Jews in the News: Andy Samberg, Jeffrey Tambor and Jamie Lee Curtis

A Short-ISH Emmys List and a New TV Face

The Emmys, hosted by ANDY SAMBERG, 37, will be presented on Sunday, Sept, 20 (Fox, 5PM). Here are the Jewish acting nominees: Lead actor, drama series: LIEV SCHREIBER, 47, “Ray Donovan”; Lead actor, comedy series: JEFFREY TAMBOR, 71,“Transparent”; Lead actress, comedy series: LISA KUDROW, 52, “The Comeback,” and AMY SCHUMER, 34, “Inside Amy Schumer” Lead actress, limited series/movie: MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, 37, “The Honorable Woman”; Lead actor, limited series/movie: ADRIEN BRODY,42, “Houdini” (about HARRY HOUDINI, the famous Jewish magician); Supporting actress, comedy: MAYIM BIALIK, 39, “Big Bang Theory” Guest actress, comedy: PAMELA ADLON, 49, “Louie” Guest actor, comedy: MEL BROOKS, 89 (“The Comedians”).

Here are TV series nominated as “best” in their genre that have a Jewish creator or co-creator---Comedy series: “Modern Family” (STEVE LEVITAN, 53); and “Transparent” (JILL SOLOWAY,49); Comedy, Variety or Talk Show: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” (JON STEWART, 52); and “The Colbert Report” (BEN KARLIN, 44, and Stewart); Sketch comedy series: “Drunk History” (JEREMY KONNER, 35), and “Inside Amy Schumer” (Schumer) and “Portlandia” (CARRIE BROWNSTEIN, 44) and “Saturday Night Live” (LORNE MICHAELS, 70); Drama series: “Homeland” (HOWARD GORDON, 54); and “Game of Thrones” (DAVID BENIOFF/D.B. WEISS, both 44); and “Mad Men” (MATTHEW WEINER, 50) and “Orange is the New Black” (JENJI KOHAN, 46).

Notes of interest: Benioff, Soloway, Weiss, and Weiner, among other tribe members, are nominated for writing Emmys. Schumer is also up for a directing Emmy; Louis C.K. (“Louie”), Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (“Veep”), and Ben Mendelsohn (“Bloodline”), who all have a Jewish paternal grandfather, are nominated for acting Emmys; Gaby Hoffman (“Transparent”) and Alan Cumming (“The Good Wife”), who aren’t Jewish, are nominated for playing Jewish characters; Pablo Schreiber, the half-brother of Liev Schreiber, is up for a guest actor Emmy (“Orange is the New Black”). The brothers have the same non-Jewish father. Pablo’s mother isn’t Jewish and Liev’s mother is Jewish and he very much identifies as Jewish.

TV Notes and Premieres

As noted in my last column, JON RUDNITSKY, 25, has joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live”. I just learned that his mother is the sister of MICHAEL OREN, 60, the former Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Premiering on Monday, Sept. 21, (8:30PM) is the CBS sit-com series, “Life in Pieces”. It follows the intertwined lives of three generations of three generations of the Short family. Each episode will be told in four stories, one for each branch of the Short family and will tackle the complexities of everyday life, like first time parenthood and aging gracefully. The oldest generation is represented by John and Joan Short (Josh Brolin and Dianne Weist). In one premiere vignette, we meet Jen, who is married to Greg Short, of John and Joan. She’s just given birth. ZOE LISTER-JONES, 33, plays Jen with Colin Hanks (Tom’s son) playing Greg.

Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 22, (at 9PM) is the Fox series, “Scream Queens.” It’s described as a “new killer comedy-series from the guys who brought you American Horror Story.” The premise: Kappa House, the most sought-after sorority for pledges, is being ruled with an iron fist by Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts; Julia’s niece). However, an anti-Kappa university official, Dean Munsch, decrees that pledging must be open to all students. Shortly thereafter, a devil clad killer begins claiming one victim, one episode at a time. JAMIE LEE CURTIS, 56, plays Dean Munsch. Curtis made her film debut in the classic 1978 horror film “Halloween” and her appearance in several other horror films shortly thereafter got critics to give her the then new label, “scream queen.”

Chose Rosen

Quarterback JOSH ROSEN, 18, played so well in U.C.L.A.’s first season game (Sept. 5), that he already is being touted for the Heisman award and nicknames like “Chosen Rosen” and “J-Chosen” are popping up everywhere. Rosen, a “true freshman,” and Southern Cal native, was an outstanding high school quarterback who was named the 2014 male Jewish athlete of the year by the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame—and, yes, “the chosen one” had a bar mitzvah. He also had a 4.3 GPA in high school and took such tough classes as AP calculus. (Because readers ask, I will note that Rosen is the son of Dr. CHARLES ROSEN, a spine surgeon who was once a nationally ranked ice skater, and Liz Lippincott, the former captain of the Princeton women’s lacrosse team. His mother comes from an old Quaker family and the famous Wharton School of Business is named after her great-grandfather. Josh was raised Jewish).

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