Arts & Entertainment

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Prize Winner

Paul Simon: The Library Of Congress
Gershwin Prize For Popular Song, air-
ing 9-10:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, on
PBS stations nationwide, celebrates Paul
Simon, one of America's most respected
songwriters and musicians and the first
recipient of the prize.
Named in honor of the legendary
George and Ira Gershwin, the newly cre-
ated award recognizes the
profound and positive
effect of popular music on
the world's culture.
Said Librarian of
Congress James H.
Billington: "Few songwrit-
ers have had a broader
influence or contributed
more to song genres than
Paul Simon. Because of
the depth, range and
Paul Simon
sheer beauty of his music,
as well as its ability to bridge peoples and
cultures, he is the perfect first recipient of
this prestigious award."
Certainly, Simon is no stranger to
awards and honors: He is the recipient of
12 Grammy Awards, three for album of
the year; the 1986 winner Graceland was
recently selected as part of the Library of

Congress' National
honor, Simon said,
Recording Registry;
"I am grateful to be
he is a two-time
the recipient of the
inductee into the
Gershwin Prize and
Ga it Zimmerman
Rock and Roll Hall of
doubly honored to be
Arts Editor
Fame — once as half
the first. Spending an
of the Simon and Garfunkel duo and again evening in the company of artists I admire
in 2001 as a solo artist; he is a member of
is a songwriter's dream come true
the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a 2002
Detroit Public Television-Channel 56 is
Kennedy Center Honoree.
among the PBS stations airing the special.
In 2006, Time magazine named Simon
Check your local listings.
one of the "100 People Who
Shaped the World." He was the
Blues Brother
first American artist invited
by President Nelson Mandela
Pianist Bruce Katz has a lengthy back-
to perform in post-apartheid
ground in classical piano, but his perfor-
South Africa.
mance and recording career has focused
Taped at the Warner Theatre
on a style of original instrumental music
in Washington, D.C., on May
all his own — a unique
23, this latest special honor-
combination of American
ing Simon features tributes
blues, jazz, rock and soul.
from a star-studded line-up
He is as comfortable
of performers and presenters,
playing "soul-jazz" on the
who include Yolanda Adams,
Hammond organ as he is
Marc Anthony, Dixie Hummingbirds,
playing 1930s-style stride
Jerry Douglas, Art Garfunkel, Alison
piano or the meanest
Krauss, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lyle
slow blues.
Lovett, Stephen Marley, James Taylor and
Katz attended Berklee
Buckwheat Zydeco. Presenters include for-
College of Music in the
mer poet laureate Billy Collins, Bob Costas mid-1970s, studying
and Lorne Michaels.
composition and perfor-
Bruce Katz
Upon being notified of receiving the
mance, and for the next

15 years performed with many of the lead-
ing musicians in New England. In the late
1980s, he decided to come off the road and
enrolled at the New England Conservatory
of Music in Boston, where he earned a
master's degree in jazz performance.
In 1991, he conceived of and started
writing music for what became the
Bruce Katz Band. But five months after
graduation, in 1992, he met fellow Jewish
blues artist/guitarist Ronnie Earl, who
soon invited him to join his band, the
Broadcasters.
During his nearly five-year stint with
Earl, Katz toured the world and performed
on six albums, writing and co-writing
many of the tunes, such as "The Colour of
Love,""Ice Cream Man" and "Hippology."
After Katz left the
Broadcasters, he hooked up
with drummer Ralph Rosen,
and the two have formed the
core of the Bruce Katz Band to
this day. Over the past 20 years,
in addition to touring North
America and Europe with his
own band, Katz has been an
in-demand sideman, playing
and recording with many of
the leading names in blues and
roots music and appearing
on approximately 50 albums.

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14ma
MIE-

Nate Bloom
Special to the Jewish News

43 Nuptial News

CI)

Most filmgoers know pretty actress
Brittany Murphy,
29. Her roles
include the teen-
ager whom Alicia
Silverstone tried to
turn into a Valley
girl in Clueless; a
sad teen who com-
Monjack and
mits suicide in

Murphy

Girl, Interrupted;

Eminem's love
interest in 8 Mile; and a barmaid in

Sin City.

Murphy's estranged father is
an Italian-American gangster who
has spent a lot of time in prison.
Brittany was raised by her mother,
who is described as being of Irish
and Eastern European ancestry. In

40

June 21 . 2007

2006, Murphy told a reporter she
was raised a Baptist but considered
herself a "non-denominational"
Christian.
The actress' love life has been
stormy – with two broken engage-
ments in the last three years. Last
month, Murphy wed Simon Monjack,
a British Jewish director-screen-
writer with few credits. The actress'
publicist said that a rabbi presided
over the small ceremony.
Monjack may be almost as colorful
as Murphy's dad: He is an "ordained
rabbi," according to a Web site that
claims it interviewed him. Rabbi or
not, Monjack is fighting deporta-
tion as an illegal immigrant. He
also has many lawsuits pending
against him and even has warrants
out for his arrest. His attorney says
the lawsuits and warrants are being
"resolved."
Monjack told Us magazine: "Like

all businessmen, I have faced many
lawsuits. It is a real tragedy that
success, greed, envy and celebrity
are the motivation for attacking my
character."
Last week, the London
Jewish Chronicle reported that
Murphy's maternal grandmother
was Jewish – which would make
Murphy Jewish by traditional Jewish
religious law. The Chronicle cited no
specific source for this info but says
that it is "90 percent" sure that
"Murphy is Jewish."

Ark Comedy
Evan Almighty, opening in the-

aters on Friday, June 22, is a
sort-of-sequel to the film hit Bruce
Almighty, in which Jim Carrey talked
to God.
In Evan, newscaster Steve Carell
(The Office) wins a seat in Congress.
Soon thereafter, he is told by God

(played by Morgan
Freeman) to start
building an ark, like
Noah did. Carell's
family cannot
decide whether
Jonah Hill
Carell is cracked or
onto something.
Rotund Jewish actor Jonah Hill,
who appears as one of the young
Jewish slackers in Judd Apatow's
hit comedy Knocked Up, has a big
supporting role in Evan as Carell's
congressional aide.

Paula & Simon

Singer Paula Abdul, the "sweet"
member of the judging trio on
American Idol, is the star of a new
reality series, Hey Paula, premiering
on Bravo cable channel on Saturday,
June 28. The show gives us a can-
did, backstage look at Paula – and
she may be blowing her image. In