Front Lines
NOTFROn ,
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
predisposed panic attacks, he said
his experience on the show allowed
him to "chip away at the anxiety
urns out Josh Herman had and drop an anti-anxiety medica-
great insight when he said, tion.
"I knew I could out-geek,
"So many things that were part
out-dweeb and out-nerd anyone."
of the show made me anxious,"
As the male winner of this season's
he said. "Being around attractive
WB TV series Beauty & The Geek,
women; being on a stage; being
Josh shared a $250,000 prize with
in a closed car." But he was able to
Cher Tenbush, the show's female
spend two months with beautiful
champ.
women, sing karaoke to a crowd
One of eight "geeky" men paired
and travel, by car, to Las Vegas as
and housed for eight weeks with
part of the show's challenges.
eight beautiful women, Josh, the
"I was very apprehensive about
son of Sam and Mindy Herman of
it all," he said. So before I signed
Farmington Hills, participated in
on, I talked with my therapist, who
competitive challenges that tested
thought it was a good idea. He said
intellect, fashion savvy and social
being on the show was behavioral
skills, with each group expected to
therapy called 'flooding' (immers-
learn from each other's weaknesses
ing the patient in feared tasks). I
and strengths.
was being paid $350 a week for as
"I knew I won on Nov. 4 when
long as I was on the show - and I
the show wrapped," he said. "But I
was getting free intensive therapy
told no one. I signed a contract big- out of the deal. I knew if I could
ger than a phone book promising
make it out of the experience alive,
that I wouldn't."
I would be a stronger person for it:'
In addition to the cash win-
He and Cher have remained
nings, Josh — a University of
friends. "She and (show contestant)
Michigan graduate who now lives
Wes Wilson just moved to L.A.
in Los Angeles where he received
and stayed with me for a few days
a master's degree in screenwriting
when they first got here," he said:
from the American Film Institute
It was during a conversation with
— reaped a life-changing reward.
Cher, in the show's finale, Josh said,
Diagnosed with generalized
"I came out in my Jewishness.
anxiety disorder with situationally
There were a lot of references to me
Staff Writer
T
Winning
Geek
Josh Herman
wins reality
show, loses
some anxiety.
A Movie!
Longtime friends
sell their first script.
lassmates since kinder-
garten, great friends
from third grade on,
Adam Schwartz and Josh
Herman now are movie screen-
writing partners. They sold their
comedy, New Year's Steve, to
Twentieth Century Fox.
"We've been making films
together since we each took
out our video cameras in
middle school at Hillel," said
Adam, whose mom, Sharon,
was Josh's English teacher
C
there, "Back then we just did it
for fun."
But after they shared film
school classes at the University
of Michigan – where they were
also roommates for three years
– they began to talk about a
professional future together.
"We were both interested in the
same things," said Adam, the
son of Dr. Lawrence and Sharon
Schwartz of Bloomfield Hills.
The two worked together
writing comedy sketches in L.A.,
where they both now live.
"But this is our first screen-
play," said Adam, whose writing
includes the recently released
comedy My Big Fat Independent
Movie.
"While we were in college, we
started to think we could maybe
do something big together."
And now they have.
Not divulging the exact
amount of the purchase price
of the script, Adam said. "It is
six figures."
While the fate of the movie
is up to the folks at the studio,
Josh said, "They
are trying to get
Vince Vaughn
Childhood friends
and writing
partners Adam
being Woody Allen-like but, in this
episode, we were cooking Japanese
food and I said,`I don't think there
are a lot of Jewish sushi chefs out
there:"
Josh said Joe Block, another
finalist, also is Jewish.
Josh plans to use his winnings
to help fund an ongoing film proj-
ect, Boys to Men, which he wrote
about four friends during their
bar mitzvah year at Hillel Day
School of Metropolitan Detroit in
Farmington Hills.
"I am still looking for investors
for the $1 million project," he said
of the feature film, whose script
has already won the prestigious
Hopwood Literary Award.
Now he's basking in his Beauty
& The Geek celebrity status.
"I got tons of mail even before
people knew I won," he said. "I've
gotten marriage p.roposals and
have mothers stopping me and
saying,`Wait a minute. I'm calling
my daughter so you can talk to
her."
Mobbed at One Stop Kosher in
Southfield during a recent visit
back home, Josh said, "I was sign-
ing Manischewitz containers and
the girk were yelling,'We love you:"
and Dave Chappelle to be in it.
And it is supposed to be out
Thanksgiving 2007."
The pair, both 27, have come
a long way since they – as
preteens – created Attack of
the 50-Foot Kirschner, starring
Hillel classmate Andy Kirschner,
now of Chicago.
It could have become a
sought-after eBay
item some day,
but, Schwartz said,
"Unfortunately,
someone taped
over it." I'
— Shelli Liebman
Schwartz and
Dorfman,
Josh Herman
staff writer
JN Cap & Gown
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iNenlin
This Week
0
Let's Get
Together...
So you were out, in
a restaurant or perhaps at a
gathering, and you spoke to
this intriguing stranger, and
now you wish you'd gotten
a phone number because
maybe that person might be
special. Or maybe you can't
get your first love or high
school sweetheart out of your
mind. Now's your chance to
recapture that lost opportu-
nity by posting your missive
here,
Visit JNonline.us and click
on "Let's Get Together..." on
the left.
JBLOGS
Perspectives by Jeff Klein
Do you believe in love at first
sight? Or are you one of the
cynics who think there can
only be "lust" at first sight.
Love only comes with time
and getting to know someone.
To read the rest, go to
JNonline.us and click on
"JBlog" on the left.
Your Ticket To Win
dip
Win 2 free passes
to Emagine
Theatre in Novi.
• Enter to win by visit-
ing JNonline.us and click on
the "Win 2 Free Tickets..."
button on the right.
You Voted
Last week's survey question:
"Were you surprised that
Crash received the Oscar for
Best Picture?"
Yes - 50%
No - 50%
This week's question: If you
could vote in the Israeli elec-
tions March 28, would you
vote for Kadima, Labor, Likud
or some other party?
To cast your vote, visit
JNonline.us and click on
"Opinion" on the left.
March 16 • 2006 11