7 AGMatvetta.-• Arts & Entertainment ) [iinAftetto, Written & created by Roger Bean 1 4 , / A cotton-candy colored, non-stop musical featur- ing, your favorite songs from the '50s & '60s! Mel Brooks from page 39 The Gem Theatre NOW - April ll Save $10 this weekend!* ti e' Tickets: $2950 - $3250 • Regularly $39.50 - $42.50 Detroit Free Press www.ticketmaster.com Use • code WONDER' Hilarious Comedies at the Gem! Comedies both of you will love under $50 per couple! These hilarious shows alternate weeks in the Century Theatre at the Gem Theatre! "Hilarious!" • Variety Feb 26 %ICC YaeLftSa.o- LOZSS_ r4TIC eitt9MAS. Smash Caned, Abe,. the S.. 313•963•9800 www.gemtheatre.com 4ra„i .0e r4x..Ard Add dinner at the Elwood Bar & Grill starting at $24 per couple! agmest us Tickets $24.50 lilt MAU INTILLICT: an oxpirion 7 MB: You do have to look at the bright side, or you'll sink into a morass of gloom and doom. Life is very hard, and I'm not saying ifs harder for Jews than others. Irving Berlin had the right idea with "God Bless America."What if we were born in Poland during the Nazi invasion? We'd be wiped out. I don't know who my relatives were, but I'm sure I've lost hundreds of relatives in the Holocaust. I'm sure every Jew has. IN: Has your approach to humor changed over the years? MB: No. As I learn more, ifs gotten more surefire and smarter. I have very few duds. Most of my firecrackers go bang. The great payment for any com- edy writer is laughs. IN: Who gives you a good laugh? written by ROBERT DUBAC MB: I listen to the old guys. I listen to old movies with Jack Benny and George Burns. Those are the guys who really tickle me and make me laugh. THE HISTORIC rv'L THEATRES 2nd Anniversary! Your new Japanese/Korean Restaurant right in the neighborhood. 15% off Total Food Bill Dine-in or Carry-Out (with this ad) Expires 03.15.10 IN: If you were invited to speak on a strictly serious subject — no laughs allowed — what would that be? MB: Because I was a soldier in World War II, I think I'd talk about war and how aimless it is in the end, how it solves nothing and creates the seeds of another war to follow. If I had my way, I would talk about get- ting all our troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan. The only reason for war is defense, not attack. We have had no right to attack Iraq. If Israelis are attacked, I think it's very important to go to their aid because they're our only allies in the Middle East. Not valid with any other offers Including $1 Sushi Tuesday. IN: Are you involved in any Jewish activities? MB: When they come up, I get involved. Sometimes, there's a Jewish affair in Los Angeles, and I'm happy to attend. I bought a lot of Israel bonds. Lunch and Daily Specials • Catering • Gift Certificates Available 33214 W. 14 Mile Rd. at Farmington Rd., West Bloomfield (next to Sposita's Restaurant) Phone 248-737-4188 • HOURS: Mon.-Sat: llam - lOpm • Sundays 4- 9 www.ninjasushimi.food.officelive.com IN: What are your children doing? by the Oakland Press 3 COURSE MEAL $15.99 per person Available Monday-Saturday 4-6 p.m • Sunday all day 4-9p.m • Your choice of soup or salad • Choose your main entree LO C C IN 0 ITALIAN GRILL & BAR 5600 Crooks Rd. (North of Long Lake Rd.) (excludes pasta dishes; tea No discounts or coupons can be used with the early bird special Troy, MI • 248-813-0700 Open Mon-Fri for lunch and dinner. Saturday and Sunday dinner only. Private Banquet and Conference Rooms for Up to 85 People February 18 • 2010 to choose from, • Your choice of dessert • Includes Soft drink. coffee or hot www.loccino.com 42 17 • Includes choice of a side dish. JN Wednesday Nights Kids Eat Free (10 And Under) MB: My youngest son, Max, wrote the Zombie Survival Guide so he writes about zombies and how to prevent your getting hurt by them. Between that and World War Z, another zombie book, I think he sold dose to 1 million copies. I don't have to worry about getting older. I'm sure he can take care of me. My other children are very good and sweet. I have a daughter (Stefanie) in New Jersey and a son Nicholas, who writes screenplays. Edward is a producer with Richard Frankel Productions, which sent Young Frankenstein on the road. IN: Do you have an overriding outlook toward life that you've passed along to your children? MB: The only philosophy I have to help my children or grandchildren is that "this, too, shall pass:' I want them to have faith in the future, in things working out and getting better, and not get stuck in the mud of melancholy. IN: Are you working on any new projects? MB: I'm working on two. I don't know which one will find its way to Broadway. One is based on my movie Blazing Saddles, which is practically a musical in and of itself; and the other is based on my movie Life Stinks. The second is about a billionaire who makes a bet with another billionaire that he can survive in a slum, liv- ing in the alleys and sleeping in the streets, for one month. It's hysterical and heartbreaking. I see Nathan Lane playing that billionaire-bum. The two men make a bet for a $10-billion property. If the one survives, he wins the property. If he can't survive, if he isn't back on his feet in a month happy and healthy, then the other guy wins. It's a wonderful adventure. It would be a wonderful musical. JN: What do you like to do to relax? MB: At least three or four times a week, I see Carl Reiner. We go out to a movie or out to dinner. He lost his wife recently so I try to cheer him up and keep him company. We're two widowers on the town. Thank God, we both like Jewish food so we go to delicatessens a lot. Just give Carl some chicken-noodle soup, and he's the happiest guy in town. IN: Do you have a Jewish joke for the Jewish News? MB: I used to open my act with "You can't keep Jews in jail; they eat lox (locks):' ❑ Young Frankenstein will be staged Feb. 23-March 14 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway. Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. There is a matinee at 1 p.m. Friday, March 12, and no evening performance Sunday, March 14. $25-$85. (313) 872-1000; www.BroadwayinDetroit.com .