Hunger, Eating and More

“Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I,” opens on Friday, Nov. 21. To make more money, the studio decided to take the last “Hunger Games” novel and turn it into two movies. Jennifer Lawrence stars again as the heroine, Katniss, with ELIZABETH BANKS, 40, returning as the ditzy chaperone Effie Trinket. The screenplay is by DANNY STRONG, 40 (“Game Change” and “The Butler”).

On Nov. 21, at 9 p.m., the National Geographic Channel premieres “EAT: The Story of Food,” a six-hour miniseries.  The official description says:  “The special satisfies every question you’ve ever had, and some you haven’t, about the evolution of food over the course of humankind, from our ancestors throwing raw meat onto a fire for the first time, to teams of lab technicians perfecting the crunch of a potato chip. More important, it will show how this evolution of what we eat and how we eat it has actually defined human civilization and cultures around the globe.”  Over 70 chefs, food writers, and others in related fields are interviewed, including: TV chef NIGELLA LAWSON, 54; former NT Times restaurant critic and former “Gourmet” magazine chief editor RUTH REICHL, 64; journalist MICHAEL POLLAN, 59, who mostly writes about the food industry and healthy eating. Michael, by the way, is the brother of actress TRACY POLLAN, 54.

Also appearing in the series is top Los Angeles-based chef ERIC GREENSPAN, 39. I have no doubt that “Nat Geo” gave him a slot on “EAT” because Greenspan is also the star of his own new Nat Geo series. Entitled, “Eric Greenspan is Hungry,” it starts on Monday, Nov. 24, at 10PM. It doesn’t sound like Greenspan’s show is for vegans, the faint-of-stomach, or Jews who get turned-off watching other Jews violate every law of Kashrut: Here’s part of the show’s publicity release: “Eric goes directly to the source of local heartland recipes to meet the people who farm, raise, nurture, hunt and butcher animals such as bison, prehistoric gar, goat, crawfish, pig and wild turkey. It's meat unlike what you get from a purveyor. Eric and his cohort will break down the animal, butcher it and prepare the recipe all on location to crank out the best dishes.” His “cohort” is a guy named CAPTAIN MAUZNER, who has a few acting credits. He’s Jewish, too.

Crackle is a web-based TV channel, owned by Sony, which presents, for FREE, original TV series. It’s the home of the JERRY SEINFELD series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” now in its 4^th season. New episodes are posted on Thursdays, but can be viewed anytime after posting. Last week, SEINFELD, 60, rode with AMY SCHUMER, 33. Another Crackle (2014) original, the 12-episode legal/murder mystery thriller, “Sequestered,” can now be viewed in its entirety. It’s not bad at all.  The cast includes the handsome JAMES MASLOW, 24; HEATHER KENT DUBROW, 45 (“Real Wives of Orange County”); and DINA MEYER, 45.

The Nov.22 episode of “Saturday Night Live” features, as its musical guests, MARK RONSON, 39, and Bruno Mars (whose paternal grandma was Jewish). Together they will perform “Uptown Funk,” a song from Ronson’s just released album, “Uptown Special.” Ronson, the son of British Jews, was mostly raised in the States. You may recall that his sister, SAMANTHA RONSON, 37, a DJ, was involved with Lindsay Lohan a few years ago.

The Jewish Wedding that Wasn’t

On Nov. 8, Eric Trump, 30, son of Donald, and brother of IVANKA TRUMP, 33, wed TV producer Lara Yunaska under what the NY Post called a "crystal chuppah”. The “chuppah photo” in the Post merely showed a wedding awning made out of crystals, like those hung on a chandelier, and I have little doubt that the photo caption writer took it upon him or herself to call it a “chuppah.”

However, because of the so-called ‘chuppah’, a lot of the Jewish media is assuming she’s Jewish and some have called it a “Jewish wedding.” Well, a “Jewish” wedding needs a cantor or rabbi. However, presiding over this wedding was a ‘civilian’, publisher JARED KUSHNER, 33, the Modern Orthodox husband of Ivanka (who converted to Judaism). Bottom line: I checked out Yunaska’s family tree via family history sites---Lutheran on her father’s side—also Christian on her mother’s side. So—not a Jewish wedding, not a chuppah; and not a Jewish bride. Amusing sidelight: Eric does bear a remarkable resemblance to Jewish actor JONAH HILL, when Hill is moderately slimmed-down.

PHOTO EXTRAS:

The so-called "chuppah" as it appeared in color in People magazine. Pics that came out after the Post story:

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20871219_30248418,00.html#30248417

Click here: Crystal Wedding Awning Trump Wedding

Or click Here:Eric Trump Looks Like Jonah Hill