In the end, what mars the Arab-American Comedy Festival is the danger to your health: The laughs come so thick and fast that there's no chance to breathe for minutes at a time. One shows up wondering, will it be an extended political rant? Will there be too much phoney applause for bad jokes, endless ethnic boosterism or straining for sympathy...
Most ethnic groups get their own month to celebrate their culture. What do Arab-Americans get? "Orange alert," jokes comedian Dean Obeidallah. An American born in New Jersey to a Palestinian father and Italian-American mother, Obeidallah turned to comedy to fight the suspicion and ignorance he encountered in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks...
