Oy vey, yo!

Thanks to the dancehall flava of Hasidic hitmaker Matisyahu, not to mention kabbalah holla-back girl Madonna, it’s downright trendy to be in “the Tribe.” Still, as South Park’s Stan sang, “It’s Hard To Be a Jew on Christmas.” After we got hitched to one and converted from LAP (Latin American Princess) to JAP a coupla years ago, Santa stopped coming down our chimney . . . and we miss him. So it was a total mitzvah when we discovered Chutzpah, a “Jewish hip-hop supergroup” featuring George Segal (yes, George Segal) rhyming on the funny/funky joint “Hanukkah Is da Bomb.” The group threw a record-release bash last week at the Spider Club, with catering (from, who else, Canter’s), dreidel games, a screening of its new mockumentary and a live performance. Onstage, Segal (a.k.a. Dr. Dreck) and MCs Meshugenah, Jewdah and Master Tav actually got mad flow (think Adam Sandler meets Eminem), or as gentile pal Gary Oldman (yes, Gary Oldman), who was in the flick and at the party, said, “They’re down!” More Heeb hoopla: The pop-rocking LeeVees just released “Hanukkah Rocks.” Catch Chutzpah at Paper Magazine’s “Sabbath Showdown” this Friday at Acme Gallery and the LeeVees at the Knitting Factory next Thursday. Mazel tov, mofos!

Wild Gift-ing

Two holiday sales last Friday night sidestepped standard holiday clichés. Echo Park’s Sirens and Sailors unveiled its new store-within-a-store, Jared Gold’s Black Chandelier, featuring fancy frocks and wild housewares (original club kid James St. James bought a “ratbat” mutant stuffed animal). Also seen snatching up the mad merch: art tart Giddle Partridge (working her own style mutation: Dolly Parton meets Victorian doll), fab filmmaker Dame Darcy, World of Wonder’s Thairin Smothers and Rock-n-Role designer Ali MacLean. Even more peculiar presents were found at Rosemary’s Billygoat (the “odditorium” from the band of the same name), whose anti-holiday mixer featured sideshow acts (one dude covered his face with clothespins) and rock from The Radioactive Chickenheads. Now that the magic shop The Black Broom has taken over part of that store, the Eastside really is the place to find something shocking for stockings (of all denominations).

Hooray for Trolleywood

Over in Hollywood, parking fees have been climbing almost as steadily as gas prices. (Greedy lot gougers actually charged 50 bucks to park near Franklin and Highland during the recent Nine Inch Nails and Rolling Stones concerts!) And even overpriced spaces can be sparse. So Councilman Eric Garcetti, Mood/Garden of Eden owner David Judaken and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce board member Elizabeth Peterson (who’s about to open two downtown lounges, The Royal Clayton and Dietrich’s, and has partnered on the new hang Citizen Smith on Cahuenga) are doing something about it — bringing San Fran–style trolley cars to the Boulevard. The Tinseltown transpo, which starts running on January 12, will take patrons from designated lots up and down the street from 7 p.m. till 3 a.m., pit-stopping at hot spots and eateries from Highland to Vine. A “celebrity-studded party” introducing the project is planned for January 9 at Mood, with free admission and fare-token giveaways. Needless to say, with all the club-hopping Nightranger does, this is one ride we’ll take, even if the driver’s a stranger.

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