Palindromic Par sons of fashion

From ‘GOT’ prequel to ‘League of their Own’ TV adaptation, Jewish celebrities are in the limelight

BY NATE BLOOM

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT

“The House of Dragon,” a 10-episode prequel to the mega-hit series “Game of Thrones” (“GOT”), began streaming (HBO) on Sunday, Aug. 21. It is set 200 years before the events in GOT. As the series opens, the Seven Kingdoms (on the continent of Westeros) are ruled by Viserys, a popular king. He is the fifth member of the Targaryen family to rule the Seven Kingdoms. The Targayren conquest of Westros, and their subsequent rule, was made possible by the Targaryens’ fire-breathing dragons. The dragons have a “mystical” tie to the family.

The pilot episode was directed by MIGUEL SAPOCHNIK, 48. He was born in the United Kingdom, the son of Argentine Jewish parents. Sapochnik was the “go-to” director for the most spectacular GOT battle episodes.

As with GOT, most of the cast is British. The recurring cast includes DAVID HOROVITCH, 76, as Grand Maester Mellos, a trusted advisor to Viserys. GOT fans know that a “Maester” is a scholar and/or scientist on the King’s payroll.

Horovitch is a busy British character actor. He’s the son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother and was raised without religion. However, he has played several Jewish roles and through them, he says, he’s learned something about Judaism.

FABIEN FRANKEL, 28, another Brit, plays Ser Christin Cole, an important regular cast member. Ser Christin rose from a “commoner” background to knighthood and he’s a great swordsman. (In real life, Frankel is a trained fencer.)

Frankel has so few credits that Wikipedia has a “bio blank” near his name. But a little digging discloses an interesting background, with some very sad details. Fabien’s father was actor MARK FRANKEL. He was killed in a motorcycle/ truck accident in 1996, at age 34.

Mark Frankel was on the cusp of a really big career—he was being cast in star roles in British TV series. He also was a world class tennis player who won the Monto Carlo Open. He had a Jewish funeral.

His father was an English Jew and his mother was an Indian Jew from Mumbai. Mark’s father was a Royal Air Force pilot. Mark and his brother, Joe, were also skilled pilots. Joe did stunt flying and was killed (in 1991) during an air show.

Fabien Frankel was 2 years old when his father died, and his only sibling, a brother, was born posthumously. Their mother is French ad exec Caroline Besson. I simply don’t know more about her. vvv

“Mack & Rita,” which opened in theaters earlier this month, has a very weird plot: Mack Martin, a woman, is a 30-year-old buttoned-up homebody. She reluctantly goes to Palm Springs with her best friend. In Palm Springs, Mack is “magically” transformed into Aunt Rita (Diane Keaton), a 70-year-old version of herself. At 70, Rita feels free of conventional norms and says and does what she wants. Her candid talk turns her into a social media sensation.

SIMON REX, 47, has a large supporting role. This film marks the second step in Rex’s amazing career comeback. In 2000, he was a top model and the co-star of the TV series “Jack & Jill.” His career had faded away to nothing when the director/ writer of the film “Red Rocket” contacted him in 2020 and asked him to play the lead in his film—about a washed-up porn star.

“Red Rocket” won a major award at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and Rex got great reviews for his performance (see “Rocket” on pay-per-view services). He has big roles in two more “mainstream” films, which will open this year or next. vvv

“A League of Their Own,” a 1992 film, got great reviews and was a huge hit. It is a comedy/drama about a (real) pro, all-female baseball league that was founded during World War II. In 2017, ABBI JACOBSON, 38, began pitching the idea that a re-boot of the film as a TV series would work. In 2020, Amazon greenlighted an eight-episode first season. “League of Their Own,” the TV series, began streaming on Friday, Aug. 12. Jacobson stars in it and co-wrote the pilot episode.

Jacobson was the co-creator and co-star of “Broad City,” the hit Comedy Central series. She has a leading role in the “League” series as Carson Shaw, a top pitcher. The recurring cast includes MOLLY EPHRAIM, 36 (“Last Man Standing” on ABC), as Maybelle Fox, a player,

The TV series differs from the film in several respects. The movie centered on a male team coach. The series will focus on the players, not the coaches. Also, unlike the film, the series pays attention to the lives of lesbian and black female players.

Abbi Jacobson stars in and is co-creator of the Amazon Prime series ‘A League of Their Own.’

PHOTO: ANNE MARIE FOX/PRIME VIDEO

Shiva etiquette: Always keep the mourners first in mind

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advises organizers to talk to the family about what they need and want from numbers to kashrut preferences. Again, it is all about them, and that lets you start making a list of the things you will need to serve them.

Wetmore advises bringing plastic containers in which to store leftovers at the shiva house. Make sure you have help with the cleanup and storage. She adds that everyone is mourning a loss of someone special in their lives, even the worker bees, so divide up responsibilities so no one person is doing everything.

My friend Renee offered this advice: “When you are in charge of collecting money and people call afterward, everyone should be able to contribute even if they join after the tray has been sent. We make a donation (to the family’s charity of choice) after all expenses have been paid.”

For those who are not the organizer, but are considering contributing anyway, Renee advises, “If you are thinking, should I go in on the tray? Am I close enough friends? Then the answer is yes.”

The same goes for your attendance. If you think you should “maybe” go to the shiva, you should just go. You do not have to go more than once unless you are so essential that they will need to see you often.

You do not contribute or bring anything but comfort and a possible hug. Even though it is about the mourners, they would certainly never expect you to be financially burdened by supporting them. If you do want to contribute but are unsure of the financial commitment, it is OK to tell organizers how much you would like to contribute and ask if it is best to give to their group effort or go it alone.

My friend Rachel says gift cards to restaurants were helpful in the difficult weeks that followed the shiva after her father passed away, while my friend Betsy said that it was particularly meaningful when a friend just showed up with a meal that could go in the freezer if she didn’t need it. Kriger Bogard adds that her mother’s friends picked up her kids and took them to the park, which was particularly helpful as she mourned her grandmother. Another form of comfort may be offering to spend a day with the mourners later as they go through things or clean out the house.

At the end of the day, here is the simple fact of life that “TFOL” left out. We will all eventually be the decedent, the mourners and those trying to offer support. Our religion recognizes this and has designed a beautiful process to assist in the healing. We can all do our part by helping form that holy bubble that Rabbi Fleisher mentioned.

Each set of mourners may require something slightly different. There are no universal right answers (except maybe the Venmo thing, about which I am certain). When you keep the mourners in mind, you will certainly do the right thing.

Suzanne Epstein-Lang is a lawyer, social worker, wife and mom endlessly striving to eat healthier, get organized and celebrate life’s moments. She and her family belong to Central Reform Congregation.

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