Hamas bunny vows to eat the Jews (watch out, Kibbutz Gezer)…

The Coen Brothers, directors of classics such as The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou, as well as this year’s eight-time Academy Award nominee No Country for Old Men, will be directing a film adaptation of Michael Chabon’s brilliant novel The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. The film will be produced by Scott Rudin.

OMG OMG OMG. Cannot. Contain. Excitement.

Variety reports:

For their next collaboration, the “No Country for Old Men” team of Joel and Ethan Coen and producer Scott Rudin will transfer another Pulitzer Prize-winning author’s work into a film.

Columbia Pictures has acquired screen rights to the bestselling Michael Chabon novel “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,” with the Coens writing, directing and producing with Rudin.

[...]

The Coens will turn their attention to the book after they shoot “A Serious Man” for Working Title and Focus.

(Hat tip to /film)

[Update] JTA news brief here. Feature story to follow…

Here’s an interesting reminder about the history of American interference in Iran, back when we were more interested in fighting communism. The problem with the video is that it paints a highly misleading and incomplete picture of the current U.S.-Iranian showdown, ignoring the fundamental role of Tehran’s nuclear program in the faceoff.

The latest from the Arab-American bloggers behind KABOBFest, with Palestinian Canadian rapper Iron Sheik doing the voice-over…

Reader mail:

Dear JTA,

My father thought I should email you this story. My name is Marc Friend and I am a student at the George Washington University. Recently Ann Coulter came to speak at G.W. and I was able to get a ticket, even though I am a Jewish Liberal. So, Ann Coulter gave her usual liberal bashing speech and then opened it up for questions. I got in line to ask her a question and when it was my turn, I said the following.

“Thank you Ms. Coulter for coming, my name is Marc Friend, I am a sixth generation American and one of the proudest Americans you will ever find. In an earlier interview, you said that Jews were imperfect Christians, as a Jew I was wondering how am I imperfect ?” She responded by saying that she never said anything like that and this is an example how the liberals make things up that she never said.

For the record here is the Fox news story on her interview, followed by the YouTube Video of it.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301216,00.html

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2wnPHFSdrME

So, there is my story of how Ann Coulter lied to me. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Marc Friend

I fear I must take leave of the Winehouse blogging, before I cast myself a one trick pony. But before I do, I just wanted to share with you that Amy took home five Grammy awards yesterday: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Now you know why, despite her antics, her fans are willing to put up with her: She’s got talent. Here’s hoping she’ll take this as inspiration to clean up her act.

[Update] Here’s the video of last night’s performance:

TMZ

Reality television star/tattoo artist Kat Von D raised some eyebrows this past week, when news surfaced that the illustrated woman had sent her former Israeli-born employer, Ami James, an autographed photo some months ago bearing a swastika and the invective “burn in hell Jewbag.”

James’ tattoo parlor is the subject of The Learning Channel’s popular reality program Miami Ink. The show propelled the 26 year-old Von D (born Katherine Von Drachenberg) to stardom and landed her her own spin-off series, LA Ink.

(more…)

Authors David Grossman and Daniel Gavron offer competing portraits — one sad, one happy — of where Israel stands as it prepares for its 60th birthday.

(more…)

Our election site is for politics and the Telegraph is for other stuff, including the funny material.

So what if we have Jackie Mason sounding not particularly funny or smart about politics?

For now, he goes here. If Mr. Prune Danish makes an endorsement, we’ll reconsider.

US officials have denied Amy Winehouse a visa to perform in the United States at the upcoming Grammy Awards, The Times Online reported today.

The US authorities gave no reason for refusing Winehouse a visa, despite a personal plea by the star. She will make her return to the stage from a London studio instead. She promised not to blow the “second chance” she has been given to perform in front of millions of US television viewers.

It is assumed that Whinehouse has been denied entry due to her drug problem.

Last year, Canadian psychologist Andrew Feldmar (incidentally a Shoah survivor) was permanently barred from entering the United States after a border official Googled his name and turned up an article in a literary journal in which he admitted taking LSD in the 1960s. Mike Milne, a spokesman for US Customs and Border Protection, told reporters at the time that “Anyone who is determined to be a drug abuser or user is inadmissible [to the United States].”

I suppose at the very least, we can all be grateful this isn’t Dubai.