Wonder Woman, Star Trek, and Silverman

GAL GADOT, 32, will host “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 7. The Israeli star of the mega-hit “Wonder Woman” will again appear as Wonder Woman in the blockbuster “Justice League” which opens Nov. 17.

It’s possible that “Star Trek: Discovery” will give a big boost to “CBS All-Access,” a “pay extra” streaming service that hasn’t yet taken-off. The series premiered on “Access” on Sept. 24 to mostly favorable reviews. My plan is to sign-up for a month and binge watch if “Discovery” reviews stay good. British Jewish actor JASON ISAACS, 54, co-stars as the Captain of the starship Discovery. “Variety” reports: “Isaacs signed on because of the message the show sends in the Trump-Brexit era. [Issacs says:] ‘The world is complicated and horrible, and I don’t know how to explain to my children the insanity of the people who are in charge of it at the moment. I thought it was a good story to tell — and something I would be happy to watch — about presenting a vision of the world that’s full of drama but also full of resolution and unity.'”

I should note that the first officer, played by African-American actress Sonequa Martin-Green, has a bigger role in “Discovery” than the captain. Referred to as “Number One,” the first officer was raised as a Vulcan by Mr. Spock’s father, Sarek.

“I Love You, America” is a ten-episode comedy/reality/political series that begins streaming on Hulu on Thursday, Oct. 12. SARAH SILVERMAN, 46, travels around the country talking to people she agrees with and people she doesn’t.

Blade Runner Redux

The original “Blade Runner” film (1982) was set in 2019. Almost all the action was set in a very bleak-looking Los Angeles. Now comes the sequel, “Blade Runner 2049.” As the title implies, we have jumped ahead 30 years. Los Angeles police officer “K” (Ryan Gosling) unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find former LAPD “blade runner” Rick Deckard, who has been missing for 30 years. HARRISON FORD, 75, played Deckard in the original and reprises his role in the sequel. The 1982 film posited a future in which we (the Earth) have colonized other planets and exploit their resources via human-like androids that can withstand conditions humans cannot. However, the androids are not permitted to travel to Earth and if they do, a ‘blade runner’ finds them and, by whatever means necessary, shuts them down. The original film gave hints that Decker, himself, was an android who was unaware that he wasn’t human. Perhaps the sequel will clear this up. (Opens Oct. 6)

Jews on Ice

The National Hockey League season started on Oct. 4. Here are the Jewish players lacing-up this season: MICHAEL CAMMALERI, 35, left wing, Los Angeles Kings. He made his NHL debut with the Kings in 2002 and had some great seasons with LA, Calgary, Montreal, and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils signed him to a five-year, $25M dollar contract in 2014 and he was the team’s leading scorer in 2014-15. However, he’s struggled the last two seasons and he was placed on waivers last June. The Kings picked him up with a one-year deal. Cammaleri is secular. He’s close to his Jewish mother, the daughter of Holocaust survivors; JOSHUA HO-SANG, 21, right wing, NY Islanders. You almost couldn’t make-up Ho-Sang’s background. His father, Wayne, was born in Jamaica, and is mostly of black African ancestry. Wayne immigrated to Canada when he was a child. The “Ho-Sang” last name comes from Wayne’s grandfather, a Chinese guy who settled in Jamaica. Joshua’s Jewish mother, ERIKA, moved from Chile to Canada when she was a child. Ho-Sang grew-up celebrating the Jewish holidays, including the high holy days. He was called up from the minors last March and performed well in the big league; ZACH HYMAN, 25, right wing, Toronto. Hyman played for Canada in the 2013 Maccabiah Games and they won the gold medal. He had a great rookie season (2016-17), setting a new Toronto record for most short-handed goals scored by a rookie in a season and he tied the team record for the most consecutive games with an assist by a rookie; JASON ZUCKER, 24, forward, Minnesota Wild. Last year, he had a good 4^th NHL season, with 16 goals (47 points total). Note: TREVOR SMITH, 31, center, and DAVID WARSHOFSKY, 25, defenseman, spent part of last season in the NHL (Nashville and Pittsburgh, respectively) and could be called-up again this year.