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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‘Homeland’ and ‘Girls’ Get Directors Guild Nods
The directors of hit television dramas “Homeland” and “Mad Men” were among those nominated for Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards on Wednesday. They were joined by Lena Dunham for her coming-of-age HBO series “Girls” and actor Bryan Cranston for ABC’s “Modern Family” in the comedy category. AMC’s “Breaking Bad” director Rian Johnson and Greg…
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‘Blue Bloods’ Hasidic Costumes Fool Boro Park
It was a little tricky telling who was a real Hasidic Jew and who wasn’t on 13th Avenue in Boro Park earlier this week. The CBS police drama “Blue Bloods,” starring Donnie Wahlberg, was filming there, and the extras dressed as Hasidim were throwing the real members of the tribe for a loop. If you…
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This Israeli Life
A young Israeli grad student named Mishy holds up a cardboard sign that says “anywhere” as he hitchhikes out of Cambridge, England. He catches a ride with a Gypsy family bound for the ferry to France. In the vessel’s cafeteria Mishy meets a truck driver name Vladimir who agrees to take him to Spain. Only,…
The Latest
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Books Higher Education: A Revelation
Earlier this week, Cliff Graubart wrote about his father and Pat Conroy. 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: I know Jewish doctors and lawyers who are sending their children to state…
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Gerard Depardieu Skips Court for DSK Role
French film star Gerard Depardieu failed to show up in court to face drink driving charges on Tuesday because he was preparing to play disgraced former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a film, his lawyer said. The no-show means the case will turn into a full trial – guaranteeing yet another day in the spotlight…
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Best Bric-a-Brac Culture Can Buy
Crossposted From Under the Fig Tree Over winter break, I didn’t want for activity. There were people to see, films to screen and a wealth of exhibitions to behold, one of the most inventive of which was a modest but arresting show at the Jewish Museum, on until February 3, called “Collection Tableaux.” Taking the…
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Gabby Giffords Speaks on Shooting Anniversary
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has agreed to an interview with Diane Sawyer, which will air on ABC on January 8, the second anniversary of the Tucson shooting that left Giffords severely injured. Drake decided to honor his grandmother, Evelyn Sher, who passed away over Thanksgiving, by having a huge picture of her tattooed on to…
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Barbara Walters Scores ‘Idol’ Feud Scoop
Pop diva Mariah Carey said she hired increased security following what she described as threats reportedly made against her by fellow ‘American Idol’ judge Nicki Minaj, according to an interview on ABC News. Carey, 42, one of three new judges to join the “American Idol” panel for the hit talent show’s new season on Jan….
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Books From Stanislawow to Beach Music
Cliff Graubart is the author of “The Curious Vision Of Sammy Levitt and Other Stories” (Mercer University Press, 2012). 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: My parents left the United States…
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Playing Both Sides of the Green Line
Dora-winning actress Natasha Greenblatt went on a Birthright Israel trip in early 2009, just following Operation Cast Lead, and stayed on for a couple of months to volunteer in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. While there, the Torontonian heard about an Israeli-Palestinian woman who had brought a group of Palestinian children across the Green…
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Bar Refaeli To Steam-Up Super Bowl Ad
SodaStream won’t be the only Israeli export fizzing things up at the Super Bowl come February 3. None other than supermodel Bar Refaeli, the hottest woman alive in 2012 according to Maxim, will join Danica Patrick in one of those racy Go Daddy ads we’ve all come to expect during the biggest broadcast of the…
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