Meet Hillela Bernstein, Halle Berry’s Jewish Cousin

Stopping by The Tonight Show Friday to promote Things We Lost in the Fire, Halle Berry brought with her a couple mementos she probably now wishes had also perished in the blaze: Having recently discovered the funhouse-mirror filters on Apple’s Photo Booth program – also employed to terrifying kaleidoscopic effect by Rosie O’Donnell – Berry pulled out several printouts of her morphing handiwork, including a big-nosed alter ego she described as “my Jewish cousin.”Then, upon realising she might have just alienated the Far-Reaching Network of Jews Who Control Her Destiny, Berry asked, “Oh my God. Have I just, like, ruined my whole career?” She’d later request the offensive modifier be stricken from the broadcast, and publicly begged forgiveness for the regrettable lapse of good taste in pursuit of a talk show bit that did more towards illustrating how movie stars have a genuinely hard time filling their down time – just like us! – than eliciting any well-earned laughs.

• Halle Berry Apologizes for Joke on Leno [people.com]
• The Tonight Show