Holiday’s woes, D.C. universe stuff, Grammys and Diamond

Stars of David

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 a faith other than Judaism — and do not identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. The original Hulu film “The United States v. Billy Holiday,” began streaming on Feb. 26. Holiday (1915-1959), an African American jazz singer, is most famous for singing “Strange Fruit,” an anti-lynching song written by Abel Meeropol (1937). The FBI and others didn’t like her civil rights activism, and they used the excuse of her drug addiction to hound her for decades. The film heavily focuses on her long relationship (briefly sexual) with famous (Southern white) actress, Tallulah Bankhead (Natasha Lyonne, 41).

“Superman & Lois,” a new CW series, premiered on Feb. 23, and moves to its regular time slot on March 2 at 9 p.m. This iteration of the Man of Steel saga finds Clark Kent (Superman) and Lois Lane married, with two sons, and looking to live again in Smallville, Clark’s boyhood home.

Emmanuelle Chriqui, 45 (Sloan on “Entourage”) has a recurring role as Lana Lang, an old friend of Clark who still lives in Smallville. Also appearing in a recurring role is Stacey Farber, 33. She plays Leslie Larr, a business honcho. Both actresses are Canadian. Chriqui’s parents were Sephardi Moroccan Jews who settled in Montreal. Farber grew up in Toronto and, like many Canadians, got her start with a big role on the popular Canadian series “DeGrassi High: The Next Generation.” Next year, she will also have a recurring role on “Virgin River,” a hit Netflix drama series.

By the way, American producers love to film in Canada because its less expensive and they get big tax credits for hiring Canadian actors. Both “Virgin River” and “Superman & Lois” are filmed in Vancouver.

In 2017, the film “Justice League” was released to so-so reviews. For a variety of reasons, director Zach Snyder left the film before it was completed and he didn’t edit it. Now, looking for good material during the pandemic, HBO Max allowed Snyder to re-edit the film and add so much unused film that Snyder says it’s a very different movie. Called “Zach Snyder’s Justice League,” it will premiere on March 18 with ‘Tribe’ cast members Gal Gadot, 35, as Wonder Woman; Ezra Miller, 28, as The Flash; and Jesse Eisenberg, 37, as Lex Luthor.

The Grammys were moved from Jan. 5 to Mar. 14 (CBS, 8 p.m.) for the “usual reason.” Most Grammys are not awarded on TV. Here is a “sampler” of Jewish nominees in the “TV worthy” categories – Jack Antonoff, 36, and Aaron Dessner, 44, for producing an ‘Album of the Year’ nominee (Taylor Swift, “Folklore”). Dessner is also nominated for co-writing a ‘Song of the Year’ nominee, “Cardigan.” Antonoff is also nominated for a ‘biggie’ award, “Producer of the Year.” Burt Bacharach, 92, is up for ‘Best Traditional Pop Album’ honors for “Blue Umbrella.” Haim (a band made up of three Jewish sisters whose last name is “Haim”– Este, 34, Danielle, 32, and Alana, 29) is nominated for ‘Best Rock Performance’ for “The Steps.” Nick Valensi, 40, of the band The Strokes, got a ‘Best Rock Album’ nomination for “The New Abnormal.” And Drake, 34, got a ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance’ nomination for “Laugh Now Cry Later.” He’s up for another Grammy (‘Best Rap Song’) for writing this tune.

Neil Diamond, who turned 80 on Jan. 24, gave a long interview to Parade Magazine (Jan.10), and the news is surprisingly good. In July 2018, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, after which he immediately stopped touring. He now lives a comfortable life in an expansive cabin in the Colorado Rockies, accompanied by his wife and his dog. Unlike Linda Ronstadt, who also has Parkinson’s, his voice has not been affected by the disease.

He says, “In a strange way, I think I am singing better than I ever have. It’s probably because I am not on the road singing full-out and tearing up my voice…Also, I take my medication. I do my exercise and my workouts.”

Last November, he released “Classic Diamonds,” in which he reworked 14 of his biggest hits. He was backed by a symphony orchestra. He told Parade he is working on an album of completely new songs. Also, at Parade’s request, he selected his favorite seven hit songs. He included “America,” which he wrote for the 1980 remake of “The Jazz Singer.” Diamond also played the title role, a cantor’s son who becomes a popular singer. He told Parade. “[The song] was the story of my grandparents coming to America for that freedom. My grandmother, ‘Bubbe Molly,’ came to America in steerage … when she was 12, escaping Jewish oppression in Russia. My other grandparents had similar stories. … It’s a musical expression of being free.”