Coming soon

Debra Winger is coming out of semiretirement to star in the TV flick “Dawn Anna,” playing a single mother recently recovered from a brain disease. It premieres Jan. 10 on the Lifetime channel. … Sean Penn plays his first explicitly Jewish part in the flick “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” opening Dec. 29. It’s based on the true story of a mentally ill Jewish man who attempted to hijack a plane in 1974, with the intent of crashing it into the White House.

Golden names

The Golden Globe nominations, seen as the major Oscar preview, came out last week and actresses Emmy Rossum (“Phantom of the Opera”) and Scarlett Johansson (“The Love Song of Bobby Long,” opening Dec.29) scored acting nominations.

Unlike the Oscars, the Globes divide acting categories into drama and musical/comedy. So, Rossum, who was in a musical, doesn’t compete with Johansson, who’s nominated for best actress in a drama. (Johansson, whose mom is Jewish, has already announced that her mom will be her “date” at the awards.)

“Bobby Long” is about two well-off guys (John Travolta and Gabriel Macht) who befriend Johansson, an interesting “trailer-trash” woman. Macht, 32, is a very good-looking guy who has been getting better parts in recent years. His father, actor Stephen Macht, has been in tons of movies and TV shows and is an active member of the L.A. Jewish community.

Natalie Portman snared a nomination for best supporting actress (drama) for “Closer,” while Kevin Kline was nominated for best actor (musical) in “De-Lovely.” Also nominated in the Globe movie categories are “Closer” director Mike Nichols; screenwriters Patrick Marber and Charlie Kaufman, respectively, for “Closer” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”; and rocker Adam Duritz, for a song for “Shrek 2.”

Globe nominations also cover TV: Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) competes with “Will and Grace” star Debra Messing for best comedy actress. Also going head-to-head are Larry David and Zach Braff for best comedy actor. Likewise, Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”) and William Shatner (“Boston Legal”) are up against each other for best supporting dramatic actor.

Reality notes

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has confirmed that he’s in talks with three major reality-show producers to create a show starring himself. (Local papers say that joke titles are already flying around, like “Survival in Sin City.”) While Goodman refuses to state the premise of the show, he did joke that he wanted Gov. Arnold Schwarznegger to play him if someone makes a biopic.

Goodman, who was once named one of the top 15 lawyers in the country, was known for his flamboyant style as a defense attorney and should be a natural for reality TV. Meanwhile, hoping to prolong his 15 minutes is Jewish hunk Ethan Zohn, the winner of a “Survivor” series a couple of years ago. Zohn will appear on an episode of “Fear Factor” to air in February.

Columnist Nate Bloom, an Oaklander, can be reached at [email protected].