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
-
The Schmooze Iddo Goldberg Gets His Big Break
The reason Iddo Goldberg is chatting with The Arty Semite is ostensibly his new film, “And While We Were Here,” opening September 13. But the conversation is less about his co-star Kate Bosworth than about his grandma Luba, who represents Judaism to him. In the film, the Israeli star plays Leonard, a concert musician booked…
-
Books How Nicholas Sparks Came To Write His First Jewish Characters
‘I sometimes think to myself that I’m the last of my kind.” And thus begins “The Longest Ride,” Nicholas Sparks’s latest novel. Sparks has written seventeen novels, eight of which have already made it to the silver screen. What makes this Nicholas Sparks novel different from all other Nicholas Sparks novels? Well, the speaker continues:…
-
The Schmooze How Josh Pais Learned To Be Invisible
Josh Pais has been in dozens of films playing many roles, including Raphael — not the painter, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Rurtle. But for most of his career he has been a sought-after character actor in independent films. Pais’s current effort is Lynn Shelton’s “Touchy Feely,” co-starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page and Allison Janey. Pais…
-
The Schmooze Johnny Cash’s Jewish Manager
Jonathan Holiff had a tough time growing up. His father was occasionally physically and always emotionally abusive. “If there was a definition of emotionally abusive in the dictionary there’d be a picture of my father next to it,” Holiff says. He quickly adds, though, “You have to put it into the context of the times.”…
-
The Schmooze Sigourney Weaver Will Star in ‘Exodus’
Sigourney Weaver is set to team up again with Ridley Scott, the director who made her a star. That was in “Alien,” singular; this time there are a bunch of aliens. Weaver will star in “Exodus.” For the record, this is not a re-imagining of the Leon Uris book that featured Paul Newman and Eva…
-
The Schmooze Austin Winsberg’s Best and Worst Blind Dates
First dates are always problematic. That’s especially true when it’s a blind date. The inherent tensions of the situation form the humorous backdrop for a new Broadway musical, “First Date.” Aaron (Zachary Levi) is a little uptight; Casey (Krysta Rodriguez) is less so. It does not look like this is a match made in heaven….
-
The Schmooze Avi Hoffman Is Still Too Jewish, Again
Just a few minutes into his performance, the screen behind Avi Hoffman lights up with an image of him as an 8-year-old with peyes. Not just any 8-year-old with peyes, mind you. He’s Tevye in a local production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” a performance his mom taped for posterity — perhaps anticipating this very…
-
The Schmooze Israeli Series ‘Irreversible’ Making Its Way to ABC
Another Israeli series will likely make its way to American television. In fact, Deadline Hollywood reports that “Irreversible,” based the Reshet TV show “Bilti Hafich,” is almost guaranteed a spot on ABC. The network gave the okay to Sony TV and Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me,” “Analyze This”) for a pilot and agreed to a seven-figure…
Most Popular
- 1
Fast Forward Why some Satmar Hasidic leaders endorsed Zohran Mamdani as mayor, stunning many Jewish voters
- 2
News How Mamdani became New York’s next mayor, with Jews divided between fierce opposition and fiery support
- 3
Opinion I’m an Israeli who lives in New York. Here’s why I’m voting for Mamdani
- 4
Sports It’s so cool that Sandy Koufax was there for that
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture Mamdani quoted Eugene Debs in his victory speech — there’s a long Jewish history there
-
Fast Forward The Jewish vote for NYC mayor went to Cuomo, but the Israel vote went to Mamdani, exit polls show
-
Yiddish מאַמדאַניס נצחון באַזאָרגט אַ סך ייִדישע כּלל־טוערMamdani’s victory worries many Jewish leaders
מאַמדאַני האָט נישט איין מאָל דערקלערט, אַז ער אָנערקענט נישט ישׂראל ווי אַ ייִדישע מדינה.
-
Film & TV Israel’s Oscar entry is, once again, about Palestinians
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism