Shmuley Boteach to honor Sean Penn<\/strong><\/p>\nWho needs another Oscar when you\u2019re about to be crowned the 2014 Champion of Jewish Justice?<\/p>\n
Not to put words in his mouth or anything, but we\u2019ll bet that was what two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn was saying to his girlfriend Charlize Theron as soon as they stopped \u201cmaking out like crazy” at Madonna\u2019s Oscars after-party.<\/p>\n
OK, so maybe we\u2019d lose that bet, but for reals, Penn is set to receive the honor at This World: The Values Network\u2019s annual dinner in May. The organization is helmed by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who singled Penn out for his above-and-beyond efforts to help free Jacob Ostreicher, an Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn imprisoned in Bolivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the highest Jewish values is to rescue a person from imprisonment,\u201d Boteach told 6NoBacon.<\/p>\n
While the former confidante of Michael Jackson admits to disagreeing with the left-leaning Penn on most issues, he was amazed by the actor\u2019s commitment to the Ostreicher case.<\/p>\n
“You never judge a man by his views, you judge him by his actions,\u201d Boteach said.<\/p>\n
Ostreicher was in Bolivia in 2011 working on a rice-growing venture in which he\u2019d invested when he was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. He also was accused of doing business with drug traffickers. No proof was ever provided in court.<\/p>\n
The father of five was held in what has been described as a squalid, inhumane prison for 18 months before being placed under house arrest. According to The New York Times, Penn had a hand in the transfer.<\/p>\n
Penn\u2019s involvement in the case made headlines in May when he spoke at a congressional hearing intended to pressure Bolivia to release Ostreicher. In December, Ostreicher finally escaped, thanks to what Penn called a \u201chumanitarian operation\u201d that moved Ostreicher across the border into Peru.<\/p>\n
Penn, who reportedly was part of the operation, remained by Ostreicher\u2019s side upon his return to the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cPenn had no obligation to risk his life for Ostreicher,\u201d Boteach said. \u201cI\u2019d like to think he was moved by the simplest of reasons \u2013 to save another human being in need.\u201d<\/p>\n
No word on whether the rights to this truly remarkable story have been optioned for the big screen, but it sounds like the stuff of a great thriller. Or a buddy comedy about a spunky rabbi and a surly actor who, against all odds, find some common ground. Oscar material, for sure.<\/p>\n
Jewish paper confuses American actor, Mexican drug lord<\/strong><\/p>\nLuis Guzman is not a criminal, but he has played one on TV. Plus he shares a last name with Mexican cartel leader, Joaquin \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzman.<\/p>\n
The similarities were enough to throw off the Lakewood Shopper. The New Jersey Orthodox Jewish newspaper, as reported by Elite Daily, ran a photo of the character actor in a piece about the drug lord\u2019s recent capture. Oops!<\/p>\n
Twitter user Malei Rikud brought attention to the publication\u2019s flub.<\/p>\n
Good thing Guzman, who has portrayed bad guys in \u201cCarlito\u2019s Way,\u201d the HBO prison show \u201cOz\u201d and others, has a sense of humor.<\/p>\n
No comment yet from Adele Dazeem.<\/p>\n
Andrew Garfield ditches Oscars, ruins \u2018Batkid\u2019 segment<\/strong><\/p>\nThe latest in handsome Jews behaving badly: Actor Andrew Garfield reportedly let down a 5-year-old cancer survivor.<\/p>\n
The \u201cSpider-Man\u201d star was supposed to take the stage at the Academy Awards and introduce Miles \u201cBatkid\u201d Scott as \u201cthe world\u2019s next superhero,\u201d according to Mashable. In November, the city of San Francisco, with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and nearly 12,000 volunteers, morphed into Gotham City, where Miles played Batkid in front of a cheering crowd.<\/p>\n
This time Make-A-Wish collaborated with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences to get Miles an Oscar. Garfield and Miles rehearsed the segment a day before the Oscars show, but the actor was a no-show at the actual ceremony and the bit ultimately was canceled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if they ran out of time or if there was something about the segment they didn\u2019t like,\u201d Miles\u2019 mom, Natalie, told the International Business Times. \u201cIt got pulled so quickly that we didn\u2019t have a lot of insight into what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The family was treated instead to a Disneyland trip.<\/p>\n
Lena Dunham to write for Archie Comics<\/strong><\/p>\nRiverdale, get ready for a hipster invasion!<\/p>\n
\u201cGirls\u201d creator Lena Dunham is going to write a four-part story for Archie Comics to be published next year. According to a news release, the story will be about what happens when the eponymous redhead and his gang encounter a reality show filming in their town.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was an avid Archie collector as a child — conventions, first editions that l kept in plastic sleeves, the whole shebang,” Dunham said. “It has so much cultural significance, but also so much personal significance, and to get to play with these beloved characters is a wild creative opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Will Dunham\u2019s raucous behavior change Riverdale forever? We can\u2019t wait to snuggle up in our bunk beds with a flashlight and find out.<\/p>\n
For the latest Jewish celebrity news, visit JTA’s 6 Degrees (No Bacon) blog.<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/seth-rogen-1.jpg\" "\\"19th")