6 Degrees (no Bacon): Jewish celebrity roundup

Sarah Silverman’s cross

NEW YORK (6NoBacon)—Sarah Silverman revealed in a recent appearance on W. Kamau Bell’s show “Totally Biased” that she was hurt by the jokes made about her age at the Comedy Central roast of James Franco.

It was somewhat surprising—not because the jokes weren’t offensive, but because it isn’t like Silverman hasn’t dished it out herself over the course of her career.

But far more shocking than her thin skin was the thing viewers noticed on her skin during the interview: the cross pendant she was wearing on her necklace.

Silverman fans (at least those who read Heeb Magazine, which published a post about her conspicuous cross) were thrown off by the Christian paraphernalia, questioning whether one of the Jewiest female comedians around had jumped ship.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, answers came quickly, with Sarah’s dad and sister posting clarifying comments to the Heeb piece.

From her dad, Donald: “I told Sarah that her nana (long passed) wanted to know about the cross. Sarah told me to tell Nana she’s still a Jew. It came from something she wore on a movie set.”

And from her sister, Rabbi Susan Silverman: “I’m her rabbi sister and called her and asked WTF? She got it, like our dad said on a recent movie set and she just liked that it pointed to her boobs. Oy.”

Phew! Now we can go back to being scandalized by more benign Silverman antics, like songs about doing it with Matt Damon and indecently solicited donations for President Obama.

New role for Mayim Bialik: Mentor

As a star on the hit show “The Big Bang Theory,” an author, blogger and a Ph.D. in neuroscience, Mayim Bialik is certainly a potential role model for young ambitious Jews. Now she’ll be one in an official capacity.

As a co-chair of Core 18, an entrepreneurial boot camp for 19- to 25-year-olds, Bialik will help “cultivate the next generation of Jewish leaders by providing executive mentoring, traditional Jewish wisdom and social entrepreneurial skills, with a focus on maximizing each fellow’s unique strengths.”

“Core 18 Leaders Lab is a mad scientist’s dream,” Bialik told The Times of Israel. “We bring in emerging Jewish leaders and give them the connections, training and funding they’ll need to experiment with cool new ideas that can change the Jewish landscape.”

Co-chairing with the Jewishly observant actress are Tal Ben-Shahar, a former Harvard lecturer, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom.

Those interested in participating should send applications by Oct. 15. The program will launch in January.

Andy Samberg marries Joanna Newsom

Sorry ladies, but the rumors of Andy Samberg’s plans to wed singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom this weekend turned out to be true. After dating for five years, the couple tied the knot Saturday in Big Sur, Calif., Us Weekly reports.

While the gossip site boasts its story has “All the Details!,” there are in fact no event-related details. In other words, we can’t tell you how many “Saturday Night Live” cast members showed up or if the Lonely Island sang a jokey rendition of “Hava Nagila.”

Omri Casspi stands tall in Florida sukkah

Jewish NBAer Omri Casspi, recently signed by the Houston Rockets, spent the first night of Sukkot at the Chabad of Pinellas County in Clearwater, Fla.

Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA, attended services and shared a meal with Rabbi Levi Hodakov and his family, and even made a “flawless kiddush on his own,” according to a news release.

Sources confirmed that the 6-foot-9 Casspi was able to stand up in the sukkah without knocking off the schach.

Seth Rogen’s new animated (phallic) film

The latest project for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the guys behind “This Is the End,” will be an animated film. Fans worried a cartoon will mean an absence of the duo’s signature classy genitalia jokes can relax: The movie is rated R. Oh, and it’s called “Sausage Party.”

For the latest Jewish celebrity news, visit JTA’s 6 Degrees (No Bacon) blog.