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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The Schmooze Ric Klass on ‘Excuse Me for Living’
In “Excuse Me For Living,” Dan Topler (Tom Pelphrey) is rich, smart and, when the film opens, poised on a bridge ready to end it all. A judge remands the drug-addicted Yale graduate and medical school dropout to a posh rehab center, where he is treated by a Dr. Jacob Bernstein (the renowned actor Robert…
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The Schmooze Holocaust Story Inspiring, Short on Substance
The latest incarnation of “War of the Buttons” is likely to find favor with Jewish audiences, even though its execution fails to live up to its ambitions. A placard at the beginning suggests the film was “inspired” by real events, but it actually is based on Louis Pergaud’s classic 1912 anti-military novel, “La Guerre des…
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The Schmooze David Siegel Threatens Layoffs if Obama Re-elected
David Siegel has done it again. When last we met him, the time-share tycoon co-starred in “The Queen of Versailles,” the documentary about his building the largest house in America. The plan was interrupted by the economic downturn, which almost cost him the company he founded, Westgate Resorts. But he retrenched, sold off a time-share…
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The Schmooze Jenny Lee Stern on ‘Forbidden Broadway’
There are two words for all the actors, singers and dancers who believe “theater” is a major art form too important to denigrate: tough luck. After a three-year hiatus, “Forbidden Broadway” is back to put them in their place. “FB” has become something of an institution on the Great White Way — and on the…
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The Schmooze Woody Harrelson on Holocaust Humor
No matter what he does, Woody Harrelson will always be known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Woody Boyd, the lovable, intellectually challenged bartender on the TV show “Cheers.” Since then, however, he’s built a career as a serious and intelligent actor, landing highly-praised roles in films such as “The Messenger” and “The People vs….
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The Schmooze Jeff Astrof on Keeping Shabbos and ‘Partners’
CBS has enough confidence in its newest sitcom to give it a prime spot in its Monday night lineup, sandwiched between two hits, “How I Met Your Mother” and “2 Broke Girls.” That show, “Partners,” is premiering September 24 and is about two childhood friends navigating adult relationships. Joe (David Krumholtz) and Louis (Michael Urie)…
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The Schmooze Stephen Colbert’s Atone Phone
Tevye the Milkman is not the only one to believe in tradition. Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s Colbert Report does, too. As has become his High Holiday custom, Colbert is happily prepared to accept apologies from Jews who have wronged him. To make that easier, he has set up a toll-free Atone Phone. Here’s…
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The Schmooze Josh Radnor on Talmud and ‘Liberal Arts’
John Radnor is best known for his role as Ted Mosby, the central character in the hit CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” But that’s likely to change as he continues to flesh out his resume as a talented film writer and director. His first feature, “Happythankyoumoreplease” (2010) had, in his words, “a really…
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