Israeli movie “The Bubble”, directed by Eythan Fox (”Walk on Water”), won the GLAAD media award for best movie in limited release.

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“The Band’s Visit” has become the widest Israeli movie release ever on US screens, after expanding to 105 screens this past weekend (the widest release for an Israeli movie in the States so far has been the 48 screens of “Ushpizin” in 2004. Palestinian movie “Paradise Now” got as much as 68 screens after winning the Golden Globe). “Band” is also only the fourth Israeli movie to gross more then a million dollars at the US box office, and if it holds steam, it will surely become - within a month or so - Israel’s top grossing movie in the States ever, beating out 2004’s “Walk on Water”, directed by Eythan Fox, which grossed 2.7 million dollars on 47 screens.

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Ricky Gervais launched a hilarious blog chronicling - in print, audio and side-splitting video - the production of “This Side of the Truth“, his first movie as director (along side Matt Robinson).

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Abe Karpen, a Hassidic Jew from Williamsburg, had to drop out from playing Natalie Portman’s husband on a short film she’s directing. Orthodox jews are not allowed to watch TV or movies, let alone play in one.
Karpen, reports Gothamist, was asked to hold Portman’s hand but refused, “It’s against our religion. You can’t even hold your wife’s hand on the street.”
Next thing they’ll tell me Kelly McGillis wasn’t really Amish.

(Hat-tip: Miri)
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Arthur C. Clarke beamed off this mortal coil into the netherworlds of the heavens, where he will catch up with star-children Stanley Kubrick (director of his “2001″ adaptation) and Roy Scheider (star of his “2010″ adaptation), who have gone forth before him.

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It was a week of Minghellas in the news: Hanna Minghella was promoted to be president of production at Sony Pictures Animation. Her new boss is Bob Osher, who replaced ex-pat Israeli Yair Landau as president of the digital production division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Her brother, Max Minghella, an up-and-coming actor, started principal photography Monday on Alejando Amanebar’s historical epic “Agora”, alongside Rachel Weisz. The film, set in 4th century Egypt, has a plethora of Israeli and Palestinians actors in supporting roles.
But then yesterday, Max and Hanna’s father, director Anthony Minghella, died suddenly, at age 54.