l Arts & Entertainment BEST BETS Gail Zimmerman Arts Editor Jewish Hipsters Jon Stewart is a sex symbol. Madonna demands to be called "Esther." And every- one seems to speak at least a little Yiddish. It's never been hipper to be a Jew So in the midst of all the Christmas pro- gramming, welcome All Access Presents: So Jewtastic, a one-hour TV special premiering 9 p.m. Monday,Dec. 19, on VH1 that celebrates Brooke Burke everything you knew — and lots of stuff you didn't — about being Jewish. The one-hour show will cover the trendy rise of Kabbalah, the new hip Jews in Hollywood, the mar- Scott Ian riage of Jews and hip hop, the connection between Jews and heavy metal music and the domination of Jews in comedy. Jackie Mason will give a Yiddish primer, while comic actor Elon Gold will visit a famous Jewish showbiz deli to ask why Jews are so funny. In addition, a panel of celebrities will convene to dish on all things Jewish, including stereotypes — from Jewish mothers to whether or not Jews know how to play sports to Jewish neuroses. Making appearances, among others, are musicians Ben Lee, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard and Chasidic reggae star Matisyahu; journalist Joel Stein of Time magazine; and hot babe Brooke Burke (whose mother is Jewish). Check your local cable listings. Windy City Comedy Another look at Jewish culture comes to Chicago with Second City Theatrical's newest production, Second City's Jewsical, a blend of classic Second City sketches and songs, along with new material, all providing an irreverent and comic look at Jewish life and culture. A debut perform- ance of the production — in advance of a potential national tour — takes place 7:30 p.m, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006, at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, 618 Michigan Ave., in Chicago. The evening will include a talkback session.with the cast and Director Sheldon Patinkin. The following day, sessions will explore the past, present and future of Jewish humor through the eyes of Second City's stable of writers, producers, directors and performers. From. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, an interactive.workshop with Second City performers and staff members will demonstrate how they excavate their own personal experiences to create comedy. Topics will include the basic elements of improvisation as well as how comic premises are based on cultural and indi- vidual life events. From 1:30-3:30 p.m., an all-star collection of comic actors, direc- tors and producers — including founding members of Second City — will discuss the history of Jewish comedy and the contemporary role of Judaism in comedy today. - The Saturday Jewsical performance is $20; the Sunday sessions are $12 for one or $20 for both. For reservations, call (312) 322-1743 or e-mail rsvp@spertus.edu . For more information, visit www.spertus.edu or call (312) 322- 1700. Channeling The Dead Each performance night, the Chicago- based Dark Star Orchestra re-enacts one complete show from the 2,500 that the FYI: For Arts and Life related events that you wish to have considered for Out & About, please send the item, with a detailed description of the event, times, dates, place, ticket prices and publishable phone number, to: Gail Ziffinierman, JN Out & About, The Jewish News, 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to gzirnmerman@thejewishnews.com Notice must be received at least three weeks before the scheduled event. Photos are appreciated but cannot be returned. All events and dates listed in the Out & About column are subject to change. AN. •® O Nate Bloom Special to the Jewish News la Family Stone Opening Friday, Dec. 16, is The Family Stone, about a bohemian farn- 111 , .1111 fly's Christmas reunion. While-pro- w moted as a comedy, early reviews describe the flick as a strong drama with some humor. Sarah Jessica Parker has top billing as the uptight girlfriend of one of the fami- ly's sons, a charac- ter played by Dermot Mulroney. Sarah Jessica In a recent inter- Parker view found in 4, CI) 58 December 15 • 2005 Abigail Pogrebin's book Stars of David, Parker corrects some long- standing misinformation about her Jewish background found in many bios. Parker says that her father (now dead) was Jewish and not her mother —although her mother may have some Jewish ancestry. Although raised in no faith, the actress says she always has felt Jewish. Likewise, she says her hus band, Matthew Broderick, considers himself a "cultural Jew," although he was not raised in his mother's Jewish faith or any faith. The couple hasn't yet decided whether to raise their child in any religion. Parker did add that her only full sibling, a sister, formally convert- ed to Judaism and is now modern Orthodox. She said she turns to this sister for advice on "Jewish things." Penguin Parody Some fans of the hit documentary March of the Penguins, now on DVD, are looking forward to comedian Bob Saget's satirical takeoff, Farce of the Penguins, due out in March. Saget says he now has enough penguin footage to create an Bob Saget R-rated "love story" takeoff on the original. The comedian says he was inspired by his own ad-libs when he first saw the documentary ("I did more sounds of old Jews than you've ever heard, because it looked like the movie Exodus"). He added that lots of big names want to do the voices for the takeoff, including singer Adam Duritz, leader of the Counting Crows, who yearns to be "a singing, cursing pen- guin" Upper Crust Based on real events and people, Mrs. Henderson Presents, directed by Stephen Frears, is the type of film the Brits do best: naughty (but not un-nice) stuff with finely etched class divisions. The Stephen Frears