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Friday March 9, 2007

Celebrity Jews

by nate bloom

Roth makes the Hall

This year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is inducting the members of the rock band Van Halen, including David Lee Roth, 52, the group’s former lead singer. The ceremony will be held Monday, Mar. 12, and will be televised on VH1 Classic at 5:30 p.m.

Roth, known for his sharp wit, grew up in a middle class Jewish family, the son of a doctor. He learned to sing while studying for his bar mitzvah. Roth and the brothers Eddie and Dave Van Halen were still in high school in Southern California when they met in 1972. In 1974, they joined forces and formed the band Van Halen. Roth’s stellar rock vocals and stage antics helped propel the band’s popularity; by 1978, Van Halen was a top act. In 1985, Roth was ousted from Van Halen — and his stormy relations with Eddie Van Halen have remained a gossip item for 20 years.

Early in February, it was announced that Roth, who has had a rollercoaster solo career, would join Van Halen for a reunion tour. The announcement was almost immediately repealed by Eddie Van Halen. It is rumored that Eddie may not even show up at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

TV premieres

Two replacement series featuring Jewish actors start next week. A March premiere isn’t a sign of network confidence, but the shows could be back next year if they surprise network higher-ups with good ratings.

The handsome actor Bryan Greenberg, 28, stars in the ABC series “October Road” as Nick Garrett, a popular author who tries to get over his writer’s block by returning to his hometown. There he has to deal with friends and family he has long avoided. He also discovers that his ex-girlfriend (Laura Prepon) may have had his child. (Starts Thursday, March 15 at 10 p.m.)

Greenberg, who had a religious upbringing, is probably best known for playing a cute Jewish guy who has a fling with the much-older Uma Thurman in the 2004 film “Prime.” Prepon, the pretty co-star of “That ’70s Show,” has referred to herself as “Jewish and Irish” in a few interviews. Although she hasn’t clarified the point, it’s likely that it was her late father who was Jewish. Many reports say that Prepon is a practicing Scientologist.

Jeff Goldblum, 54, stars in the NBC series “Raines” as Michael Raines, an eccentric LAPD detective who has the ability to communicate with dead crime victims to solve criminal cases. (Starts Thursday, March 15 at 9 p.m.)

Next month, Goldblum begins production on “Adam Resurrected,” a film about a former circus clown (Goldblum) who leads a group of Holocaust survivors in a mental asylum. The film will be partially made in Israel. Goldblum agreed to take the lead role when he was in Israel last summer appearing in a play.

Steinberg interviews

David Steinberg, 62, began the second season of his TV Land cable talk show, “Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg,” on Feb. 21. He has six guests this season: Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams, Roseanne Barr, Jon Stewart, Garry Shandling and Ray Romano.

The Stewart interview premieres Wednesday, March 14 at 10 p.m. on TV Land. Not to worry if you can’t make the time: The interviews are first posted as video feeds on TV Land’s Web site (www.tvland.com) the Monday before the broadcast. You can also watch the video of the previously broadcasted interviews, without ads, on the site. Since the show is just two people talking, it loses nothing this way — and you don’t have to sit through commercials.