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
-
How Dustin Hoffman Found Out His Family Was Murdered by Communists — on ‘Finding Your Roots’
In an incredibly emotional episode of PBS’s “Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis Gates,” acclaimed actor Dustin Hoffman traces his patrilineal ancestry back to a violent and anti-Semitic Russia and learns of a family tragedy spanning generations at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Born and raised in Los Angeles, the two-time Academy Award winning actor…
-
Kim Kardashian Launches Twitter War on Bette Midler
Has Kanye West hijacked Kim Kardashian West’s Twitter account? That’s what Bette Midler fans are thinking this morning after Kardashian unleashed some scathing late-night tweets at the Jewish diva. The social media exchange started late Sunday when Kardashian Tweeted yet another nude selfie, to which Midler replied: The First Family of Internet drama was not…
-
Joan Rivers Gowns and Baubles Go on Block
Fans of the late Joan Rivers will have the chance to buy items from the acerbic comedian’s New York home at an auction later this year, auctioneers Christie’s said on Tuesday. Pieces of art, jewelry, furniture and clothing will be among the 200-plus lots from Rivers’ Manhattan penthouse on sale June 22, with starting bids…
The Latest
-
SNL’s ‘Vote for Trump’ Ad Goes There
The Donald Trump campaign is creating some comedy gold and Saturday Night Live is reaping the benefits. Their phony “Vote for Trump” ad that ran on Saturday night answered the question of who is actually voting for Trump. According to them, it’s a bunch of racists and antisemites. Watch below.
-
Nancy Reagan Remembered as Gracious at Her Book’s Launch
I first met Nancy Reagan — who died on March 6 at 94 of congestive heart failure — during the 1989 American Booksellers Association Convention in Washington, D.C. The event was a June 5 by-invitation-only reception for her autobiographical memoir “My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan” with William Novak, held at the Library of…
-
Nancy Reagan Recalled by Jewish Ghostwriter and Bernie Sanders
You may know William Novak as the co-editor of “The Big Book of Jewish Humor”, or as the father of famous actor and writer B.J. Novak. But for two years, during the Reagan administration, Will Novak served as the ghost writer of first lady Nancy Reagan. After Nancy Reagan died this Sunday of congestive heart…
-
Sneaky Rhino Escapes From Israeli Zoo
Sneaky, sneaky! Ynet just shared this video of rhino Tibor, who escaped from the zoo in Ramat Gan, an Israeli city close to Tel Aviv, this Sunday, only to be caught shortly after by two zoo staffers. Watch him slowly and nonchalantly approach the zoo gate and then make a run for it once he’s…
-
5 Most-Read Jewish Women Authors on Campus
If you grappled with Gertrude Stein’s circular, free- flowing, language in college — “If Napoleon if I told him if I told him if Napoleon” – it turns out you’re not alone. In a recent analysis by TIME of the women authors most frequently read on college campuses, Stein showed up alongside some other familiar…
-
Sacha Baron Cohen Ends New Flick With Donald Trump Contracting AIDS Virus
Sacha Baron Cohen is no fan of Donald Trump. The British comic ends his latest movie, “The Brothers Grimsby,” with a scene in which the Republican presidential candidate contracts HIV in a mishap, according to people who have seen the film. The sequence occurs during the film’s end credits and has received a raucous response…
-
Amy Schumer Tweets ‘Offensive and Wrong’ Joke About Jews
Jewish comic Amy Schumer tweeted a Jewish joke criticized as “offensive and wrong” by the Gossip Cop website. In a Twitter post Wednesday, the comedienne and actress made public a photo of herself standing between a clarinetist and a saxophonist, each holding his instrument. Her caption read “A Jew with horns.” She later amended the…
-
Calatrava’s Matrix-Like New York Transit Hub Fails To Inspire
Five months ago, as I left work on my first day at the Forward and my third day as a New Yorker, I caught a glimpse of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub’s spiny white exterior. “That,” I thought, gleefully, “looks like a New York type of thing.” Indeed. Unfortunately, it is probably not a…
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion I’m a Jew of color. Ta-Nehisi Coates can’t apply US lessons to Israel.
- 2
Culture Columbus may have had Jewish heritage — that doesn’t mean he was Jewish
- 3
Opinion The most antisemitic university president you’ve never heard of
- 4
Culture Why Doug Emhoff shared his bar mitzvah with a guy named Scott
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward In Philadelphia’s suburbs, Jewish canvassers target Jewish voters
-
Fast Forward 2 pro-Israel activists arrested for violence at UCLA encampment last spring
-
News Silent dancing on Simchat Torah? A joyous Jewish holiday is remade for a mournful anniversary.
-
Opinion I tracked anti-Jewish extremism for 25 years. Reelecting Trump will make it worse
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism