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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Israeli Sculptor’s Work Ain’t In the Pink
A rendering of Ohad Meromi’s ‘The Sunbather’ Gumby’s grandmother. Pink poop. The Pink Panther on a bender. The reviews are coming in for a new sculpture by Israeli-born, New York-based artist Ohad Meromi — and it hasn’t even been built. Meromi won a coveted slot to create “The Sunbather” under the auspices of the New…
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Real-Life Lawyer Behind ‘Woman in Gold’
(JTA) — When attorney E. Randol (Randy) Schoenberg saw himself portrayed on the big screen by hunky Ryan Reynolds in the movie “Woman in Gold,” he immediately spotted a difference. “Obviously, I’m not the sexiest man alive,” Schoenberg acknowledged in an interview at his West Los Angeles home, referring to People magazine’s designation of Reynolds in…
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Playboy Mansion’s Jewish Tunnels? April Fools!
Twitter (JTA) — In the days before April Fool’s Day, Playboy.com circulated a story about a series of secret underground tunnels connecting the Playboy Mansion to the houses of Kirk Douglas, James Caan, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson. It seemed too good to be true, and sadly, it was. The Playboy staff went to great…
The Latest
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Who Buys All That Hametz?
(JTA) — Ever wonder how the Israeli government gets rid of its chametz, or leavened foods, at Passover? For the past 15 years it has been symbolically selling all the chametz from state-owned companies, the prison service and Israel’s national emergency supply to Hussein Jabar, an Arab-Israeli resident of Abu Ghosh. It then buys it all…
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POEM: One-Sixtieth Prophecy
Near the house, next to the woodpile, lies a dream too weak to enter. I hold my shadow down as it tries to escape, shut the windows, bar the doors, imagine myself bright and shiny. I am Joseph in the bor, the pit, empty of water, but full of scorpions and serpents. There is no…
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‘Salem’s Moral Compass Is a British Jew
No Jews were burned as witches in Salem witch trials. But with the second season of “Salem,” set to premiere April 5, that may soon change. WGN America’s first originally-scripted series is a supernatural drama which marries the history of Puritan America with sex, blood and witches. What’s not to love? The show focuses around…
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Lauren Bacall Mementoes Sell for $3.6M
Art and memorabilia that belonged to the late Hollywood film star Lauren Bacall sold for $3.6 million during a two-day sale, according to Bonhams auction house. Proceeds from the marathon auction which ended late Wednesday and two bronze sculptures by British artist Henry Moore that were sold earlier at an Impressionist and Modern Art sale…
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Amy Winehouse Said Would ‘Go Mad’ With Fame
A new documentary on the life of late British singer Amy Winehouse shows the six-time Grammy-Award winner in her younger days discussing her misgivings about fame, a preview of the trailer showed on Thursday. Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning nearly four years ago at her London home at the age of 27 after struggling with…
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Gerald Davis Showed the Strange Side of Celebrity
Nearly 18 years after his death, photographer Gerald Davis is finally coming into focus. A new collection of his photos, “Strange Stories,” (AMMO Books, $39.95) presents the world through Davis’ unflinching eyes, from hyperstimulated Palm Beach socialites to gleeful nudists to moribund celebrities. Todd Oldham, the designer and TV talking head, edited the book. “Looking…
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With Passover Plague Videos Like These, Who Needs the Maccabeats?
Holiday-themed parody video are usually lame, and cringe-inducing. Exhibit A: This Passoverized version of “Uptown Funk.” But sometimes, you get that one gem that makes it all worth it. Nina Paley has given us such a golden unicorn with her animation of each of the ten plagues (props to our good friends at Heeb for…
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Did Kirk Douglas Have a Secret Tunnel to the Playboy Mansion?
Kirk Douglas with Eve Miller in ‘The Big Trees’ // Wikimedia Commons Alas, we discovered this was all an elaborate Playboy April’s fools joke! Oh, the things you come across when looking for pictures to make Hugh Hefner’s birthday collage. A couple of editors at Playboy were rummaging through the magazine’s archives looking for material…
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