Coben characters “Change,” Rock Hall of Fame, celeb roots, and more

By Nate Bloom, Stars of David Contributing Columnist

Editor’s Note: Persons in bold are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of this column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in, or identify with, a faith other than Judaism. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish.

“Fool Me Once” is an 8-episode original series that premieres on Netflix on Dec. 31. It is based on a novel of the same name by bestselling author Harlen Coben, 60. His first novel, "Play Dead," (1990) was the first in a series of big selling mysteries and thrillers. Coben, who had a bar mitzvah ceremony, grew up in New Jersey.

Recently, Coben’s books have been made into successful mini-series. In 2021, his novel “Gone for Good” (2002) was turned into a Netflix mini-series and, in 2022, his novel “Shelter” turned into an Amazon Prime series.

“Funny thing:” Both novels were set in the USA, and both had clearly Jewish major characters. Both series had no mention that any character was Jewish and “Gone for Good” was “re-set” in France.

Many kvetch that Jewish character roles go too frequently to non-Jewish actors. More damaging, I think, is the constant practice of erasing the Jewish background of a character when a novel, etc., is filmed. Sadly, I can’t get into “whys” here.

“Fool Me Once” is re-set in Britain. The name of the novel’s lead character, Maya Stern, hasn’t been changed and, to be fair, Stern’s background is ambiguous in the novel. Here’s the capsule plot: Maya thinks her husband has been murdered until she spots him on a recent video. Meanwhile her nephew and niece are looking into their mother’s murder and the question is: are the two cases related?

On January 1, ABC will broadcast (8 p.m.) a heavily edited video of the 2023 induction of persons into the Rock Hall of Fame. The ceremony happened on Nov. 3, 2023. Disney, which owns ABC, streamed the whole 2023 ceremony live (a first!). You can watch a video of that live event on Disney+ or you can watch the edited version on ABC.

The influential and popular fourman band “Rage for the Machine” was inducted. Their drummer is Brad Wilk, now 55. “Rage” was formed in 1991 and, after 2000, they had several “break-ups” and reunions. They are currently together and playing concerts. Nice to note: When “Rage” played in Israel in 2000, Wilk recited a Shabbos blessing before his Israeli audience.

Al Kooper, 79, was inducted in a Hall category called “the award for musical excellence.” Basically, this means people who may or may not be musicians (but usually are) who have helped create great music for a long period of time.

Kooper, who plays guitar, began backing Bob Dylan in 1965. First in the studio, and later in some concerts. He played in the studio with ’60s biggies like The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. He founded “Blood Sweat and Tears” but left before their big hits. (I think his one LP with “BS&T” is better than their “hit stuff.”) He has produced many hit albums.

On Jan. 2, the 10th season of the hit PBS series “Finding Your Roots” begins. (Check local schedules). As I write this, I know which celebs will appear on the program, but the exact date they appear has not been released. Here are this season’s Jewish celebs: Michael Douglas, 79. Of course, he is the son of the late Kirk Douglas. Michael’s mother wasn’t Jewish and Michael wasn’t religious most of his life. However, for reasons I can’t detail here, about 10 years ago, he began identifying as a Reform Jew. His son, Dylan, now 21, had a bar mitzvah (2015) in Jerusalem and, in 2015, Michael received the Genesis Prize for “Jewish achievement.” Lena Dunham , 37, is best known for starring in and writing the hit HBO series “Girls.” Her father isn’t Jewish, and her mother is Jewish. She identifies as Jewish. Iliza Shlesinger, 40, is a stand-up comedian and author. She’s had several Netflix specials and she’s appeared in a few acting roles. She wed (2015) her husband, Noah Gaulten, 40, a prominent restaurant owner and food writer, in a “very lovely” Jewish ceremony.

“Self-Reliance,” a comedy thriller, will premiere on Hulu on Jan. 14. Here’s the plot: A sad man (Andy Samberg, 45) receives an invitation to win $1M by a reality TV game on the dark web. For 30 days, he must outwit hunters attempting to kill him. But there's a loophole: the hunters can only attack him when he's alone – so he tries to convince friends, family and strangers that they must stay with him 24/7.

The film was written and directed by Jake Johnson, 45. You’ve probably seen him in one of his many acting roles. His father was Jewish, but he was raised by his non-Jewish mother. Johnson is his mother’s maiden name.