News of the Muse

Seeking 'the Israeli Danny and Sandy.'

By NATHAN BURSTEIN
grease 88 298 (photo credit: )
grease 88 298
(photo credit: )
Kilmer reportedly rejects Hitler role Val Kilmer, best known for his performances as Jim Morrison and Batman, has decided not to play Hitler. The Doors star had agreed to portray the Nazi dictator in the planned sequel to The Hebrew Hammer, but "may have gotten cold feet," according to a source quoted last week in the New York Post. The sequel, whose full title will be The Hebrew Hammer: Hammer vs. Hitler, is a follow-up to director Jonathan Kesselman's 2003 comedy about Mordechai Jefferson Carver, a Jewish crime fighter attempting to save Hanukka from Santa Claus' evil son. A parody of film noir and the blaxploitation genre of the 1970s, the movie featured characters with names like Mohammed Ali Paula Adbul Rahim and Esther Bloomenbergensteinenthal. With or without Kilmer, the new film is going forward with the participation of Kesselman and Adam Goldberg, the star of the first Hebrew Hammer . Besides good taste, victims of the satirical sequel are reported to include Mel Gibson, who made headlines last summer with an anti-Semitic outburst during a drunk driving arrest in California. Seeking 'the Israeli Danny and Sandy' Israel's John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John wannabes are getting a chance to strut their stuff. Reshet Television announced last week that it is seeking contestants for a Tel Aviv-based version of Grease: You're the One that I Want, the US reality show that selected actors last year for a Broadway production of the movie and stage musical Grease. Like the American TV show - which also spawned a British knock-off - the Israeli series will seek its winning Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson from a group of amateur performers, testing them as the show progresses on their singing, acting and dancing skills. Results of the competition will be based on the opinions of a panel of judges and on voting by TV viewers. Winners of the program will star in a touring Grease production that will make its way around the country next year. Aspiring Hebrew-speaking contestants are invited to submit their candidacies via the Reshet Web site, or by calling 054-400-8000.