How Soon Is Now?

I pretty much died when I found this picture of Joseph Gordon-Levitt à la Morrissey. As if playing lovelorn-Smiths-lovin' Tom in this year's 500 Days Of Summer weren't enough, Joe has to go and do this. Sigh. I was incredibly excited to read today's Golden Globe nominations and see that Gordon-Levitt has been nominated in the Best Actor, Comedy category for his role in the film. He's been acting since he was six, so it's about time he gets some time in the bright shiny spotlight - although from what I can tell he doesn't relish in it all that much. I've been digging on Gordon-Levitt since '96, because as a tomboy who was big into comedy, his role as Tommy on 3rd Rock from the Sun struck a chord with me. Yeah, you might think that's weird since he was playing an old alien stuck in the body of a human adolescent - but isn't that how we all feel at that age? Anyway, congratulations to Joe on his nomination, and for old times sake here's one of my favorite clips from 3rd Rock from the Sun:

Members Of The Tribe

Growing up Jewish I was encouraged at a young age to think about marrying another member of the tribe. It's crazy to think that by age 10 these topics were already floating around, but it's called Jewish Guilt for a reason. I remember approaching my grandfather on a lazy paper-reading Sunday afternoon, with fear in my eyes. I needed to know: was my ultimate crush Donnie Wahlberg from the New Kids On The Block a Jew? The news was crushing. He was not. Continuing on into puberty I never did find my ultimate heeb, but I'm happy to say that things have improved over time - we're finally getting to see the sexy side of Judaism!

Yes, there was the Hannukah Song that outed many Hollywood celebrities, but I could still count on one hand how many of them were official hunks and hotties. I have the utmost respect for Woody Allen and Jerry Seinfeld, but 'sexy' isn't the adjective often used to describe them. So when Clueless came out in 1995, featuring not one but two attractive Jewish leads I was beyond thrilled. Sure Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd's characters weren't exactly three dimensional, but they were attractive, funny, and Jewish. Silverstone hasn't been in the spotlight for a while, but Rudd continues to star in incredibly successful mainstream films.

A new wave of young Jewish actors are making their mark too. Joseph Gordon-Levitt who started his career as the dorky long-haired kid on 3rd Rock From The Sun, is now committed to starring in critically acclaimed indie features that showcase his incredible acting. He's also found the time to continue his work with HitRecord, a project he's been working on since 2004. Meanwhile Selma Blair has been on every man's fantasy list since 1999's Cruel Intentions, and she continues to rep for Jewish girls worldwide. I won't lie, the catalyst to this post was seeing Quentin Tarantino's newest gore fest Inglourious Basterds, and if you haven't seen it then do so now. I've been waiting for sexy Jews my whole life, but sexy Jews who also kick ass? I'm totally verklempt.