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
-
When 50 Happens to Good People
Actress, author, and activist Annabelle Gurwitch is the author of three books: “Autumn Leaves,” “You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up,” and “Fired!” Her comedic memoir for Blue Rider imprint at Penguin will be published in Spring 2014. Her blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My…
-
The Mystery of the Hebrew Detective
D. A. Mishani is an Israeli crime writer, editor, and literary scholar, specializing in the history of detective fiction. His first detective novel, “The Missing File,” was published in by Harper. 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…
-
Bar Refaeli Will Host Israel’s "X Factor"
Move over, Simon Cowell. Israeli model Bar Refaeli is confirmed to host the upcoming show of Israel’s “The X Factor,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Following a giant success of the Israeli version of “The Voice,” Israel’s Channel 2 bought the rights last year for the FremantleMedia format and the show will debut this fall….
The Latest
-
‘Hitler’ Teapot Turns Heads on Billboard
A billboard promoting a teapot sold at JC Penny has been causing quite the stir online after people began noticing it had a remarkable resemblance to Adolf Hitler. The billboard, displayed on the 405 near Culver City, California, showed a teapot designed by Michael Graves, and its top looks exactly like Hitler’s mustache, while its…
-
Is Scarlett Johansson the New Hillary Clinton?
Scarlet Johansson might channel a young Hillary Clinton, pants suits and all. The Jewish actress has been listed as one of the potential stars to play the former US Secretary of State in a new biopic about Clinton’s life according to the Independent. The film, titled “Rodham,” is due out in 2016 just ahead of…
-
Rutu Modan’s Secrets and Revelations
The Property By Rutu Modan, translated by Jessica Cohen Drawn & Quarterly, 232 pages, $24.95 The past takes many forms in Rutu Modan’s graphic novel “The Property.” There is Regina, an elderly woman returning to Poland from Israel for the first time in over 60 years; overzealous re-enactors encountered by her granddaughter Mica on the…
-
There Will Be No Second ‘Lebowski’
Jeff Bridges, with his new “The Dude and the Zen Master” book, may be having a hard time saying goodbye to his “Big Lebowski” alter-ego. But that is not at all the case with the Coen brothers, who recently said quite definitively that there would be no sequel to the 1998 cult classic, whose popularity…
-
First Israeli Exhibit at the Louvre
Perhaps the Mona Lisa is smiling about the fact that for the first time, an Israeli exhibition is on view at the Louvre in Paris. Visitors to the museum between now and mid-August will be able to see a 1,700 year-old mosaic floor that is believed by antiquities experts to have been part of a…
-
Assimilation and Romanticizing the Past
Earlier this week, Joanna Hershon wrote about an insult and a memorial service she attended for a friend’s father. Her new novel, A Dual Inheritance, was published earlier this month by Ballantine Books. Her blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series….
-
Adrien Brody Narrates New PETA Video
Academy Award winning actor Adrien Brody is the voice of a new PETA video ad, narrating a PSA that walks viewers through the life of apes that are used for entertainment purposes. Brody teamed up with PETA to make the film to promote the cease of using animals in film production. “The Great Ape; he’s…
-
Elizabeth Taylor’s Wedding Dress Is Up for Auction
The wedding dress worn by film star Elizabeth Taylor for her first marriage to hotel heir Conrad Hilton in 1950 will go up for sale next month, auction house Christie’s said on Friday. The simple, but elegant garment created by Hollywood costume designer Helen Rose for the then 18-year-old Taylor is an oyster shell-coloured, floor-length…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News Your complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet
- 2
Fast Forward Trump AG nominee Matt Gaetz has left a trail of antisemitic comments
- 3
Opinion Trump’s first picks are die-hard Israel supporters, mocking the pro-Palestinian protest vote
- 4
News What a Secretary of State Marco Rubio would mean for American Jews and Israel
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture Was a ravishing, fictional heroine inspired by a real-life Jewish philanthropist?
-
Fast Forward Sam Salz is likely the first Orthodox Jew to appear in a Division I college football game
-
Fast Forward In a federation official’s remark about resettling Gaza, signs of tension among Jewish groups in the new Trump era
-
Fast Forward Biden administration sanctions Israeli settler group, in move that Trump could reverse
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
