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
-
Tiffany Shlain on the Web, Women and Unplugging for Shabbat
Tiffany Shlain has a lot of ideas. But until fairly recently, the 43-year-old founder of the Webby Awards was reluctant to own them on film. No longer — in her new web-series, “The Future Starts Here,” which premiered October 11 on AOL, Shlain is loud, proud and vocal about thoughts ranging from 21st century motherhood,…
-
IMAX ‘Jerusalem’ Closer to Heaven Than Earth
National Geographic Entertainment’s cinematographically beautiful new 3D IMAX movie “Jerusalem” is closer to the heavenly Jerusalem than to the earthly one. But even devoid of contemporary political context, the film provides an informative and visually stunning introduction to the Old City of Jerusalem and its fundamental importance to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For those unfamiliar…
-
Bette Midler Wins Jane Jacobs Medal
And the 2013 Jane Jacobs Medal for Lifetime Leadership goes to… Bette Midler. The award recognizes individuals “whose work creates new ways of seeing and understanding New York City.” The 67-year-old Grammy Award-winer founded the New York Restoration Project, which works to restore parks, community gardens and neighborhoods throughout the city, in 1995. According to…
The Latest
-
Pulitzer-Winning Playwright Gets Another Chance
Despite a highly successful playwriting career, Donald Margulies has not had much luck with “The Model Apartment.” For convoluted reasons the 30-year-old play has not yet enjoyed a fully successful production in New York. Ironically, when Primary Stages produced the work in 1995, critics were enthusiastic and the play won an OBIE. But it folded…
-
Why Philip Roth Is ‘Too Jewish’ for Nobel
When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded, I knew that Philip Roth had not won. A colleague condescended: “I never liked Roth,” a put-down to me, a Miltonist and teacher of Renaissance literature, who really doesn’t know better. A couple of decades ago, someone would have mentioned the more elegant, supposedly more disciplined and…
-
Lea Michele Sings Goodbye to Cory on ‘Glee’
LOS ANGELES, Oct 10 (Reuters) – Television musical comedy series “Glee” bid farewell on Thursday to Finn Hudson, the hunky, kind-hearted jock played by the late Cory Monteith, offering up songs, remembrances and plenty of tears while sidestepping the question of how his character died. Fans had waited to see how the Fox television show…
-
Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem Praise Women in Media
“Good for you honey!” teased Jane Fonda — her arm around my shoulder, with Sally Field listening in — during our chat as I commented on a common sexist workplace put-down, which I addressed in a [1979] Working Woman article “Please don’t Call Me Honey.” Academy Award-winner and Women’s Media Center co-founder Fonda (whose father…
-
Miley Cyrus Knows Better Than ‘Old Jewish Men’
Miley Cyrus’ tongue has gotten its fair share of press lately. But the former “Hannah Montana” tween-star turned pro-twerker is now getting attention for something she actually said. In an interview with Hunger magazine, which she covers this month, Miley complained about record executives being too old to know what’s what. And who does she…
-
The Human Cost of Palestinian Collaboration
In the hands of a lesser writer and director, Hany Abu-Assad’s “Omar,” the story of a trio of young Palestinian friends caught up in a singular act of vengeance against the Israeli occupation, could have descended to the level of mere agit-prop. That would have left the film — which was recently selected as the…
-
Peter Rosenberg, Hip-Hop’s Jewish Radio Star
Growing up in a kosher household in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, Peter Rosenberg became enamored with hip-hop listening to tapes by rapper Big Daddy Kane and scratching records on the turntables he saved up to buy at age 14. Today, Rosenberg is a co-host of one of the nation’s most listened to morning shows, on…
-
Lea Michele’s ‘Glee’ Heartbreak Over Cory Monteith
On the eve of “Glee“‘s tribute to Finn Hudson, played by the late Cory Monteith, girlfriend Lea Michele has opened up in her first interview since his death. “I feel like, for me personally, I’ve lost two people: Cory and Finn,” she told TV WEEK Australia. “I really woke up every single day feeling like…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Dutch Jews grapple with ‘weaponization’ of their fear following attack on Israelis
- 2
News What a Secretary of State Marco Rubio would mean for American Jews and Israel
- 3
Fast Forward Trump AG nominee Matt Gaetz has left a trail of antisemitic comments
- 4
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Will Trump’s efforts to fight antisemitism help degrade democracy?
-
Culture A Jewish snowman movie would have made a lot more sense than Netflix’s ‘Hot Frosty’
-
Fast Forward Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Jewish Democrat, launches bid for New Jersey governor
-
Fast Forward Pete Hegseth, Trump’s defense secretary nominee, has multiple Christian and Crusades-inspired tattoos
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
