Take a minute to watch a video of my bar Mitzvah

Posted: 8/14/13 at 4:56am

The Dallas Observer called the professionally choreographed routine at the Omni Hotel "unarguably the craziest entrance to a religious celebration and ceremony," which is unfair, seeing as it's unarguably the craziest entrance to anything ever.
That's one fabulous boy....I mean, man.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 6:47am

Wow. That was something else.

My thoughts while watching:

"This is really elaborate. Look at the sign with his name on it.
Is there an MTV reality show for the most expensive and crazy Bar Mitzvahs? There should be."

"I wonder if this is really appropriate for 12 and 13 year olds. Well, I guess he's 'becoming a man' so it kinda makes sense"

"The little girl they cut to in the audience...she's so jealous right now."

"Hmmm, I wonder who is going to be in that slowly falling curtain thingy...no way...omg, it's Sam!"

And then finally,

"I don't know if Sam is a gay or not, but he just lived out the fantasy that millions of gay prepubescent show queens pretend in front of their bedroom mirrors"

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 6:50am

Um, I had a barbeque in my backyard with 20 friends. (My parents hosted a lovely oneg shabbat immediately after the ceremony, however.) I only remember my party where a young man named Mike introduced me to his tongue.

[artscallion]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 6:50am

I loved how he looked so happy doing it.
I loved the supportive comments under the video.
I loved that little point-with-surprise-to-people-you-know-in-the-audience bit he does after the bows.

Posted: 8/14/13 at 12:00pm

I was ready to hate him. I do think it's totally insane his parents did this but they are apparently extremely wealthy and almost Trump-like in their lack of modesty so he came by it naturally.

But really, the joy on his face. He spent so much time watching the GoldDiggers specials on You Tube- I give him this day.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 12:42pm

That must have cost a lot of money.


Oy.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 5:03pm

I'm of two minds - 1. This was obscene in the way that every bar mitzvah has to be more fabulous and expensive than everyone else's.

2. so what, this kid probably dreamed of this his whole life and his parents can afford to give it to him. He looked so happy!

[StockardFan]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 10:46pm

We went to my mother in law's country club for my son's first communion celebration and the ballroom was set up for a bar mitzvah for later and it was INSANE! People spend so much money - it's like a wedding or something!

[strummergirl]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:14pm

I had the same evolutionary thought process as taz, which also includes, "Is this just going to be the same video of boys leading a dance to Madonna at their bar mitzvahs, of which I feel like I have seen 10 versions of that already?" at the very beginning.

Updated On: 8/14/13 at 11:14 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:26pm

I got called once to create a King Kong hand and arm that would carry the Bar Mitzvah Boy onstage lower and let him jump off. They also wanted to have the guests be able to be photographed in the hand! I politely passed on that as I didn't have enough time to do it property. BUT it would have cost a fortune!!!

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/14/13 at 11:28pm

This isn't so much "organized religion" as it is "choreographed religion."

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 8:26am

Love it best... "choreographed religion"!

Glad he had fun and his guests were impressed.

My thoughts while watching it were:
1. What level of prefection did he achieve earlier in the day at his actual ceremony reading the Torah? Did he invest as much time and effort in the real purpose of the day?
1. Poor kid...yup gay and if not now will realize it soon. Kudos to his parents for supporting his dream.

[mikem]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 9:19am

I agree. The kid lives in TEXAS, and he has reached the age when, in too many cases, a kid like him moves from being considered cute to being bullied. Yet there he is, dancing his heart out, completely un-self-consciously, grinning from ear to ear because he is being exactly who he wants to be, and the people around him clearly are just fine with that.

His parents have probably taught him completely warped ideas about the value of a dollar, but in this aspect, they are raising him just right.

[Jane2]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 9:51am

"1. What level of prefection did he achieve earlier in the day at his actual ceremony reading the Torah? Did he invest as much time and effort in the real purpose of the day? "

It takes about 3 months of study to prepare for the Bar Mitzvah. I can't tell you how perfect he did in his studies. No matter how perfect, or not perfect, it requires a lot of effort.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:06am

He re-created a portion of it this morning on GMA. He's oddly charming and clearly this is a passion of his.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:12am

I'm happy for this kid, but the money spent is kind of gross.

I prefer Shaun's "Vogue" entrance from 1992...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8XDo4lsa10

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:14am

Yeah, it would have been nice if it'd been a bit more about the performance and a little less about the Vegas production values.

Still, it's their money.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:35am

Absolutely, and it is probably worth it to loving parents with alot of money to make their kid's dream come true in this way.

I'm just being harsh as usual.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:42am

Poor kid...yup gay

Why poor kid? Just because he might be gay?

[artscallion]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:50am

I was wondering what that meant too, Phyllis. But I thought maybe I was just misinterpreting it, since the rest of Brian's thought seems to be supportive.

Posted: 8/15/13 at 11:18am

I'm going to love Brian until I hear that he even once uttered something along the lines o "It's MY day and it's got to be PERFECT!"

Do you have Bar Mitzvah-zillas in your faith?

[mikey2573]

Posted: 8/15/13 at 9:55pm

Why did they lower that big drum and then have him sneak out the back? I was waiting for him to come crashing through the front or for it to raise up and he'd be standing there via a hole in the floor of the drum. He WAS in it, right? That staging bothered me as it seemed anti-climactic.
Other than that, the staging looked very professional and the kid looked like he was having fun.

Posted: 8/15/13 at 10:53pm

He wasn't in it. It's a lot easier to lower a curtain than a boy behind a curtain. They lowered it and he stepped up behind it. It would have been more dramatic to DROP the curtain and reveal him there but does he listen? He does not.

[Scripps2]

Posted: 8/17/13 at 4:06am

So was that scene cut from the London production?!

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/15/13 at 6:56pm

Hey, Joe. You looked even better the second time around. Congrats!