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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Jewish Porn Star Joanna Angel Calls James Deen a ‘Scary Person’
Jewish porn star Joanna Angel said she feared for her safety during her six-year relationship with fellow porn actor James Deen. Angel called Deen a “scary person” in an interview Wednesday on the Jason Ellis SiriusXM radio show, the Daily Beast reported. Angel’s allegations come less than a week after another of Deen’s ex-girlfriends, the…
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What if God Was Wonder Woman?
What if God were a smokin’ hot Israeli superhero? French Jewish cartoonist Joann Sfar has created a series of cartoons imagining Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman character as the messiah. The , model and IDF fight-training instructor will appear as the DC Comics icon in the upcoming “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” before starring in…
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Hanukkah, As Explained by Pop Culture GIFS
Want to know the story of Hanukkah? Only got, like maybe half a minute? You’re in luck. We’ve created an animated GIF that explains the whole thing, with a little help from Jon Stewart, “New Girl” and many other (Jewish) pop icons. View post on imgur.com Happy Hanukkah!
The Latest
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‘Tradition!’ Behind the Curtain of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
With “Fiddler On the Roof** about-to-open in a new production at The Broadway Theatre, I met with behind-the-scenes writer Barbara Isenberg whose must-read book “Tradition” is at times akin to Page Six exposes of “Fiddler” history. With conversations starting in New York and ending in California, her positioning of “’Fiddler” is of coming of age…
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Six13 Parody ‘Whip/Nae Nae’ and ‘Hotline Bling’ for Hanukkah
Has Hanukkah started early? Yesterday we wrote about and today we have the pleasure of bringing you yet another Hanukkah-themed cover of a song – well, actually, two. A capella groups of the world, the Forward now challenges you to bring us covers in this style for the next six days, so we can have…
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Amy Winehouse Documentary Named Semi-Finalist For Oscar
A dozen documentary feature films on Jewish and Israeli topics, vying for Oscar glory, were largely eliminated when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences winnowed down the list of 124 contenders to 15 semi-finalists. The sole survivor of Tuesday’s announced semi-finalists is “Amy,” a British documentary on singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, described by her…
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Reese Witherspoon Plans Movie About Barbie Doll’s Jewish Creator
Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon is co-producing and possibly starring in a film in the works about the Barbie doll’s Jewish creator. Witherspoon, who won an Academy Award for her performance in “Walk the Line” in 2006, is partnering with Bold Films on an adaptation of the 2010 book “Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the…
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Zuckerbergs Welcome Daughter Named Max — Vow To Give Away Billions
Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said his wife Priscilla Chan has given birth to their first child, a daughter, on Tuesday. “Priscilla and I are so happy to welcome our daughter Max into this world,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. Zuckerberg and his wife also said they plan to give away 99 percent…
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Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Just Compared Youtube to the Nazis
The singer of the English alternative band Radiohead said that YouTube and its parent company, Google, have “seized control” of art like the Nazis did during World War II. “People continue to say that this is an era where music is free, cinema is free,” Thom Yorke said in an interview with the Italian newspaper…
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J.J. Abrams Teamed Up With ‘Hamilton’ Creator for New ‘Star Wars’ Music
Social media was all atwitter Tuesday after director J.J. Abrams revealed he teamed up with the creator of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” for music in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” It was during an intermission at the musical that its creator Lin-Manuel Miranda approached the director and quipped: “Hey, if you need music for the…
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Adele’s ‘Hello’ Gets a Hanukkah Parody, Because Obviously
It was only a matter of time before someone realized that Adele’s recent hit “Hello” would take very, very well to a makeover as “Shalom.” Comedian Ari Blau has given us that makeover, complete with unrepentantly flat singing, more applesauce than anyone in their right mind would feel comfortable with, and some surprised-looking grocery store…
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