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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Pole Dancers and Checkout Clerks Win at DocAviv
It’s hard not to notice that many of the prizewinners at the 2013 Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival focus on women, be they pole dancers, supermarket cashiers or pioneers in pre-state Israel. Not all of DocAviv’s nods went to films about females, but the trend is hard to ignore. The Best Israeli Film Award…
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Seth Myers Makes ‘Late Night’ A Little More Jewish
“Late Night” just got a little more Jewish. A quarter Jewish, to be exact. NBC has announced that “Saturday Night Live” writer-performer Seth Myers will be taking over the show next year after current host Jimmy Fallon moves over to “The Tonight Show.” “I am aware of the history,” Mr. Myers told The New York…
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A Different Kind of Cancer Story
Danish director Susanne Bier is on a roll. Her 2006 film, “After the Wedding,” was nominated for an Academy Award the next year, and her 2010 movie “In a Better World,” won the best foreign film Oscar and a Golden Globe in 2011. Her latest film, “Love Is All You Need,” stars Pierce Brosnan as…
The Latest
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Donny Deutsch and Bonnie Fuller Talk Mud And Power
It was chic, short and sleeveless at the “Women of Influence: The Event” reception at New York’s JW Marriott Essex House on May 7. Following welcoming remarks by Jennifer Gross, chair, Women’s Executive Circle UJA-Federation of New York, emcee Bianna Golodryga, co-anchor, Good Morning America ABC News Correspondent, told the 250 guests: “As Jewish women,…
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Books Inspired by Gluckel of Hameln
This week Rebecca Miller will be sharing texts that shed light on Jewish life in 18th-century France, the setting of her new novel, “Jacob’s Folly” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). 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…
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Palestinians Unite Behind ‘Arab Idol’ Star
The fractious factions in the Gaza Strip and across the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories have found one voice to unite behind — a 22-year-old youth singing songs about a lost homeland on the Middle East’s version of “American Idol.” Gaza native Mohammed Assaf has become the first Palestinian to qualify for “Arab Idol,” a TV talent…
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Down the Rabbit Hole of Academia
Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree By now, I don’t suppose there are many people in the world who would liken the groves of academe to an earthly paradise. Too much has been written of late about tensions between faculty and university administrators, student ennui and diminishing resources, to hold up the academic enterprise as…
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Books Collective Guilt vs. Collective Fear
Randy Susan Meyers’s most recent book, “The Comfort of Lies,” is now available. She is also the author of “The Murderer’s Daughters,” a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award. 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…
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Sidney Poitier’s Jewish Mentor
When you think Sidney Poitier, many things come to mind: “In the Heat of the Night,” first black actor to win an Oscar, legend… “Jewish” isn’t one of those things. And yet surprisingly, the main character in his debut novel, “Montaro Caine,” is Jewish, as are many of the characters. What’s more, in an interview…
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Orthodox Yeshiva Bans Hipster Glasses
No Woody Allen glasses for you! An Orthodox Brooklyn yeshiva has decreed that thick, hipster-like frames are too trendy and modern and banned the students from wearing them, the New York Post reported. Borough Park’s Bobover Yeshiva B’Nei Zion explained its reasoning behind the ban, in a recent letter written in Yiddish issued to parents…
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Tony Kushner Hates Writing
Live in New York long enough, and you become accustomed to seeing our most decorated novelists, journalists, poets and playwrights sit on various stages to discuss their work. Uptown places like 92Y and Symphony Space in Manhattan get the lion’s share, while a smattering of smaller venues like Housing Works in SoHo regularly host bestselling…
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