Laugh your tuches off
November 12, 2010 4:15 PM   Subscribe

Judd Apatow made a public service announcement for the American Jewish World Service that won't be shown on TV, and not just because it's five minutes long. AJWS is a quiet but powerful force for good in the world. The organization was among the first on the ground and continues to help rebuild in Haiti, post-tsunami India, and many other places around the world. This is its 25th year of philanthropy and humanitarian aid (and its president's 70th birthday).
posted by yiftach (34 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is 5 links, from the AJWS website and a youtube video that starts off with their logo. It seems more like a commercial for AJWS than anything else.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 4:23 PM on November 12, 2010


That video was actually quite funny.
posted by GavinR at 4:31 PM on November 12, 2010 [3 favorites]


Maybe I'm an asshole, but there are thousands of charities - both religious and secular - around the world doing notable work on worthy causes right now. Most of them don't have celebrity backers. What makes this one noteworthy, besides Judd Apatow? I guess I'm just not seeing it.
posted by Despondent_Monkey at 4:35 PM on November 12, 2010


This is the most self-congratulatory load of bollocks I've ever seen.
posted by Yakuman at 5:00 PM on November 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


Wow, Lindsey Lohan is wearing an outfit, isn't she?
posted by smackfu at 5:02 PM on November 12, 2010


Yes, this post is taking up space that might better be used for a Ken Olberman, Rachel Maddow or Sarah Palin thread.
posted by KokuRyu at 5:32 PM on November 12, 2010 [4 favorites]


Weird, there's a banner ad here that looks just like a normal post.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 5:44 PM on November 12, 2010


If only there was a way to flag this, instead of complaining in the thread itself.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:50 PM on November 12, 2010 [8 favorites]


maybe a terrible post - I don't know - I'll let the post police decide.

also, that is one fucking funny ad.
posted by victors at 6:07 PM on November 12, 2010


Does nothing please you people?
posted by Optamystic at 6:09 PM on November 12, 2010 [4 favorites]


Maybe I'm an asshole, but there are thousands of charities - both religious and secular - around the world doing notable work on worthy causes right now. Most of them don't have celebrity backers. What makes this one noteworthy, besides Judd Apatow? I guess I'm just not seeing it.

dude, those were all celebrities! how could you not back them?
posted by rainperimeter at 6:17 PM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


The Andy Samberg bit alone would have been worth a post.
posted by eugenen at 6:23 PM on November 12, 2010


Who's the guy at 1:40? I know I've heard his voice before.
posted by shii at 7:00 PM on November 12, 2010


Pepsi כחול
posted by sanko at 7:07 PM on November 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


guy at 1:40 is Gilbert Gottfried
posted by victors at 7:18 PM on November 12, 2010


Gilbert Gottfried shoving matza into his face at the end was highly disturbing.
posted by ryaninoakland at 7:34 PM on November 12, 2010


I have to say, jon mayer's bit was quite funny
posted by bitteroldman at 8:45 PM on November 12, 2010


Lighten up, will you?! That is one funny video.
posted by Simon Barclay at 9:02 PM on November 12, 2010



Does nothing please you people?


No.
posted by Forktine at 9:52 PM on November 12, 2010


Well, I enjoyed it. I might even give to them, despite my Gentile status.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 10:23 PM on November 12, 2010


It made me laugh.
posted by plep at 10:48 PM on November 12, 2010


This video has been the only time I have found entertainment in any John Mayer performance, but I suppose even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

On a more positive note, the ability to make a refreshingly entertaining request for money for a charity in a ' TV commercial' format is rare. It's not hard competition, since it's not the Horror!/Guilt!/These people-pets-wild animals-the planet will DIE RIGHT NOW if you don't call this instant!/ kind of pitch. There's been too many of them over the years, and now (even more depressing) they are so much less effective. The 'shock' has just turned to 'just goddamn depressing.' And I'm willing to bet it's harder to get a depressed person's wallet open.

This is just a nice "Hey, this is a good charity that does a bunch of good things, check it out, they need your help." It's a much better way to go. The invitation to 'check out what they do' by not actually showing what they do, is also better as it's not trumpeting some "LOOK WHAT I DID" or "JARRING, HORRIBLE IMAGES OF DISTRESS," it's the friendliest soft sales pitch I've seen in a long while. Yes, it still manipulating, but the method makes me much more open to consider them.

I'm not always a fan of Apatow's work, but he played the right hand at the right time on this one.
posted by chambers at 11:26 PM on November 12, 2010 [5 favorites]


Too Jewish.
posted by pracowity at 12:46 AM on November 13, 2010


Gefilte blue.
posted by orthogonality at 12:56 AM on November 13, 2010


Pepsi Jew?
posted by azarbayejani at 1:23 AM on November 13, 2010


What I want to know is how Brian Williams manages to consistently kick the ass of so many so-called comedians, when his day job is Talking in Serious Tones about Things that Are Not Funny. Not Funny at All.
posted by drlith at 4:51 AM on November 13, 2010


i'm not jewish, and i don't support the ajws. not because it's a jewish organization, but because it's a huge multimillion (billion?) dollar nonprofit. i figure that those places don't really need my $20. so i give my $20 directly to people who i think need help. i dunno. maybe some of them are jewish.

i'm *so* not jewish, i was in my 30s before i figured out that people actually have prejudices against jews. it was when i went to see spielberg's 'shindler's list.' i wondered out loud, 'hmmm ... maybe the director is jewish?' to which my ex responded, 'oh. you think?' that was when i learned that berg's and stein's and goldwhatevers, those names might be jewish. and the nose. look for the nose!

so essentially i went from knowing nothing about jews to knowing a whole lot about why people are prejudiced against jews. those tightwad bastards who want to take over the world economy. and you better watch your back because you can bet they're watching yours.

i can't pull it together very well, but that's why i think this little non sanctioned commercial might be humorous, but for exactly all the wrong reasons. and again ... i'm not jewish.
posted by msconduct at 5:32 AM on November 13, 2010


Worth it for Sarah Silverman, and the AJWS's charitable deeds, but the obvious "I'm Jewish/Not Jewish" pandering for LOLZ is so boring and needs to be retired. Who is the intended audience for this?--People who think it's hilarious when a black man confides--stage whisper--that he's not a Jew? Oy.

Also, the gushy, fawning tone of this FPP? Not kosher.
posted by applemeat at 7:14 AM on November 13, 2010


I laugh everytime I see this guy. It is hard to see him in a serious piece.
posted by viralceo at 11:15 AM on November 13, 2010


Helen Hunt was funny. And they did have a point: American Jewish World Service is a pretty terrible name.
posted by Foaf at 8:35 PM on November 13, 2010


Also, is that really how you spell tuches? I was expecting an S and maybe even an O in there.
posted by Foaf at 8:36 PM on November 13, 2010


Transliteration of Hebrew & Yiddish words is almost always sketchy. An O would be questionable even under the most lenient standards, but I've seen it with an I or a U in place of the E. About the S - it's in there!
posted by yiftach at 8:55 PM on November 13, 2010


Heh, I like the idea of changing the acronym to JAWS.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:40 AM on November 14, 2010


Second, shorter version of the video, with a bunch of laughs that aren't in the original (and some that are) now up on the AJWS home page and at Funny or Die.
posted by yiftach at 2:15 PM on November 18, 2010


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