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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J.J. Abrams Wants You (To Be In Star Wars)
Attention, “Star Wars” fans! For the low, low price of a $10 donation, you run the chance of appearing in Star Wars Episode VII. In a message recorded on set in Abu Dhabi, director J.J. Abrams announced a new charity campaign run by Disney, Lucasfilm, and his own production company, Bad Robot. Star Wars: Force…
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Why Jewish Film Festivals Are So Important
Thirty-four years ago, in two American cities on opposite coasts, a group of visionaries developed what would one day become one of the most powerful vehicles for connecting Diaspora Jews to their culture: the Jewish film festival. With numerous scholarly works and studies devoted to dissecting the state of modern Jewry in America, the increasing…
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Amanda Peet Felt Left Out At Christmas
All you Jewish kids who need some extra love come Christmas-time can rest easy — you’re not alone. Amanda Peet feels your pain. According to AP, the actress is writing a children’s book about growing up Jewish. “Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein” will tell the story of a young Jewish girl who wonders why Santa never…
The Latest
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Cheating Gets Easier as Adultery Website Hits Israel
Want to cheat on your spouse? There’s an app for that. The Ashley Madison adultery website, which has made its name as a place to find people to have affairs with, is launching a Hebrew site in Israel. According to Haaretz, 35,000 Israelis have already registered, because of course. The site, owned by Noel Biderman…
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Cannes Diary #2: ‘Self Made’ and Divorce Drama From Israel
There’s a very palpable “more is more” philosophy at Cannes: more glamor, more stars, more wasteful opulence. But while the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford and Robert Pattinson have graced the red carpet in the past 24 hours, my attention has been riveted by a couple of intimate Israeli films that premiered in the…
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Philanthropist Lily Safra Honored by Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust’s 18th Annual Heritage Dinner — held on site — was an evening-long effusive “thank you” to philanthropist extraordinaire, Lily Safra whom museum CEO “David Marwell” credited with “infusing the museum with financial oxygen.” Looking out at the guests in the museum’s Edmond Safra Hall,…
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Macklemore Dresses Up as Stereotypical Jew
Really, Macklemore? A big Jewish nose? Subtle. On Friday night, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed a secret show in their hometown of Seattle in honor of a new exhibit at the city’s EMP Museum. As Gawker points out, this would not have been news if it had not been for Macklemore singing “Thrift Shop” while…
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My Kutsher’s Memories
From the 1970s to my [last] stay at Kutsher’s in 1997, I remember it as a heymish Shangri-La — starting with the check-in welcome by owner Helen Kutsher. A post-breakfast line-dance workout, then – trying to avoid the droppings of the resident Canadian geese on the lawn — a solo rowing session in a boat…
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Bye Bye, Barbara Walters
Oprah Winfrey and Hillary Clinton were among the surprise guests who showed up to say goodbye to Barbara Walters during her last taping of “The View” on Friday. The journalist filmed her final appearance on the ABC talk show, celebrating a career of more than 50 years in TV news. The question now is, who…
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Canadian Jewish Book Awards Present Diverse Honor Roll
A chronicle of Nazi persecution of gay people, a study of Jews and obscenity, and a haunting artistic collaboration are among the wide-ranging winners of this year’s Canadian Jewish Book Awards. After an announcement last week, the awards will be presented at a May 27 ceremony in Toronto. With its other accolades for a Holocaust…
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Cannes Diary #1: ‘Mr. Turner’ and Israeli Incest
Amid clear sunny skies and swaying palm trees, the competition of the Cannes Film Festival opened on a strong note with British auteur Mike Leigh’s “Mr. Turner,” about the great painter J.M.W. Turner. Leigh is one of the six Jewish directors who have films in the official competition section of the festival (others include the…
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