Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Friday’s Shmooze Celebrity Roundup

Another day, another James Franco project… or two. We’re going to assume that the response to the first two songs released by Franco’s new band, Daddy, must have been positive, because now we hear there’s a full album http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/james-franco-daddy-is-planning-a-full-album.html) in the works. And for those of you who would rather look at than listen to him, Franco’s naked body will be covered in gold leaves by performance artist Marina Abramovic for the season premiere of “Iconoclasts” on the Sundance Channel.

While we ooh and ah over Anne Hathaway’s bridal gown and headpiece, and voyeuristically follow her and new husband Adam Shulman’s every post-wedding move in L.A., over at Tablet, Rachel Shukert posits that theirs and other celebrity intermarriages suggest that Jewishness has become aspirational.

Did you spot Mayim Bialik’s hand splint in the season premiere of “The Big Bang Theory” last night? The actress sure hopes not. You can read all about the elaborate choreography involved in keeping Bialik’s injured hand off–camera in her latest blog post for Kveller.

How do we know Jason Segel is serious about his relationship with Michelle Williams? Well, he bought matching T-shirts for himself and Williams from Voodoo Doughnut, the Portland, Oregon shop famous for its oddly flavored fried pastries.

Jon Stewart is hoping to fare better in his upcoming “Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium” debate against FOX’s Bill O’Reilly than did President Obama in his debate against Mitt Romney on Wednesday.

You know how Lena Dunham was asking for $1 million for her first book? Well, now the bidding is up to $3.6 million. How high will it go? Hopefully not higher than that unfortunate turquoise silk tunic she was wearing the other day.

There’s a whole lot of social networking going on. Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook has reached the 1 billion user mark.

Actor/Director and former Tiger Beat heartthrob Robby Benson shares about his multiple heart surgeries and related depression in his new memoir, “I’m Not Dead…Yet!”

Have you gone too long without a dose of observational humor? Then try catching Jerry Seinfeld on his New York City mini-tour on Thursdays in October and November. The first show was last night at Manhattan’s Beacon Theater.

And speaking of Jewish funnymen, Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Bruno) is working on bringing us yet another comedy. This one will be based on the true story of Hong Kong billionaire who was ready to give $65 million to a man willing to marry his lesbian daughter.

This guy may not be a celebrity yet, but there’s a good chance he may one day be one. Ron Bronstein’s video of himself shuffling through his basic training in the Israel Air Force to LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” has gone viral.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.