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
Forward Fives: 2012 in Fiction
In the annual Forward Fives selection we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in music, performance, exhibitions, books and film. Here we present five of our favorite works of fiction of 2012. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. Jami Attenberg, “The Middlesteins”…
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One Bad ‘Guilt Trip’
It’s difficult to decide who to hold responsible for the new Barbra Streisand/Seth Rogan film, “The Guilt Trip.” There is plenty of guilt to go around. Andy Brewster (Rogan) is a chemist who developed a natural cleaning product from renewable resources. He’s sunk his last pennies into the project and has been making the rounds…
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Forward Fives: 2012 in Exhibitions
In the annual Forward Fives selection we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in music, performance, exhibitions, books and film. Here we present five of the most important Jewish exhibits of 2012. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. The Jewish Museum: “Kehinde…
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Books Author Blog: Sayings With Which I Disagree
Yesterday, Harry Brod wrote about why he always has a valid passport. 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: “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” I first…
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Forward Fives: 2012 in Performance
Philip Glass, “Einstein on the Beach” Tickets to performances of a stellar revival Philip Glass’s “Einstein on the Beach” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music were among New York’s most coveted this September as the monumental four-and-a-half-hour conceptual opera, which originally premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976, concluded a year-long tour in honor of…
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Knicks’ Stoudemire Gets Hitched
Amar’e Stoudemire married his longtime fiancée Alexis Welch in a private 12.12.12 wedding. The Knicks player, who has Jewish roots and has visited Israel, wore a tallit and kippah for the ceremony. Mandy Patinkin is the man of the hour, what with his Golden Globe nomination, the buzz about his saying Kaddish on last night’s…
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Books Author Blog: Passport to Citizenship
Harry Brod is a professor of philosophy and humanities at the University of Northern Iowa and the author of “Superman Is Jewish?: How Comic Book Superheroes Came to Serve Truth, Justice, and the Jewish-American Way.” His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author…
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Books Author Blog: On Ritual and Justice
Earlier, Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz wrote about taxation in America and Hurricane Sandy, FEMA, and the Need for Big Government. 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: The great French Jewish philosopher and…
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Forward Fives: 2012 in Music
In the annual Forward Fives selection we celebrate the year’s cultural output with a series of deliberately eclectic choices in music, performance, exhibitions, books and film. Here we present five of our favorite Jewish music releases of 2012. Feel free to argue with and add to our selections in the comments. Sarah Aroeste, “Gracia” The…
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Orthodox Jewish All Stars
“Jew in the City” fans are used to watching entrepreneurial Allison Josephs sitting on her living room set expounding humorously and informatively into the camera about Orthodox Jewish life. But this time she’s gotten off her couch and out into the field to film a video called “Orthodox Jewish All Stars,” that shows that not…
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‘Sandy, Screw Ya’
By all accounts, Wednesday night’s big 12-12-12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy relief at Madison Square Garden was a big success. Among the performers were Billy Joel, who sang “New York State of Mind,” and Adam Sandler, who made up his own lyrics to Leonard Cohen’s “Halleluyah.” One line went, “Sandy, screw ya, we’ll get through…
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