Catch up, look ahead, and Greenberg “Ain’t”

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 Wedding Coach,” a six-episode Netflix romantic reality series, began streaming on April 7. From the official publicity release: “Former bride and forever comedian Jamie Lee shares her irreverent yet practical tips and tricks for wedding planning with struggling lovebirds.”

Lee, 38, has climbed the comedy ladder. She was a writer’s assistant (2010) to Jerry Seinfeld as he cohosted the reality series “Marriage Ref.” In 2011, she finished second on the “Last Comic Standing” stand-up show. After that, she did stand-up sets on just about every major talk show. She’s perhaps best known for being a core cast member on the popular MTV series “Girl Code” (2013-15).

Lee’s book, “Weddiculous: The Unfiltered Guide to Being a Bride” (2016), chronicled her wedding to comedian Dan Black, 38ish. In 2016, Lee told the Jewish Journal that even though her mother is Jewish, she never practiced any religion. Dan, she said, wanted to incorporate Jewish traditions into their wedding and his wishes prevailed: they signed a ketubah, were married by a rabbi, and danced the hora.

“Oxygen,” an original Netflix film, begins streaming on May 12. Mélanie Laurent, 38, stars as a woman suffering from severe memory loss as she wakes up inside a cryogenic chamber. Trapped inside and rapidly losing oxygen, the key to her survival is remembering who she is. The movie is billed as an American- French production, but, as you’ll read, its largely a French-Jewish production.

Laurent is a well-known and really good French-Jewish actress. Her father, a voice actor, is an Ashkenazi Jew whose family originally was from Poland (her paternal grandfather died in the Holocaust). Laurent’s mother, a former ballerina, is of Tunisian Sephardi descent.

Laurent is best known for her costarring role in “Inglourious Basterds” (2010). She played Shosanna Dreyfus, a Parisian Jew who seeks revenge on the Nazis. Also, in 2010, she costarred in “The Round Up” and “Beginners.” A French film, “The Round Up” is about the complicity of the French police in the Nazis’ roundup of Jews. In “Beginners,” a very good American film, she played the French-Jewish girlfriend of an American who finds out his elderly father is gay and that his late mother hid her Jewish background.

“Oxygen,” which only has three actors, costars Matthieu Amalric, 55. His mother was Jewish. He appeared in “Munich” and played the bad guy in the Bond flick “Quantum of Solace.” “Oxygen” was directed by Alexandre Aja, the son of an Algeria-born Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. Aja, 42, is a top horror/thriller filmmaker (“High Tension” and “The Hills Have Eyes”).

“The Woman in the Window” is a usual pandemic story: supposed to be in theaters long ago — that didn’t happen — and now being released on Netflix (May 14). Amy Adams stars as an agoraphobic psychologist who makes friends with a neighbor. When the neighbor disappears, she suspects foul play. The supporting cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, 58, Wyatt Russell, 34 (Goldie Hawn’s son) and “hot newcomer,” Fred Hechinger, 20.

Hechinger had a biggish role in the 2020 Tom Hanks’ western, “News of the World.” He can be seen as the young version of the “evil white guy,” Ridgeway, in the original Amazon series, “The Underground Railway” (about slavery). It premieres on the 14th, as well.

Hechinger also has a costarring role in “White Lotus,” a limited HBO series that will air sometime this year. Hechinger’s grandfather, also named Fred Hechinger, fled Nazi Germany and became a top New York Times reporter and editor (the actor’s other grands were Jewish, too).

“The Story of Late Night” is a six-part original CNN series (starts Sunday, May 2). It’s about the history of late night talk shows. For whatever reason, there has never been a Jewish host of a “big ratings” late night talk show. However, Chelsea Handler, 46, who had a “2nd tier” talk show, appears in the series. Also appearing is Lorne Michaels, 76, the creator of “SNL” and the producer of “Late Night” (now hosted by Seth Meyers, who isn’t Jewish. But his wife is, and he was married by a rabbi).

On March 31, The Forward, the famous Jewish newspaper, ran a background piece on Joel Greenberg, who is now infamous in Florida. The bottom line: He isn’t Jewish, as most assume. His father is Jewish, but he was raised in his mother’s Christian faith and is, or was, a member of a local church. “Google” this article title for more: “Disgraced tax collector Greenberg poses as Jewish.”