Arts & Entertainment
Celebrity Jews
NATE BLOOM
Special to the Jewish News
15-Minute MO.T
To paraphrase Andy Warhol, in the
future every celebrity will be "sort
of Jewish" for 15 minutes. If it's not
Hillary Clinton (who has no Jewish
ancestry) touting that she has a
"half-aunt" who is "half-Jewish,"
it's Britney Spears disclosing that
she has a "Kabbalah meditation
room" (while her husband chides
her that she's a Baptist).
The latest sort of Jewish celeb is
Chris Martin, the talented leader of
Coldplay, the British mega-band.
Martin married GWYNETH PAL-
TROW (who is Jewish on her
father's side) in 2002 and entered
into the world of Hollywood glitz,
including meeting
Paltrow's "godfa-
ther" STEVEN
SPIELBERG
(whom she pri-
vately refers to as
"Uncle Morty").
A British
reporter, covering
the band's current
world tour, over-
heard Martin
Chris Martin:
telling a friend
"Honorary Jew"
that, via his mar-
riage, "I am now
an honorary Jew" and that he just
celebrated his first Passover.
Arthur Rolls On
BEATRICE ARTHUR ( The
Golden Girls) has confirmed that
she has been signed to play the part
of LARRY DAVID's mother on an
upcoming episode of Curb Your
Enthusiasm, David's hit HBO
series.
The veteran actress told an inter-
viewer: "What, you say Larry's
mother died in season three? Well,
you're right, but why should that
stop them? I'm doing a dream
sequence. I'm just thrilled to do
that show. I can't wait."
In other HBO news, the buzz is
that Six Feet Under will feature its
first regular Jewish character. Claire
Fisher will get a "straight-laced"
Jewish lawyer boyfriend during the
hit show's final season, now airing.
6/16
2005
44
`Soup Nazi' Returns
It's been 10 years since the memo-
rable Seinfeld "Soup Nazi" episode,
but endless reruns have acquainted
younger TV viewers with the surly
Manhattan restaurant owner who
had people lining up around the
block for a cup of his delicious
soup. (He didn't like customers ask-
ing questions, and violators were
ordered out: "No soup for you.")
Now comes news that chef Al
Yegenah, vvho was the real-life
model for the "Soup Nazi," will be
opening a national chain of soup
restaurants. I was unable to deter-
mine whether Yegenah is Jewish,
but my research did put me in
touch with Jewish actor LARRY
THOMAS, who got an Emmy
nomination playing the "Soup
Nazi."
No, Thomas won't be working
with Yegenah on the new restau-
rants. In a shortsighted move,
Yegenah doesn't want any
overt link to the episode.
Actually, Yegenah loudly
protested to the press about
being labeled a "Nazi" when
the episode first aired.
Thomas, who grew up in a
Brooklyn Jewish neighbor-
hood, told me he met
Yegenah a few years ago and
that the "Soup Nazi" was nice
and gave him some soup on
the house. Yegenah, he added,
told him he actually did not
see the "Soup Nazi" episode
until recently, and when the soup-
meister finally watched it, he found
it to be funny.
Goldberg Revs Up
It's been covered pretty heavily in
the press, but in case you missed it,
former professional wrestling
champ and pro football player
BILL GOLDBERG now has his
own series on the History Channel.
The avid car collector hosts
Automaniac, a 13-part series that
began on June 1 and airs on
Wednesdays.
Romantic Stu ff
It sometimes seems like Jewish
celebs never marry somebody
Jewish, but yes, folks, it does hap-
pen.
A few weeks ago, People magazine
had a nice photo of Alias co-star
KEVIN WISEMAN getting mar-
ried to a Jewish schoolteacher in a
"traditional Jewish wedding."
Now comes news that hot British
actress RACHEL WEISZ, 34,
(About a Boy) is engaged to
Brooklyn-born director DARREN
ARONOFSKY,
who is known around Hollywood
as a quirky personality. But some-
how, his films always come together
— driven by his talent for spotting
new talent.
His directorial debut was the
low-budget indy hit Swingers, star-
ring JON FAVREAU.
Liman went on to direct
the mega-hit The Bourne
Identity. In addition, he
produced the Jewish-
themed film Kissing
Jessica Stein and the "very
Jewish" TV show Arrested
36. This engage-
ment isn't a
shocker; the cou-
ple have been
living together
for the last few
years.
Still, Brit
Development.
papers seemed a
If the name "Liman" is
little taken aback
familiar, it is because
because Weisz
Doug Liman is the son of
had several
the late ARTHUR
short-lived rela-
LIMAN, who was one of
tionships with
the most respected
famous guys
lawyers in America.
Rachel Weisz and Darren
before settling
Arthur became famous as
Aronofsky: engaged
down with
counsel to the Senate
Aronofsky. (One
committee investigating
of her ex boyfriends is Brit director
the Iran-Contra scandal.
SAM MENDES of American
Beauty fame; his mother is Jewish.)
Good-Bye
The couple is, as they "well-
suited." He is a Harvard graduate
Recently, three interesting Jewish
who spent some time on an Israeli
character actors passed away:
kibbutz. She is an honors graduate
HOWARD MORRIS, STEPHEN
of Cambridge, and her Hungarian
ELLIOT and LEON ASKIN.
Jewish father escaped the Holocaust
Morris, who began as a bar mitz-
by moving to England.
vah drummer, first became famous
Aronofsky's best-known film is
on SID CAESAR's Your Show of
Requiem for a Dream, about a
Shows. Later, he appeared as the
Jewish family. His next film, The
crazy little hillbilly "Ernest T. Bass"
Fountain, a sci-fi thriller, co-stars
on the Andy Griffith Show and in
Weisz and just finished shooting.
several MEL BROOKS movies.
According to one Brit paper,
Elliot often played rich WASPs or
Aronofsky first called Weisz's father
Irish characters, but he was Jewish.
to ask for his daughter's hand (both He co-starred as Jane Wyman's hus-
her parents were thrilled); then he
band in Falcon Crest, Liza
proposed in Times Square. Sources
Minnelli's bullying father in Arthur
say the duo may marry in N.Y.C.'s
and twice as Joseph P. Kennedy in
oldest synagogue.
TV movies.
Askin is best remembered for
Director Doug
playing the SS general on the TV
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a spy-action
farce Hogan's Heroes. Born to a
thriller starring
wealthy Austrian Jewish family,
Angelina Jolie
he left his law studies for the the-
and Brad Pitt,
ater. A strong Shakespearean
opened last week
actor, he was forced to flee
to mixed reviews
Austria and, like many refugee
but should do
actors, he often ended up playing
good box office.
German bad guys. Ironic, in that
(Look for
most of his family were lost in the
ADAM BRODY
Holocaust. E
in a small, but
funny part).
Nate Bloom is the California-based
Doug Liman:
The film's
editor of wwwjewhoo.com.
Directed Brad and
director is
DOUG LIMAN,
Angelina