Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 1 - 20 of 20
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA) - This week marks the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live," which is entering its 40th season. Happy birthday guys! To mark the occasion, we've assembled a list of our 10 all-time favorite Jewish moments on SNL (they're like butter, so good Coffee Talk and Hanukkah Harry didn't make the cut): 10. Saving 'Soviet Jewelry' Gilda Radner scores as Emily Litella on a Chevy Chase-hosted Weekend Update segment, with her classic talking-head rant trying to figure out what all... Full story
Mila Kunis expecting HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-The production of beautiful Jewish babies has officially begun! Ukrainian-Jewish actress Mila Kunis of "That '70s Show" fame and her fiance Ashton Kutcher are expecting their first child, according to E! Online. Kunis, 30, has been dating the 36-year-old "Two and a Half Men" star for about two years. They announced their engagement less than a month ago, and since then she has been spotted around town with a big diamond ring and a small baby bump. In... Full story
Dunham on Woody Allen HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Comedian Marc Maron is incredibly skilled at getting famous people to move past surface PR stuff and engage in organic, in-depth conversations. His "funny, brainy romp" with Lena Dunham on Monday's edition of his WTF podcast is a perfect example of this. The creator and star of "Girls" chatted with Maron about being raised in the art world, feminism, Oberlin College (her alma mater) and criticism of "Girls." But let's get to the important stuff. Here,... Full story
Rogen’s Jewish jokes HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)—Longtime pals Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, a comedy team extraordinaire, are at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, for the screening of “Neighbors.” The movie is about new parents (Rogen and Rose Byrne) who move in next door to a frat house headed by Zac Efron. The Hollywood Reporter chatted with the pair about growing up on screen and off, Alzheimer’s, and the N word. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Rogen/Goldberg interview if things didn’t get a little Jewy. A lot of jokes in “N... Full story
Scarlett Johansson is pregnant HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-B'sha'ah tovah to Scarlett Johansson! The 29-year-old "Her" star, of recent SodaStream fame (or infamy, depending which side you're on), is expecting her first child with French fiance Romain Dauriac, E! News reports. The couple, dating publicly since November 2012, announced their engagement six months ago. Prior to this relationship, Johansson dated ad exec Nate Naylor for a year. She split with husband Ryan Reynolds in 2010 after two years... Full story
Gaga playing Tel Aviv HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-The upcoming Lady Gaga concert has an official date and location: Sept. 13 in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park. The news was announced last week on the Israeli show "Good Evening with Guy Pines." Other acts set to perform in the Holy Land over the next few months include the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber and the Pixies, among others. Get busy Roger Waters-looks like you have some serious open letter writing ahead of you. Lena... Full story
Portman helping Syrians HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-We didn't think it was possible, but Natalie Portman has gone and inspired us yet again. This time, The Times of Israel reports, the actress, director and adorable mom has donated money and clothing to Syrian refugees via Operation Human Warmth. The initiative is the result of several Israeli organizations-the youth group Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, the social and education organization Dror-Israel, and Israeli Flying Aid, a global humanitarian... Full story
Justin Timberlake playing Israel HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)- While Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters' efforts to stop artists from performing in Israel have been getting plenty of attention lately, the list of upcoming big-name concerts scheduled there continues to grow. The latest additions: Neil Young and Justin Timberlake, joining Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and, (fingers crossed) the Rolling Stones. First up is Timberlake, who will play Tel Aviv on May 28, according to Haaretz. The official... Full story
Johansson's Super Bowl ad HOLLYWOOD, FL (JTA)-Scarlett Johansson, faceless in the movie "Her," just landed a gig as the face of an Israeli company. According to The New York Times, the Jewish actress has been chosen as SodaStream's "global spokesperson" and will star in its upcoming Super Bowl ad. In the commercial, airing during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox on Feb. 2, Johansson will show us how the home soda maker works. The point is to "demonstrate how easy it is, how sexy... Full story
LaBeouf skywrites apology HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)—Shia LaBeouf, the 27-year-old “Transformers” star, has been the center of a plagiarism controversy. LaBeouf’s recently released short film “HowardContour.com” appears to be a near replica of veteran cartoonist Daniel Clowes’ 2008 comic “Justin M. Damiano.” Clowes apparently was blindsided by the plagiarism, telling Buzzfeed that he had no idea of the film’s existence until it was released online in December. LaBeouf has been tweeting bizarre apologies for weeks, many of which turned out to be pl... Full story
Braff film Sundance-bound HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-It seems like just yesterday that folks were ripping high-earning "Scrubs" star Zach Braff for taking money from regular people via Kickstarter to fund "Wish I Was Here," his follow-up to "Garden State." Now the film is done and set to premiere in Park City, Utah, at the Sundance Film Festival in January, USA Today reports. In addition to directing and co-writing the project, Braff also has a starring role alongside Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin,... Full story
Katie Couric hosts for AFMDA HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-American Friends of Magen David Adom apparently has some pretty big-name friends. In attendance at the organization's sold-out Manhattan fundraiser last week were New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and host Katie Couric. The event raised $1 million, all of which will go toward ambulances and lifesaving equipment used to respond to emergencies in Israel. "MDA's willingness to help save all lives is something we should rally behind," said Couric,... Full story
Billy Joel's monthly gig HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Can't get enough Billy Joel? You're in luck-at least if you live in the New York area and have a hefty concert ticket budget. Beginning in January, the legendary singer will be playing a monthly show at Madison Square Garden. The monthly gigs will continue for "as long as the audience demands," said Joel, who will be performing on his 65th birthday, May 9. That could be awhile-at least the first four dates already are sold out. "Having [Joel] as... Full story
Gaga returning to Israel HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (6NoBacon)—Pop superstar Lady Gaga has plans to perform in the Holy Land this summer, Israel’s Channel 2 reported. The show, which will be Gaga’s second in Israel, will likely take place at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park and will likely not feature a kosher-meat dress, although that would be pretty great. Elsewhere on the American music scene, Beyonce, who was set to play Israel in the spring, may not make it due to what Haaretz calls a “snag” with an Israeli concert production company. But Israeli Beliebers wil... Full story
Hoffman-Sandler comedy HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)-Adam Sandler is a Jewish comic actor with a serious streak. Dustin Hoffman is a serious Jewish actor who can be pretty freakin' funny. Put them both together and what do you get? "The Cobbler," a comedy starring Sandler and, according to The Wrap, now Hoffman, too. No word on Hoffman's role, but Sandler will play a shoe repairman who has powers that allow him to step into the lives of the people whose footwear he repairs. Steve Buscemi also just... Full story
Baron Cohen’s ‘deadly’ prank HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (6NoBacon)—Sacha Baron Cohen killed when he took the stage at the BAFTA Los Angeles Jaguar Britannia Awards Saturday night. Literally, he killed. An elderly woman. At least that’s what everyone there thought for a minute. The Jewish comic actor was being presented the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy by Grace Cullington, an 87-year-old in a wheelchair billed as Charlie Chaplin’s oldest living co-star. Cullington bestowed upon Baron Cohen a cane she said belonged to Chaplin.... Full story
ABC wants more 'Goldbergs' Hollywood, Fla.-Fans of "The Goldbergs," kvell away. ABC has announced it is picking up the fledgling comedy for a full season. While the series received lukewarm reviews from critics, it is averaging 7.5 million total viewers. Apparently folks like being inundated with 1980s memorabilia (think Rubik's Cube and "Ghostbusters" Halloween costumes) and hearing Jeff Garlin lovingly refer to his TV brood as idiots ad nauseam. Yes, we think it's cool that a Jewish family is... Full story
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)—Some were psyched for the nostalgia of “The Goldbergs,” a new ABC sitcom about a boisterous, outspoken American family set in the 1980s. But Wednesday’s premiere was a little too loaded with references to that neon-colored, big-haired decade—think REO Speedwagon, Sam Goody, hair crimping and rabbit-tail key chains. Such period gags aside, early on it looks in many ways to be just another formulaic sitcom. There’s Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), the clan’s overbearing m... Full story
(JTA)—”World War Z” gives us the basics of a summer blockbuster—a star actor worth looking at (Brad Pitt) and a far-fetched action-packed plot (hero races to stop virus that is turning all of humanity into zombies). So can’t we all just buy some popcorn, suspend our disbelief and enjoy the show? Well, no. The movie features another equally well-known newsmaker, if in this case less publicized: Israel. The zombie plague is spreading like wildfire, and Pitt’s character, Gerry Lane, a former U.N.... Full story
“Princesses: Long Island,” the new reality show on Bravo, appears to be as bad for the Jews as we had feared. Like some other cultural gems on the network, such as the “Real Housewives” franchise and “Shahs of Sunset,” the new offering centers on a few spunky, wealthy women who live to shop, date and throw tantrums. These princesses live in a magical land called Long Island, where 20-something Jewish women wait for Jewish men to arrive from Wall Street and sweep them off their feet and out of... Full story
