In 1999, a few weeks before The Devil’s Arithmetic went into production, I met with stars Kirsten Dunst, Brittany Murphy, and Mimi Rogers in Dustin Hoffman’s Brentwood office. Dustin and Mimi had rescued my script from development hell—a seven year limbo—and were serving as Executive Producers. Mimi was doing double duty as actress and producer.

The Devil’s Arithmetic is a Holocaust time travel drama based on the best selling book by Jane Yolen.

Brittany Murphy, left, and Kirsten Dunst in The Devil’s Arithmetic, 1999.

The script called for authentic Jewish characters and settings.

To aid the two young actresses I brought Offspring #3 to the meeting, a knowledgeable and adorable eleven year old yeshiva student.

Offspring #3’s job was to coach the actresses in, well, being Jewish. Offspring #3 taught the actresses a few Jewish songs, and helped their Hebrew pronunciations.

I watched as Kirsten and Brittany soaked up Offspring #3’s essence. (more…)

What’s the difference between the Mafia and a Hollywood Leftist? …the Mafia doesn’t go after your family.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that Jane Hamsher, the founder and publisher of the website who wrote the piece targeting Joe Lieberman’s wife, is … you guessed it … a Hollywoodist.

UPDATE: Huffpo posts call to target Lieberman’s wife.

The Wrap: Memo to Celebs: Get Lieberman’s Wife!

“A day after Sen. Joe Lieberman said he won’t vote for the Democratic health reform bill as currently written, a progressive public policy blog is trying to oust his wife Hadassah as global ambassador for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer group.

“And Firedoglake is hoping to enlist Hollywood stars that work with the group.

“Firedoglake contends that Hadassah Lieberman’s ties to the pharmaceutical industry — she once did public relations for a firm that handled Pharma clients and subsequent consulting for some drugmakers — should disqualify her. (more…)

Being a celebrity means that you can do anything you want to do because you know more than the average person. Not just when it comes to hawking hair care products and credit cards, but important things like how to save the Earth and telling governors how to run their states.

And if you’re Tom Cruise, that means you are not only qualified to advise women on how to deal with postpartum depression, but you are also qualified to act as marriage counselor.

That’s right – Tom “Couch Commando” Cruise is, out of the goodness of his heart, David and Victoria Beckham’s new “relationship guru” – because you know with all of their money, they can’t afford a certified therapist:

After an evening with David, Tom decided to have a friendly chat with Victoria about the family’s future, saying it was because he cared so much about all of them,” revealed a source.

“They love each other dearly but Tom is a big believer in talking about issues . He could see they were both worried about the future and what it might hold.”

(more…)