Arts & Entertainment
Set Your DVRs
A guide to fall's new shows — and a crop of young Jewish actors to keep your eyes on.
Gleeful Girls: Lea Michele and Dianna Agron
Beautiful Girls: Sara Paxton and Gal Gadot
Jon Foster
David Blue
and the grandson of Jewish immigrants.
sensation Raina, who's hiding a secret.
friends," she says. She's still pinching her-
Paxton, an L.A. native with no modeling "I'm interested in all religions," he says. "We
self that she's had the chance to duet with
were raised in a family where we went to
credits, is now adjusting to a parallel fish-
guest star Kristin Chenoweth and to per-
synagogue, we went to church, we studied
out-of-water learning curve while living
form a Barbra Streisand song in the show.
ho'd have thought that a show
Eastern philosophy. We believe it all. The
in New York to shoot the show. She began
about a high-school choir would "I idolize her with every cell of my body. It
essence of all of it is pretty much the same
her acting career in commercials at age 6
just made me so joyful."
be the funniest, freshest thing
Most recently seen as the son of a
two
Lim;
Liar
and made her film debut in
Playing the crucifix-wearing, holier-than-
on TV in years? Glee bowed to critical val-
Jewish
gangster in The Mysteries of
years later.
thou Quinn is decidedly new for Agron, who
entines when it sneak-previewed in May
Foster has a thriving film
Pittsburgh,
The daughter of a Jewish mother and a
went to Hebrew school and was a bat mitz-
following the American Idol finale, and it
career
as
well,
with upcoming roles in
father who converted to Judaism, Paxton
will return to the Fox network with new epi- vah. Her Jewish pals get a kick out of it, too.
as
a
serial killer opposite
Tenderness,
happily points out a particular perk of her
"My friend David writes me 'Let's pray'
sodes beginning 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Russell
Crowe,
and
in the western Last
role.
Elevating the show's familiar high-school text messages all the time,' laughs the
starring Kris
Rites
of
Ransom
Pride,
,
'
she
says,
"The clothes are amazing'
Savannah, Ga.-born, San Francisco-raised
themes are sharp and witty writing and
Kristofferson
and
Dwight
Yoakam.
making note of the red Zac Posen stunner
actress, who went caroling with Christian
a brilliant cast, headed by Lea Michele
she wears in the first episode. "I feel like
friends last Christmas for research.
as ambitious outcast Rachel and Dianna
Stargate Universe
I'm having my Sex and the City moment."
Dancing
ballet
since
she
could
walk
Agron as scheming cheerleader Quinn,
"I'm
a huge television, film and sci-fi fan','
Beginning on Sept. 30 in a recurring
and singing since age 10, she appeared in
rivals for the affection of the football-star-
raves
David Blue, offering one reason he's
role on the show, as supermodel Olivia,
turned glee-club-Romeo. Friends off screen, musicals all through school and moved
enjoying
his role on Stargate Universe, the
is
Gal
Gadot,
Miss
Israel
2004.
Life
has
to L.A. after graduation. "It's been a slow
the two Jewish actresses share an apart-
latest
installment
of the Stargate franchise,
indeed
been
beautiful
for
the
24-year-old
and steady build, which has made me love
ment in Los Angeles, where Broadway baby
premiering
9
p.m.
Friday, Oct. 2, on Syfy.
native
of
Rosh
Ha'ayin,
especially
since
she
it more than anything because I've had
Michele relocated for the series.
As
crewmember
Eli Wallace, "I'm bring-
arrived
stateside
to
film
the
fourth
install-
the time to cherish each moment of the
"My first Broadway show was when I
ing
the
lighthearted
side of things to a
film
franchise.
Fast
&
Furious
ment of the
process:' says Agron, whose Chastity Club
was 8 — I went on an open call with a
really
intense
situation,"
says Blue, who's
She
married
boyfriend
Yaron
Versano,
lead character will deal with an unplanned
friend and ended up getting Les Miz. I did
Ugly
Betty and
had
recurring
roles
on
and
Entourage
appeared on an episode of
pregnancy early this season.
Ragtime, Fiddler and Spring Awakening.
Moonlight.
starring
Steve
Date
Night,
recently shot
Glee boasts additional members of the
I came out here and did a show at the
Now working on the show's set in
Carell, Tina Fey, James Franco and Mila
Hollywood Bowl — I played Eponine, again tribe in supporting roles. Josh Sussman
Vancouver,
he grew up in a Jewish home in
Kunis,
due
out
next
April.
plays recurring character Jacob Ben Israel,
in Les Miz — and found out about Glee. I
Smithtown,
N.Y. Today,"I'm very spiritual
the Jewfro'd geek with a crush on Rachel,
busted my butt to get onto this show.
but
not
practicing.
There's a lot of history
Accidentally
On
Purpose
and Stephen Tobolowsky reprises his role as
"I was told I would never be on televi-
that
I'm
proud
of,
but
I'm not observant."
Windfall
Last
seen
on
TV
in
teen
roles
in
teacher Sandy Ryerson in the fall premiere.
sion. I look too ethnic:' says native New
He
does
hope
to
visit
Israel one day."I'm
Jon
Foster,
now
Life
As
We
Know
It,
and
Yorker Michele, who is of Sephardic
upset
because
nobody
told
me about the
23,
plays
a
young
slacker
whose
fling
with
The Beautiful Life
ancestry on her father's side. (Her mother
Birthright
program
until
I
was
26, and it was
an
older
woman
(Jenna
Elfman)
results
in
Sara Paxton, the former teen star of the kids
is Catholic, but she was raised with both
too
late.
I
would
have
loved
to
go.
I'd welcome
an
unplanned
pregnancy
and
unexpected
series Darcy's Wild Life and titular mermaid
traditions.) She finds a kindred spirit in
the
opportunity.
Hopefully
on
breaks
from
pre-
Accidentally
On
Purpose,
relationship in
of the movie Aquamarine, is now navigat-
her Glee character.
the
show
I'll
get
to
travel
and
see
the
world"
miering
8:30
p.m.
Monday,
Sept.
21,
on
CBS.
ing the even wilder and more fantastical
"Just like Rachel, I'm passionate about
Foster has dated older women off
singing. I was driven, and other kids didn't milieu that is the New York modeling world
Other Highlights
screen, too.
in The Beautiful Life, premiering 9 p.m.
get that. But they didn't treat me differ-
• Jerry Seinfeld, 55, and the cast of Seinfeld
,
'
"In
my
opinion,
it's
the
only
way
to
go'
Wednesday, Sept. 9, on the CW.
ently. I wasn't one of the cool kids, but
will
reunite for five of the 10 episodes of
asserts
the
Boston-born,
Iowa-raised
actor,
"She definitely has a really dark past:'
they liked me. I had a great high-school
Larry
David's HBO comedy Curb Your
the
younger
brother
of
actor
Ben
Foster
says Paxton, 21, of her character, runway
experience. I had lots of different kinds of
Set Your DVRs on page 42
Gerri Miller
Special to the Jewish News
W
September 3 • 2009
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