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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How ‘A Gentleman’s Guide’ Got to Broadway
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is easily the best reviewed musical of the season. It marks the Broadway debut of Robert L. Freedman (book and lyrics) and Steven Lutvak (music and lyrics), who were praised by The New York Times for a score that “establishes itself as one of the most accomplished (and…
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Ben and Jerry’s Excellent Holy Land Adventure
The Christmas-release underdog this year — in the ring with “American Hustle” and “Wolf of Wall Street” — is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” in which Ben Stiller plays a man with a vivid imagination who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. In an interview with Parade to promote the movie, Stiller dished about a…
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Lizzy Caplan Imitates Memes Like a Pro
If you thought Lizzy Caplan’s magical transformation from Janis Ian in “Mean Girls” to her current role as Virginia Johnson in “Masters of Sex” showed major acting chops, you haven’t seen the best of it. The 31-year-old was interviewed by Paul F. Tompkin’s for his “Speakeasy” web series, where the comedian asked her to recreate…
The Latest
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James Deen Does Jezebel
Ladies and gentlemen! Do you have a question that only a nice Jewish porn star can answer? Then your holiday wish just came true: James Deen will be writing a column for Jezebel answering your queries and concerns, and of course, dishing out knowledge, wisdom and advice. the lovely people @Jezebel have decided to let…
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Bibi’s $1,700 Scented Candle Bill
(JTA) — Israel’s first family seems to like its creature comforts. The prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem spent $1,700 on scented candles and more than $4,200 on wine in 2012. There was also some $2,600 spent on mezuzahs. The water bill for the Netanyahus’ personal home in Caesarea was more than $20,000, possibly due to…
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Kanye West Takes Back ‘Ignorant Compliment’
Kanye West told a Chicago radio station that he wants to take back the “ignorant compliment” he made about Jews. The rapper referred to a comment he made last month during an interview on the New York City radio station WWPR-FM. In defending President Obama’s difficulty in passing his policies, West said, “Black people don’t…
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Abigail Breslin on ‘August: Osage County’
Most families have their share of rage, but the Westons in “August: Osage County,” opening December 25, make other dysfunctional families seem normal. The film, adapted by Tracy Letts from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, offers a close look at sibling relationships, and Meryl Streep, who plays the cruel matriarch Violet Weston,…
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Books Francesca Segal, Fiction’s Newest Star
Set in one of northwest London’s tight-knit Jewish communities, Francesca Segal’s debut novel “The Innocents” tells a tale of family and love that includes all the ingredients of a widely read story: lust, betrayal, doubt and commitment. Adam and Rachel are in their late 20s and engaged to be married. Then Rachel’s free-spirited and vulnerable…
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Arab Writer Joins Haredi Family Drama
Israel’s most famous contemporary Muslim Arab literary figure is set to join the production team of “Shtisel,” Israeli television’s hit drama series about a Haredi family in Jerusalem. It has been announced that Sayed Kashua, a journalist, author and screenwriter, will edit the second season of the show that chronicles the everyday trials and tribulations…
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Disney Hit-Maker Alan Menken Honored
Academy Award-winning Broadway and film composer Alan Menken, recipient of the 2013 Oscar Hammerstein Award for “Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre,” was welcomed on stage at the Hudson Theatre by Bernadette Peters singing “Some Enchanted Evening” from the Rodgers–Hammerstein musical “South Pacific.” She was the first of a roster of performers toasting Menken that included…
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Fracking and the Jews
Gregory Zuckerman, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of “The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History,” has just finished a new book. “The Frackers: The Outrageous Inside Story of the New Billionaire Wildcatters,” tells the story of the oilmen who led the charge in…
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