42 | JUNE 3 • 2021 

ANIMATED CHOICES; 
KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

Housebroken is a charming 
animated series about a varied 
group of neighborhood pets 
who meet frequently to discuss 
their problems. Lisa Kudrow, 
57, voices Honey, a standard 
poodle who was forced into a 
“marriage” by humans to Chief, 
a sloppy St. Bernard (voiced 
by Nat Faxon, 45. His mother 
is Jewish). Fun note: There is 
an animal character named 
Tchotchke. (Began on May 31 on 
Fox. New episodes Mondays at 
9 p.m.).
 Another animated project, 
the film Spirit Untamed, opens 
in theaters on June 4. This 
Dreamworks flick is based on 
the Netflix animated TV series 
Spirit Riding Free. The film 

follows a young girl named 
Lucy. She moves from a shel-
tered life in the city to a small 
frontier town where she meets 
a wild mustang named Spirit 
and bonds with him. Jake 
Gyllenhaal, 40, co-stars as the 
voice of Jim, Lucy’s widowed 
father. 
The 2020/2021 Kennedy 
Center Honors ceremony/
gala is the most unusual since 
the awards began in 1978. 
Honorees are chosen for lifetime 
excellence in the arts. Normally, 
they receive their award at a 
State Department ceremony 

in December. A few days later, 
there’s a gala celebration at the 
Kennedy Center Opera House. 
A few weeks later, a two-hour 
video is broadcast by CBS. 
The 2020 awards were 
delayed due to the pandemic. 
Finally, on May 21, the five win-
ners received their certificates 
at a virtually empty Opera 
House. Tribute performances/
statements were recorded last 
week at remote locations. The 
Opera House ceremony and the 
remote tributes (edited version) 
will be broadcast on CBS on 
Sunday, June 6 (8 p.m.).

There are no Jewish winners 
this year, but much more likely 
than not, Jewish celebs will 
appear to say nice things about 
the winners, or play something 
or sing something. The honor-
ees this year are country singer 
Garth Brooks, actress/choreog-
rapher Debbie Allen, violinist 
Midori, folk singer Joan Baez, 
80, and comedian/actor Dick 
Van Dyke, 95. 
I don’t know why Dick Van 
Dyke didn’t win decades ago. 
Incidentally, his career was 
“made” by four Jews. The most 
important was Carl Reiner (1922-
2020), who produced, wrote 
and directed The Dick Van Dyke 
Show (1961-65). 
By the way, Van Dyke’s big 
musical hits, Mary Poppins (1964) 
and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 
(1968), had Jewish songwriters: 
the late Robert Sherman and his 
brother, Richard Sherman, 92, 
wrote all the tunes. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

COURTESY OF FOX

ARTS&LIFE

The animated series 
Housebroken

PIRKEI AVOT STUDY 
11 AM, JUNE 4
Adat Shalom Synagogue 
invites adults of all ages to join 
Rabbi Aaron Bergman for a 
weekly discussion on Zoom 
to explore one of the most 
beloved and wise books of our 
people, which was written long 
ago but is even more relevant 
today. The community is wel-
come. There is no charge. To 
RSVP and receive a Zoom link, 
contact Jodi Gross, jgross@
adatshalom.org.

SOULFUL YOGA
11 AM, JUNE 5
Adat Shalom Synagogue 
invites you to join Rabbi Aaron 
Bergman and yoga instructor 
Mindy Eisenberg. Connect 
body and soul as they apply 
the wisdom of Torah to the 
gentle practice of yoga. No 
yoga experience is necessary. 
There is no charge to partic-
ipate, and the community is 

welcome. To RSVP and receive 
a Zoom link, contact Jodi 
Gross, jgross@adatshalom.org.

MEDITATION & 
MINDFULNESS
9:30 AM, JUNE 6 
Adat Shalom Synagogue 
invites adults of all ages to 
join Rabbi Aaron Bergman on 
Zoom. The class is designed 
to help individuals find their 
internal spirituality and realize 
how Judaism can make them 
happier. The community is wel-
come. There is no charge. To 
RSVP and receive a Zoom link, 
contact Jodi Gross, 

ZOOM COMEDY NIGHT
7 PM, JUNE 6
Raising funds for NCJW|MI 
community service and advo-
cacy projects, the NCJW 
Michigan Fundraiser features 
comedian Corey Kahaney 
and emcee Alan Muskovitz. 
$36 per household; $75 for 
patrons. https://ncjwmi.org/
product/raisinglaughter. 

BOOKS FOR SENIORS
JUNE 7-21
Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah 
is collecting books for mature 
readers to enjoy. They will be 
collected in a designated bin 
outside the Hadassah House 
in West Bloomfield. Share the 
books you have enjoyed by 
donating them for someone 
else to read. The books will be 
distributed to various locations. 
Drop-off: Hadassah Greater 
Detroit, 5030 Orchard Lake 
Road, West Bloomfield, MI 
48323. Questions? greaterde-
troit@hadassah.org or call 248-
683-5030.

LUNCH & LEARN
NOON-1 PM, JUNE 8
Join Rabbi Alicia Harris of Shir 
Tikvah for her monthly virtual 
Lunch & Learn. Come meet 
new friends and enjoy an hour 
of wonderful discussion. Open 
to the community. Register at 
shirtikvah.org — a Zoom link 
will be sent prior to the class.

GENEALOGICAL 
CONFERENCE
AUG. 1-5
The 41st Annual International 
Association of Jewish 
Genealogical Societies 
International Conference on 
Jewish Genealogy will be an 
all-virtual conference. The con-
ference will feature live-stream 
presentations as well as more 
than 100 pre-recorded, on-de-
mand video presentations, 
both available for 60 days after 
the conference ends. Sessions 
will cover virtually every aspect 
of Jewish genealogy. Early 
Bird Registration is $250 until 
June 10. Registration and con-
ference program details will 
be posted on the conference 
website: www.iajgs2021.org. 
Ongoing information and ques-
tions will also be posted on the 
IAJGS Conference Discussion 
Facebook page at www.face-
book.com/groups/IAJGS.

ON THE GO
PEOPLE | PLACES | EVENTS

