JULY 23 • 2020 | 33
AN HBO FILM (WITH SURPRISE
MICHIGAN CONNECTIONS)
HBO will premiere the documen-
tary The Weight of Gold on July
29. It explores the mental health
challenges that Olympic athletes
often face. Like millions of “ordi-
nary” Americans, many Olympic
athletes struggle to find necessary
support and resources as they
cope with mental health issues.
The film seeks to inspire a general
discussion of mental health issues,
encourages people to seek help and
highlights the need for support.
The film is narrated by Michael
Phelps, the swimmer who holds the
record for the most Olympic medals
of any athlete, ever (28). Phelps has
been candid about his own mental
health/substance abuse problems.
Many Olympic athletes are
interviewed, including figure skater
Sasha Cohen, 35. She finished
fourth at the 2002 Olympics (the
gold medalist was Sarah Hughes,
now 35). Cohen won the Olympic
silver medal in 2006. She now
works as an associate at Morgan
Stanley, where her fiance, Gregory
Lieberthal, 40ish, is a partner. The
couple had their first child, a son,
last January. Gregory is the son of
Kenneth Lieberthal, 76, a political
scientist and China expert who is
a retired University of Michigan
professor. Kenneth’
s other son,
Keith, 43, married actress Julianna
Margulies, now 54, in 2007 and
they, too, have a son.
Brett Rapkin, 42, directed
Weight. He specializes in producing
and/or directing sports documen-
taries. He produced the acclaimed
2008 documentary Holy Land
Baseball. It’
s about a rich American
bagel maker who founded (2007)
a short-lived pro baseball league
in Israel. Rapkin said he made the
film because it combined two of the
biggest memories of his childhood,
“playing baseball and going to
Hebrew school.” (Holy is available,
free, on Amazon Prime.)
EDELMAN — THE BACK STORY
Two weeks ago, Philadelphia Eagles
wide receiver DeSean Jackson,
an African American, posted on
Instagram a fictitious anti-Semitic
Hitler quote and praised notorious
anti-Semite Louis Farakhan.
There was an uproar and Jackson
apologized and took the posts
down. Shortly thereafter, Julian
Edelman, 34, a New England
Patriots star receiver, spoke to
the press and, while critical of
Jackson’
s posts, reached out to him
and offered to take him on a tour of
the Holocaust museum.
LILY RETURNS
You might have seen a familiar
face in two recent AT&T ads: Lily,
the AT&T (fictional) store manager
who gives you the lowdown on
their products. Lily appeared in 40
commercials from 2013 to 2017
and didn’
t “hock” you like Flo, the
Progressive insurance character.
Lily is played by Milana Vayntrub,
33. She was born in Uzbekistan,
then part of the Soviet Union. She
was a toddler when her family
moved to America. The new ads
find Lily working at home and
answering questions on her
phone.
NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST
Skater
Sasha Cohen
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