weekly schmooze 311.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
If you've ever wondered what it feels like to be nominated for an Oscar, it's possible that 
you've already experienced the sensation. Jesse Eisenberg, Best Actor nominee for The Social Network, describes it as follows: "I had to go to bar mitzvahs every weekend, and this is like the same feeling, putting on a suit every weekend to go meet with a lot of Jews."
Thursday is Jersday, which, as fans of America's favorite Guidos know, is the day new episodes of "Jersey Shore" are aired. Last week, "Danielle the Stalker," the only Jewish person on the hit reality show, made her return. Danielle, an Israeli resident of Seaside Heights, NJ, where the show is filmed, was banished from the shore house in Season One, with DJ Pauly D yelling "you stalked by life on the boardwalk!" Now, in Season Three, Danielle and Pauly make amends. The apologies included the following exchange:
Danielle: What's up Italian Sausage?
Pauly: That's not kosher; I don't eat that no more. I get all my food blessed, know what I'm saying?
Pauly also made sure to wear a special t-shirt in Danielle's honor:
Apparently, DJ Pauly D loves Jewish girls. Duly noted.
While some may be jealous of Danielle for getting with a Guido DJ, another Israeli wom
an is going to make many, many people jealous. Director
Marc Forster was reportedly in Israel last week
to cast an Israeli actress to star with
Brad Pitt in the upcoming film
World War Z. The film, based on a book by
Mel Brooks' son,
Max, is about an international zombie crisis. Israel, for those concerned about the zombie apocalypse, responds well, sealing off its borders.
One Israeli actress,
Gal Gadot, is rumored to be the frontrunner to appear in
World War Z. Gadot, who is known to Americans from the
Fast and the Furious series, is one of three famous Jewish women to appear in commercials during the Super Bowl last Sunday. Blink and you might miss this former Miss Israel at 23 seconds into the trailer for
Fast Five:
Next we have
Roseanne Barr, who, along with
Richard Lewis, teaches Super Bowl viewers how to kvetch:
And last but not least, we have a somewhat disturbing image of
Joan Rivers' head on what we all know is someone else's body:
It's hard to tell from that commercial, but Joan Rivers is definitely "one of the funniest women alive." At least, that's what legendary hairstylist
Vidal Sassoon says in an
interview with this week's
New York Times, in which he discusses the upcoming documentary on his life and work,
Vidal Sassoon The Movie. The interview reveals some interesting facts about Sassoon, who became famous for giving
Mia Farrow a pixie-cut for the film
Rosemary's Baby: Not only is he Jewish, but he was an active member of the 43 group, a Jewish anti-fascist militia in the UK, and enlisted in the IDF to fight in the 1948 War of Independence.
Actress
Claire Danes, who won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her work in the HBO movie
Temple Grandin, arrived in Israel on a private plane on Monday to film "Homeland," the American version of Israeli TV show "Hatufim" ("Captives"). "Homeland" is about a US Marine Sargeant who reappears after being taken prisoner and thought dead. Danes will play a CIA agent who has doubts the newly-found captive on the Showtime series. Danes stayed in Jerusalem for two days; the Israeli sets are standing in for Baghdad.
The Weekly Schmooze collects the hottest Jewish culture news from around the world. Ranging from celebrities to philanthropy to quirky communities, we're here to schmooze about Jews.If you have any news to share with The Weekly Schmooze, write to: weeklyschmooze@gmail.com