90 | MAY 23 • 2024 
J
N

DISNEY & BEACH BOYS, 
ANTI-AI FLICK, A CHILD 
DISAPPEARS & ANOTHER 
CHILD IS TAKEN

The Disney Channel will 
premiere (May 24) a new 
documentary titled The 
Beach Boys. Of course, it is 
about the very successful 
rock group which was most 
popular in the ’60s and 
’70s.
There were a couple of 
Jews in the Beach Boys’ 
orbit. The original band 
lineup included Brian 
Wilson (principal songwrit-
er); Brian’s brothers (Carl 
and Dennis); Mike Love 
(a cousin of the Wilson 
brothers) and Al Jardine (a 
neighbor of the Wilsons) 
— and “sometimes,” David 
Marks, now 75. He was 
also a childhood neighbor 
of the Wilsons.
Marks, a very good gui-
tarist, played on the Beach 
Boys first four albums 
(1961-63). He left the band 
in 1963 after arguing with 
band manager Murry 
Wilson, the almost psychot-
ic and violent father of the 
Wilson brothers. 
He rejoined the band 
several times, usually to 
play on tours (2005, 2008, 
2011 and 2013). Marks’ 
father was Jewish, and his 
mother wasn’t Jewish. A 
reliable source tells me 
he talked to Marks, and 
Marks said he identified as 
Jewish. 
Marilyn Kovell, now 81, 
married Brian Wilson in 
1964 and they divorced 
in 1979. She is a talented 
(Jewish) singer and the 
mother of Brian’s daugh-
ters, Wendy and Carnie 
Wilson. Carnie, now 56, 
and Wendy, 54, formed 

two-thirds of the singing 
group Wilson-Phillips, which 
had hits from 1989 until 
their first break-up in 1992 
(the band is active again, 
now). 
My same source tells me 
that Kovell didn’t raise her 
daughters in any faith and, 
as adults, they don’t seem 
to have any Jewish ties. 
On May 24, Netflix will 
premiere Atlas, a sci-fic 
thriller. Jennifer Lopez 
stars as Atlas Shepherd, a 
brilliant data analyst with 
a distrust of artificial intel-
ligence. She and a “ren-
egade robot” join forces 
to save humanity from AI 
“gone amuck.” 
The film was written 
by Aron Eli Coleite, 50. 
He’s a veteran sci-fi writer 
(TV series Daybreak and 
Heroes). A 2020 Jewish 
Journal profile noted that 
he had a strong formal 
Jewish education; that 
he met his wife through 
a Jewish group; and he 
tries to incorporate Jewish 
humanistic values into his 
scripts. 
On May 30, Netflix will 
premiere Eric, a six-episode 
series. Premise: Vincent 
(Benedict Cumberbatch) is 
a puppeteer in 1980s New 
York whose 9-year-old son, 
Edgar, has gone missing. 
Vincent is the host of a 
children’s TV program (with 

puppets) called “Good Day 
Sunshine.” His son’s disap-
pearance makes Vincent 
increasingly volatile, and 
his behavior alienates him 
from his friends and family.
After issues with sub-
stance abuse, Vincent 
becomes convinced that he 
can reunite with Edgar with 
the help of his 7-foot-tall 
puppet, Eric. 
Dan Fogler, 47, a famil-
iar and busy character 
actor, (The Goldbergs and 
Walking Dead), portrays 
Lennie Wilson, Vincent’s 
best friend. Lennie is also 
Vincent’s work colleague, 
and a brilliant puppeteer 
and maker in his own right. 
Lennie has a special bond 
with Edgar, who frequently 
visited the set of “Good 
Day Sunshine” before his 
disappearance.
The IMDB Eric cast list 
includes Adam Silver, 30ish, 
and it notes that his “Eric” 
character, Murray, is in all 
six episodes. I found out 
Silver had a long theater 
history, but only recently 
has he gotten any TV work. 
He played (Jewish) WWII 
airman David Solomon in 
Masters of the Air. I sus-
pect he is Jewish, but I hav-
en’t confirmed that yet. 
Kidnapping: The 
Abduction of Edgardo 
Mortara opens in theaters 
on May 24. This Italian film 

got generally good reviews 
when it opened last year 
at the Cannes Film Festival 
and in European theaters. 
You’ll have to check when 
it opens in a theater near 
you. It’s emotionally a hard 
film to watch, and I suspect 
that means many theaters 
just won’t screen it.
In 1857, the Pope still had 
secular control of a fairly 
large part of Italy, including 
the city of Bologna, where 
the Jewish Mortara family 
lived. In 1857, a Catholic 
housekeeper told a priest 
that she had worked for 
the Mortara family, and she 
secretly baptized Edgardo 
when he became ill as 
a baby. She thought he 
would die. 
This priest “ran” with this 
news — papal law then 
held that no baptized child 
could be raised by Jews 
(unless the parents convert-
ed to Catholicism). 
Edgardo was 6-years old 
when he taken by the Papal 
police in June 1858. Of 
course, his parents wanted 
him back. But that return 
never happens, despite 
international protests. 
Much more information 
on the Mortara kidnapping 
can be found, easily, online. 
The new film, critics agree, 
depicts the real Mortara 
case events in historically 
accurate scenes. 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

GLENN FRANCIS

David Marks

GAGE SKIDMORE

Carnie Wilson

GAGE SKIDMORE

Dan Fogler

