64 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 

Arts&Life

celebrity jews

THE EMMYS AND MORE
The Emmys, for excellence in 
TV, will be “virtually” presented 
on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 8 
p.m. (ABC). My coverage is 
condensed this year to make 
room for regular TV premieres. 
My sense is that these “times” 
make us more interested in 
new stuff than an awards show 
without a red-carpet parade. 
Nominee ages are omitted for 
the Emmys. If a series creator 
(below) has a “W” near their 
name, they are also nominated 
for a writing Emmy. Other 
writing nominees are omitted 
this year. 

BEST COMEDY
The award for best comedy, 
drama, etc., is given to the 
series’
 principal producers. My 
practice is to note that “best” 
series creator, who is always a 
nominated producer, too. Seven 
of the eight series nominated 
for best comedy have a Jewish 
creator: Curb Your Enthusiasm, 
Larry David; Dead to Me, Liz 
Feldman; The Good Place, 
Michael Schur (W); The 
Kominsky Method,

Chuck Lorre; The Marvelous 
Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-
Palladino; Schitt’
s Creek, 
Eugene Levy and his son, Dan 
Levy (W); and What We Do in 
the Shadows, Taika Waititi. 

BEST DRAMA
Three of the eight nominated 
(best) drama series have a 
Jewish creator: The Crown, 
Peter Morgan (W); The 
Handmaid’
s Tale, Bruce Miller; 
and The Mandalorian, Jon 
Favreau. 

BEST LIMITED SERIES
The following were nominated 
for (best) limited series and had 
a Jewish creator(s): Watchmen, 
Damon Lindelof (W); 
Unbelievable, Ayelet Waldman 
and Michael Chabon, her 
husband; and Unorthodox 
(based on a book by Deborah 
Feldman). The series, about 
a Hasidic woman, was written 
by Anna Winger (W), Alexa 
Karolinski and Daniel Hendler. 

BEST ACTING
Lead actor, comedy series: 
Michael Douglas, Kominsky 
Method, and Eugene Levy, 
Schitt’
s Creek; Supporting 
actor, comedy: Alan Arkin, 
Kominsky, and Dan Levy, S. 
Creek; Lead actress, comedy, 

Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish; 
Supporting actress, comedy: 
Alex Borstein, Mrs. Maisel; 
Lead actress, limited series: 
Shira Haas, Unorthodox; 
Supporting actress, drama 
series: Julia Garner, Ozark. 

BEST DIRECTING 
Seven Jewish directors are 
nominated for helming TV 
episodes: Lenny Abrahamson, 
James Burrows, Mimi 
Leder, Nicole Kassell, Matt 
Shakman, Lesli Linka Glatter 
and Alik Sakharov.
CREATIVE EMMIES
Many Emmy awards are given 

at the separate Creative Arts 
Emmy ceremonies (held on 
Sept. 14-17; airs on FXX on 
Sept. 19). Here are just some 
of the Jewish “Creative” 
nominees: Guest actress, 
comedy series: Bette Midler, 
The Politician, and Maya 
Rudolph, SNL (for a comedy 
skit in which she played Sen. 
Kamala Harris) and for The 
Good Place; Unstructured 
Reality Show: Amy Learns 
to Cook, Amy Schumer; 
Hosted Non-Fiction Series: 
Jerry Seinfeld, Comedians 
in Cars Getting Coffee, and 
Jeff Goldblum, The World 
According to Jeff Goldblum; 

and Outstanding Short Form 
Comedy Series: Randy 
Rainbow, The Randy Rainbow 
Show (on YouTube).

NEW TO WATCH
Ratched is an original Netflix 
series that begins streaming on 
Sept. 18. It is a horrific prequel 
to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’
s 
Nest. It focuses on the Nurse 
Ratched character in Cuckoo 
(the villain). Sarah Paulson 
plays Ratched. The supporting 
cast includes Corey Stoll, 44, 
and Sophie Okonedo, 52. 
Okonedo, who got a supporting 
actress Oscar nomination for 
Hotel Rwanda (2005), is the 
daughter of a (white) English 
Jewish mother and a Black 
African father. Her parents 
split when she was 5 and her 
mother raised her. She was 
raised Jewish. 
The documentary All In: The 
Fight for Democracy also begins 
streaming on Sept. 18 (Amazon 
Prime Video). Liz Garbus, 51, 
directed this film about voter 
suppression. It is narrated 
by African American Stacey 
Abrams, a Georgia politician and 
an anti-suppression movement 
leader. 

NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST

RANDYRAINBOW.COM

SLGCKGC VIA WIKIPEDIA

Randy 
Rainbow

Larry David

Jerry 
Seinfeld

DAVID SHANKBONE VIA WIKEPEDIA

Liz Garbus, 
director of All 
In: The Fight for 
Democracy

HENNY GARFUNKEL