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 Underappreciated Leonard Cohen Songs
Leonard Cohen is not a very prolific artist. In a 47-year music career he has made just 13 studio albums, along with a passel of live releases. (Compare that with Bob Dylan’s 35, or Neil Young’s 39 solo records.) But despite the relatively small size of Cohen’s catalog, it still has a lot of underappreciated…
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Apparently, Kate Hudson Sees Dead People
Getty Images Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn have a very special talent — and it’s not acting. Apparently, the Jewish mother-daughter duo spend quality time together interacting with ghosts. The subject came up during an interview with British talk show host Alan Carr, set to air later tonight. Here are a couple of soundbites (via The…
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POEM: ‘You Think This May Be How It Happens’
You’re sitting in an armchair, it’s your favorite, though beat up from years of use, and there is a tear in the fabric covering the seat cushion, and it’s after noon, and you’re taking your nap, and you wake up and ask your daughter if anyone is there, you feel as if someone has been…
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4 Jewish Ways To Talk Like a Pirate
Ahoy mateys! Arrr ye ready? September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Aye aye! To celebrate, we’ve rounded up some of the most fearsome Jews ever to sail the seas. Thar be more than ye think. 1) Jean Lafitte This French-American pirate, who sailed the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century,…
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POEM: ‘Neighbors’
If only I’d climb over the fence and step into my neighbor’s grove of almonds, stealthily put my ear against his window listening closely to Farid and his oud, and think of his ancestors as mine, and remember him coming from Mecca with his green flag for my son’s birth, if only we’d sit together…
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Seth Rogen Hired As Professional Blunt Roller
Seth Rogen can roll — Shabbos or no. The 32-year-old Jewish actor has a new job that fits his skill set: rolling blunts for rapper Wacka Flocka Flame. On Monday, Wacka Flocka advertised for a “blunt roller” on Instagram, offering to pay $50,000 a year. The next day, he clarified his application instructions: All resumes…
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Gloria Steinem to Cameo on ‘The Good Wife’
Move over, Alicia Florrick — another badass lady is coming to “The Good Wife.” Activist and author Gloria Steinem will be making a cameo appearance on the show’s sixth season, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Steinem will play herself and face-off with Julianna Margulies’ character in the third episode of the upcoming season. Season six promised to…
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Melissa Rivers Thanks Fans For Support
Getty Images Melissa Rivers, the only daughter of legendary comedian Joan Rivers, who died two weeks ago following complications from an outpatient throat procedure, said her mother would have been overwhelmed by the depth of love people have shown for her. In her first statement since Rivers’ death on Sept. 4, Melissa and her teenage…
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A Page-Turner That Tackles Hot-Button Issues
All I Love and Know By Judith Frank William Morrow, 432 pages, $26.99 You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy “All I Love and Know,” Judith Frank’s terrific new novel. Nor do you have to be gay. Although the book addresses issues important to both Jews and gays — Jewish identity, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,…
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Reason and Religion Converge in ‘The Mathematician’s Shiva’
The Mathematician’s Shiva By Stuart Rojstaczer Penguin Books, 384 pages, $16.00 Sasha Karnokovitch, narrator of the novel “The Mathematician’s Shiva,” isn’t the warmest of storytellers. Born in Russia at the height of the Cold War to two brilliant mathematicians, Sasha has eschewed the cold Wisconsin town where he came of age in favor of a…
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Mayim Bialik Hates ‘Frozen,’ Jewish Girls Weep
Oh Mayim. Mayim, Mayim, Mayim. Why? In a post written for her personal blog on Kveller, Mayim Bialik has disavowed the frosty fairytale and instant cult classic that captured all our hearts this year. Yes — Mayim Bialik hates “Frozen.” In “Why My Sons and I Hate the Movie ‘Frozen,’ the “Big Bang Theory” star and…
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Opinion Trump’s NYC rally was a morally disgusting glimpse of the MAGA future
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Opinion I’m a U.S. Navy veteran. Here’s why I’m protesting Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally
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Fast Forward Every time Donald Trump has invoked Hitler and the Nazis
In Case You Missed It
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Fast Forward Ahead of election, Jewish security groups are monitoring conspiracy theories, Jewish polling sites and foreign interference
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Opinion I’m a Pennsylvania Jewish voter. My tiny demographic group could decide the election
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Fast Forward Hymie’s Deli featured in new Kamala Harris ad, after blowback over Trump ad filmed there
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Fast Forward Prominent NYC synagogue reveals sexual assault allegation against its renowned late rabbi
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