Jay Leno tapped to host ‘Jewish Nobel’ fete
Jay Leno sees a small silver lining in the recent collapse of U.S.-backed Mideast peace talks: It should make his job just a little easier when he performs in front of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this month.
“I guess any American that’s not John Kerry is more than welcome there right now,” Leno said.
The late night legend is heading to Israel on May 22 to host the awards ceremony of the $1 million Genesis Prize in Jerusalem. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is being honored as the first recipient of what has been dubbed “the Jewish Nobel Prize” for his years of public service and philanthropy.
Netanyahu will headline a list of more than 400 dignitaries in the audience.
Leno said he will run his jokes by the “appropriate people” ahead of time to avoid saying anything inappropriate.
For Leno, the trip will be his first to Israel. At a time when pro-Palestinian activists are urging entertainers to boycott the Jewish state, he said he didn’t have “any problem” with his decision to perform. “It’s a great honor. It’s a great country. It’s a great people,” he said.
Jackman going back to Broadway
Hugh Jackman is jacked to host the Tony Awards for the third time, but he’s also looking forward to being onstage for a longer stint in the near future.
“I’m going back to Broadway. I’m doing a play called ‘The River,’ a Jez Butterworth play. So I’m really looking forward to treading the boards here on Broadway,” Jackman confirmed to the Associated Press on Thursday.
The play, the first since Butterworth’s “Jerusalem,” is about a trout fisherman in a remote cabin who is visited by two of the women in his life. It was first seen in London in 2012.
But before that, it’s the Tony Awards for Jackman on June 8.
“I’ve done it three times, the Tonys. For me it’s one of the best shows out there. It is one of the most accepting, generous audiences you can ever get at Radio City Music Hall,” said Jackman, who has also won a Tony. “I never take for granted how lucky I am to be embraced by that community. After all, I’m an Aussie, but I’ve always felt at home there.”
The new play will be Jackman’s fourth on Broadway. He was last there with a one-man show in 2011 that routinely sold out the 1,176-seat Broadhurst Theatre. He also starred in “The Boy From Oz” in 2003 and the play “A Steady Rain” with Daniel Craig in 2009.
The birthday bunch
Actress Geraldine McEwan is 82. Rock musician Nokie Edwards (The Ventures) is 79. Actor Albert Finney is 78. Actress-turned-politician Glenda Jackson is 78. Producer-director James L. Brooks is 77. Singer Tommy Roe is 72. Actress Candice Bergen is 68. Pop singer Clint Holmes is 68. Singer Billy Joel is 65. Rock singer-musician Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) is 64. Actor John Corbett is 53. Rapper Ghostface Killah is 44. Rock musician Dan Regan (Reel Big Fish) is 37. Actress Rosario Dawson is 35.