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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Harlem, Self-Help and Hollywood
Sylvester Stallone as gossip blogger Gerald in ‘Reach Me.’ Image courtesy Millenium Entertainment Emmy Award-winning writer and director John Herzfeld wrote and directed the comedy drama, “Reach Me.” It’s about a neurotic widower, Teddy Raymond (Tom Berenger), who wrote an anonymous motivational book which becomes a phenomenon that attracts devoted fans including a rapper (Nelly),…
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Weirdest Concert of Bob Dylan’s Career Happened Yesterday
In what was undoubtedly the least-attended but most-memorable concert of his career, Bob Dylan performed a four-song afternoon set for one person yesterday at the Philadelphia Academy of Music. Yes, you read that correct. One person. And it was not a CEO or aristocrat. Not even, God forbid, a music journalist. As reported by Rolling…
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WATCH Rabbi Susan Silverman’s Adoption Video
It’s not often we get an “aww” moment courtesy of Sarah Silverman, but this definitely qualifies. The comedian took to Twitter on Monday to share a video of her sister, Reform rabbi Susan Silverman, greeting her adoptive son Adar for the first time (Bonus: shots of Sarah Silverman as a proud auntie!) Check out @RabbaSusan’s…
The Latest
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Monica Lewinsky Won’t Change Her Last Name
Getty Images So, Monica Lewinsky won’t be changing her last name. (In case you were up last night wondering.) In an interview with Porter Magazine focusing on Lewinsky’s return to public life after 16 years of silence, and her recent campaign against cyber bullying, the 41-year-old was adamant that she never considered changing her name….
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Hebrew Home Fetes Y and R CEO David Sable
At the 1994 Hebrew Home for the Aged Gala, opera diva Beverly Hills touted the residence as the place where her mother Shirley Silverstein “found peace” and Henry Kissinger’s mother Paula was a resident. In a special appearance via film clip, Senator Robert Kennedy lauded the then 19.5 acre facility catering to 1000 patients with…
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‘Bodies’ of the Persecuted
Wikimedia Commons Extensive evidence suggests that both of the popular “Bodies: The Exhibition” and “Body Worlds” exhibits, which tour major cities across the world, have displayed and may continue to display the plastinated remains of Chinese practitioners of the Falun Gong, a spiritual belief rooted in Buddhism. In 1999, the Chinese government arrested and imprisoned…
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Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Talk Talmud
It was a Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert lovefest last night as the comedian appeared on “The Colbert Report” to promote his new film, “Rosewater.” Colbert, who let’s remember, got his start on “The Daily Show,” threatened to expose some dark secrets about what goes on behind closed doors. Jon Stewart’s response was to do a pretty…
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Stacy London Wants to Give You a ‘Make-Under’
Getty Images Dust off those 360 degree mirrors, ladies — Stacy London is back to clean out your closet. The co-host of TLC’s “What Not to Wear,” which ended in 2013 after a 10-season run(RIP) has signed on for a new show, People Magazine reports. And yes, it’s still fashion-focused. Called “Love, Lust, or Run,” the…
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POEM: ‘Return From Elsewhere’
Don’t yell at me, whisper: try to stop I let him drink from me I let him speed us up to the end to extremes I couldn’t imagine— (these are words that cannot be written) At the 7th Avenue station drained and soiled I forgot what any child knows by heart I couldn’t read the…
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Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Racist Jokes
If you’re anything like me, you spent a good part of the early aughts nose deep in a truly depressing series of books. I’m referring of course, to “A Series of Unfortunate Events” which tells the woeful tale of a trio of orphan siblings trying to escape the clutches of the devious Count Olaf. Well…
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Justin Bieber Hangs With L.A. Rabbi
Getty Images Pop star Justin Bieber spent three hours meeting with a rabbi in Los Angeles. Bieber on Wednesday visited the Westside Jewish Community Center, the celebrity news website X17.com reported. The singer “is on a spiritual journey,” according to X17, and reportedly has stopped using drugs and gotten rid of his entourage. Bieber reportedly…
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