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 Selfies Get Out of Control
Sometimes, it’s good to be reminded of the destructive power of the selfie. A new Tumblr called “Selfies At Serious Places” does just that. It’s exactly how it sounds: people taking close up pictures of their faces with an incredibly inappropriate backdrop. Seriously though: what goes through your mind when you tweet a picture of…
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Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones on a Break
More than a decade after they walked down the aisle, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have announced that they are taking a break. “Catherine and Michael are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage,” the couple’s rep told Us Weekly. The family has had their share of stressful times: Three years…
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Mercedes Angry at Hitler Run-Over Video
Mercedes is less than pleased with a student-filmed phony advertisement depicting a young Hitler getting run over by a C-Class luxury sedan. The video, filmed and released by German film school students for a competition sponsored in part by Mercedes-Benz, shows the car meandering around an Austrian village — Hitler’s hometown. We see the car…
The Latest
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Sigourney Weaver Will Star in ‘Exodus’
Sigourney Weaver is set to team up again with Ridley Scott, the director who made her a star. That was in “Alien,” singular; this time there are a bunch of aliens. Weaver will star in “Exodus.” For the record, this is not a re-imagining of the Leon Uris book that featured Paul Newman and Eva…
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Josh Pais Gets Over Himself
New Yorker Josh Pais shines in Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” as creepy rich guy Stu Feldman. He is also starring in Lynn Shelton’s 2013 Sundance Official Selection indie, “Touchy Feely,” opening in theaters September 6. In the movie, Abby (Rosemarie DeWitt), a massage therapist, has a commitment-phobia that gushes out sideways. She can’t touch other people’s…
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Drake Stiffed His Stylist for $70,000
Being a celebrity stylist has its ups and downs. On one hand, you get to see the dark underbelly (literally) of the rich and famous. On the other, there’s always that chance that they’ll be so wrapped up in their glitzy lives that they’ll forget to pay you. Stylist Michael Raphael, owner of the high-end…
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What Was Miley Thinking?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock — or have no Internet connection, same difference — you’ve either seen or heard about Miley Cyrus’s ‘twerk’ performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. After all, CNN devoted an obscene amount of time to covering the ex-“Hannah Montana” sweetheart, so it must be big…
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Books Author Blog: The Golden Child
Lauren Grodstein’s books include the novels “The Explanation for Everything,” “A Friend of the Family,” and “Reproduction is the Flaw of Love” and the story collection “The Best of Animals.” Lauren teaches creative writing at Rutgers-Camden, where she helps administer the college’s MFA program. Her blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of…
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Auschwitz Survivor Crowned ‘Miss Holocaust’
Shoshana Colmer, 93, a survivor of Auschwitz, was crowned Miss Holocaust at a contest in Haifa. The second annual Miss Holocaust Survivor Beauty Contest was held Aug. 22 at the Municipal Sports Complex before an audience of thousands. More than 300 women from Israel and around the world applied to participate in the contest, according…
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Austin Winsberg’s Best and Worst Blind Dates
First dates are always problematic. That’s especially true when it’s a blind date. The inherent tensions of the situation form the humorous backdrop for a new Broadway musical, “First Date.” Aaron (Zachary Levi) is a little uptight; Casey (Krysta Rodriguez) is less so. It does not look like this is a match made in heaven….
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First Taste of the James Franco Roast
No doubt about it, James Franco deserves to be roasted. Just trying to settle on a descriptive adjective to qualify his career is parody enough: actor? director? writer? poet? perpetual student? And do we even need to mention his Oscar hosting performance? The friends and co-stars chosen to speak at the filming of the “Comedy…
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Music ‘No matter what, I will always be a Jew.’ Billy Joel opens up about his family’s Holocaust history
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Music Can 6 hours of Billy Joel turn critics into believers?
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Opinion What exactly is going on between Israel and Syria — and is the prospect of peace dead?
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Fast Forward Antisemitic assaults and vandalism are down on campuses but online bullying is up, Hillel finds
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