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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Books
I Was Born a Rambling Man
On Tuesday, David Samuel Levinson wrote about dedicating his first novel, “Antonia Lively Breaks the Silence” (Algonquin Books). His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit: When someone asks me where I’m from,…
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Snooki Wants An Amanda Bynes Reality Show
Now, this takes the cake. Former Jersey Shore reality star and avid tweeter Snooki has expressed her wish to see a reality TV show about Amanda Bynes. “I just think she’s entertaining,” Snooki told E!Online at a promotion for Friday’sTeam Snooki Music event in Hollywood, Fla. “And I think she needs a reality show because…
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Justin Bieber May Go To Space
Justin Bieber’s about to fly high. According to the New York Post, Richard Branson, billionaire head of Virgin, has announced that the tween heartthrob, and his agent, Scooter Braun, were ready to launch aboard the Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, at $200,000 a ticket. Great to hear @justinbieber & @scooterbraun are latest @virgingalactic future astronauts….
The Latest
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Mel Brooks Honored for Lifetime of Funny
Mel Brooks is already a member of the EGOT club, having received Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards, but the comedy legend has more prizes coming. Brooks is scheduled to receive the American Film Institute’s 41st Lifetime Achievement Award tonight, an honor widely considered to be the industry’s most important career-spanning recognition. The award will…
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The Banality of Movies About Google
WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange stole my intended headline for this post: “The Banality of ‘Don’t Be Evil.’” Or maybe it was a New York Times copy editor, who gave that title to Assange’s opinion piece accusing Google of technocratic imperialism. Either way, now I can’t use it for fear of plagiarism… or at least, a…
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Books Writing What You’ve Never Seen
Earlier this week, Janice Weizman wrote about the bildungsroman and the Jewish woman. Her blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more information on the series, please visit: All fiction writers have a streak of audacity. To make up something…
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Amanda Bynes Says No To Playboy
When you’re tweeting selfies of yourself wearing nothing but a black lacy bra, and you’re a some kind of a celebrity, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when Playboy offers you a job. Well, that’s exactly what happened to Amanda Bynes. @amandabynes Seriously, Amanda – we want you to co-host our afternoon show…
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William Shatner Reads ‘Where the Wild Things Are’
Are the Wild Things, from Maurice Sendak’s, “Where the Wild Things Are,” actually living somewhere in the Star Trek universe? Well, there’s no real evidence of any intersection between Sendak’s imaginary world and that of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. But worlds could still collide at the recent Denver Comic Con, where William Shatner, who…
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Rashida Jones Stays Comfy On the Red Carpet
Proving once again that she is the best and most glamorous person on the planet, Rashida Jones opted out of cumbersome gowns, strapless numbers and other wardrobe malfunction gear at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London. Instead, she stuck with pajamas (very chic ones!) from Erdem’s pre-fall collection to strut down the…
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Avital and Natan Sharansky At the Emma Lazarus Award
I first met Natan Sharansky in June 1988 at The American Booksellers Association (ABA) Convention in Anaheim, California. Released two years earlier from Soviet imprisonment, Sharansky was among a literary lineup that included Barry Goldwater, Ray Bradbury, Studs Terkel, and Shirley Temple Black. His autobiography, “Fear No Evil” was a sensation. At a private reception…
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Plays That Test the Limits of Jewish Experience
David Winitsky, artistic director of the Jewish Plays Project (JPP), wants to clarify something: “This is not ‘Old Jews Telling Jokes,’” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love that kind of comedy and Jewish humor runs through the festival’s plays. But we’re not looking for the next Neil Simon. We’re looking for the next…
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