The Schmooze lies at the intersection of high and low culture. Here, the latest developments and trends in Jewish art, books, dance, film, music, media, television and theater are all assimilated into one handy pop culture blog.
The Schmooze
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The Jewish Rapper With Wu-Tang Ties — and His Nasty Twitter Beef Over Israel
A Jewish rapper with ties the 1990s hip-hop supergroup the Wu-Tang Clan is ensnared in a grinding, months-long Twitter beef with a popular MC and activist from Brooklyn. Ross Filler, whose stage name is Remedy, has been trading jabs on Twitter with Talib Kweli a well-known rapper with roots in New York’s Afrocentric hip-hop collective…
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Gene Wilder, star of ‘Willy Wonka’ and other classic comedies, dies at 83
Gene Wilder, a comedic actor known for playing wild-eyed eccentrics such as the titular characters in “Young Frankenstein” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” has died at 83. Wilder, who was Jewish, died Sunday from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, his nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman, told The Associated Press. Born Jerome Silberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,…
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4 Gene Wilder Scenes to Watch Right Now
Comedy legend Gene Wilder passed away today, leaving behind a treasure trove of beloved movie classics. We’re honoring the 83-year-old’s illustrious film career with a look back at just a few of his greatest films. Wilder co-wrote and starred in the box office smash “Young Frankenstein,” playing the descendant of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. He teamed…
The Latest
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Ann Coulter Gets Completely Destroyed at Rob Lowe Roast
We are all, unfortunately, acquainted with Ann Coulter, the human embodiment of an internet troll who for some reason is regularly invited to spew her vacuous filth on various talk shows. As of last night, her long list of TV appearances includes the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe, where she was invited to be…
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Meet The Businessman Behind Montreal’s $1,000 Shave
As a suggestion for those male politicians who have been embroiled in scandals over the cost of their haircuts – French President Francois Holland, the now-forgotten John Edwards, Bill Clinton – it might be best to avoid Montreal’s most unnecessarily luxurious men’s salon, Notorious. As The Star’s Giuseppe Valiante reported on August 28th, the shop…
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Anthony Weiner’s Crush on Huma Abedin — and 4 Other Things to Know About Them
After six years of a scandal-ridden marriage, Huma Abedin, a top aide for Hillary Clinton, announced she would splitting up with husband, ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner. The news came after The New York Post published a fresh set of allegations that Weiner had, yet again, been caught sending sexual text messages. We’re taking a brief look…
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Woody Allen Not Surprised by Stubborn Anti-Semitism
Woody Allen told The Guardian last week that he is “not surprised” by anti-Semitism. The 80-year-old star, who is making the press rounds for his new movie “Cafe Society,” said that while he has not faced discrimination because of his religion, some of his Jewish friends have. “If there were no Jews in the world…
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WATCH: Drake Finally Publicly Declares Love For Rihanna, Shares Awkward Neck Nuzzle
Drake gave the most swoon-inducing speech about Rihanna last night at the VMA’s—and our hearts are still recovering. There has always been whispers of dating rumors about the two artists, but things were made official when Mr. Champagne Papi himself presented Rihanna with the Vanguard Award (the VMA equivalent of a Lifetime Achievement award) and—finally!—declared…
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WATCH: Barbra Streisand Duets With Donald Trump, Er, Jimmy Fallon
In this election season of shame and scandal, no one provides levity quite like Barbra Streisand. The iconic songstress appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform a duet of the “Annie Get Your Gun” classic “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better” with a special partner: Donald Trump. Ok, it was…
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Hasidic Wedding Dress Turns to Artwork After 2 Months in the Dead Sea
Two months — that’s all it took to transform a 1920’s-style black gown into a shimmering, salt-covered piece of art. Israeli artist Sigalit Landau submerged a dress — a replica of the traditional Hasidic one worn by the character Leah in the seminal Yiddish play “The Dybbuk” — into the Dead Sea in 2014 and…
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Sonia Rykiel Was Every Woman’s Style Icon — Including Jews
Sonia Rykiel was hard to ignore. Some would have said that was true despite the fact that she dressed, always, in black; she knew it was because of it. The French fashion designer, famous for her chic, artistic knitwear, flattering on all ages, passed away Thursday in Paris from complications from Parkinson’s disease. Rykiel was…
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In Case You Missed It
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Yiddish מחשבֿות פֿון אַן אַהיים־געקומענעם (אַ מלחמה־טאָגגבוך)Reflections of a soldier after returning home (a wartime diary)
דער מחבר איז אַ סטודענט אינעם ירושלימער העברעיִשן אוניווערסיטעט, אינעם צווייטן יאָר ייִדיש־לימוד
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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News At Harvard, reports on antisemitism and anti-Palestinian bias reflect campus conflict over Israel
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Opinion Is JB Pritzker’s very Jewish toughness the key to fighting Trump?
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