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NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

NEW DISNEY SERIES, GAL GADOT ON COURAGEOUS WOMEN, EDITOR TO RETIRE

Big Shot begins streaming on the Disney+ channel on April 16. Created by Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), the series stars John Stamos, 57, as Marvyn Korn, a hotheaded men’s college basketball coach who gets ousted by the NCAA and takes a job at a private, all-girls high school.

This is Disney — so the previously stoic Korn quickly learns a lesson — teen girls require much more empathy than he is used to giving. He also learns how to show some of his own vulnerability. During the six-episode season, Korn evolves into a better guy.

In real life, if I saw a basketball coach named Marvyn Korn, I’d guess it’s likely that he is Jewish — and maybe Brad Garrett is signaling that. But I suspect Korn will be yet another “stealth” Jewish character.

Jessalyn Gilsig, 49, co-stars as Holly, a good-natured, down-to-earth assistant basketball coach. Shiri Appleby, 42, was originally cast as Holly, but was replaced last October. The head producer decided he wanted someone who was more a contemporary of Stamos should they decide to write-in a romance between Marvyn and Holly. This might be the first time being older helps a middle-aged actress.

Gilsig has a long list of TV co-starring roles (Lauren Davis in Boston Public, Gina Russo in Nip/Tuck, Terri Schuester in Glee and Siggy Haraldson on The Vikings). She wed producer Bobby Salomon, her Montreal high school sweetheart, in a Jewish ceremony in 2005 and they had a child. Sadly, they split in 2010.

The first episode of Impact with Gal Gadot begins streaming on Monday, April 19 on the National Geographic Channel. The remaining five episodes will stream on successive Mondays. Impact is a shortform documentary series, hosted by Gadot, 35. The series follows six courageous women who lead their communities as they cope, together, with natural disasters or stand up to violence, discrimination and oppression. Profiled are women in Michigan, Louisiana, Tennessee, Brazil, California, Puerto Rico and Brazil.

In other Gadot news: A couple of weeks ago, the Israeli star announced she is pregnant with her third child with husband Yaron Versano, an Israeli real estate developer. Also, last October, it was confirmed that she would team up with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins on a bio-pic about Cleopatra.

CBS Sunday Morning (April 4) had a nice profile of Marty Baron, 66, the Washington Post chief editor (posted on YouTube and the CBS News website). Baron is about to retire. Host Lesley Stahl, 79, pointed out that President Biden is 78 and he’s not retiring. Baron, who looks very healthy, replied that he has been in journalism for 45 years and the last five years have been the hardest (the Trump attacks on the media and the pandemic). In almost so many words, he said he needs a respite.

Jessalyn Gilsig

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