Finding God in Tinseltown
Two Members of the Tribe Dish on Staying Spiritual in Hollywood
By Joel D. Amos

As television networks launch their fall season this month, it seems an opportune time to visit with some of the Jewish talent behind the networks’ new fall episodes.

“It is an interesting time to be a Jew in Hollywood,” said Miriam Shor, who stars in the new ensemble sitcom “Big Day” on ABC. With one of Hollywood’s biggest stars recently embarking on an anti-Semitic tirade, Shor can at least appreciate the new level of discourse in Tinseltown.

“Issues like Mel Gibson force that on people. You can’t help but discuss religion even with something as stupid as this thing. It brings out subjects that are much deeper than hair extensions.”

Ben Silverman is producer of two shows this fall. The returning favorite, NBC’s “The Office,” and a debut on ABC, “Ugly Betty.”
“The Office” is nominated for five Emmy Awards including Best Comedy Series, which puts him in a very good position for achieving the dream he’s harbored since his childhood in New York City—an acceptance speech behind that infamous podium. “That would be incredible,” Silverman said.

It may be a special time to be Jewish in Hollywood, but it is also an artistically thrilling moment each September for anyone who plays a part in producing the television programs millions of people welcome into their homes.


THE PRODUCER
Ben Silverman
NBC’s “The Office” and ABC’s “Ugly Betty”
‘The Office’ premieres 9:30 p.m. September 21

‘Ugly Betty’ debuts 8 p.m. September 28
When asked how he’s feeling, “The Office” producer answers quickly. “I’m doing great,” Silverman says. Honestly, he should be. His hit “The Office” and his premiere “Ugly Betty” are arriving on the nation’s television screens this fall and his resume is filled with what could only be a greatest hits list of reality programming - “The Restaurant,” “America’s Biggest Loser,” “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” “The Weakest Link,” “Big Brother,” “Nashville Star” and Bravo’s current “Blow Out.”

The man who now owns his own production company, Reveille, Silverman got his start in television while working for William Morris talent agency in London. He was there as their youngest division head in the agency’s history. It was this sojourn into the British Isles where his life completely changed. English culture has not always translated well to American audiences, but Silverman saw something in a group of shows he thought would travel well including “Millionaire,” “Link” and “The Office.”

“I think part of it is if it makes you laugh personally, it will make other Americans laugh,” Silverman said. In particular, British actor Ricky Gervais’ docu-comedy about the inner workings of Dunder Mifflin, a fictional paper company run by a clueless but caring oaf, was perfect for an American audience who was ready to laugh at the corporate world who had recently produced Enron, TYCO and WorldCom debacles. “‘The Office’ was funny and strange and I wasn’t sure what it was until I got inside it and unpeeled the onion a little bit. I was excited to try and adapt it.”

Because of Gervais’ infamous characterization, Silverman knew he needed an actor to portray Dunder Mifflin’s leader who could match the Brit’s bravado and make it his own. “The casting was so laborious and specific and Steve Carell was somebody we really wanted,” he said. “Clearly he is just brilliant and has brought his own personality and genius to the role.”

By the end of the show’s first season, “The Office” found its American voice, becoming a Norman Lear-like commentary on American life in the cubicle. “I think what is so wonderful about it is, it has this great dialogue about the blue-collar world, which is more multi-ethnic, and the white-collar world above it,” Silverman said. “The relationship between the female boss and the male bosses, the gender issues that emerge and the sexual politics are all these things which have been swept under the rug in most television. They are really part of the story and I think that is one of the amazing elements of the show. Through emotion and character we are able to explore these themes and issues.”

Silverman’s import finished last season with an average of 8 million viewers. With the strong lead-in “My Name is Earl” NBC is returning to its must-see-TV Thursday. Winning an Emmy would certainly fuel momentum. “It is something that, I’m not afraid to say, is a moment to have happen. I’m really excited about the show. We have an unbelievable audience composition. I just want to expand the size of it,” Silverman admitted. An Emmy win would not hurt that effort. But even without a statuette, the show is one of television’s most anticipated returns. “It’s really gratifying. I’d love to go into the fall with the Emmy and be able to go to another level and continue to grow. It is the best show on TV and I would love for more people to discover that.”

Silverman grew up in New York City attending reform temple, the Shoman Day School, Columbia Grammar Prep and then Tufts University. As a Jew who has experienced the cultural melting pot of New York and also enjoys the sunshine of Hollywood, he can speak to the differences of being Jewish on each coast. “I think that in Hollywood, Judaism is very superficial and more cultural and not that succinct,” Silverman said. “There is a deeper sense of charity and connection to some of the spiritual elements of the religion, not just the cultural ones in New York. I think it much more profound there.”

When it comes to hints for the upcoming season, Silverman offers a few. First, another former “Daily Show” veteran lands on the set. Ed Helms is joining the cast and “The Office” will now employ 15 series regulars. “This is a huge cast and Ed is a really great comedic actor. He is perfect for our ensemble,” Silverman said. The proud producer then passes on one more sneak peak. Look for the fictional Dunder Mifflin to attend a paper convention, an entity ripe for humor. “This show is just so layered and hysterical.”


THE STAR
Miriam Shor takes viewers on the craziness that is a bride‘s ‘Big Day’ for ABC
‘Big Day’ premiere time and date not announced by press time
One thing is for sure about the environment on the set of “Big Day.”
Everyone does not seem to be acting like they are slaving away at work. “We’re having a blast,” Shor said as her hair and make-up was being done for shooting. “It’s really odd. It’s kind of a love fest. Not every set is like that. We just make each other laugh all day long.”

Not a bad start when you are premiering a comedy. But humor is only where “Big Day” begins and veers off on its own course. In a format utilized by shows such as “24,” ABC’s show operates using an almost real-time method of laying out the plot over its 22-episode run. As the family gathers for the wedding of Danny and Alice, the audience gets a front row seat on the wedding roller coaster ride. “Who cannot relate to the craziness of a wedding day?” she said. “Even if you don’t relate to the wedding part of it, everybody relates to the crazy family part of it. There is nobody I’ve met who doesn’t have at least one person in his or her family who’s a little crazy.”

Shor stars as Becca, the sister/bridesmaid who manages to complicate an already stressful day. Although the religion of “Big Day” is part of the humorous rollout of the season, Shor, for one, is an admirer of the Chupa. “Having done ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ for a year and a half of my life early in my career and going through that wedding 8 shows a week, it is just beautiful,” Shor said. “There is something about it that marks the special area where the bride and groom are - this area is sacred. Visually, it’s stunningly beautiful.”

The cast is comprised of sitcom veterans from Wendie Malick of “Just Shoot Me” to Kurt Fuller, who spoofed Karl Rove on “That’s My Bush.” Knowing the odds for new shows in Hollywood, Shor takes nothing for granted. “There is no weak link on this show. But you know TV, the whims of television blow randomly,” she said. “I’m just trying to have as much fun as possible.”

The actress was raised Jewish by the insistence of her non-Jewish mother who had married her Jewish father. “That was odd, but nice. I would not be considered Jewish by some, but I have a different take on religion,” Shor said. “The history of my relatives is as much a part of my belief system as much as someone who sits in a church or synagogue and tells me what I am.”

She is appreciative of the discussion permeating the country about anti-Semitism and how it arose from Hollywood. For her and other Jews in town, it is a chance to raise awareness. “There is a lot going on now in the world about being Jewish. Between the war in Israel and here in Hollywood with the Mel Gibson fiasco, being Jewish in Hollywood, well, there’s this inaccurate thought and bigoted view that Jews run Hollywood,” she said. “In my experience, this has not been the case.”

“It is an interesting time, really. There are some things that have surfaced, but there still is not a lot of depth. It’s kind of interesting to watch people right now and see them realize that they need to form an opinion about something. I’m someone who formulates an opinion about everything and don’t make any bones about it. It is an interesting time to be Jewish in Hollywood. I used to be a lot more cynical. Now I know the world is where everyone lives and we have to all get along somehow.”

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