Lisa Loeb is recording a song based on the new mnemonic for our solar system's 11 (11? yes, 11) planets, "My Very Exciting Magic Carpet Just Sailed Under Nine Palace Elephants." Really. It's like its own joke.
We caught up with Jerry Springer yesterday morning for a story we're working on about him while he is in Atlanta shooting episodes for the upcoming summer season of NBC's America's Got Talent. Among other things, we discussed his daytime talk show ("It's all camp," he admits) and politics (he's endorsing Hillary). Although sitting nearby in the makeup chair, David Hasselhoff thinks someone else should run for the highest office in the land. "Jerry Springer should be president of the United States," the Hoff told me. "He's just such a nice guy and I have such great respect for him." Fellow America's Got Talent judge (and Celebrity Apprentice favorite) Piers Morgan, sitting nearby nursing a small cup of Starbucks coffee, seconded the motion: "Springer is a God in the UK. He's some sort of deity. The whole world knows Jerry Springer." Stay tuned for our Apr/May issue for the full Springer story.
Crunch time for Jon Stewart
The writers strike has ended, and the Oscars are fast approaching. Jonny Stewart's got 4 days left to get into awards-show-host mode.
Until the strike by the Writers Guild of America ended a week ago, Mr. Stewart, 45, was unable to prepare, or even to think much about, his Oscar assignment. His regular job, as host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, took precedence.
“You never really gave yourself a chance to think this thing was going to be over because you were so focused on getting through that day,” he said. “The Oscars were always an afterthought in that. ...Now it’s like: I can name that tune in seven notes. I can do the Oscars in nine days. No, I can do the Oscars in eight days.”
As a result of all this, The Daily Show is not being produced this week. There's gonna be a whole lot of fake news to recap come Monday.
Natalie Portman is making her directorial debut in Israel, with an adaptation, in Hebrew, of Amos Oz's memoir A Tale of Love and Darkness. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get the attention of the Jewish press. Take that, Amy Winehouse!
Natalie's also taken a vow to never take marriage vows, thus shattering the hopes of single Star Wars fans everywhere.
And one more nugget of Natalie news: she only agreed to take the role of Anne Boleyn because Scarlett was The Other Boleyn Girl.
And for your compulsory Amy Winehouse fix, go see her tonight, performing at the Brit Awards.
"I have recently been getting frustrated with the number of roles for strippers or prostitutes I get - or the opposite, the pure one. That dichotomy exists so strongly. It’s the virgin/whore thing in evidence to the greatest extent. That’s bothering me. I want to find a character who is complicated. I also love comedies, but every time I read a comedy, the girl is in fashion and really into clothes and just wants to get married. I would also love to do a romantic comedy where the woman has a real job." --Natalie Portman, on the scripts sent to her. Fashionable hookers who want to get married were not available for comment.
Mel Gibson's getting sued for the fraud of The Passion. He should've known better than to betray a guy named Benedict.
Steven Spielberg wants Beijing to assist in the crisis in Darfur, so unfortunately, we won't see him pole-vaulting (or advising) at this year's Olympics.
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are sisters. That's hot.
Mama Winehouse Sources say that Amy Winehouse is cleaning up her act. That means we might have to find someone else to blog about.
Amy Winehouse has won about a bazillion Grammys. Or five.
Mike Leigh has brought Natasha Lyonne back, for "Two Thousand Years," at least. Jewish theater? Oy yay!
Actor Roy Scheider has died at age 75. No, he wasn't Jewish, but he was in Chicago 10, a film featured at this year's Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. And I loved him. In fact, I'm too sad to quip any more today.
In a town where Jews and the entertainment business are inextricably linked, the strike’s far-reaching effect has trickled down to Jewish life. A handful of congregations with large numbers of writers and others affected by the walkout — in this town, that can mean everyone from talent agents to the florist who spruces up the Golden Globes — has been feeling the pinch, as many of the synagogues’ congregants have spent the past few months walking picket lines rather than penning television episodes.
"More than half of what we need and expect to receive in individual contributions simply has not come in yet," [Rabbi Sharon]Brous said. "If we don’t recover some of the money we’ve lost from the strike, we’ll end up with a significant shortfall."
Here's hoping the strike ends soon, for the sake of LA synagogues. And the Oscars.
Muslim former Seventeen editor Atoosa Rubenstein and her Jewish husband Ari are expecting. No news on whether the child will be raised on the teachings of Judaislam.
Jon Stewart has pulled out of a hosting gig that's not the Oscars. Either the writers strike has something to do with this, or he just really hates charity.
Woody is worried about Scarlett. And he should be; she works very closely with a neurotic, much older man who directs films and admittedly has a thing for younger women.
Gary David Goldberg, the creator of Family Ties, brought the whole cast of that seminal 80's sitcom with him to the Today show this morning to promote his new memoir Sit, Ubu, Sit. Stay tuned for our upcoming issue for our interview with Goldberg.
Jewish-Catholic actress Helena Bonham-Carter and partner Tim Burton have named their baby daughter Indiana Rose. They're gonna be so embarrassed when they find out that Indiana's state flower is the peony.
Let's say it together: Black candidates are so much cooler, and this video proves it. Its street cred grows when you find out Bob Dylan's son directed the video. Not to mention we've counted at least four Jewish celebs in the piece -- Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Greenberg, Shoshannah Stern, and Maya Rubin spitting some Hebrew.
We caught up with Jerry Springer yesterday morning for a story we're working on about him while he is in Atlanta shooting episodes for the upcoming summer season of NBC's 
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