tagged: celebrities

Jews in the News: Winona Ryder, Alexander Gould & Aly Raisman

Posted by Nate Bloom in Arts & Culture

Nate Bloom blogs on this week’s Jews in the News

Movie/TV News:  Ryder, Gould, Barrymore

Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” is an animated, high-tech homage to classic horror films: filmed in black and white and then rendered into 3-D. The plot: Victor Frankenstein, a child scientist, is devastated by the death of Sparky, his dog. He uses science to bring Sparky back to life, but havoc ensues when Sparky gets out and roams around town. WINONA RYDER, 40, is the voice of Elsa, a kind next-door-neighbor who is Victor’s classmate and love interest. MARTIN LANDAU, 84, voices Victor’s wise but eccentric science teacher.  (Opens Friday, Oct. 5)

Earlier this month, I reported on the re-release, now in 3-D, of the 2003 animated mega-hit “Finding Nemo.” I noted that it featured the voice of ALEXANDER GOULD, now 18, in the title role. I also noted that Gould has co-starred as “Shane Botwin” in the Showtime cable series “Weeds” since 2005. A recent past director of the Conservative Movement’s United Synagogue Youth (USY) organization saw the item and tells me that “Alex is currently in Israel for 9 months, participating in Nativ, USY’s gap year program.”   The program is described in detail on the Nativ.org website. In short, it is a challenging academic year program aimed at creating future Conservative Jewish leaders. “Nativ” means “path” in Hebrew and the program includes academic university classes, including intensive Hebrew and Judaic/Yeshiva studies. Recent high school grads can earn college credits both inside and outside the classroom. http://www.nativ.org/about-nativ.html

Back in June, I reported on the Reform Jewish wedding of actress Drew Barrymore, 36, and art consultant WILL KOPELMAN, 33. Just before the wedding, Barrymore’s press agent denied tabloid reports that she was going to convert to Judaism.  However, on Sept. 23, “The Sunday Telegraph,” an Australian paper, published what seems to be a totally “legit” recent interview with Barrymore.  The article says: ”Kopelman’s father is the former CEO of Chanel and he was brought up in a traditional Jewish family. Barrymore is in the process of converting.” Barrymore is then quoted as saying: “The religion [Judaism] as a faith is so beautiful and it’s so much about family being together, first and foremost. I subscribe to that so much in my own life, so that’s a really wonderful and easy transition.” (The Sunday Telegraph of Australia has a better reputation for accuracy than the UK paper of the same name). http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/down-to-earth-drew-plays-it-safe-after-lifes-tough-lessons/story-e6frewyr-1226479445689

Barrymore, who is due to give birth to the couple’s first child in the next few weeks, said about her husband: “I love art so much and it’s great to be with somebody that works in that world and appreciates art and teaches me about things when we go to museums and galleries. When you have common interests with someone, although our upbringings are very different and we’re quite different people, for us, art is a brilliant bridge.”

Twitter Holiday Greetings

Here are some celebrity Rosh Hashanah tweets I found:  Gold medalist ALY RAISMAN, 18 (“Happy Jewish New Year to all”); “Entourage” actress EMANUELLE CHRIQUI, 34 (“Shana tova to all who celebrate the Jewish new year..wishing you only sweet things this year and always..have a beautiful holiday”); PAULA ABDUL, 50 (“I’m looking forward to a lovely Rosh Hashanah”); Singer LISA LOEB, 44 (“L’Shana Tova ! Have a sweet new year. Time for apples and honey.”); LARRY KING, 78 (“From my Jewish heart to all of you – a very happy Jewish new year may we be blessed with good times & peace”); JOAN RIVERS, 79 (“Today is the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays. May this year bring peace, prosperity, and health for ALL.”); and actress KAT DENNINGS, 26, the co-star of TV’s “2 Broke Girls.” (“Let your Jewishness flag fly on these holy days, y’all”).

Dennnings’ tweet was re-tweeted by rap star DRAKE, 25. (Drake’s 2012 Rosh Hashanah dinner celebration, with two buddies, is featured on the MTV.com website.) Dennings, meanwhile, showed more than her Jewish flag at the Emmy awards. Her “va-va-va voom!” cleavage-revealing dress was mentioned in most articles about the Emmys. (By the way, “Dennings” is a stage name. Her birth name is Katherine Litwack).

Footnote: Chriqui’s parents are Moroccan Jews who settled in Canada and that’s where the actress was born and grew-up. Abdul’s father is a Syrian Jew and her mother is a Canadian-born Ashkenazi Jew.  The “80s pop star and former “American Idol” judge was born and raised in Southern California. http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/56218-kat-dennings-worries-about-wardrobe-malfunction-at-2012-emmy-awards/1348440019_kat-dennings-emmys_1.jpg

Nate Bloom writes a weekly column on Jewish celebrities, broadly defined, that appears in the Atlanta Jewish Times, the Cleveland Jewish News, the American Israelite of Cincinnati, the Detroit Jewish News, and the New Jersey Jewish Standard. It also appears bi-weekly in j., the Jewish news weekly of northern California. Most of the items in Bloom’s weekly newspaper column differ from the items in his bi-weekly column on interfaith celebrities for InterfaithFamily.com. If you wish to contact Nate Bloom, e-mail him at middleoftheroad1@aol.com .  The author welcomes questions and celebrity “tips,” especially about people you personally know.