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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Kirk Douglas Honored In His NY Hometown On His 102nd Birthday
(JTA) — The latest honor for Jewish actor Kirk Douglas came in the upstate New York town where he was raised on his 102nd birthday. Friend and relatives gathered in Amsterdam on Sunday to unveil a historic marker for a sign that will say that Douglas, 102, “Rose From Poverty To Appear In Over 90…
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An Exclusive Peek Inside Ben Shapiro’s Very Jewish Bookshelf
On Sunday, Vanity Fair published a lengthy profile on Ben Shapiro’s rise to fame — but all Jewish Twitter seemed to care about was Shapiro’s bookshelf. Great profile of @benshapiro and @JeremyDBoreing https://t.co/zIeThjhJtB — Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) December 10, 2018 I was immediately intrigued by the fact that Shapiro’s bookshelf featured the Hebrew/English version…
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‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ Originally Featured A Woman Seducing A Man, Too
When Frank Loesser, the Jewish composer of musicals like “Guys and Dolls” wrote “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in 1944 for himself and his wife to perform at dinner parties, he labeled the two vocal parts “mouse” and “wolf.” “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” has become a Russian doll of controversy that we take down from the…
The Latest
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Holocaust Survivor Reunites With Family That Hid Her — With Help From Facebook Message
Charlotte Adelman’s life has been one long saga of miracles and tragedies. The 86-year-old was only nine years old when the Nazis invaded Paris, where she lived with her parents and brother. Two years into the Nazi occupation of France, Charlotte’s mother Rajzla took Charlotte and her brother to an orphanage, hoping to save them;…
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‘Santa Knows Hebrew?’ Meet The Jews Who Play Santa
Don’t believe in the season of miracles? Meet Santa Claus: a lawyer who went to the Yeshiva of Flatbush. Before he was Santa, his side gig was teaching in Boro Park. He speaks Hebrew. “It takes a lot to be a Santa. It takes a lot to be a good santa,” Dana Friedman says. Revisit…
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Hey, Lotsa Jews Could Host The Oscars — And They Aren’t Homophobic Like Kevin Hart
Kevin Hart has stepped down as this year’s Oscar Host, fewer than 24 hours after the announcement that he’d been given the gig. In the thrillingly stupid time that lapsed between the announcement and the denouement, savvy Googlers discovered enthusiastically homophobic comments Hart made in tweets and while performing standup early in his career. Hart…
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Meet The Rockettes Who Light Hanukkah Menorahs Backstage
While the audience gets settled into their seats for the evening performances of this week’s Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular — tucked behind the curtain, several cast- and crew-members recite Hanukkah prayers in unison and light a menorah to celebrate the holiday. Five minutes before the curtain goes up, this thirty-year tradition is led…
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PETA, You Can Take Our Meat, But You Can Never Take Our Bagels
PETA has decided that bagels — arguably the most (American) Jewish food there is — have fewer rights than animals. This is simply too far. On Tuesday at around 4 pm, PETA made a splash on Twitter (no fish or sea creatures were harmed.) Over a simple infographic a bold headline proclaimed, “Stop Using Anti-Animal…
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Jessica Simpson Schools Natalie Portman On Virginity Politics
Natalie Portman is the Gloria Steinem to Jessica Simpson’s Kathy Acker, and there is nothing any of us can do about this. In a media interaction that strongly supports that theory that we are living in a video game simulation, pop-star Jessica Simpson schooled Natalie Portman in a discourse on feminist philosophy in the public…
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Donald Trump Jr. Blasts Lena Dunham For ‘Lying to Protect A Rapist’
Donald Trump, Jr.: A tireless defender of assault victims, and a crusader for believing all women, and all victims. Wait — what? On Wednesday, First Son Donald Trump, Jr. made an uncharacteristic move — retweeting a post by Chuck Ross slamming Lena Dunham for “ly[ing] to protect a rapist.” Dunham admitted on Wednesday that she…
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‘You Hurt Us’: Aurora Perrineau’s Mother Publicly Forgives Lena Dunham
At the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment event on Wednesday, Lena Dunham invited Brittany Perrineau to the stage. Last year Dunham said that Perrineau’s daughter, Aurora, had “misreported” when she told police that she was raped in 2012 by a writer for Dunham’s TV show “Girls.” Aurora Perrineau told Los Angeles police last year that…
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