Jews Making News: Silverman, Stewart
Silverman Gets a Special //
HBO has finally wised up and will be giving comedian Sarah Silverman her first ever stand-up special, coming this fall. Totally uncensored, “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles” will begin taping later this month in association with Funny or Die.
Some might recognize Silverman from her Comedy Central series “The Sarah Silverman Program,” which ran its final season in 2010. She’s been busy in the meantime, though: Back in March, she co-founded the YouTube channel Jash – made up of comedians Michael Cera, Reggie Watts and duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim along with Silverman – as part of the site’s push for original content.
But why stop there? Silverman is also set to be featured in YouTube’s inaugural Comedy Week, starting May 19.
Daughter of Beth Ann and Donald Silverman, Silverman is one of four sisters. Her eldest sister, Rabbi Susan Silverman, lives in Jerusalem, Israel; another, actor Laura Silverman, appeared on “The Sarah Silverman Program” as a fictionalized version of herself.
Directorial Debut for Stewart
For roughly three months this summer, “The Daily Show” Senior British Correspondent John Oliver will be taking over for Jon Stewart in the host’s absence. But Stewart isn’t taking just any holiday – he’ll be out of town to direct his first feature film, entitled “Rosewater.”
The New York Times reported that the movie will shoot overseas and tell the story of British journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained and interrogated in an Iranian prison. Fittingly, Bahari’s captors used an appearance the journalist made on “The Daily Show” as evidence against him.
Stewart will both direct and write the screenplay for “Rosewater,” due for a 2014 release. Born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, he spent his younger years in New York City with his mother Marian Laskin and father Donald Leibowitz.
The 50-year-old began his stand-up career at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village and chose his stage name “Jon Stewart” in part due to his distant relationship with his father.
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