Curt Schleier is a freelance writer and author who covers business and the arts for a variety of publications. Follow him on Twitter at @tvsoundoff.
Curt Schleier
By Curt Schleier
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Film & TV How To Get De Niro and Stallone in the Ring
Thirty years ago, boxers Billy “the Kid” McDonnen and Henry “Razor” Sharp split two hard-fought light heavyweight contests. But for reasons soon revealed, there was never a rubber match, despite the personal animosity between the two. Now, three decades years later, a young promoter has convinced them to participate in a “Grudge Match,” which will…
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The Schmooze ‘American Hustle’ Inspired by Real-Life Jewish Conman
“American Hustle,” David O. Russell’s inventive and energetic take on the Abscam scandal, starts with a tone-setting (and laugh-inducing) placard on the screen: “Some of this actually happened.” But, of course, a lot of it didn’t, and in that terrain between fact and fiction, Russell and co-screenwriter Eric Warren Singer have re-imagined the story as…
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The Schmooze He Was Deaf But Now Can Sing
During a phone conversation from his home in Paris, David Serero admits that his “is kind of a Cinderella story.” That’s an understatement. Frankly, Cinderella wouldn’t believe his story. Cinderella would call it a fairy tale. Deaf almost since birth, Serero began to regain his hearing after a three-year series of surgeries starting at the…
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The Schmooze Stephen Sondheim in Six Songs
Once upon a time, Americans grew up humming show tunes. They dominated radio airwaves, so, even if you hadn’t seen the musicals (or the films made from them), you knew the melodies and words to the songs of “Oklahoma,” “Carousel” and “My Fair Lady.” But that changed as pop, rock and rap started to control…
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The Schmooze ‘S#x Acts’ Explores Dark Side of Sexuality
Israeli-born director Jonathan Gurfinkel’s first film is officially called “S#x Acts.” You can substitute an “I” for the asterisk, because the movie has six acts. Or you can put in an “E,” because there are numerous erotic scenes. But mostly it is an emotionally charged film about bullying that is both fascinating and depressing. In…
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The Schmooze ‘Spiderman’ Writer Speaks Out
Glen Berger wasn’t surprised when the announcement came. He’d had an inkling that “Spiderman: Turn off the Dark” was on the last of its eight legs well before producers made it official. “I was speaking to some of the actors back in August, and the general feeling was that unless a miracle happens we were…
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The Schmooze Meet Israel’s Newest Superhero
Turns out that Wonder Woman is Israeli. Director Zack Snyder announced that he’s cast Gal Gadot as the iconic super hero for his “Batman vs. Superman” film, joining Henry Cavill (reprising his role as Superman) and Ben Affleck (recently named to play Batman). Gadot has been in three “Fast & Furious” films, among others. Said…
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The Schmooze Theodore Bikel Talks Showbiz and Jewish Republicans
Merriam or Webster ought to place a photo of Theodore Bikel right by the dictionary definition of polymath. Bikel is the ultimate multi-hyphenate. In a career that spans 70 years — he joined Israel’s Habima Theatre as an apprentice actor in 1943 — he’s had enviable careers as a film actor, a stage actor, a…
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