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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‘Sausage Party’ Animators Say Production Company Mistreated Them
Anonymous claims of exploitation have been made by the animators of Seth Rogen’s R-rated animated movie “Sausage Party.” The employees allege that Nitrogen Studios, the production company behind the flick, refused to pay them for overtime, fired some workers unjustifiably and threatened others with termination if they did not meet their deadlines. The complaints began…
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Mazel Tov! Wolf Blitzer Becomes a Grandfather!
Grisly-bearded CNN host Wolf Blitzer can add a new title to his resumé: grandfather. Late last week, his daughter Ilana gave birth to a son named Ruben Daniel Snider. CNN announced the birth yesterday, sharing with it an adorable photo of Blitzer holding his new grandson. Blitzer’s colleague Jake Tapper shared a screenshot of the…
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Goodbye, ‘Nightly Show’: Comedy Central Cancels ‘Daily Show’ Spinoff
It’s official: Comedy Central has canceled “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”, after almost a year and a half on air. The Nightly Show, which stemmed from Wilmore’s stint as “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show, which replaced “The Colbert Report” when Stephen Colbert left to host The Late Show, will itself be replaced…
The Latest
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WATCH: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Drums on the Subway — and Nobody Noticed
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: actor, writer, director…busker? A video posted this weekend shows the 35-year-old giving a spirited drum performance in the middle of a Los Angeles subway platform, complete with hand banging and a burst of shouting. He was dressed in a suit (old crush feelings from “10 Things I Hate About You” may have resurfaced…
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Ivanka Trump Hangs Out with Vladimir Putin’s Rumored Girlfriend Wendi Deng Murdoch
Ivanka Trump took in some sun on her European vacation with Wendi Deng Murdoch, the ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch who is reportedly dating Russian President Vladmir Putin. Trump posted a snap to Instagram of the duo posing in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where the Republican nominee’s daughter is vacationing with her husband Jared Kushner. The two women…
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Alicia Svigals and Lauren Brody Wow Crowd With Klezmer Gems at Yivo Concert
“This concert is in celebration of Yiddish Summer Program” Ben Kaplan, YIVO Education Administrator, told the August 3 full house at the Center for Jewish History at its “Zumer Concert” featuring violinist-vocalist-composer Klezmer maven Alicia Svigals and accordionist, singer researcher and piano tuner/technician Lauren Brody. Svigals got the audience foot tapping with her klezmer “bulgar”…
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WATCH: #HighSchoolTaughtMe According to Our Favorite Jewish Teens
The hashtag “HighSchoolTaughtMe” is trending on Twitter today, and we couldn’t think of anybody better to share some insight into the painful, ridiculous, occasionally profound feelings of teenage angst than our favorite Jewish teens in pop culture. Because high school eventually ends and aside from some hard earned lessons, like our gal Cher Horowitz says,…
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Jonah Hill’s Character in ‘War Dogs’ Based on Shmuley Boteach’s Nephew
Celebrity rabbi Shmuley Boteach isn’t tweeting about the biggest media event of his family’s life: His nephew is the subject of a major motion picture out next week from Warner Brothers. Boteach may be sitting out this particular press event because the life story of his nephew Efraim Diveroli is not exactly a proud one….
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Egyptian Judo Fighter Refuses to Shake Hand of Winning Israeli Opponent
Egyptian judo fighter Islam El Shehaby was met with loud boos and jeers after refusing to bow or shake the hand of the Israeli fighter who bested him at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Or Sasson, Israel’s fifth-ranked fighter, beat El Shehaby with two throws in the first-round for an automatic victory, with a minute…
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Mazel Tov! Bar Refaeli and Husband Welcome Baby Girl
Congratulations are in order for Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli and her husband Adi Ezra! The two welcomed their first child, baby girl Liv Ezra, on Thursday at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital. Jerusalem Post reports that the baby was born healthy weighing in at 7 pounds. The couple, who tied the knot in a low key…
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Playwright Pens Blistering Open Letter to Member of Trump’s Billionaire Trust
Writer Larry Kramer isn’t in favor of staying on the sidelines when he sees a crisis unfolding in the LGBTQ community. He’s known for his 1985 play “The Normal Heart,” which explored responses within the gay community to the HIV-AIDS crisis, and he co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s largest private organization…
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Fast Forward Ye debuts ‘Heil Hitler’ music video that includes a sample of a Hitler speech
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News ‘He was a mensch’: Slain Messianic Jew remembered as bridge-builder
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Culture Ye’s antisemitism is old news, but it’s time to pay attention again
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Opinion How anti-Israel rhetoric led to the killing of 2 in Washington, DC
In Case You Missed It
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Opinion After the DC shooting it’s clear: The pro-Palestine movement must be purged of violent extremism
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Opinion I want Palestinians to be free. But hearing the Capital Jewish Museum shooter’s chant terrifies me
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Fast Forward Trump administration says Columbia University ‘continually failed to protect Jewish students’
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Art Ben Shahn was a radical artist — why didn’t he want to be called a Jewish one?
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