Category Archives: Jewish Media
Funny, Smart and Jewish! Interesting Facts about Mayim Bialik
You probably remember Mayim Bialik as Jewish actress for her role as Blossom, a successful sitcom back in the 90s. Mayim Bialik has made a big comeback recently thanks to her role as Amy Farrah Fowler, the female equivalent to Jim Parsons’ Sheldon Cooper on the hit TV series, The Big Bang Theory. Here are some other facts about the actress you may not have known about.
– Mayim Bialik’s grandparents immigrated to the United States in the 1930s from Poland and Czechoslovakia/Hungry. She, herself, was born in San Diego, and raised in Reform Judaism. Mayim Bialik is currently involved in Conservadox Judaism.
Interesting Facts about Mayim Bialik
– Bialik’s given name means “water” in Hebrew.
– Bialik’s first film role was in the horror movie, Pumpkinhead, starring Lance Henriksen. Other early roles included guest spots on the TV show The Facts of Life and Beauty and the Beast.
– Bialik’s first recurring role was three appearances on MacGuyver as the character Lisa Woodman.
Mila Kunis: Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Jewish Actress
You might know a few things about the Jewish actress Mila Kunis. You know she’s best known for her roles as Jackie Burkhart on That ‘70s Show, and as the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy, as well as her recent film roles in Black Swan and Friends With Benefits ( plays alongside Justin Timberlake). You also know that she’s been dating fellow actor Macaulay Culkin since 2002. But here are some facts you may not have known about Mila Kunis.
Things you didn’t know about Mila Kunis
– Mila Kunis’ full name is Milena Markovna/Markivna Kunis.
– Mila Kunis is, in fact, Jewish. Her parents raised her in the faith as best they could, despite how religion was suppressed in the family’s native Soviet Union.
Best Current Israeli Movies about Love, Family and all the Rest…
Israeli movies have made a serious progress in the last decade. In recent years, Israeli movies have successfully captured fractions of the turbulent Israeli society with its complexity. Israeli movies have dealt with many issues, such as the orthodox society, the Israeli army, sexual orientation, prostitution and much more, showing the world that Israel is much more than a place of conflict.
Israeli movies have shown the world the normality of the Israeli society. In the beginning of the millennium, new high-quality Israeli movies have emerged that dealt with universal issues as love, family and lost.
Nina’s Tragedies (Hasonot Shel Nina), 2003
When this movie starring our very own talented Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer was released, it was received with much enthusiasm by the Israeli audience and the critics. This is a bitter sweet comedy that reflects life as they are with sensitivity and humor. Ayelet Zurer does a fantastic job in the leading role.
Broken Wings, 2002
A family is falling apart with the sudden death of the father. A bitter-sweet drama by Nir Bergman, one of Israel’s most talented directors and scriptwriters. Bergman also created In Treatment, a compelling Israeli drama that was adapted by HBO. Both the film and the TV are highly recommended.
Lost Islands
This is one of the best Israeli movies ever. Two twin Israeli brothers find out that it’s not so easy to fulfill your dreams.
Intimate Grammar (HaDikduk Hapnimi), 2010
This film is based on a novel by the highly acclaimed Israeli author David Grossman.
Turn Left at the End of the World (Sof Ha’Olam Smola), 2004
A very enjoyable film by well known director, Avi Nesher. As a family from India moves in to a desert neighborhood in Southern Israel in the 1960′s, the family’s eldest, beautiful daughter discovers friendship and romance with the lovely local French girl.
Shlomi’s Stars ( Ha’Kochavim Shel Shlomi), 2003
16 years old Shlomi lives with his restless mother, his soldier brother and their ill grandfather. Although not doing well in school, Shlomi is a gifted cook and takes care of most household chores. One day, the school’s principal finds out Shlomi is actually a genius and tries to get him into a more suitable curriculum. However, Shlomi is more interested in taking care of his family and his new love interest, the beautiful girl next door.
Aviva My Love (Aviva Ahuvati), 2006
Aviva, a hard-working hotel cook in the small northern Israeli town of Tiberias, is on the brink of finally fulfilling her lifelong dream to become a writer.
Who can forget The Nanny? (especially her voice…)
The Nanny was a long running show with Jewish humor as well as Jewish actresses. It was based on the idea that Fran Drescher was a nanny and took care of kids and a family. The nanny fell in love with the father of the children and the show had lots of humor with the situations that were dealt with. The show provided comic relief for typical and not so typical situations that people go through. The Nanny was a successful Jewish TV show that ran on CBS for six years in the Nineties. The show was based on real life people who were portrayed in the show as comical characters.
The show won awards for its creativity and humor. The show has also been the inspiration for other shows that are based off of the idea and are shown in different countries all over the world. The show was based off the idea that a Jewish women who sold makeup happened upon this family and ended up getting a nanny position. She teaches the family how to deal with different situations and inspires the family in a number of ways. Later she and the father of the family end up falling in love and eventually getting married.
The show had multiple famous guest stars that appeared on the show over the course of its six year run on CBS. Some of the famous guests included Pamela Anderson, Bob Barker, Ray Charles, Chevy Chase, and David Letterman, to name a few of the many famous stars that appeared on the show. The list of guest stars is numerous and may surprise someone who did not watch the show over the years.
The show provided a lot of comic relief for the audience searching for a good chuckle. The show was based on jokes, characters being teased, Jewish humor, and even some humor on Jewish stereotypes and exaggerations in the show. There were also jokes about the actors and actresses pasts that were subtly put in and might not be understood by all the viewers. A lot of the characters remained the same over time and added humor based on how they reacted to situations. This show is shown in syndication at present and still provides a laugh for the audience.
Here’s a clip from the show in which the nanny meets the real Fran Drescher
Pink – The Coolest Jewish Singer Around
Pink is a well known singer who has done varying style of music from the time she started singing to now, she has shown a maturity that most singers will never demonstrate. Pink’s real name is Alecia Beth Moore. Her first song that was mainstream was There You Go. Pink’s debut album was Can’t Take Me Home that came out in the year 2000. She had a different sound the following year with the album Missundaztood.
Two years later in 2003, Pink released her third album which was Try This -this album was not as popular but still did fairly well for itself. Pink also won an award for this album due to her creativity and talent. Three years later she had the album I’m Not Dead. This album did well with a few songs hitting the top of the musical charts. In 2008 she released the album Funhouse which did fairly well and in 2010 she released a best of cd but let everyone know she is far from done with music and singing.
image source: Wikipdia
Pink has done well for herself ever since she started releasing albums. If you consider even the albums that did not do well still sold millions of copy and earned rewards, she has done well for herself.
Pink’s songs are in constant rotation on the local radio stations and people still greatly appreciate all her songs with a feeling that her songs cannot get old like other artists or groups. Pink videos get millions oHer style has changed from R&B when she first came out to more of a rock and alternative sound where she is hard to categorize due to her variation in her musical style.
Pink and the Jewish Connection
Pink is a Jewish musician as her mother was Jewish. It is not often mentioned but the Jewish people can be proud to have such a wonderful singer as one of their own. Pink’s father was also a musician and more than likely inspired her. She was in bands in the past that did not do as well but were a way for her to showcase her talent. She initially wrote songs to help with emotional issues. Today and in the future Pink will be enjoyed and fans are anticipating more great music to come from her.
For Pink’s official website – click here.
The Seinfeld show – Jewish humor at its best
Seinfeld was a long running comedic television show that was enjoyed by fans for many years and is still enjoyed even if it is only reruns at this point in time. Seinfeld was originally on NBC and was on for nine seasons. Seinfeld played himself with a comical twist on who he was and on scenarios he went through in his life. The show was based off of life in New York City and was centered around Seinfeld and his friends. Seinfeld was the show that was based on nothing or so that was what the show stated but everyone could relate to the scenarios that the show depicted in a comical manner. The show had numerous people that assisted with the writing of it which was probably the reason the show was so enjoyable. The show always had high ratings in terms of the Neilsen ratings and in terms of TV Guide saying it was one of the best shows ever.
Seinfeld was comical due to focusing on the little things in life and making them comical or ironic at the same time. It proved that sometimes what we think may mean something in life may not mean anything. The show centered around friends and their lives as adults with the exciting and mundane parts of life being interspersed into the show. The roles on the show were based off of people that Seinfeld and Larry David had known in their lives. The show did have stories that were followed and further developed throughout the show with many guest characters coming back and topics brought up from past shows.
The show revolved around Jerry Seinfeld who was the main character and the one that all the friends came over to visit at his place. George Costanza was a friend of Jerry and was known for not being a winner of a guy but still doing well for himself. Elaine Bennes was another friend’s of Jerry and George, she had dated Jerry and was not always the nicest person but was able to offer comic relief with her humorous dance and the way she shared news whether it was positive or negative. Cosmo Kramer was a friend of Jerry, Elaine, and George and was comical due to his eccentricity and awkward way of doing activities.
Is it not the funniest TV show ever?
Meet the talented Adam Lambert and yep, he’s Jewish!
Adam Lambert is a Jewish musician who gained recognition through the show American Idol and through the radio where his songs play and are very popular. People enjoy Adam’s music and how he is accepting of himself and allowed himself to come out as homosexual to the world. Adam also dabbles in acting and creating his own songs. He did not win Idol but had come in second place and probably had gained more recognition than the individual that won that season of American Idol. Adam Lambert is recognized on a mainstream record label and sings songs that are considered Pop.
His first album came out in 2009 and was called For Your Entertainment. The album reached near the top on the charts for popular songs. He sold a lot of compact discs in his first week when the album came out. Adam also was nominated for an award for his songs. With 40,000 views on his hit songs If I Had You and What Do You Want from me, it’s clear – Adam is here to stay!
In Adam’s younger days he did singing and acting in the theater. He was in the play, The Pirates of Penzance. He sang for one of the school bands at many of their performances. He also grew up learning Hebrew and was able to sing in it. He sang at Jewish concerts, at temple services for the High Holy Days, and performed in a Jewish play called, The Ten Commandments: The Musical.
He did multiple theatrical performances before he ended up on American Idol. He played Linus in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, was in Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Peter Pan, Hair, and Wicked, to name some of the performances he has been in. Adam Lambert was able to sing and act in all these plays and was in many famous plays and musicals even before he had a contract for his singing.
Adam had tried out for American Idol after having tried different mushroom like drugs and coming to the realization that he needed to do what he wanted to do. Adam did difficult songs for his tryouts and was nominated to be on the show. Adam has stunned both judges and audiences with his original interpretations of songs. Adam’s provided unforgettable performances with his version on the Track of my Tears and Mad World (With a rare standing ovation from Simon Cowell!).
Adam Lambert later proceeded to second place where he got recognized for his singing and was able to attract many fans due to his talented singing. Not only can he sing, Adam can also sing in Hebrew. I’ve found this video on You Tube where he sings Shir Lamaalot – Song of Peace.
Check the Adam Lambert Store
Scarlett Johansson : not only beautiful but also Jewish!
Scarlett Johansson is a Jewish actress from the United States of America born to a Jewish mother. She started off in films in the early 90s before reaching her peak and recognition for her roles. Scarlett Johansson also sings along with the acting that she does. Scarlet Johansson first film in 1994 was North. In 1996 she was in a film called Manny & Lo which was nominated by an Independent Film Award. In 1998 she was in Ghost Whisperer which got lots of recognition from movie viewers and her 2001 film Ghost World help her to get to where she is today as an excellent actress.
(image source: Wikipedia)
When she got older she did more mature roles like Girl with the Pearl Earring, Lost in Translation, and many more roles that got nominated for various awards due to her talent. She is able to take on roles with ease and have the audience enveloped in her role. She has been in The Island (highly recommended!), Match Point, The Prestige (one of the most intriguing films I have seen in the last couple of years and one of the highly rated films on IMDB) , and Iron Man 2. When Scarlet Johansson is in a movie fans flock out to see her as they know they will be seeing an enjoyable movie if only for her part and her beautiful appearance.
In 2008 Scarlett pursued singing with the release of Anywhere I Lay My Head. After that she released Break Up, the following year. She did some songs from other artists as well as original songs. It is unknown where her albums are on countdowns but with her talent it is assumed she has done well with her singing endeavor.
Scarlett Johansson got her acting start when she was a young girl. Scarlett’s mother encouraged her to try out for films and she got started when she was a child in North, Just Cause, If Lucy Fell, and Manny & Lo. She was able to pursue more mature roles when she grew up with films like Horse Whisperer where people noticed her acting and thought she was a notable actress. Scarlet did acting in a music video for Mandy Moore, as well. She is a terrific actress who will continue to improve and prove herself as one of the greatest actresses of her generation.
Watch The Island’s trailer
