune on PBS. See more from American Masters.

The film introduces Ochs a kid who grew up on John Wayne movies and transferred that by-any-means-necessary cowboy impetus to saving the country from the war in Vietnam, the forces that killed JFK, and eventually even the liberal left.  Early in the film Ochs’ brother, Michael Ochs, appears on screen commenting about the Ochs’ family’s religious standing.

“We went to the local school and I believe we were the only two Jews in the school so we learned what it meant to be Jewish.  Oh you’re Jewish? Pow! So we learned how to fight.”

Ochs is seen throughout the film via archived footage playing everything from Carnegie Hall to the 1968 Chicago DNC riots to the tinniest most esoteric protest rallies on makeshift stages.

The relationship between Ochs and Bob Dylan is a touched upon in some degree of depth in the documentary.  Early in the film it’s said that Ochs moved to New York City to become greatest songwriter in the world, and then he met Dylan and decided to become the second greatest.  Depending to who is speaking, two separate pictures of the relationship between the two is illustrated.  Some see Ochs and Dylan as close friends, confidants who fed on each other’s talent.  While others see Ochs as having always looked up to Dylan, constantly vying for his approval and Dylan as constantly toying with Ochs, never giving him the approval he so desperately desired.

“Dylan despises what I write.  I’ve talked to him at length about this.  He can’t accept what I’m doing because it’s political and to his mind it’s therefore bullshit because I’m not writing about myself and my deepest emotions, he feels.  He thinks I could be much more honest with myself. ” –Phil Ochs

Recounted in the film is the famous falling out between Ochs and Dylan where Dylan riding in a limo with Ochs plays “Can You Please Crawl Out the Window” for Ochs for the first time.  When Ochs tells him, “It’s shit.” Dylan demands that the driver stop tells Ochs to get out, leaving him there stranded.  According to one voice from the film, the relationship between Dylan and Ochs was a big part of Ochs’ pathology.

“There was a difference between people who liked Bob Dylan… anyone could like Bob Dylan, everybody did, and people who even knew about Phil Ochs.” – Christopher Hitchens.

The film which features Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Jello Biafra and Billy Bragg among others, goes on to document Ochs troubled yet withstanding career up until his tragic downfall which begins with the crushing of his vocal chords during a mugging in Chile and ends with his tragic suicide at the age of 35.  Whether or not the film makes the case that Ochs is one of the greatest American Jewish musicians of our time, it’s a successful and incredibly moving portrait of this artist, who if forgotten by the zeitgeist would be a tragedy all its own.  Ochs’ strong velvety voice, thoughtful song lyrics and gorgeous punim are likely to win you over by the film [Film’s End}, and, and more likely than not, his catalog will find it’s way to your iPod soon after.

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Mike Daisy’s one man show, Steve Jobs: The Agony and the Ecstasy has been the subject of much chatter since it opened in NYC a few months ago and this week, in conjunction with Daisy’s show, This American Life did something unprecedented, highly original and compelling.

How often do you walk out of a great film, play or exhibit feeling captivated and yet teeming with questions, gripes and frustrations.  As the last of “End of the Year” lists of critics galore continue to sputter forth, two of the most talked about films of 2011 are ones that left viewers utterly split as to whether they were successful, and ambivalent as to what these films were trying to achieve. The Tree of Life and Martha Marcy May Marlene are both perfect examples of what was so effective about this week’s episode of This American Life. Martha Marcy May Marlene is a film with an odd, abrupt and somewhat confusing ending, one that’s left many viewers with a certain ambivalence as to what they should feel, while The Tree of Life confused most viewers, and continued to do so more and more with each frame.  While these two films couldn’t have been more different, they both left viewers wishing for something more, even if just a good conversation to provide some kind of closure on the experience.  Was the end of Martha Marcy May Marlene the most compelling and wise of all choices or merely a lazy period on the end of a faulty sentence?  Was The Tree of Life and disjoined yet deliberate cinematic masterpiece or an under-realized shortcut that garnered a reaction in the spirit of The Emperors New Clothes? It was in that spirit that this week’s episode flourished, an examining of the lingering questions and loose ends of a compelling story.

After listening Ira adorably play with the Siri function on his iPhone, receiving nothing but ominous and cryptic answers from his electronic companion, Act I of this week’s episode begins with Mike Daisy performing a sizable chunk of Steve Jobs: The Agony and the Ecstasy.  On stage Daisy delivers his monologue in his Errol Morris-like voice with an intonation ala Christopher Walken telling the story of his visit to the Oz of electronics.  Ira points out before the act begins that Daisy accomplishes something quite impressive with his monologue by making us for the first time, really care about a pre-existing problem with which we are entirely familiar.  What’s the issue?  Well, the beautiful, sleek all knowing, all doing electronic object in your pocket, the one many of us commit to with religious-like intensity is made by factory workers under almost concentration camp-like conditions.  Yes, as it turns out Ridley Scott’s Orewellian Apple commercial from the 1980’s has come to fruition, only the face on the big screen is not that of some unnamed competitor, but of Steve Jobs himself.

But how can it be?  Half the reason for Apple’s cult-like following is a certain humanistic view toward doing business, right?  Or did we just add that part to their persona because it seemed appropriate?  And besides, what was the point of this act?  How are we supposed to feel now that this thing that we’ve all unanimously agreed is good for numerous reasons is seemingly bad?  Is the impetus for this entire one-man show and now radio broadcast to guilt a large chunk of the country, and split us regarding one thing most of us still agree upon?  For goodness sake even dumpster diving anarchists are willing to take a mulligan where Apple gadgets are concerned because they’re so helpful, fun and well, lovely.  Besides, are the alternatives any better?

That’s what was brilliant about this episode of This American Life, it offered a kind of salve to the raucous, unsatisfied voice in all of our heads.  It gave us perspective.  By speaking with journalists, labor specialists and watchdog groups and fact-checking the story and asking for relative viewpoints, the show gave us options of how to feel about this story, this problem.  While it would be a joy to hear Ira make sense of The Tree of Life, the choice to delve into the deepest levels of this story was a wise and almost valiant one.  The world as it is today can be understood through the story of Apple computers and that is why the death of Steve Jobs brought forth such an outpouring of emotion from the public.

In the end we learn pretty much what we already knew.  The problem presented in Daisy’s story is one endemic to that part of the world and exacerbated by this side of the world, it’s been around for a long time, and while Apple’s manufacturers are part of it, Apple itself has taken more and greater steps towards remedying it than their competitors.  Apple is good after all, just not as good as we would like to think, but that’s life.

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The first This American Life of 2012 brought two ostensibly new stories, held together by a tenuous yet rich theme and took us to places of hope, fear, courage and well, poo.  Neighborhood Watch was the theme of this week’s audio adventure and although none of the stories focused on an actual neighborhood watch association, themes have a tendency to be to overrated.  If held strictly to the themes of their choosing, Jeopardy categories, tourist restaurants and even Pee Wee’s Playhouse may have never had the chance to flourish to the best of their ability.

In this week’s intro a postal worker stumbles upon a stabbing.  The incident is observed by numerous onlookers who had yet to call the cops in classic Kitty Genovese-style sociology and it’s left to up to the mailman to intervene.  For saving the bleeding victim, the postal worker is honored and the incident, though acknowledged, turns out to be rather ordinary in the scheme of things, so much so that the Letter Carriers Association Newsletter has a monthly feature on like-incidents.  The point being that mailmen, on top of having been deemed the sworn nemeses of the entire canine population for no apparent reason, constantly under the threat becoming obsolete, and the butt of numerous “murderous rampage jokes” are also expected to be something like the unarmed policeman of their assigned routes.  Think of that next time you write an email that could have easily been re-imagined as an impassioned hand-written missive.

In Act I we revisit aging woman seeking volunteers to “watch over” her fully-grown autistic son, a contingency plan in case of her death. Unfortunately, this woman has quite a few in the way of this endeavor, namely the bleakness of it all.  Imagine being approached with, “Hello, I’m quite worried about my own death and the eventual fate of my mentally handicapped son.  Would you making me one of those unbreakable deathbed promises to look after him always?” Eventually a kind soul from Craiglist steps up, but doesn’t quite click with the young man, and things seem bleak until everything just sort of works out.  The young man finds his own friends to watch after him and begins doing more and more on his own, like we all do.  A year after the story was broadcast, a check in with the family shows that the young man now, “does everything himself,” one of the many happy endings in this Magical Kingdom that is This American Life.

Act II is among the more emotional stories TAL has put out there in quite awhile: a blind man’s first-person account of trying to stroll around New York city with his infant daughter in toe, fearing the wrath of poorly chained pitbulls and careless drivers, only to find himself and his baby nearly mowed over by an SUV come story’s end.  Not unlike watching Dancer in the Dark, there’s not much to analyze here, its all quite sad, save for the “perseverance of the human spirit bit,” a theme that continues in the next act.

It should become law that New York City dog owners must have to submit their dogs to cheek swabs upon registration so that they can be fined for not picking up after them.  That’s what the owner of the dog-friendly apartment complex which was the focus of Act III did, catching the culprits via DNA found in the little presents they left behind.  Certainly this applies in Bushwick where Alligator Bloodline pitbulls are being bred by the pack, to be feared by the seeing impaired and mail carriers alike. The feces of these dogs have come to line the sidewalks to the point of unmanageability.  Unless we are prepared for Brooklyn to become like Venice, with excrement substituted for water, something has to be done.  Is DNA testing dog poo to Big Brother-y for you?  Just remember that IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH, IRA IS LOVE, SIDEWALK IS POO.  Until next time, look out for your fellow man, and watch out him also.

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