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DNIPRO, Ukraine — Before the war, Rabbi Meyr Stambler never broke Shabbat and never lied to his wife, with whom he had lived for 28 years. Now he has done both. If there is an emergency, like evacuations, he will answer his phone on Saturdays. In the early days of the Russian invasion, he sent his wife Sarah, his ten children, and his three grandkids to Israel, promising he would join them in a few days. But he lied. He never meant to leave Ukraine. Rabbi Stambler, the Chairman of the Chabad-affiliated Council of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, came to Dnipro from New York in 1991. He was nineteen years old. He has lived here ever since. He considers himself Ukrainian. “On average I sleep three hours per day,” he says. “Now I can devote all my time to helping my community without being worried for my family. I decided it was time for them to flee after the nuclear power plant in Zaporizzhya region — 130 miles away —  was overtaken by Russians troops in the early … [Read more...] about Ukraine’s Jewish Community Fights Back Against Russia’s Invasion — and Against Putin’s Lies

It starts with one of them casually saying, “Write what you know” — it may be Mark McKinney, slightly leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, or it might be Bruce McCulloch, who’s wandering around the conference room, checking his phone as it charges and idly munching on a pastry. Whoever said it first, it’s definitely Kevin McDonald who quickly jumps in and, as if on cue, immediately chants, “Write what you know!” He says it again, at which point Dave Foley joins in as well. “Write what you know!” “Write what you know!” McKinney and McCulloch, both grinning, start singing along as well: “Write what you know! Write what you know! Write what you know!” Scott Thompson is too busy laughing to harmonize at first, until he finally composes himself, clears his throat, and then beautifully bellows out, in the most operatic tenor imaginable: “Wriiiiite! Whaaat! Yoooouuuu! Knoooooowwwwwwww !!!” Minutes before, the legendary sketch-comedy quintet the Kids in the Hall had … [Read more...] about The Kids in the Hall Are Back — Older, Slightly Less Angry and Still Incredibly F–king Funny

UPDATE (2/2) : According to The Daily Beast , Whoopi Goldberg ’s co-hosts at The View are upset about the two week suspension she received after remarks about the Holocaust. Sources said Goldberg’s colleagues Sunny Hostin and Joy Behar are furious about the decision, while Ana Navarro, a frequent guest host on the talk show, said, “I love Whoopi Goldberg. I love The View . This was an incredibly unfortunate incident. Whoopi is a lifelong ally to the Jewish community. She is not an antisemite. Period. I am sad. And I have nothing else to say.” UPDATE (2/1): Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended from The View for two weeks following her claiming that the “Holocaust isn’t about race” during the show on Monday. She apologized that evening. Despite her apology, ABC News president Kim Godwin announced the host will be suspended for two weeks. “Effective immediately, I am suspending Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks for her wrong and hurtful comments,” Godwin said in a … [Read more...] about Whoopi Goldberg Suspended From ‘The View’ After ‘Hurtful’ Holocaust Comment

Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose and Jennifer Jason Leigh have joined the cast of Chris Pine ’s directorial debut Poolman . They join the previously announced cast of Pine, Annette Bening and Danny DeVito. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios is fully financing the project, which it launched at EFM earlier this year, and will continue to shop to buyers on the Croisette this week. Pine directs from a script he co-write with Ian Gotler, Bening and DeVito. Pine plays Darren Barrenman, a hapless dreamer and would be philosopher who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny Los Angeles and crashing city council meetings with his neighbors Jack and Diane (DeVito and Bening). When Barrenman uncovers the greatest water heist in LA history since Chinatown he makes uneasy alliances with a beautiful and connected femme fatale while following every lead he can with corrupt city officials, burned out Hollywood types and mysterious benefactors – all in the … [Read more...] about Ariana DeBose & Jennifer Jason Leigh Join Chris Pine’s Directorial Debut ‘Poolman’

In a shocking development, it saddens me to report that Brad Grey has died at age 59. His death, from cancer, comes months after his exit as chairman/CEO of Paramount Pictures , a job he held for 12 years. He died last night in Holmby Hills, CA, with friends and family at his side. Grey is survived by his wife, Cassandra Grey, their son Jules, his three grown children Sam, Max and Emily from his marriage to Jill (nee Gutterson) Grey, his mother Barbara Schumsky, his brother Michael Grey and his sister Robin Grey. The family said that there will be a small private funeral service later this week. A memorial service will be scheduled in the coming weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC. Grey was integral in raising money for alternative life-saving cancer research at USC’s Westside Cancer Center: In one night, they collected $4.5M at the Rebels with a Cause event when Oracle founder … [Read more...] about Brad Grey Dies At Age 59 From Cancer

Viacom ’s Bob Bakish has one of the toughest jobs in media today as the company board officially took the word “acting” off the CEO title he picked up last month when he became the third person to have the gig in the past four months. The decision follows Sumner and Shari Redstone ’s announcement this morning that they want to scuttle the plan they’d proposed to merge Viacom with CBS — likely putting its CEO Les Moonves in charge of a combined company. Viacom says that it has “discontinued the exploration of a potential combination with CBS.” “While there is much work to do, I firmly believe that Viacom has a bright future, and that confidence is underpinned by senior management’s commitment to innovation and a more coordinated, global approach to managing our brands,” Shari Redstone says following Bakish’s title change. Board Chairman Tom May says the CEO “has impressed the Board of Directors with the decisive steps he has taken. He has moved quickly to deliver upon the … [Read more...] about Viacom Names Bob Bakish Permanent CEO As He Tries To Chart A Future Without CBS

The H Collective , a film company announced in June that said it would be financing and/or producing four projects a year over the next four years from producers Sid and Nancy Hult Ganis, Mark Johnson and Joe Roth, today announced the appointment of Nic Crawley as CEO. Crawley most recently served as President of International Marketing and Distribution at Paramount Pictures but also had a long stint at Disney. Crawley starts in October. The H Collective also said that the Chairman of the Chinese entertainment enterprise Beijing Culture Song Ge is now on the board. The Chinese owner of The H Collective is controversial exec Jian-hua “Kenny” Huang who is heavily involved in HuaHua. The CEO of Huahua is Kefei Wang. Although Huang was a facilitator for Wang on most Paramount deals. HuaHua recently missed a first promised payment to Paramount parent Viacom as part of a $1B three-year deal with HuaHua and Shanghai Media Group (announced by the late Brad Grey, so yeah, … [Read more...] about H Collective Names Former Paramount Pictures, Disney Veteran Nic Crawley As CEO

Robert S. Moore is leaving his post as vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, people briefed on his departure confirmed Friday. Those people said superiors at Viacom forced his departure after killing the proposed sale of a studio stake to China’s Wanda Group, a sale of which Moore was a strong advocate. It is has been widely rumored that Jim Gianopulos , who recently left his job as chief executive of the Fox studio , would take a role at Paramount; but Gianopulos, who has already enjoyed a tour as studio chief, seems an unlikely candidate for a No. 2 spot, and there was no immediate indication that Paramount chief Brad Grey was headed for the door. People briefed on the turmoil at Viacom said Gianopulos remains a contender for that company’s chief executive spot, recently vacated by Philippe Dauman, and then his short-term successor, Tom Dooley. Dooley had been a close corporate ally of Moore’s; but the Viacom board bypassed Dooley in its search for a new long-term chief. … [Read more...] about Rob Moore Exiting As Paramount Vice Chairman

Taylor Swift received a warm welcome to New York University on Wednesday when she accepted an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, from the institution. Swift attended the 2022 all-school commencement ceremony at Yankee Stadium and delivered a rousing speech for this year’s graduates. Earlier this year, Swift was the subject of a half-semester course at NYU (taught by the author of this post) in the Clive Davis Institute of Recording Arts. The majority of the 20-person class were studying to either be recording artists or work in the music industry, and the curriculum provided a close analysis of both Swift’s songwriting as well as her career trajectory during one of the most quickly evolving periods in music history. Since releasing Red (Taylor’s Version) — her re-recorded take on her lauded fourth album — Swift has largely laid low. She has yet to confirm which of her albums she’ll be re-recording next, though many have suspected that it will be 1989 or … [Read more...] about Read Taylor Swift’s Inspiring Speech for NYU’s Class of ’22

Marvin Josephson , who helped grow a small management company that could not afford a secretary into an international entertainment agency with multiple offices, died May 17 in New York. He was 95. Josephson was born March 6, 1927 in Atlantic City, N.J. to immigrant parents. Upon graduation from Atlantic City High School, he entered the US Navy just before the end of World War II. After the Navy, he attended Cornell University, where he received a B.A. degree. He went on to night law school at New York University School of Law and received his law degree in 1952. That same year, Josephson got a job in the CBS legal department. He left CBS to start his own company and was the only employee, since he could not afford a secretary. The new company started April 1, 1955 as a personal management company. The first important client was Bob Keeshan, who produced and starred in “Captain Kangaroo,” the children’s program that ran for 29 years on CBS. That … [Read more...] about Marvin Josephson Dies: Founder Of ICM, Powerhouse International Agency, Was 95