Scarlett Johansson is pregnant
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA) — B’sha’ah tovah to Scarlett Johansson! The 29-year-old “Her” star, of recent SodaStream fame (or infamy, depending which side you’re on), is expecting her first child with French fiance Romain Dauriac, E! News reports.
The couple, dating publicly since November 2012, announced their engagement six months ago. Prior to this relationship, Johansson dated ad exec Nate Naylor for a year. She split with husband Ryan Reynolds in 2010 after two years of marriage. Reynolds went on to wed Blake Lively last September.
So yes, things have been slightly tumultuous for ScarJo but looks like Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive is finally on her way to happily ever after, Natalie Portman style. That’s right: French guy, Israeli ties, pre-wedding baby. Just saying.
Next up for Seth Rogen: A video game movie and Alzheimer’s activism
Funny, geeky comedy team Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are moving away from funny and sticking with just geeky for their next project. The two will direct “Console Wars,” a business thriller about the 1990s showdown between video game makers Sega and Nintendo, Booktrade reports.
The film, from the people that brought you “Moneyball” and “The Social Network,” will be an adaptation of the book “CONSOLE WARS: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation” by Blake J. Harris, which comes out this August.
Other unfunny, yet certainly mensch-y Rogen news: On Wednesday he’ll put on his activist hat and going down to Capitol Hill, where he’ll testify at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing titled “The Rising Cost of Alzheimer’s in America.” Rogen will speak about how the disease has impacted his familyOscars
Comedy Central renews ‘Broad City’
“Broad City,” a series created by and starring Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, has been renewed by Comedy Central for a second season. Executive Producer Amy Poehler announced the news on Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” premiere Monday night.
The show chronicles the lives of two young, single, cash-challenged gals trying to make it (or survive, more accurately) in New York City. Think “Girls,” with more laughs, less self-analysis and fewer belly shirts.
The idea for the show came from a sketch Jacobson and Glazer, two Jewish girls from the suburbs (Wayne, Pa., and Long Island, respectively), came up with for New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade. The idea morphed into a popular web series which ultimately got noticed by Poehler.
So where does “Broad City” fall on the Jew-o-meter? We’ll let the experts weigh in.
“The show is super Jewish, but in that new tacit, casual way that’s more Andy Samberg and less Adam Sandler,” says Stephanie Butnick from Tablet. It’s not “New Girl”’s Schmidt dropping lines about his bar mitzvah and seeking his rabbi out as a therapist when the show’s plot stalls. They’re just Jewish (on the show and in real life, duh), and it plays into their act as much as any other of their characteristics (young women, broke, middling bucket drummers) do.”
Season One features guest stars like Rachel Dratch, Amy Sedaris, Janeane Garofalo, plus Fred Armisen as a guy who answers the girls’ Craigslist ad, reading “We’re just 2 Jewesses tryin’ to make a buck.” In order to raise funds for weed and Lil Wayne concert tickets, they accept his offer to clean his apartment in their underwear. That should give you a taste of what you’re in for, so if it’s your thing, join the 1 million viewers who, per The Hollywood Reporter, have enjoyed “Broad City” since its Jan. 22 premiere.
Top five Jewish moments from the 2014 Oscars
The high ratio of Members of the Tribe in Hollywood makes the Academy Awards sort of an inherently Jew-y event. That said, from Holocaust survivors to Semitic songstresses, there were segments from Sunday night’s ceremony that certainly can be counted as overtly Jew-y. Five, to be exact. Check out our highlight reel.
1. By far the most meaningful and emotional moment was when “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” snagged the trophy for best documentary short. The subject, pianist and oldest known Holocaust survivor Alice Herz-Sommer, passed away just last week at age 110. Upon accepting the award, director Malcolm Clarke recommended we all watch the film. Herz-Sommer, he said, will “help you live a happier life.”
2. Another tearjerker: The “In Memoriam” segment, listing those lost this year, including Harold Ramis, Sid Caesar, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Shirley Temple, and James Gandolfini. (Among those missing from the list: Cory Monteith and Dennis Farina). Jewish diva Bette Midler made the whole thing sweeter and sadder with a performance of “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
3.Finally, after the 11 p.m. mark (sorry, sleeping kiddies) “Frozen” star Idina Menzel hit the stage for a soulful, albeit speedy, rendition of the hit song “Let it Go.” Making a bigger splash than the actual performance itself was an introduction from a loopy John Travolta, who mangled the Jewish singer’s name. As expected, this was blood in the water for the Internet sharks, who went full-on mental. Within minutes, Adela Dazeem’s Twitter account was live. “THANK YOU, JORN TROMOLTO!” tweeted the “Tony Award winning star of Wocked.” Dazeem now has almost 13,000 followers.
4. Mazel tov to Spike Jonze (aka Adam Spiegel) on scoring best original screenplay for “Her,” the sci-fi romance starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and the voice of Scarlett Johansson.
5. It’s impossible to talk about the 2014 Academy Awards in any capacity and not mention Matthew McConaughey’s high on life (we hope) Best Actor acceptance speech for “Dallas Buyers Club.” While the Methodist celeb didn’t get Jew-y, he did get spiritual, which sort of counts, right? McConaughey gave a very loud shoutout to God, prompting the Twittersphere to wonder who garnered more applause from the audience: God or Woody Allen, the latter of whom was mentioned all too briefly by Cate Blanchett when she stepped up to grab the Best Actress trophy for “Blue Jasmine.” Good question.
Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen share son’s bris shots
Mazel tov to Jason Biggs and his wife Jenny Mollen on the birth–and apparent circumcision–of their son Sid. On Tuesday Mollen posted shots to Instagram that seem to have been taken on or around the time of their newborn’s bris.
“Today was not a good day to be Sid’s penis,” read one caption that bore the hash tags #babybiggs and #circumcision, while another shot showed Biggs and Mollen wrapped in a talit.
The news probably seems entirely unsurprising. This is Larry Bloom we’re talking about, after all–of course his kid would get snipped. But allow us to remind you that although Biggs has brought many a Jew-y character to life, he is actually Roman Catholic. (Shocks every time–we know.)
While Mollen’s faith is currently unconfirmed, we’re banking on the fact that she’s a tribe member–especially since this isn’t the first Jewish rite of passage she’s shared on social media. In January Mollen posted shots of the couple’s dog Teet’s “bark mitzvah.” It’s all there on Instagram, but the Daily Mail summed it up quite nicely, so sit back and enjoy shots of yarmulke-clad pooch lighting a candle and munching on challah, plus fun puns like “Fur goodness sake!”
