Beanie Feldstein has been cast to star in a revival of "Funny Girl." (Photo/File)
Beanie Feldstein has been cast to star in a revival of "Funny Girl." (Photo/File)

Mayim Bialik (sort of) gets ‘Jeopardy!’ gig; Beanie Feldstein in ‘Funny Girl’; Carrie Brownstein’s weird new movie; etc.

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“What is the new host of ‘Jeopardy’? … sort of”

Everyone had been wondering who would host “Jeopardy!” on a permanent basis after the death of longtime host Alex Trebek in November. The answer is: actor, neuroscience Ph.D. and Jewish mom Mayim Bialik … but … only sometimes. Bialik will take on the role for “Jeopardy!” spinoffs and prime-time specials (such as a two-week tournament on ABC in 2022 with players from 15 colleges and universities), making her the show’s first permanent host who’s a woman. In a surprise inside hire, Mike Richards, the show’s executive producer, garnered the everyday hosting role.


Barbra spills the tea, Beanie gets funny

Barbra Streisand has revealed an unusual friendship with the heir to British throne, Prince Charles. Streisand said she was recording in San Diego in 1974 when Charles was 26 years old and serving in the Royal Navy. He asked to see her and they became friends. “I had a very funny line on stage when he came to see [my] show [in London],” she told People magazine. “I said, ‘You know, if I played my cards right, I could have wound up being the first Jewish princess!'”

Speaking of Streisand, “Funny Girl,” the 1968 musical-comedy that shot Streisand to stratospheric fame, is getting a remake on the New York stage. This time the girl in question will be Broadway go-to Beanie Feldstein. It’s a dream come true for her, she said. “The first time I played Fanny Brice was at my third birthday party, in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me,” Feldstein said.


Wait, what’s it really about?

Carrie Brownstein has made an interesting movie. The rocker (in the band Sleater-Kinney) and the actor, writer and co-creator of TV’s “Portlandia” has a new movie with musician Annie Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent. “The Nowhere Inn” seems like a concert documentary … but it’s actually a mockumentary and psychological thriller, in which Brownstein plays Clark’s best friend who is making a film about her. (To make it even more complicated, it’s rumored Brownstein and Clark dated around 10 years ago.) IndieWire described the film, which Brownstein co-wrote, as “a singular vision steeped in zaniness, but not devoid of purpose.”


Too Jewish or not Jewish enough?

In an interview with iNews, English actor Tracy-Ann Oberman — known for her roles (including mom’s pal Val in “Friday Night Dinner”) as well as her no-holds-barred Twitter posts — talks about how her Jewish parents didn’t want her to go into acting, and how she was told to change her name since she didn’t look Jewish enough. The message was, “Try and keep your Jewish heritage out of the way because casting directors will see you differently,” she explained in an article headlined “Tracy-Ann Oberman: ‘I was told I didn’t look enough like Anne Frank to play Jewish roles.’”


Star showrunner talks what gives a show legs

“Sex and the City,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Melrose Place” — the man behind all of those is showrunner Darren Star. Now his latest TV show, “Emily in Paris,” is up for a best comedy Emmy. “All sitcoms eventually become soaps,” the Hollywood vet said in an interview. “The audience cares about the characters and they want to know what’s happening with them. And once you get invested in the reality of characters, you have to start telling their continuing story over years.”

Maya Mirsky
Maya Mirsky

Maya Mirsky is a J. Staff Writer based in Oakland.