Visit 6nobacon.com to vote for the best worst Adam Sandler movie. (Uri Fintzy)
Adam Sandler breaks records for bad
The Adam Sandler film "Jack and Jill" went down the hill without ever going up, if you ask the folks at the Razzies, the anti-Oscars for the year’s worst movies. The film’s leading man/woman was at the nadir of it all: Sandler was singled out as worst actor and actress. His two Razzies were among the record 10 handed out on April Fools’ Day for this mess of a comedy about a family man (and his twin sister, also played by Sandler) who refuses to leave his home after her annual Thanksgiving visit. Sandler can put up these Razzies with the one he earned in 1998 for "Big Daddy." Still think he’s funny?
Kathleen Reiter blows away the competition
The winner of the first season of the Israeli version of the singing talent show "The Voice" swept the Jewish state with her story. Kathleen Reiter, a French-Canadian from Montreal, had made aliyah just days before her audition last fall. During the audition, she brought the house down with a phenomenal performance of the Adele hit "Rolling in the Deep." Reiter’s voice had the four judges tripping over each other for a chance to coach the 23-year-old. No surprise then that Reiter was crowned overall winner when the season ended this week. With her victory, Reiter secured a recording contract with Universal Helicon as well as a place in the hearts of Israelis.
Moshe Kahlon wants to give ’em respect
Israel’s Social Affairs Minister Moshe Kahlon this week raised the hackles of the country’s more than 200 nonprofit organizations that help the needy by handing out food baskets. Kahlon called the practice a humiliating way to distribute aid and a cheap way to get a photo op. Instead, Kahlon announced that his ministry would provide needy Israelis with a magnetic card to purchase food at local stores. Several of the non-profits countered Kahlon’s attack, saying their food packages are given out with respect. On Thursday, Kahlon announced that he will form a committee to draft guidelines for distributing food to the needy.
Abigail Pogrebin makes a better list
Entertainment and news bigwigs Gary Ginsberg and Michael Lynton made a big splash back in 2007 when they turned to Newsweek’s website to unveil what has become an annual list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. And while we still think the idea of ranking rabbis is sort of dorky, taken as a whole the list is much improved the past two years — in terms of who’s in and who’s out, as well as the descriptions of the chosen ones. For that, the credit goes to Abigail Pogrebin, a former "60 Minutes" producer who — thankfully — has increasingly turned her professional gaze to Jewish life and Jewish affairs.
Businessmen buy Jewish paper (again)
At a time when the survival of Jewish newspapers (heck, all newspapers) is in question, David Butler, Michael Gelman, Stuart Kurlander and Louis Mayberg have stepped up. Twice. First this group came together in 2010 to buy the Washington Jewish Week. And this week they stepped forward at bankruptcy auction to pay $1.26 million for The Baltimore Jewish Times, a paper with a proud tradition that has fallen on tough times. These communal and business leaders-turned-newspaper barons still face mounting economic and demographic challenges — not to mention an industry-wide technological revolution — as they work to produce a compelling product that resonates with ever-changing and diverse Jewish communities. We wish them luck.
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