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 Secret Jewish History of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong, the late, great, gravel-toned jazz genius, would have been 115 today. From his childhood, the legendary singer, trumpeter, composer and actor, who wore a Star of David for much of his life, was personally and professionally shaped by a number of rich connections with Jews. Most significant among them were those he had…
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#TBT Barbra Streisand’s Most Fabulous Vintage Photos
Barbra Streisand kicked off her nine-city tour this week, breaking a 4-year concert hiatus and taking to the stage in Babs-like epic proportions. She belted out “Papa, Can You Hear Me,” brought out Jamie Foxx for a duet and leveled many colorful digs at Donald Trump. In celebration of the 74-year-old legend’s return, we’re throwing…
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Dustin Hoffman Messes with Paparazzi in the Most Creative Ways Possible
Hat tip to twitter user Priscilla Page (@BBW_BFF) for bringing to our attention the minefield of hilarity that is Dustin Hoffman trolling the paparazzi. my favorite folder on my computer: Dustin Hoffman Fucking With Paparazzi pic.twitter.com/VKOESwglXV — priscilla page (@BBW_BFF) August 2, 2016 Take a minute to enjoy the 78-year-old actor hiding behind tree branches,…
The Latest
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5 Ways Donald Trump’s Twitter Insults Could Be Better In Yiddish
While his haters may think he is totally fercockt (all screwed up), Donald Trump can dish it right back. The Donald seems to have no shortage of incendiary tweets ready to hurl at anyone and everyone who disagrees with him. But he does sometimes seem to have a shortage of hateful words at his disposal….
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WATCH: Israeli Parents Serenade Baby With Cutest Rendition of ‘One Day’
Today in adorable news, an Israeli couple serenaded their baby with a pitch-perfect rendition of the Matisyahu hit “One Day” and we dare you to watch it without smiling. Yoni and Nina Tokayer racked up more than one million views on Facebook when they uploaded the video last week, which features the two sitting in…
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Birthday Boy Tony Bennett Has a Jewish Daughter
For many, Tony Bennett – the singer whose standards, from “Fly Me to the Moon” to “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” are near-universal – has always felt a little bit like family. Today, as the world celebrates Bennett’s 90th birthday, Jews have an extra reason to rejoice: for us, he almost is. That…
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Zac Efron Joined Tinder-and No One Swiped Right For Him
Serious question. Who wants to go on a date with Zac Efron? If you’ve seen the recent “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” I would be surprised if you’re not giving at least a half-hearted hand raise. <br/br> And yet, it turns out the 28-year-old star has had some trouble in the love department. In…
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Colson Whitehead’s New Novel is Oprah’s Book Club Pick
Colson Whitehead’s new novel “The Underground Railroad” was announced earlier today as the next Oprah’s Book Club pick. It’s the Club’s first book since February 2015, which featured Cynthia Bond’s “Ruby.” While Whitehead isn’t Jewish, it seems possible the New York-born author has taken the famous Lenny Bruce declaration that “If you live in New…
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“Kimmy Schimdt” Star Ellie Kemper Gives Birth to First Son
As we’ve learned from the title sequence of “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt,” females are strong as hell. Living through fifteen years as a kidnap victim in a bunker is one way to prove that; giving birth, as Kemper recently did, is another. Kemper and her husband Michael Koman have kept quiet on the subject of…
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WATCH: Matisyahu Joins Street Performer Singing His Song
A street performer in Paia, Hawaii shared an impromptu duet with Matisyahu last week—and he didn’t even realize it. Clint Alama, a local musician, was performing the Jewish singer’s smash hit “One Day,” when an inconspicuous looking man in a backwards baseball cap and swim trunks joined in. The man,unbeknownst to Alama, was Matisyahu himself….
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I’m Not a Jew, I Just Play One on TV (and in Movies, Too)
Kathryn Hahn, most recently of “Bad Moms,” revealed in a New York Times article that she isn’t Jewish. (What?!) She often plays Jewish characters, her husband is Jewish, and said she often gets mistaken for being Jewish herself. “Sometimes it takes an outsider to really get inside,” she said in the Times article — she…
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News ‘He was a mensch’: Slain Messianic Jew remembered as bridge-builder
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Fast Forward Ye debuts ‘Heil Hitler’ music video that includes a sample of a Hitler speech
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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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Culture The Jewish artist who almost died exploring the Wild West
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Opinion This Jewish mathematician understood why Trump is a terrible poker player
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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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