Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris in an "SNL" sendup of a 2019 Democratic presidential primary debate. Columns Celebrity Jews Yosemite Sam, née Rosenbaum; Maya Rudolph for VP; ‘Dirty Dancing’ dances again; etc. Facebook Twitter Email SMS WhatsApp Share By Maya Mirsky | August 18, 2020 What to binge? For those who are worried about running out of shows to watch, Jenji Kohan, creator of “Orange Is the New Black,” is now at work on corona content. “Social Distance” will be an anthology show on Netflix using footage from Zoom, nanny cams, video doorbells and other high-tech, screen-equipped devices of the modern home. No word yet on casting. Another form of entertainment that can be made during a pandemic? Animated shows. Beanie Feldstein will voice the lead in Apple TV’s upcoming version of beloved children’s classic “Harriet the Spy.” Harriet writes down everything in her notebook, but then loses it. Will this low-tech version of misplacing your phone resonate with kids these days? Nostalgia news Jennifer Grey is going back to the Borscht Belt. The 60-year-old actress is confirmed to star in a new “Dirty Dancing” movie, more than 30 years after she played the lead in the original hit film about summer love in the Catskills. The new film will be directed by Jonathan Levine. Grey’s father, entertainer Joel Grey, 88, used to perform in the Catskills, as did his own father, the late Mickey Katz. And beloved ’90s baseball flick “A League of Their Own” is being remade by Amazon. Abbi Jacobson of “Broad City” will star in one of the lead roles and executive produce. Are the lizard people Jews? Steve Blackman, showrunner of “The Umbrella Academy,” is pushing back against claims of antisemitic tropes in his hit Netflix series. Fans are upset that a character — the power-hungry leader of a secret cabal (of lizard people) that runs the world — drops into Yiddish. But Blackman is repudiating it. “The accusation of antisemitism in ‘The Umbrella Academy’ is hurtful and, more importantly, factually incorrect,” he said, adding that the lizards’ leader speaks all languages. VP Maya Rudolph Comedian Maya Rudolph’s phone has been blowing up subsequent to Kamala Harris being selected as Joe Biden’s running mate, she said. Rudolph has played Harris in multiple guest appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” where she was a cast member from 2000 to 2007. “She’s got such an amazing personality and is so charismatic,” Rudolph said. “It’s fun to embody the joy of her.” Cover girl Julia Garner is on the cover of this week’s Hollywood Reporter. The 26-year-old actress has emerged as the star of TV show “Ozark” for her electrifying performance as Ruth, which won her an Emmy last year. Her acting role model? Maybe not the obvious, but it’s Richard Dreyfuss. “I love a really intense energy on the screen,” she said. ‘Yo, Semite!’ animated version In a twist on the recent gaffe by President Donald Trump while pronouncing the name of the national park, it turns out that Yosemite Sam, the belligerent gunslinger of cartoon fame, is named Samuel Rosenbaum (mentioned in only one episode, “Daffy Duck Esquire,” which came out in 2013 as part of “The Looney Tunes Show”). Friz Freleng, who created Yosemite Sam back in 1944, allegedly modeled the feisty character with the droopy red beard after himself in both looks and temperament. Yosemite Sam was voiced by Mel Blanc from the 1940s through the ’80s. Maya Mirsky Maya Mirsky is a J. Staff Writer based in Oakland. Also On J. Bay Area Bay Area leaders join one of the last flights of Ethiopians to Israel Politics Biden's new plan to fight antisemitism demands sweeping reforms Analysis Who won debate over defining ‘antisemitism’ in White House plan? TV Q&A: Meet Pamela Schuller, the comedian on ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ Subscribe to our Newsletter Enter Email Sign Up