Doors members lament death of band mate Ray Manzarek

The Doors.

The iconic 60's rock band from California that defined U.S. psychedelic rock was anchored by the fluid, sometimes weird, but always amazing keyboard stylings of it's founder, Ray Manzarek. It also featured guitarist Robby Krieger, the son of Orthodox Jews, who emblazoned his guitar work onto the band's songs and crafted memorable solos and arpeggios to cement his place in the rock guitar gods pantheon. Drums were handled by John Densmore.

Oh, and the band was fronted by a certain rock star archetype named Jim Morrison.

The Doors. From left, Jim Morrisson, John Densmore, Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger

On May 20, Manzarek passed away after battling cancer. Krieger and Densmore eulogized Manzarek with statements earlier this week.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him,” Krieger said.

John Densmore said, "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."


Greg Harris, CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, said in reaction to Manzarek's death that "The world of rock 'n' roll lost one of its greats with the passing of Ray Manzarek. He was instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the '60s. Such memorable tracks as 'Light My Fire', 'People are Strange' and 'Hello, I Love You' – to name but a few – owe much to Manzarek's innovative playing."


May his musical memory be for blessing.

Manzarek at the Bospop festival, Weert 2010, the Netherlands [wiki commons photo]

The mishigas of the Bluth family is back

This coming Sunday is all about the Bluths.

The return of Arrested Development, the six-time Emmy award-winning American sitcom, brings the fictitious and dysfunctional Bluth family back to the small screen.

The 15 episodes in the show’s fourth season – airing all at once on Netflix, the on-demand streaming media service – reunite Michael Cera, Tony Hale, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi and Jeffery Tambor as the infamous patriarch of the clan.

During the series’ original three-season run on the Fox network from 2003 to 2006, a host of guest stars made recurring appearances, from Henry Winker and Liza Minnelli to Judy Greer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

This season will be no exception. In addition to the return of the characters played by Greer and Minnelli, other guest stars scheduled to appear are Isla Fisher, Kristen Wiig and Seth Rogen.

Rogen will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark as he steps into the role of a young George Bluth Sr., illustrating how the head of the family’s choices in the early days made him the Bluth he is today.

Fans await with baited breath.

Jews of Justice, Superman and Doctor Who

The creative duo of Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster have given North America and most of the world the greatest superhero the comic book industry and the pop culture world have come to know – yes, I’m talking about Superman.

But arguably, for Britain and certainly for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), that honour goes to “The Doctor” of Doctor Who.

Eleven actors have portrayed this quirky member of the superior race known as the Time Lords over 33 seasons and 796 episodes. Doctor Who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running science fiction TV show of all time, as well as the most successful, based on ratings.

Now some people are suggesting that the time-travelling do-gooder, known for solving mysteries and righting wrongs, is also the most compelling Jewish character in the history of television.

Doctor Who was created by Canadian Sydney Newman, who was born in Toronto to poor Russian Jewish immigrants. He dropped out of school in his formative teenage years and enrolled in a technical academy. He eventually became a director and producer, and in 1963, a few months after landing a job with the BBC, he came up with the idea for the show.

Among the reasons this cultural icon is being re-evaluated in a Jewish light is that he’s wildly intelligent and has a thirst for knowledge. He’s also constantly helping those in need and is committed to tikkun olam – repairing the world – while surrounded by a host of warlike races.

Jews, especially our youth, struggle with the question of identity. How closely do I observe the tenets of my religion? Do I outwardly express my beliefs? Do I call myself a Jew in public?

A great revelation is coming this Saturday (May 18) as Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s present show runner and executive producer, resolves two of the greatest mysteries that “Whovians” (Doctor Who followers) have been wrestling with since the conclusion of the current seventh series’ first half and the finale of the sixth: Who is Clara Oswin Oswald, the Doctor’s most recent travelling companion? And, in what could rock the show to its core, we may just find out the answer to the question that must never be asked, the one hidden in plain sight... who is Doctor Who?

Brave Angelina

 
Angelina Jolie did something remarkably brave: opting for a double mastectomy to ward off possible cancer. Then, she did something many would consider even braver: she went public with the news.

As this JTA story reports, Jolie, decided to rid herself of any possibility of developing cancer through what's being called the "Jewish cancer gene." Read more below.

Dead at the age of 56 after years of fighting breast cancer, Angelina Jolie’s mother never had the chance to meet five of Jolie’s six children. In an attempt to avoid a similar fate, in February the Oscar-winning actress underwent a preventive double mastectomy.

“I have always told [my children] not to worry, but the truth is I carry a ‘faulty’ gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer,” the actress, 37, wrote in Tuesday’s New York Times.

The BRCA1 mutation, especially common in Jewish women, puts Jolie at an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

As Jolie points out, Breast cancer kills 458,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization. It is estimated that one in 300 to one in 500 women carry a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation,

In the piece she describes the surgery, emphasizing her relatively quick recovery. She also gives a shout out to partner and fiance Brad Pitt, who was loving and supportive throughout her three months of treatment.

Kudos to the typically private Jolie, who writes that she has chosen to share her story in order to help other women.

“There are many women who do not know that they might be living under the shadown of cancer. It is my hope that they, too, will be able to get gene tested.”

Spock attack!

What happens when young Spock trash talks old Spock?

Watch as Leonard Nimoy schools Zachary Quinto in the way of the Vulcan in this great new Audi ad.



Live long and prosper... punk.

Celebrating Yom Yerushalayim at The House

The House in Toronto was the scene for a lively talk on Yom Yerushalayim by Rabbi Ken Spiro, senior lecturer and researcher for Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminar and the Jerusalem Online University, on why Israel is relentlessly picked on and is “a nation that dwells alone”.

The talk was co-sponsored by The House, a mid-town venue for young Jews in their 20s and 30s, along with with JUMP (Jewish Urban Meeting Place) and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Community Connect.

We can't go into as much detail as Rabbi Spiro did, but we can summarize his eight main points for you below:

1. The national identity of the Jewish people is the only one in the world to be labelled as racist and discriminatory.
2. Our very existence as a people is constantly threatened.
3. Israel's actual capital is not recognized by any other country, as consulates are present in Jerusalem but no embassies.
4. The Jewish people and the state of Israel are constantly criticized and condemned, more than any other nation.
5. Israel is expected to send aid to its enemies during a time of war.
6. Israel is expected to evict it's own people from conflict regions and destroy communities it has built.
7. The destruction of Israel and its people is the only common cause that unites its enemies and their respective ideologies which often oppose each other.
8. The Jewish people as a whole are the only held responsible for what their co-religionists do.

Rabbi Spiro said the Jewish People have had one lasting mission: to be a light unto the nations, but antisemitism works against that mission.

Referencing Natan Sharansky’s “three Ds” – the demonization, delegitimization and double standards applied to Israel – Rabbi Spiro argued that without a country of our own to protect the Jewish people, we would be an incredibly easy target for increased hatred, persecution and, some might say, complete extermination.

In the end, the old saying about Jewish holidays still holds true: they tried to destroy us, we survived, let’s eat.

Young Hollywood recognizes Odeya Rush

Israeli-born American actress Odeya Rush may just be on the receiving end of a best supporting actress honour at the Young Artist Awards this Sunday in Los Angeles.

Odeya, which means “Thank G-d” in Hebrew, earned a nomination for her role as Joni Jerome in the Disney film The Odd Life of Timothy Green, co-starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo.

After moving to the United States at age nine, Rush began her acting career just three short years later, securing numerous commercials and short films. In 2010, she landed her first major guest spot on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and soon after followed that with a role on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Rush, now 15, has two major films in pre-production and will soon find herself in the company of Hollywood veterans Shirley MacLaine, Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Ben Kingsley and Peter O’Toole.