By Nate Bloom
Contributing Columnist
“The Bear,” an acclaimed Hulu/FX series, will return for its third season on Thursday, June 27. The first two seasons’ episodes were doled out week-by-week. This season, all 10 episodes will be dropped on the 27th. The head of FX said that the weekly schedule made many loyal viewers anxious waiting for a new episode — and that’s not consistent with a hit show that has won many Emmys.
The show’s trailers find chef Carmy (aka The Bear) pushing his Chicago gourmet restaurant staff to be better than ever — Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) is hoping for a Michelin star.
The whole regular cast, including EBON MOSS-BACHRACH, 47, is returning. Moss-Bachrach plays Richie, Carmy’s cousin. He works in Carmy’s restaurant. Moss-Bachrach won the Emmy (2023) for best supporting actor (as Richie) in a comedy.
While not confirmed, the buzz is that most of the recurring cast members will return (this includes MOLLY GORDON, who plays Carmy’s girlfriend, and JON BERENTHAL, who appears in flashbacks as Carmy’s late brother). The guest actors haven’t been revealed.
“A Family Affair,” a romantic comedy, is set to be released by Netflix on June 28. Here’s the premise: Zara (JOEY KING, 24) is a young woman who works as the personal assistant to self-absorbed Hollywood star Chris Chole (Zac Efron, 36). Zara discovers that Cole is having a secret romantic relationship with Zara’s widowed mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman, 56).
King got good reviews for her performance in the 2024 Hulu mini-series “We Were the Lucky Ones” (about an extended Jewish family that remarkably survived the Holocaust).
King, in a sense, flew her Jewish flag in this series — and I just found out that Efron has recently done something similar.
In common parlance, Efron is one quarter Jewish (his paternal grandfather). He wasn’t raised “anything.” Back in 2014, Efron said he was Jewish — but the context he spoke in was comical and it was hard to say that Efron really identified as Jewish. However, last March he made his Jewish identification very clear. As the Gaza war got very hot, Efron was interviewed by Ynet, an Israeli news service.
Ynet reported: “Efron clarified that although he is not close to religion in any way, he identifies himself as Jewish. When asked how he feels about the sharp rise in global antisemitism, he immediately responded, ‘It’s devastating. It’s sad it’s just going to happen in today’s world. It shouldn’t.’”
Ynet also spoke to Efron about “Iron Claw,” a film he made that had just opened in Israel. It was based on the lives of the Von Ericks, an American family that were famous professional wrestlers. Efron co-starred as Kevin Von Erick, now 67. Kevin has long been an Israel supporter and he was in Israel last March to open “Iron Claw” and show his support of Israel.
“Iron Claw” was a surprise critical and box-office hit. Efron’s main co-star was Jeremy “The Bear” Allen White (Small World).
“Daddio” is a drama (with light moments) about a taxi driver (SEAN PENN, 63) and his passenger (Dakota Johnson). They have a long, very personal conversation as he drives her from the airport to Manhattan. It opens in theaters on June 28. Film festivals reviews were very complimentary of the script and the two stars performances.
You should really watch an interview that Penn did with Jimmy Kimmel (June 15, on Youtube). He promoted “Daddio,” but after that he had wonderfully smart and funny exchanges with Kimmel.
Many rock historians say that Revival 69, a (1969) Toronto rock concert was only second to Woodstock as a great and influential rock concert. Revival 69 had an incredible line-up: John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, the Doors, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“Revival69,” a new documentary, covers the many difficulties the promoter had in organizing the concert — and, like Woodstock (1969), a miracle happened and everything came together. The film features some good footage of the concert never seen before. (It opens in theaters on June 28).
A number of rock music figures with ties to the concert were interviewed. They include guitarist ROBBIE KREIGER, now 78, the last surviving member of the Doors; SHEP GORDON, now 78, a top agent; and bassist GEDDY LEE, now 70, a Toronto native who was 16 years old when he attended the concert. He had joined the band Rush the previous year. But Rush wasn’t famous enough then to be in the concert.