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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When Russell Brand Dropped Acid at Seder
Getty Images Russell Brand wants you to know he’s not an anti-Semite. In light of accusations made by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in the New York Observer on Monday that Brand is an “Israel hater,” the British comedian has written an essay in the Huffington Post explaining his side of things. Being Russell Brand, the piece…
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This 100-Year-Old Sex Therapist Has Advice For You
Move over Dr. Ruth — there’s a (not-so) new sassy Jewish sex-therapist in town. And she just turned 100 years old. But as Charlotte Altman at Time Magazine points out, Shirley Zussman’s venerable age may actually be the least astounding thing about her. An almost lifelong Manhattanite, she lived in Berlin during the cabaret years,…
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Life-Size Amy Winehouse Statue Coming to London
Getty Images A life-size bronze statue of late British Jewish singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse will be erected in the London neighborhood where she lived. Winehouse, known for hits like 2006′s Grammy Award-winning “Back to Black,” died at age 27 of alcohol poisoning in 2011. The statue will stand in a market in London’s Camden neighborhood, close…
The Latest
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Looking for Kabbalah at a Rangers Game
“I was going through a quote-unquote midlife crisis to some extent,” says documentary filmmaker Steven Bram, whose spiritual journey is the focus of new documentary “Kabbalah Me,” which he co-directed. A series of traumatic events, among them losing his brother-in-law on 9/11 and the financial crisis of 2008-2009, caused Bram, a born-and-bred New Yorker who…
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#IceBucketChallenge Goes Sabra — With Hummus
Wikimedia Commons (JTA) — Over the past month, a viral sensation has flooded the Internet: the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people post on social media videos of themselves dumping buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the neurodegenerative disease colloquially known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The challenge…
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Nazi-Themed Spaghetti? Why Not.
How about a side of Hitler with your pasta? Taiwan restaurant owner Tsao Ya-sin caused quite an uproar when she unveiled her latest Italian special: “Long Live Nazi Spaghetti.” Why the Third Reich theme? Tsao explains that the dish has German sausage in it. Tsao was also quoted as saying that she just “wanted to…
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YA Romance and ‘Hasidsploitation’
Like No Other By Una Lamarche Razorbill, 352 pages, $17.99 In her new young adult novel, “Like No Other,” author Una Lamarche explores the racial and religious tensions in Crown Heights through the chance encounter of a West Indian boy and a Hasidic girl and the relationship that blossoms between the two. When a hurricane…
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The (Jewish) Ryan Seacrest of Japan
Wikimedia Commons Marty Friedman was known throughout the 90s as the guitarist for the chart-topping heavy metal band Megadeth. His mop of curly hair and virtuosic playing gained him a following, and he has been called one of the greatest guitarists of all time. However, as a new Rolling Stone story details, Friedman has found…
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A Holocaust Keyboard Memoir
When it comes to Holocaust-inspired memoirs, “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” which had its New York premiere at the 59E59 Theatre, is in a class all by itself. A rare treat, the show interweaves memory and classical music performance by world-renowned pianist Mona Golabek who recreates her [pianist] mother Lisa Jura’s journey from 1938 Vienna…
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The Murder Trial Will Be Televised
“Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart” is a documentary about the 1990 media spectacle of the first televised murder trial. Reality TV was in its infancy. Pamela Smart, 21, was accused of plotting the murder of her husband. The young men who carried out the murder got reduced sentences for serving her up as a…
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LISTEN: Leonard Cohen’s Latest Single
Eighty-shmeighty. Leonard Cohen isn’t letting his upcoming milestone birthday slow him down. He of the raspy voice and smooth melodies is reportedly set to release his 13th album in the next couple weeks, titled “Popular Problems” (because we haven’t had enough of those lately…). To get you in the mood, here’s a preview of the…
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