MY URBAN KVETCH

Funny Lady: Mindy Kaling Gets Her Deal

If there's one thing I've always thought "The Office" needed more of, it's Kelly Kapur. A longtime writer for the show, Mindy Kaling is now in possession of a two-year, seven-figure NBC deal including a continuation of her writing and being featured in the Dunder-Mifflin office we've grown to love uncomfortably, while developing a show designed for her.

In my opinion, the deal is long-deserved - Kaling's been lurking, mostly behind the words you hear from "The Office" characters every week, but often scene-stealing with her laugh-out-loud comments and ludicrous relationships with Ryanthetemp and Darrylfromthewarehouse. A good starring vehicle is just what she deserves.

Go, funny women...go!

(And if for some reason you've not seen "The Office," check it out on Hulu.)

From the Creators of "Arrested Development": "Sit Down, Shut Up"

From the creators of "Arrested Development" and several of its cast members, along comes "Sit Down, Shut Up," a new animated series about teachers (for which my new LA friend Laura Gutin, as well as uberwriter and random encounter Jim Vallely, are also writers).

Check out a teaser promo here, featuring Henry Winkler, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman, among others, and listen for the one-word term that Nick Kroll uses to describe the "Hollywood Elite." (Hint: it starts with J.) First two episodes are available on Hulu now!

Jenji Kohan, Jill Soloway, and the Hebrew Mamita: "Inside the Jewish Noggin"

Yesterday I went to an event about images of Jewish women in Hollywood sponsored by the MorningStar Commission, an organization founded with support by Hadassah (I actually worked at Hadassah when the Commission was founded, and have long wanted to attend their events). This one, titled "Inside the Jewish Noggin," promised a "main event" interview with Jenji Kohan (left), the creator of "Weeds" and the potentially upcoming "Ronna and Beverly," as well as networking and breakout groups with Jewish women in the industry to give us an inside look at some of the issues they face as Jews in Hollywood. (Sold.)

I've written a longer post about it at Beliefnet (now available here!), but here are some highlights that you won't read over there.

• As an intro, "Hebrew Mamita" Vanessa Hidary (follow her on Twitter!) did her famous spoken-word piece about what it means to look Jewish...I asked her afterwards if it was a longer version of the one we'd seen on YouTube, and she confirmed that it was. As many times as I've seen it, I never get tired of it, and that's a testament to Vanessa's energy. (Haven't seen "Monologues" yet? Now's your chance! Check out this video and get your tickets in NJ, NY and Chicago here.)
• Writer/producer Jill Soloway gracefully handled questions from a room of interested attendees (many of them with job agendas), ranging from explanations about how the American TV industry works to the role of Jews in the writers' room. She explained a theory that Jews were "recreating culture to defend ourselves post-Holocaust," and noted that she meets young writers and tries to mentor them. In fact, she said, in response to a question about where the "United States of Tara" writers come from, she had met a playwright and offered her a job in an email exchange. (At which point, some blogger quipped, "so what's your email address?")
• As she took the stage, Jenji tried to adjust her lapel mic with the help of a technician. "You need to get higher," she said. After a few members of the audience began to snicker, she realized, "everything's a pun."
• Jenji noted that in her writers' room, the only thing that people aren't allowed to be is politically correct. "Being PC...that's just not ok," she said.
• When asked if Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk) would make a good rabbi, she initially said no, that "Andy lacks the scholarship," but that, as long as someone else wrote his speeches, he'd be "fun to listen to at the High Holidays."
• Asked about what it means to raise Jewish children, Jenji said that it means raising children to "question everything and look deeper...ask questions, ask 'why', ask more."
• Growing up in a showbiz family, none of the kids were supposed to go into the industry, but two did. (Brother David Kohan is the co-creator and producer of "Will & Grace.") Their family dinner table was "a really rough room." When Jenji's brother told a fart joke, a parent responded "fart jokes are an easy laugh - you can do better."

This did not come out of the interview with Jenji, which was gracefully conducted by Jewish Journal writer Danielle Berrin, but there's also a Jewish geography/Buffy connection that I must mention. (Because you know that's why you come here.) Jenji's husband, Christopher Noxon, is the brother of...Marti Noxon (writer/executive producer for Buffy and Angel)! Thanks to that factoid, I can also file this in "Much Ado About Whedon." Nice.

Want to watch the whole video and tell me which quotes I got wrong? Check it out over at the Jewish Journal's website. And don't forget to see the official post at Beliefnet.

Israeli Version of American Idol to Hold U.S. Auditions

If you've always wanted to make it as a singer/Israeli reality star, now's your chance: Kochav Nolad (literally, "A Star is Born"), the Israeli version of "American Idol," has announced that for season 7, they're holding auditions in the US, also.

שנה התוכנית "כוכב נולד" יוצאת לחפש כשרונות שירה ישראליים ויהודיים גם בארה"ב!
אם אתם/אתן מכירים אנשים מוכשרים ששוהים בארה"ב בחודשים הקרובים, או אתם כאלו בעצמכם, שילחו לנו את הפרטים לכתובת האימייל הזו starisborn7@gmail.com
ואולי תוזמנו לאודישן שיעניק לכם הזדמנות להגיע לנבחרת של "כוכב נולד 7"

Or, if you're primarily an English speaker (rough translation):

This year, the program "Kochav Nolad" is going in search of Israeli and American Jewish singing talents! If you know talented people who are going to be present in the US in the coming months, or if you are yourself, send us the details to this email address: starisborn7@gmail.com, and maybe you'll be invited to an audition that will give you the chance to be chosen for semi-finals of Kochav Nolad 7!

If previous years are any indicator, Kochav Nolad's seventh season may yield additional Israeli pop stars of the future. Season 1 introduced Ninette Tayeb and Shiri Maimon, both now major stars in Israel; and season 5's Boaz Ma'uda became the official representative of Israel at this summer's Eurovision concert, singing "K'ilu Kan" (As If Here), written by Dana International, who - as "one of the most famous transsexual celebrities in the world" - is another story entirely.

Esther's Local Oscar LiveBlog...

Prelude

My whole life I've been obsessed with the Oscars. And now I live in Los Angeles. And I'm not at the Oscars. Not only that, but I just tuned in a few minutes ago.(But last night, some visiting friends from New York and I did brave the experience of making the pilgrimage to the red carpet in front of the Kodak Theater, which I consider the fulfillment of my local Oscar experience.)

So I missed the opening whatever it was, but thanks to the internet, I have every confidence that I'll be able to view anything I missed live on the magical interwebs. Luckily I tuned in just in time to cover the people you most want to know about.

Temple Beth Oscars

I got to the TV to see Sarah Jessica Parker in a fancy dress (who really cares anymore? see below for more), and a duo that made Jewish hearts (and blogs) beat a bit faster, with MOTs Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller presenting side by side some comedy shtick. Less funny is Stiller's expression of the desire to "retire from being the funny guy," and funnier was Portman's proclamation that "you look like you work at a Hasidic meth lab." (One reader points out that Stiller's beard was an homage to Joaquin Phoenix's recent weird appearance on Letterman.) This will remain funny until tomorrow, when said presumed-fictional-and-funny meth lab is uncovered deep in Boro Park.

Next, a short film by Judd Apatow and starring my favorite couchstoners, Seth Rogen and (as far as I'm concerned honorary Jew) James Franco, giggling at movies that weren't nominated. I giggle with them. Not because I'm stoned. Just because I always do.

Gotta Dance! Gotta Promote Beyonce as Etta James!

"The musical is back!" host Jackman yells, pumping his fist into the air triumphantly, after an eclectic (or some would say "completely random") collection of lines and musical riffs from musicals ranging from "West Side Story" to "Hairspray," from "Chicago" to "Mamma Mia," and co-featuring the over-utilized and self-promoting Beyonce Knowles, as well as the underutilized background players from "High School Musical" and "Mamma Mia" respectively. Is the musical really back? If Hugh wills it, it is no dream. As for the sequence, I guess you could say I liked it, but I'm not going to put a ring on it.

Mourning Becomes Oscar

Not shockingly, the late Heath Ledger wins for Best Supporting Actor. And the gracious acceptance on behalf of Matilda omits the support of Michelle Williams, a shocking omission even as we knew from media coverage that there was a conflict and that this was probably going to be the way it went. All the celebrity eyes sparkled with pre-tears as they thought about what might have been during the rest of the long career Heath would never have.

You're Frozen, When Your Heart's Not Open

Why am I not feeling anything this year? Possibly because I haven't seen any movies this year. I missed almost everything, from Tropic Thunder to Slumdog Millionaire, from The Reader to Benjamin Button. Didn't catch a single one of them. Not even The Dark Knight. (I know.) So maybe it's just a little hard to feel connected when I feel like this year's Oscars is an awards ceremony held in another country about movies I don't know anything about. Really surreal. But then again, there's the fact that it's not just me. It's Hollywood that's got Oscar fatigue.

Random Acts of Headwear

Philip Seymour Hoffman. More like Philip "See Less Head" Man.

The Little Movie that Could

Slumdog Kajillonaire. Overhyped or not, I think I'm going to have to see this film.

This Year: India...Next Year: Israel?

The guy who just won for best music now sings the nominated best song from Slumdog Millionaire, which of course wins . Or, to quote my friend sitting on my couch: "How can you beat Bollywood? I want Israel to be doing this. I want Israel to win an Oscar, and for this to be a live performance of Israeli music." Of course, for that to happen a movie from Israel that's not about the Holocaust or the Palestinian conflict would have to make it to Hollywood's inner circle. Which is...unlikely. And which leads us into "Waltz With Bashir," which fails to win a Best Foreign Film statue, and instead loses to "Departures" from Japan. The statuette is then accepted by Hiro Nakamura. And...scene.

And now, I'm heading out with some friends. So you'll have to enjoy commentary from someone else for a while. Back later with a summary, if I feel like it. Celebs, see you on the streets of Hollywood. And if you see me, don't be too nervous to talk to me. Remember what US magazine has always striven to teach us: I'm just like you.

Gaza, Katy Perry, Selling Virginity, and Original Sin - Beliefnet's Eclectic Offerings

I'm sure that post title will bring in lots of interesting people...but that's kind of the point: all are among the varied topics covered on Beliefnet today.

Regular readers know that I write for Beliefnet over at one of their blogs, Idol Chatter. But beyond that, I've just been really impressed recently with the range of topics that their writers cover, from pretty much every religious, spiritual or political perspective, and I wanted to present you with some examples from other Beliefnet blogs that you might want to check out.

Tony Jones, who defines himself as a "New Christian" and writes in a blog of that name, speaks candidly about his traditional education, and now believes that original sin is a "depraved" idea: "I have come to reject the notion of Original Sin.  I consider it neither biblically, philosophically, nor scientifically tenable.  And I'm going to spend this week blogging about why I've rejected it."

Before pop star Katy Perry released the song "I Kissed a Girl," she was the daughter of two pastors who released a Christian album in 2001 under her real name, Katy Hudson.  Over at "Gospel Soundcheck,"Joanne Brokaw reports on a recent press conference in which journalists interrogated Katy about her background, and the cult following that she's received as a result of the possibly-sapphic anthem.

At his blog, City of Brass, Aziz Poonawalla approaches issues from the perspective of a Muslim of the West. He notes how the Gaza conflict is resulting in a disturbing upward trend in anti-Semitic emails, invoking Hitler and drawing "the usual Nazi comparisons" from people he describes as "intelligent, tolerant people - mostly muslim, but also christian, hindu and atheist - who have never been tainted by anti-Semitism in the past." 

And there's more...the S.A.G. tribute to actors who died and "where they might be now"...why the girl who's selling her virginity views it as an act of female empowerment...spiritual redemption in "Waltz With Bashir"...and...ok, I'll plug my most recent posts: Is everyone loving "Loving  Leah," the CBS movie about levirate marriage, or is it another sellout?...and my "Lost Thoughts," in which I claim that "Lost," "Pulp Fiction," and other "out-of-sequence" shows are really echoing an approach to reading the Bible. Yes, I'm that nerdy. It's a badge: I'll wear it with pride.

And weirdly, I've been quoted and linked in The Week for my comments about the extortion plot against the Travoltas. Strange Monday.

Jenji Kohan Creates "Ronna and Beverly" for Showtime: Esther Has New Writing Goal

I've seen Jenji Kohan's name in more that one place since I arrived in LA. She's been listed on panels about Jews in Hollywood, and was named in the thank-yous in the credits for "Blessed is the Match," the Hannah Senesh documentary that is due out shortly (and which I reviewed for Beliefnet). And of course, she's the creator of a little show on Showtime called "Weeds," which has in recent episodes featured Jewish content ranging from a drug dealer's father-in-law sitting shiva to an immigrant smuggler's referring to himself as Moses. (For more Jewish content from "Weeds," check out Mixed Multitudes.)

Now Kohan's got a brand-new dimebag sprouting in the Showtime hothouse, still featuring Jewish characters. The new show, "Ronna and Beverly," is based on a long-running sketch show at Upright Citizens' Brigade, and features Jamie Denbo and Jessica Chaffin as two middle-aged Jewish women who've written a dating book titled: "You'll Do A Little Better Next Time: A Guide to Marriage and Remarriage for Jewish Singles." (I'm pretty sure that my friend Heather Gold told me about this show three weeks ago, but I could be mistaken.)

To check out: R & B (interesting...) videos, including this one wherein the duo accost a book clerk and inquire as to his religious and marital status.

Little thing that I love: on their list of links in the sidebar, even their links are in character, like "contact us on the computer" and "see us on the YouTube." Brilliant.

Challenge: For show creators to create something more sustaining than the Linda Richman sketch on SNL.

New Hollywood goal: meet Jenji Kohan, impress her with my fresh, unexperienced approach to TV writing as well as my love of improv and my considerable Jewish knowledge,  and write for this show. Or "Weeds." I'm not picky.

Hanukkah, Days 6-8: Hanukkah Videos as Suggested By...TiVo

I made it through 5 days of consecutive video posts and then slacked off, so sorry about that. But now, since it's day 8, I thought I'd make it up to you by posting this video, created by the TiVo people and the apparent TiVo DiVa, to celebrate Hanukkah with a top ten list of movies to see on Hanukkah. How'd they find 10 Hanukkah themed movies? Hints: They didn't, really, and Adam Sandler gets two slots. Hope your last day of Hanukkah was filled with the light of the season, and that your letter carrier did a better job of delivering your checks than mine did.

Welcome to Hollywood...What's Your Dream?

For someone who's been involved in pop culture as long and passionately as I have been (and who used to dream of a career in performance), meeting celebrities is always cool. But as someone who's primarily a writer -- by practice, profession and passion -- somehow, meeting the people who give the actors their framework, the characters and the lines that transform them into something worth celebritizing, is especially exciting.

Tonight I attended Richard Belzer's Special Victims Tour. The name alone made me laugh, as Special Victims is my favorite Law & Order (I mean, as much as you can say a show about violence against women and children is your favorite anything). And these were the people in my neighborhood: I saw Chris Meloni hanging with his kids at Starbucks on the Upper West Side, used to regularly run into Dann Florek in the supermarket, and famously encountered Belzer at a Commerce ATM (leading me to think the universe was trying to tell me something).

Thanks to my friend Debbie Jhoon and her comedy connections (see photo at right), I was able to take a visiting friend with me to the venue, Vanguard in Hollywood. But we were late, and were told the main room was full and we were directed toward a side room where we could view the show on monitors. (Uh-oh.) Luckily, I knew some people in the front row, and there were seats with them. (Yippee!) But the seats were front and center, prime space for audience/comic confrontation. (Uh-oh.) Three seconds after Belzer took the stage, he points at me and says, "Where are you from?" And I froze.

My inner rabbi took over a seemingly simple question. Did "from" mean originally, primarily, or currently? Locationally or spiritually? New York, where I'd been living (and where our mutual ATM was)? New Jersey, where I grew up? California, now that I've been here two months? He only gave me a second to respond, so by the time I was done processing the question, he'd moved on. Just as well - this wasn't the Esther Kustanowitz Show, anyway. (Although that show would totally rock once people learned how to spell it.)

"In Treatment" Gets Golden Globe Nods

Born in Israel, native Hebrew speaker "In Treatment" was imported successfully to Hollywood as an English-language HBO series, and is now being acknowledged by the Golden Globes with nominations for the series and for several of its actors.

Entertainment Weekly noted proudly that this was an example of TV riskiness paying off, a trend it hoped would continue despite rumors that the originality of the series might be tweaked for its second season.

But for me, a non-HBO subscriber with an affinity for Hebrew television, hopes that this importing trend continues. Why should TV just come from Hollywood? Let's branch out a bit and see some of that global economy stuff trickle into entertainment..."Serugim: UWS," anyone?

For the full list of GG nominees, see here.