Heeb

Jewdar is not normally inclined to point out the mistakes of others (aww, who are we kidding? We love to point out the mistakes of others!), and we are fans of both Haaretz and The Forward, but both papers dropped the ball when it came to news that Brad Pitt will be playing a "Jewish Hillbilly" in Quentin Tarantino’s next big thing, Inglorious Bastards. One of the movie’s main plots revolves around a squad of Jewish GIs operating behind German lines and kausing Kraut kaos through a kavalkade of kruel killings. Having read the script, Jewdar can report that Pitt’s character Aldo Raine is actually the gentile leader of the Jewish squad, much the same way that Lee Marvin’s Major Reisman was the non-convict leader of The Dirty Dozen. Of course, there’s still a while before the movie’s shot and in the can, and it’s possible that Raine will get a conversion by then, but we’re going to need to see proof of the bris before we we believe it.

And while on the topic, The Forward dropped the ball again when it came to coverage of the new 90210. According to the story, the new show offers a "truer picture of Beverly Hills," than the original, since it will take note of West Beverly High’s huge Jewish—particularly Iranian Jewish—population. So how much "truer" is this picture? Well, the first incarnation featured a Jew and a half, both Ashkenazim; version 2.0 features a Jew and a half, both Ashkenazim (though the Jew’s—who’s only a secondary character—father is Mexican). As for the Iranian, the character-as reported by yours truly, is actually a Scientologist. That is realistic.

Don’t get us wrong, Jewdar has been a devoted subscriber to The Forward for years. We’re not here to criticize, but to help—next time you need to cover something important (by which of course, we mean involving minute and irrelevant details about Jews and pop culture), give us a call.