56 | MARCH 14 • 2024
J
N
NEW SERIES AND A GUY
WHO ALMOST CERTAINLY
SAVED LOVED ONE (S)
Apples Never Fail is a
seven-episode, limited
series, which premieres
on Thursday, March 14, on
Peacock. It is based on a
best-selling mystery novel of
the same name by Australian
author Liane Moriarity.
The family seems, at first,
to be perfect. Stan Delany
(Sam Neill) and Joy Delany
(Annette Benning) are ready
to start their “golden years.”
They have just sold their suc-
cessful tennis academy.
They are somewhat dis-
appointed by their four adult
children. But they seem to
be happy to have extra time
with their children now that
they are retired.
This idyll ends when
Savannah, a young woman
who claims she was abused
by her boyfriend, knocks on
the Delaneys’ door and they
take her in. Their children
are not as enthusiastic about
helping Savannah as their
parents. Shortly thereafter,
Joy disappears.
The most prominent of the
four Delaney children is Amy,
who is played by Alison
Brie, 41. Brie is probably still
best known for her co-star-
ring role on Glow, a Netflix
series which ended pre-
maturely due to the COVID
epidemic. More recently,
she co-wrote and co-starred
in the Amazon Prime film
Somebody I Used to Know
(2023), a quite popular “rom-
com.” The film was co-written
by and directed by Brie’s
husband, Dave Franco, 38.
Franco has had a minor act-
ing career, and Somebody
was his directorial debut.
As I’ve noted before, the
couple have the same back-
ground: Jewish mothers and
non-Jewish fathers and they
identify as Jewish.
Nate Mann, 27ish, has a
recurring role in Apples. As
I have reported, he has a
starring role on Masters of
the Air, the Apple TV+ series
about “real” WWII bomber
pilots. He co-stars as Robert
Rosenthal, a heroic (Jewish)
pilot.
While Mann has done
several Masters interviews,
he’s not been asked (or
volunteered) whether he is
Jewish. I have incomplete
info, now, from public
records. It appears that his
father is Jewish, and his
mother is not. (When I know,
I’ll update).
Girls on the Bus is a
10-episode limited HBO/
Max series. It also begins
on March 14. The series was
co-created by journalist Amy
Chozick, 43. The series is
inspired by Choznick’s book
(2018) of the same name.
Choznick was a Wall Street
Journal reporter (2002-08)
and is a NY Times reporter
(2011-to date). She rode on a
bus with other reporters as
she reported on the Hillary
Clinton 2008 campaign (for
the Democratic nomination)
and Clinton’s 2016 presiden-
tial campaign. Choznick’s
unhappy “Clinton experi-
ence” was the theme of her
book. (Clinton rarely talked
to “the girls” and “the boys”
on the bus.)
The Max series will follow
four women journalists in
2024. These women have
to face very contemporary
hurdles, like finding the time
to work on their social media
postings and constantly
chasing scoops for the 24/7
demands of the internet.
On March 2, the CBS
Sunday Morning program
interviewed Dr. Drew
Weissman, 64, a physician
and immunologist, and Dr.
Katalin Karikó, a biochemist.
Both have long been affili-
ated with the University. of
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).
Their pioneering work
in MRNA was the key to
developing the COVID
vaccines, and that work was
honored when the pair won
the 2023 Nobel Prize in
Medicine. (The interview can
be viewed on YouTube or on
the CBS website. It is only 7
minutes but is packed with
good info).
Two points Weissman
made stuck in my mind.
He said that the MRNA
technology has been
used in developing almost
every “promising” vaccine:
tuberculosis, malaria, HIV,
hepatitis C and, to my
surprise, food allergies.
(Weissman noted that many
parents are scared if their
child eats a peanut).
Weissman also said that
politicians shouldn’t give
people misinformation about
vaccines and cause deaths.
He said, “They [politicians]
are supposed to help the
world.”
In 2021, the Philadelphia
Jewish Exponent interviewed
Weissman. His father, he
said, was Jewish. His mother
was Italian and wasn’t
Jewish. He said he was
raised Jewish; his wife, who
was raised observant, is
Jewish; and their children
were raised Jewish.
The family belongs to a
Conservative synagogue.
However, I have to add
that Weissman said he really
isn’t very religious. He said:
“I’m more of a Daoist, in that
point of view that I think that
Earth, nature, is the supreme
— the main component of
life. And that’s what needs to
be celebrated.”
Weissman may not be very
religious. But there is “some-
thing” in Jewish culture,
which is highly influenced
by Judaism, that produces
remarkable statistics: 26% of
the winners of all the Nobel
Prizes in Medicine had one
or two Jewish parents. 38%
of American winners had one
or two Jewish parents.
CELEBRITY NEWS
NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST
ARTS&LIFE
IMDB
LARRY D. MOORE
Amy Chozick
GAGE SKIDMORE
Alison Brie
Nate Mann