38 May 30 • 2019
jn
38 May 30 • 2019
jn
DEADWOOD RETURNS
The Western series Deadwood was
set in the 1870s in the famous South
Dakota town. It ran on HBO
for three years (2004-06)
before being abruptly can-
celed despite getting great
reviews (ratings were so-so
and it was a costly program
to produce). Right after the
cancellation, HBO and show
creator David Milch, now
74, had talks about winding
up the plot lines via two tele-
films, but they never could
come to a solid agreement.
The successful re-booting
of many TV shows led to
renewed talks and, on May
31, HBO will premiere a
two-hour Deadwood movie
that advance reviews say is
a great wind-up of a very
good show. All the still-living
stars of the original series
returned, including Robin
Weigert, 49, as Calamity
Jane; Timothy Olymphant as
(real) lawman Seth Bullock;
and John Hawkes as Sol
Star (1840-1917), a real
Jewish Deadwood mer-
chant who was Bullock’
s
best friend. Star served as
Deadwood’
s mayor in the
1880s.
Sadly, this movie marks
the end of Milch’
s creative
life. In 2015, he was diag-
nosed with Alzheimer’
s and
there’
s a great article in the
May 27 issue of the New
Yorker (also online) about
how he is coping with the
disease. It seems like his
family is his anchor. His
wife, Rita Stern, has stood
by him through his drug
addiction and an incredibly
bad gambling addiction that
wiped them out financially.
His daughter, Olivia Milch,
24, who co-wrote Ocean’
s
8, helped her father with the
Deadwood movie script.
Ask Dr. Ruth, a documentary about the
famous sex and relationship counselor,
will premiere on Hulu on June 1. Dr.
Ruth Westheimer, 90, talks candidly
about her whole life, including surviving
the Holocaust, and fighting and getting
wounded in Israel’
s War of Independence.
The film got very good reviews when it
played many recent film festivals, includ-
ing Sundance. The film is
full of interesting details,
like her original name,
Karola Ruth Siegel, and her
height (4 foot-7 inches). But
the most interesting thing,
to me, is how she just
shines with an infectious
joy of life.
PLATT ALL OVER
THE PLACE
Broadway star Ben Platt,
25, who won the Tony
in 2017 for best actor
in a musical (Dear Evan
Hansen), is now on a
limited tour in which he
is promoting his debut
solo album, Sing to Me.
He was in Detroit May 4.
The album consists of 12
original songs, all written by
Platt. Many of the tunes are
soulful pop ballads detailing
Platt’
s journey as an openly
gay man searching for love.
Platt came out publicly this
year. He came out as gay
to his parents when he was
12. He told a recent concert
crowd he told his parents,
on the phone, when he
was in Israel and they were
home in Los Angeles.
Last February, it was
announced that Platt would
co-star in The Politician, an
upcoming Netflix series. It’
s
described as a “music-driv-
en” satirical comedy about
a wealthy politician from
Santa Barbara. The series
is being produced by the
same three guys who
produced the hit musical
series Glee. One of those
producers is Brad Falchuk,
48, who married Gwyneth
Paltrow, 46, last year.
Paltrow is reportedly in talks
to be in the show. Barbra
Streisand, 77, is also reportedly consid-
ering appearing in The Politician. ■
NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST
David Milch
Robin Weigert
Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Gwyneth Paltrow
celebrity jews
arts&life
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Check out the first two episodes of
“
Sissy’
s Kitchen,
”
where you’
ll learn how to make
Matzah Lasagna
and
Black and White Macarons;
watch them on YouTube by searching
“
Sissy’
s Kitchen”
or view them on our website,
thejewishnews.
com.
Kitchen
Sissy’s
thejewishnews.
com:
https://thejewishnews.
com/2019/04/18/sissys-
kitchen-black-and-white-macarons-recipe/
https://thejewishnews.
com/2019/04/11/sissys-
kitchen-matzah-lasagna-recipe/
The DJN teamed up with local
Chef Sissy Yellen to create two
kosher for Passover recipes you
can serve all year round!