1. Natalie Portman Dances Her Way Down the Aisle
Here comes the bride! Natalie Portman said “I do” over the weekend to French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The bride, who is Jewish, wed the choreographer on Saturday on the central California coast in Big Sur, according to MTV.com. Surrounded by family and friends, the pair exchanged vows after dark in a traditional Jewish ceremony at a private home.
The Oscar winner, 31, first met her 35-year-old husband in the fall of 2009 on the set of Black Swan. He worked as a choreographer on the film in which she starred. By December of 2010, the couple announced they were engaged and expecting their first child. Their baby boy, Aleph (which means “chief” or “number one” in Hebrew), was born in June of 2011. There are some serious “Mazel tovs” in order for this family!
Jewish gymnast Aly Raisman disappointingly took fourth place in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around competition at the London Olympics last week. It was a disappointment to the 18-year-old athlete because she actually tied for third place, but was dropped to fourth due to a quizzical and controversial tie-breaking rule.
Raisman says she is more sad than angry about the ruling and is still looking forward to competing on the balance beam and floor individual finals on Tuesday. The star athlete told People magazine, “I’m really excited about that. I’m just going to keep working hard and move past it. It is what it is, it’s a learning experience. I’m only human – everyone makes mistakes.”
We’re looking forward to seeing this Jewish gymnast make a comeback this week!
3. Rashida Jones Writes Her Own Story
After consistently being cast as the dependable, affable, loving, friend-wife-girlfriend, Rashida Jones has decided to take her career in her own hands and wrote a part for herself!
The actress, whose mother is Jewish, has written a new film called Celeste and Jesse Forever. Premiering this Friday, the film stars Jones as Celeste, who is in the midst of a harsh divorce from her husband, Jesse (Andy Samberg). Jones tells the New York Times that this character is “less than likable.”
Jones made the film on a budget that she put together for less than $1 million, even though she was offered more money from a studio at one point. She turned them down because their offer allowed the studio to “reserve the right to cast somebody else if they felt like [she] wasn’t financially viable.” Dependable, affable, loving, friend-wife-girlfriend no more!