Arts in Brief

'Borat' star mocks Holocaust conference

By JTA, JERUSALEM POST STAFF, AP
borat 88 (photo credit: )
borat 88
(photo credit: )
'Borat' star mocks Holocaust conference Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen has mocked Iran's recent Holocaust denial conference. Cohen stepped out of character this month when his film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, was nominated for two Golden Globe awards. Explaining in a statement why his fictional alter-ego, the anti-Semitic and misogynistic Borat, was not available to express his gratitude, Cohen said, "He is guest of honor at the Holocaust denial conference" in Tehran. Cohen, 35, has said he hopes Borat's riffs, which have raised eyebrows among some Jews, help ridicule anti-Semitism. - JTA Celebrating the '10th night of Hanukka' An evening of English-language poetry and music will be held at 9 p.m. Sunday at Jerusalem's Kubiya restaurant. The gathering, called "The 10th Night of Hanukka," will feature original poetry readings, a band and an open mic session. Organized by Mima'amakim, a group that aims to blend artistic and religious expression, the event is expected to draw "a diverse crowd including English, Russian and Hebrew speakers, yeshiva and university students, ba'alei teshuva and agnostics, settlers and peace activists, grandmothers and teenagers," according to event organizer David Druce. Sunday's event represents the third Jerusalem reading hosted by the group, which was founded in 2000 by students from New York's Yeshiva University and later evolved into a diverse collective of Jewish artists and performers. Participants at previous Mima'amakim events have included poets Ronny Someck and Matthue Roth, blogger "Jewschool" Dan Sieradski, and reggae artist Matisyahu. Sunday's event is open to the public. - Jerusalem Post staff Seinfeld working on animated film Jerry Seinfeld is trying out his animated side in a DreamWorks production called Bee Movie, due out in November 2007. In it, he is the voice of a bee who leaves the hive and discovers that humans have been stealing the insects' honey. The move co-stars Renee Zellweger, who is the voice of Vanessa, a New York City florist. "I think I'm bringing a different humorous sensibility to an animated movie," Seinfeld, who also is writing and producing the movie, told Newsweek magazine. - AP