The ‘Jewish Nobel’ nominees are here

The six finalists for the 2022 Genesis Prize have been announced, and once again they’re an interestingly random bunch. They include the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla, 86-year-old Nazi hunter Serge Klarsfeld and popular science author Yuval Noah Harari. As usual, there are entertainers as well — Sacha Baron Cohen and Scarlett Johansson — as well as fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, popularizer of the wrap dress. Online voting runs through Dec. 17. Steven Spielberg won the 2021 prize.

More ‘history’ from Mel

Time to set the record straight, or rather a bit more crooked? The world has been waiting a long time for a sequel to Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I,” the raunchy 1981 comedy film (which famously included the “Jews in Space” bit embedded below). Now the 97-year-old comedian has announced he’ll write and executive produce a TV series sequel for Hulu. “I can’t wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History!” Brooks said in a statement.

More Jewish women superheroes

Wonder Woman, meet Catwoman. Gal Gadot, the Israeli actress known for playing Wonder Woman in two movies with a third due for a 2023 release, says she is excited that Zoë Kravitz has joined the DC Comics franchise to play Catwoman. Kravitz’s role is in the new film “The Batman,” and the trailer has just been released (see it at ). “I’m so happy to have another female as a comrade,” Gadot said, adding that she can’t wait to have an all-women superhero movie.

Jews in space, plus sand

To the surprise of many, the new “Dune,” starring Timothée Chalamet, is actually … pretty good? The Guardian called it a “colossal spectacle” while the New York Times said it was both “sweeping and intimate.” The movie isn’t the first inspired by the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, of course. There’s also been a miniseries and a famously strange almost-made version by auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky, as well as David Lynch’s 1984 film. But the recent film has also been called a post-pandemic box-office hit, even as movie theaters are fighting to get back an audience now used to streaming.

How to love a child

Jamie Lee Curtis is opening up about parenting a trans child in hopes that others might learn from her family’s experience. She said it’s all about loving and supporting her daughter. “It’s speaking a new language,” she told People magazine. “It’s learning new terminology and words. I’m going to blow it, I’m going to make mistakes. I would like to try to avoid making big mistakes.”

Couric fesses up

One of the (many) facts to come out of Katie Couric’s tell-all autobiography is that her mother was Jewish, but Couric wasn’t told of her heritage until she found a menorah at a relative’s house. In an interview with The Cut, she said, “I hate to call it self-loathing because I’m protective of my mom,” adding that “I would say it’s more protective of my father … I think she worried that it would not be helpful to my dad professionally.”