• Jewish inmates in Florida prisons will finally get their kosher food. [JTA]

• The original Girls were from the 1920s, and their moms worried about them marrying Jewish men. [New Yorker]

• Speaking of Girls, how about the time Zosia Mamet got ‘Lewis and Clarked’ in a hotel room by a guy who tried to make Mamet’s Mitt Romney-loving dad pay for. [NYT]

• From the department of relationships we don’t support: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher might be house hunting in Chicago. [HuffPo]

• Jewcy favorite Andy Samberg will star in a new show on Fox about New York City detectives. [THR]

• Homeland’s Mandy Patinkin got a nice shout out during Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s highly entertaining opening monologue at last night’s Golden Globe awards:

The post Daily Jewce: Zosia Mamet Got ‘Lewis and Clarked,’ Andy Samberg’s New Gig appeared first on Jewcy.

My favorite tweet on election night came from Alec Baldwin:

You know your party’s in trouble when you read this:A: The rape guy lost.B: Which one?

— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) November 7, 2012

It sort of sounds like a joke Tina Fey (or her alter ego Liz Lemon) would write, and while funny, it’s also very depressing. That there were actual candidates representing a major party on the ballot that thought of rape as anything other than a violent crime is astounding. But sadly, it’s been par for the course this year.

Though the most pressing issue for most voters was the economy, 2012 has felt like the year of “I Can’t Believe We’re Still Fighting For This,” which is basically like the buttery spread but with more misogyny. I was raised on the ideas that birth control will always be there for us and that rape is a brutal crime and violation of another person’s body (with no “silver lining”). This election, however, demonstrated that these ideas hadn’t achieved the widespread acceptance I (and many others) had previously assumed. It seemed that the jury was still out on “rights,” “equality,” and “science.” Because this jury closely resembled the one in Twelve Angry Men.

In the months leading up to the election, I found myself getting progressively angrier. I couldn’t believe that progressive women were still putting out fires I had long thought extinguished—whether it’s fighting for insurance coverage of contraception or access to an abortion even if a woman isn’t bleeding to death. Every time a male Republican politician opened his mouth to explain rape, pregnancy, and motherhood to women, I felt my blood pressure jump.

I’ve had more than my fair share of “mansplaining” in the two-plus decades I spent as an Orthodox Jew. (God, am I ever grateful for introduction of “mansplaining” to the lexicon. Would that I had known about it fifteen years ago while I was still a student in yeshiva high school.) In school and out, rabbis were gracious enough to explain the ritual restrictions placed on women, because they knew us better than we knew ourselves. They told us that females were more spiritual, elevating us to unearned spiritual heights in order to keep us out of public synagogue life. (You don’t need to do that cause you’re so much holier than men. What?) They told us we were all destined to become mothers and therefore didn’t need to bother ourselves with time-bound positive commandments cause we’d be caring for babies. Elaine, you gotta have a baby.

During the domestic policy debate, Mitt Romney did an excellent job mansplaining how he understands the needs of working women by repeatedly insisting that females who have families should be allowed to go home early to care for them. As if childcare is the only thing a career woman would be concerned about—and the only acceptable reason a woman, or anyone for that matter, would need to leave work early. (Also he said “if” a woman chooses to work at least three times during that debate as though not working was a realistic choice for most women.)

Well, for all the male politicians who claimed to know women better than we know ourselves, they were mostly resoundingly defeated on Tuesday. The rape apologists, from the vice presidential nominee (though he did keep his congressional seat) on down were voted out of office by the very constituency they professed to understand so well.

But it’s just not the defeat of some openly and dangerously misogynistic legislators. This election has also brought the number of women in the Senate to 20, an all-time high. Some of these women are particularly inspiring progressives, including Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay senator.

Increased female representation in Congress and other governing bodies is essential and not just because all women think the same about all issues. We’re not exactly a monolith. But the more women (and other genders and orientations) present in government and positions of power, the less “mansplaining” we’ll be subject to. I might vehemently disagree with some female elected officials, but at least I won’t have to deal with them explaining women like they’re a relationship expert for Cosmo or the authors of The Rules. (Unless one of these women happens to teach my high school’s “Family Living” class, which prepped us for marriage after graduation and stood in as our sex education. Learning about the different colors of menstrual blood is the same as learning about STIs, right?)

Does this mean that I won’t have another rage fit in a few weeks or months when some conservative politician or pundit or rabbi says something deeply sexist? I’m sure I will freak out. The basic conversation about women’s right and opportunities hasn’t shifted all that much despite the recent electoral success. Merely defeating odious men who have no compassion for rape victims is not really a breakthrough.

But despite my traditionally pessimistic nature, I’m feeling very optimistic right now. (I even re-watched will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” video from 2008. God help me.) With more women in Congress (and with Obama likely to appoint new justices to the bench), I’m hopeful that one day in the not-so-distant future women’s reproductive rights no longer need to be explained and translated quite as much. Like all majority rights, I’d like them to become so accepted and normalized that they’re taken for granted, allowed to fade into the background and not be given much thought, just as men’s Viagra and vasectomies don’t get the full congressional treatment. (And certainly not by a panel of women to the exclusion of men.) They’re just there, like background noise, no mansplaining necessary.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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Though sometimes the shows on NBC’s Thursday night comedy line-up are surprisingly not Jewfilled – with Annie, played by the day’s preeminent female Ashkenazi sexy symbol, Alison Brie, as the only explicitly Jewish lead character – most operate in the uber-intelligent realm of American comedy that Jews did the brunt of the work defining.  As hard as it is to accept that Tina Fey and/or Liz Lemon is not a chosen person, solace can be taken in that likely a large amount of the folks on the other side of the camera make sure the night is semitically represented.  This is why we feel we are the one’s best prepared to tackle the enormity of the line-up each week.

When NBC announced this November it was moving to a six-show/three hours of comedy Thursday line-up many were incredulous as the concept is mostly unheard of on basic cable and none of the shows are particularly well watched.  For example, the line-ups most popular show, The Office, still gets beat in the ratings each week by the comedy black hole known as Sh*t My Dad Says.  What separates the night from the rest of the network’s parade of unwatched inanity is that many of these show are good, like really good, like standard-bearers for the American sitcom good.

Still, we understand there is a lot to catch-up on, so here is a refresher on where each show stands before the start of the spring season:

Community 8:00pm

After a great freshman outing, Community’s second season has made a persuasive argument for why it is the not only the best comedy but quite possibly the best show on television.  Each week it seems to redefine the rules of what is possible on a sitcom.  Beyond its ability to undertake the attention grabbing, high-concept episodes, what has made the show so special is the honesty and depth of it characterization.  “Cooperative Calligraphy”, better known as the “Bottle Episode”, was a masterpiece of character-based situation comedy.  It exhibited that the show is able to pull-off its fantasy/reality blurring arcs because how grounded and human the characters and their relationships are.  This season has focused on each member of the study group coming to terms with the person they have become; from Troy accepting his inner-nerd to Annie reconciling her uptight high school self with her burgeoning physical confidence to Britta and Jeff’s subversion of the will-they-won’t-they cliché by pushing the audience to root for won’t.  If it continues on the same roll as its first half, Season two of Community has potential to be something truly great.

Perfect Couples 8:30pm

Perfect Couples is the sole new kid on line-up, and though it might not seem to be a “perfect” fit yet it is not exactly a sore thumb on the six-fingered hand metaphor. Created by two comedy-writing journeymen with credits ranging from Friends and 30 Rock to Joey, and starring Olivia Munn who continues to build a career around being consistently inexplicably cast, it does not come with the pedigree of the night’s heavy hitters.  It is still a single camera format and, if the first episode posted on Hulu late last year is any indication, there does seem to be a desire to really explore various perspectives on common marital themes. If Modern Family is The Office of the classic family ilk of sitcom, NBC appears to be trying to make Perfect Couples the 30-something relationship version.  It is not there yet but the first episode showed a good deal of promise, especially with the Vance and Amy couple that was responsible for 100% of the laughs.

The Office 9:00pm

With nothing at stake, The Office’s decline was undeniable as the show started to flounder as the Jim and Pam arc approached its resolution. Then before the start of season seven it was announced Steve Carell was leaving the show, giving the series a new sense of purpose.  Smartly, the writers have focused as much on Michael leaving as establishing the heir to the regional paper/printer throne.  If there is a frontrunner, it is Darryl, who due to a hilarious and nuanced performance by Craig Robinson, has evolved from a tertiary character to one of the most complex of the series. The season so far has been its most consistent and rewarding one in years and with the looming Michael swan song arc, we can expect a lot highlights to come.

Parks & Recreation 9:30pm

The first episode of Parks & Recreation second season kicked off with Leslie accidentally marrying two gay penguins and effectively creating a town-wide controversy. The hilarious episode sent a clear message that P&R was a different, more ambitious show then what they showed in its underwhelming first season.  At first the comeback comedy of the year, it evolved into the hands down funniest 30 minutes on TV. Last season ominously ended with the government shutting down indefinitely, leaving the loveable bunch at the Parks Department left unsure if they will ever get to fill a pit again.  On a positive note this shut down came from the hands of two state auditors, who played by Adam Scott (Boy Meets World/Party Down) and Rob Lowe (a million handsome fellow roles) are welcome additions to the already strongest comedic ensemble working today.

At its best, which is almost all the time, Parks & Recreation blends the heart and subtlety of The Office, the DVR-pausing joke-blitz of 30 rock, and a Simpsonian desire to explore the people and places of an absurd small town. With poor ratings, even by NBC standards, Parks & Rec was forced to ride the bench this fall.  Luckily, it seems poised to finally break this spring due to the rising star power of Aziz Ansari and its natural placement following the similar and popular Office.

30 Rock 10:00pm

30 Rock is so great that in a relatively down year the show is still can’t miss.  Famously, avoidant of too much plot and character development, this season has shown many of its leads at their most mature; Jack is engaged and a soon to be father, Tracy is nominated for a Golden Globe, Jenna has met her soulmate in the form of a Jenna Maroney impersonator, and even Liz has maintained a relationship for 12 episodes and counting.  More than anything, 30 Rock is a finely tuned joke machine that few shows can hold a candle when it is at its best.  Also, a move to 10:00pm will hopefully allow them to push the envelope even further and get out of the rut they are not really in in the first place.

Outsourced 10:30pm

The vitriol spat at Outsourced was so enthusiastic that the show ended up coming out on the other end underrated.  It is not necessarily a good show but it is also not an affront to annals of television history.  The show is also not nearly as racist as people liked to claim as it generally hovers in the same range as 30 Rock on most nights.  The highlight is the acting by many of the Indian characters, especially Ragiv who gets at least a couple laugh out loud one-liners an episode.  Also, the main will-they-won’t-they story arc is interesting because of the female’s looming arranged marriage, though it gets weighed down by the beyond bland performance of the show’s lead played by Ben Rappaport.  Most importantly for the future of the show, people actually watched Outsourced.  It was the #1 new series across all networks among the desirable 18-34 demographic, garnering better ratings than Community almost every Thursday.  Meaning, as scary as it might seem, Outsourced seems like it is here to stay.

The post Jews Watching TV: NBC Thursday Night Preview appeared first on Jewcy.

This week, Nerve ranked every character on 30 Rock, from funniest to least funny, and I noticed something rather strange:  there is only one obviously Jewish character, and it’s a minor one: Milton Greene played by Alan Alda.

If you have worked at any New York media company, you know that having no Jews around is about as possible as walking into a church and not seeing a cross.  Thinking I had to be wrong, I looked the cast over again to see if I made a mistake.

#30 Pete Hornberger could very well be.  Need confirmation.

#14 I weren’t sure about Lutz, but after crowd sourcing on Twitter to find out if anybody knew of any Yids on 30 Rock, we were hit with his Wikipedia page.

#11 Frank Rossitano is played by Jew Judah Friedlander, but alas, is supposed to be Italian.

#4 Leo Spaceman MIGHT be Jewish.  He’s a doctor, his name is Leo, and the ‘man’ in his surname might be the shows saving grace.

#1 Liz Lemon.  We know, we know.  EVERYBODY thinks Tina Fey is secretly Jewish.

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