TV news

Mark Feuerstein and Stanley Tucci co-star in the new CBS medical drama, “3 Lbs.” (Starts Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m.) They play a pair of top brain surgeons who have very different styles in dealing with their patients.

Feuerstein, 36, is a handsome and likable actor who has long been on the cusp of stardom. He co-starred in the TV series “Good Morning, Miami” and has had supporting roles in many movies, including “What Women Want” and “In Her Shoes.”

Feuerstein, a practicing Jew, grew up in a religious family. He was a top athlete in high school and he graduated from Princeton with honors. Last year he married Dana Klein, 32, a TV writer and producer. Fittingly enough, the Beverly Hills rabbi who married them, Jonathan Aaron, is a former actor and the author of a musical about a talmudic scholar.

Actor/director Liev Schreiber (“Everything is Illuminated”) has just joined the cast of the hit series “CSI.” His first episode will be shown this January.

Veteran character actor Dan Hedaya makes his first appearance on the hit USA cable show “Monk” as the “long-lost” father of San Francisco detective Adrian Monk (airs Friday, Nov. 17).

Mensches with 9-irons

“Golf Digest” is out with a fun list of the top 100 golfers among musicians. The four Jewish musicians on the list include smooth jazz sax player Kenny G, whom the Digest ranks No. 1 in ability. The Digest says that Kenny (who was born Kenny Gorelick) is almost good enough to be on the pro golf tour.

Rounding out the kosher foursome is Robby Kreiger, the guitarist for the Doors, the famous ’60s rock band; country music star Ray Benson; and Bob Dylan, who plays the Malibu Country Club.

“Stranger Than Fiction” is a quirky film comedy about a guy (Will Ferrell) who hears a voice in his head (Emma Thompson) telling him what is next going to happen to him. When the voice says she is going to kill him off, Ferrell consults a literary expert (Dustin Hoffman) who tells Ferrell to “take control of his own story.” He also consults with a friend, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Eventually, Ferrell finds out that the voice is that of a reclusive, real novelist who is unaware that she is controlling his life. He must get to her to save his life. (Opens Friday, Nov. 10.)

Spotlight on Shoshannah

First there was Marlee Matlin, a Jewish actress who proved that a deaf person could have a major career in films and TV. Now there’s Shoshannah Stern, who is the first deaf actress to be in two TV shows at the same time.

Stern, 26, had a supporting role in the Showtime series “Weeds” while holding down a co-starring role as Bonnie Richmond in the new CBS series “Jericho” (Wednesdays at 8 p.m.). “Weeds” just ended its second season and may not be back next year — but “Jericho” has gotten good ratings and CBS has just ordered a full season of episodes.

Stern, who was born in Walnut Creek and raised in Fremont, comes from a religious family and has often expressed pride in her Jewish background. Stern’s family has been deaf for four generations and her parents — both the children of Holocaust survivors — were teachers at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont.

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