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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12 Sibling Teams That Changed Hollywood
Getty Images Nancy, Anne and — who was that other one? — oh yes, Steven Spielberg aren’t the only siblings in film. In fact, the list is longer than you might imagine. 1. Joel and Ethan Coen If there’s one constant in the Coens’ collaboration, it’s the consistent high quality of their work: “Barton Fink,”…
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‘Cabaret’ Star Joel Grey Opens Up About His Sexuality
Getty Images Joel Grey has been many things in his life: an unforgettable MC in “Cabaret,” an evil reptilian demon on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” a dying scientist on “House,” and a doctor on “Private Practice.” But all while giving us these characters, he was keeping a part of himself secret. Now, at 82, the…
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The Teaser for ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ Series is Here!
The rumors are true! The teaser for Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer” reboot is finally here. The eight-part series based on the Jewiest camp movie ever made will take place on the first day of camp during the summer of 1981. Fans of the the original (and if you’re not, just stop reading) will know…
The Latest
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‘Night Will Fall’: A Documentary Within a Documentary
“Not only have I seen the film but I am in the film!” said Menachem Rosensaft following the [January 15] pre-screening of HBO’s Concentration Camp Liberation documentary “Night Will Fall” held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust which debuted on HBO on January 26 with an encore on January…
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Why Nancy Spielberg Made a Movie About the Israeli Air Force
“Above and Beyond,” the documentary about the birth of the Israeli Air Force, started with an obituary. This according to the film’s executive producer, Nancy Spielberg. Yes, for the record, she is one of those Spielbergs. Yet, despite her impressive credentials — she served as a consultant on the Oscar-winning documentary, “Chernobyl Heart,” and executive…
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Lost Violin of Auschwitz Plays Again
Amnon Weinstein has devoted his life to researching and collecting Holocaust-era violins. (Reuters) — A violin thrown some seventy years ago from a train transporting French Jews to the Nazi Auschwitz death camp will sound in the concert hall of the Berlin Philharmonic on Tuesday night, along with other instruments once played by victims of…
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A Jewish David Foster Wallace? Welcome to Sundance
Getty Images (JTA) – No, the late great writer David Foster Wallace was not Jewish – but the first actor to portray him onscreen is. Jason Segel, the Jewish actor known for his roles in films such as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “The Five-Year Engagement” as well as the popular TV show “How I Met…
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7 Moving Images From Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation
January 27, 2015 marks the 70 year anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and International Holocaust Remembrance day. With many of the survivors getting older, for some this may be the last year to commemorate the horrors and loss. Here are some moving pictures of the commemorations from around the world: UNITED KINGDOM : Holocaust…
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9 Jewish Things To Watch If You’re Snowed In
If you’re on the East Coast right now, there’s a pretty good chance that you’re hunkered down with a fridge full of food and a couple of extra blankets. So, what better time to catch up on all those shows and movies you’ve been meaning to see? Here are a couple of our more Jewish…
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Natalie Portman Attends First Dior Couture Show
Getty Images It may come as a surprise that Natalie Portman, face of Miss Dior, has never actually attended a Dior show. And yet, sitting in the front row at yesterday’s Haute Couture show held at the Musee Rodin in Paris, she reportedly gushed: “I’ve never been to a couture show,” she said. “This is…
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An Outsider Among Montreal’s Hasidim
In Quebec, the term “two solitudes” once described icy/cozy relations between the English and French. But in Maxime Giroux’s sublime “Felix and Meira,” which closes out this year’s New York Jewish Film Festival, the phrase seems apt for the Hasidim and hipsters of Montreal’s happening Mile End neighborhood, coexisting without actually engaging. The film’s title…
Most Popular
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
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News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
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Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
In Case You Missed It
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Film & TV Netflix’s newest Israeli show has nothing to do with Israel
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Fast Forward Jill Sobule, pop star who also composed songs for a new ‘Yentl,’ dies at 66
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Yiddish צווישן טרער און מוט — צווישן געדענקען און אומאָפּהענגיקייטBetween tears and courage — between memory and resilience
הירהורים צום 77סטן געבוירן־טאָג פֿון מדינת־ישׂראל
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Opinion Ireland’s prime minister gave condolences for Hitler’s death — here’s why that’s a contemporary problem
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