Blue and white ninja…with fruit

June 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Entertainment 

With over 1,000,000 downloads, Fruit Ninja is one of the more popular gaming apps on the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms. In the game, you basically have to swipe and slice fruit that’s tossed onto the screen – the more fruit you dice, the higher the score. But avoid the “bombs” or you lose immediately.

Now meet the “real” Fruit Ninja…and guess what, he’s Israeli. Fruit Ninja guy appears on a YouTube video where gets fruit thrown at him which he has to fight off with a large kitchen knife. He does pretty well – that knife is sharp – until his off-screen tormentors pelt him with mangos, bananas and cucumbers (hey, that’s not a fruit!) to the squeals of laughter on both sides. Some “slicing” sound effects round out the show.

It’s not a high quality video – just a few guys goofing around in what looks like an army bathroom – but remarkably, the video has been viewed over 97,000 times – more than TechTechManTV’s video review of the app itself (which garnered only 85,000 views). It also has 197 comments. That makes this one of the unlikeliest viral videos of the year.

Well, not quite. The Israeli Fruit Ninjas were probably inspired by another “real life” Fruit Ninja. This guy, with his own ninja headband, has more than 650,000 views and even has a sequel.

But the Israelis have one up on the competition: our blue and white ninja hits his mark more often. Perhaps the result of some super secret army commando unit that trains against infiltration of foreign fruit?

Here’s the official trailer from Half Brick Studios.

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Aida at Masada

June 1, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Entertainment, History and Culture, Israeliness, Music, Travel 

Photo: Yossi Zwecker

It was a magnificent night at the opera even if the people behind me were more interested in their iPhone apps than with the classic story unfolding on stage.

I had been invited to attend the Final Dress Rehearsal of Aida at Masada, along with 140 other journalists, 40 foreign diplomats, and nearly 7,000 Israelis – many of them from periphery communities.

The Israeli Opera is very open about its mission to bring spectators from all classes of society to its shows, especially those who usually wouldn’t see this art form. And though the majority of the audience sat mesmerized in their seats throughout the nearly four-hour affair, the two couples sitting behind me missed the magic of the event and chatted throughout the first two acts before leaving early (lucky for me).

Their chatter aside, there was a feeling of great excitement in the air.

The desert backdrop was perfect for the improbable love story of the Ethiopian princess and the Egyptian army officer. The sets were incredible and the lighting design was astonishing.

American soprano Kirstin Lewis, who took the lead role of Aida, served up gorgeous high notes to an audience gathered at the lowest point on earth.

It was a grand-scale production in every sense of the word. Joining the 20 multi-national opera singers on stage were a Bedouin dance troupe from Rahat, a dance troupe from Arad, and dozens of chorus singers and actors. Maestro Daniel Oren was on the podium conducting the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion. And, being set in Egypt, there were herds of camels, too.

The production of Aida marks the beginning of the 2011 Israeli Opera Festival.

Having seen a good number of operas before, there is no doubt that this was a performance to remember. And, though they cut out early and showed complete disinterest, I believe that even the folks in the row behind me will keep a memory of being at the opera.

 

 

 

 

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