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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Israel’s ‘Golden Boy’ Makes Eurovision Finals
For the first time in five years, Israel has made it to the Eurovision finals. 16-year-old Nadav Guedj on Saturday night in Vienna, as he battles 19 other qualifiers for the big title. His song, “Golden Boy,” is marvelous. I wanted to hate it. Really, I tried. But in the end, the ridiculously catchy pop…
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Candice Bergen, Renee Fleming Honored By Einstein Women’s Division
At the May 19 Albert Einstein of Medicine Women’s Division’s 61st Annual “Spirit of Achievement” Luncheon at the newly refurbished Rainbow Room, honorees Candice Bergen and Renee Fleming added comedic edge to their sober, substantive acceptance speeches. “I’m incredibly honored to receive the Einstein Award and so happy I thought to wear the right outfit…
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Nazi Occupation Meets Reality Television in New Czech Show
Just when you think reality television has reached peak absurdity levels, the trashy TV gods deliver something like this. Presenting “Holiday in the Protectorate,” a Czech show that requires a family to live for two-months under World War II-like conditions, Gestapo included. According to , the lucky three-generations will have to contend with actors playing…
The Latest
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David Letterman’s Top 10 Jewish Moments
After over three decades of making us laugh, David Letterman’s last show is upon us. We know that Letterman will always be the best at top 10 lists, but here is our humble Top 10 best Jewish guests on Letterman, through the years: 10) Number ten is an actual Top 10 Letterman list! Featuring our…
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Natalie Portman Back With a Vengeance
(JTA) — Until a few weeks ago, Natalie Portman had all but disappeared from the frontlines of popular culture. After winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her intense role in “Black Swan,” the Israeli-American actress took a well-deserved break and settled down: She got married, had a child, moved to Paris and…
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Mystery Solved! Madonna Viral Instagram Pic Was Israeli Gay Party Ad
Sorry, Madonna fans, but the Material Girl’s provocative Instagram photo of a Jewish man and an Arab man about to lock lips isn’t quite what it seems. The photo is actually of two Israeli Jews: Imri Kalmann, 28, and Dekel Aiden, 24, two Tel Aviv party promoters who host a periodic gay club party called…
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Jimmy Wales Talks Wikipedia and Neutrality in Israel
(JTA) — The article’s first iteration — published amid the bloody second intifada, or Palestinian uprising — called it a “security fence” and focused on Israeli support. Within a half-hour, another editor added a sentence about a United Nations condemnation. Later that day, the phrase “apartheid wall” appeared, using the Palestinians’ preferred term. Following thousands of…
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Backstreet Boys Jet In for Israel Gigs
The American pop band Backstreet Boys has arrived in Israel. The band, whose popularity was at its peak in the ’90s, is scheduled to give three performances in Ra’anana May 19-21. They landed in Israel on Sunday from their last performance in Thailand. The Backstreet Boys are scheduled to tour throughout Israel prior to Tuesday’s…
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‘Mad Men’s Most Jewish Moments
Sunday marks the end of an era. After seven seasons spanning a tumultuous decade, “Mad Men” is leaving us for advertising heaven (and I don’t mean McCann-Erikson). By this time next week, Don, Peggy, Joan, Roger, Betty, Sally, Pete, and all the other characters we’ve come to know and love (and sometimes hate — I’m looking…
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Woody Allen Admits TV Series Will Be ‘Cosmic Embarrassment’
Award-winning film maker Woody Allen fears his first foray into directing for the small screen will be a disaster, saying that he should never have signed up to make a television show for Amazon.com. Amazon announced in January it had secured a deal for Allen to write and direct a series of half-hour episodes for…
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Masha Leon’s Voice from the Past in Stonehill Jewish Song Collection
When in the fall of 1948—I was asked to sing a Yiddish song for a man sitting in the lobby of the Hotel Marseilles on Broadway and 103 rd Street recording songs by Holocaust survivors, I could not have imagined that decades later it would be part of the “Stonehill Jewish Song Collection” and that…
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