ARTS&LIFE

76 | SEPTEMBER 2 • 2021 

AMANDA PEET, 
CELL PHONE MAN
The Chair, a six-part orig-
inal Netflix series, began 
streaming Aug. 19. The 
series received very good 
reviews. It’s a comedy-dra-
ma, with some romantic 
stuff. 
The setting is a private col-
lege with financial problems. 
Sandra Oh stars as the new 
chair of the college’s English 
department. One of her 
challenges is saving the jobs 
of aged, no longer popular 
professors. Veteran character 
actor Bob Balaban, 76, plays 
one of the “endangered.” 
The Chair was co-created 
by actress Amanda Peet, 49, 
and she co-wrote the two first 
episodes. The Chair is the 
first time Peet has written for 
the screen (or stage). 
While Peet never became 
a major star, she has had 
a substantial acting career. 
Her breakthrough role came 
in The Whole Nine Yards 
(2000), a comedy/crime film 
that became a surprise big 
hit. She was funny and charm-
ing. 
Not long after that film 
opened, I found out that 
Peet’s mother was Jewish. 
Then an acquaintance who 
knew the Peet family told me 
he was sure that Peet was 
raised in a secular family. 
Over the years, I followed 
Peet as she had some box 
office hits (Saving Silverman, 
Something’s Got to Give and 
2012) and some film flops. 
She did quite a bit of TV, 
including a nice recurring 
role on The Good Wife and 
a much-seen role last year 
on Dirty John, the true crime 
anthology series. 
Peet wed David Benioff in 
2005, in what several sources 

said was a “traditional Jewish 
wedding.” Benioff, now 50, 
is a successful novelist and 
screenwriter, most famous as 
the co-writer and co-producer 
of Game of Thrones. 
I liked Peet a lot, and it 
made me happy that she 
seemed to becoming “more 
Jewish.” In 2015, I finally got 
confirmation. She wrote a 
children’s book about how 
a Jewish girl coped with the 
“deluge” of Christmas. While 
promoting the book, she 
talked about her background. 
She said her parents were 
atheists and she grew up 
without religion. But, after 
her marriage, she embraced 
Judaism and Jewish rituals — 
and she referred to herself as 
a “Jewish mother.” (Peet and 
Benioff have three children).
Do watch the CBS Sunday 
News segment titled The Man 
Who Invented the Cell Phone, 
which aired on Aug. 22. Just 
search that title and CBS 
News, and you’ll find it on 
the CBS site and on YouTube. 
“The Man” is Martin Cooper, 
93. He’s in great shape, 
vibrant and explains things 
clearly. The news is a movie is 
going to be made about him. 
I talked to Cooper five years 
ago, and he was a delight. He 
told me that following Jewish 
tradition, he had his second 
bar mitzvah at age 83. 
Also worth catching: Shiva 
Baby (2020), a dark “very 
Jewish” comedy film that 
got great reviews. It’s now 
streaming on HBO Max. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

MINGLE MEDIA TV VIA WIKIPEDIA

Amada Peet

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMIE BUSH + CO. AND LAURA HULL

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ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE,
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMIE BUSH + CO. AND LAURA HULL

WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS

248.709.9648

Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing 
Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can 
be valued and consigned or auctioned at our store. 
We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales.

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation

changinghandsestates.com

3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI

248.481.8884

www.leshoppetoo.com

UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE

ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE, 
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

Support Local 
Businesses

HOURS

TUES–SAT Noon–5pm | MON closed
SUN & evenings by appointment only

FREE
preliminary
art appraisals 
Wednesday’s 12-4
with Terri

DFAA:

248.672.3207
DetroitFAA.com

DetroitFineArtAppraisals@gmail.com

HAPPY & 
HEALTHY 
NEW YEAR

WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS

Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too
& Changing Hands handle your Estate Sale needs.

PHOTO CREDIT: JAMIE BUSH + CO. AND LAURA HULL

WE ARE OBSERVING ALL STATE COVID-19
GUIDELINES & RESTRICTIONS

248.709.9648

Let our experienced team at Le Shoppe Too & Changing 
Hands handle your Estate Sale needs. Your items can 
be valued and consigned or auctioned at our store. 
We offer hands free-hassle free estate sales.

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a free consultation

changinghandsestates.com

3325 ORCHARD LAKE RD, KEEGO HARBOR, MI

248.481.8884

www.leshoppetoo.com

UPSCALE CONSIGNMENT & AUCTION HOUSE

ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE, 
FINE-ART, HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

Call Leslie Weisberg today for a
free consultation: 248.709.9648
changinghandsestates.com

Your items of high value can be:

Auctioned • Consigned
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