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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Roxy of Radio City
Cole Porter’s 1930s song hit “You’re the Top” declares: “You’re romance, / You’re the steppes of Russia, / You’re the pants on a Roxy usher.” The aforementioned pants owed their existence to Samuel Lionel Rothafel (1882-1936), known as “Roxy,” an entrepreneur, theatre builder and radio personality, honored by “American Showman: Samuel ‘Roxy’ Rothafel and the…
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Three Josh Cohens Just Aren’t Enough
“The Other Josh Cohen” may be the reason they invented off-Broadway. On the face of it, this clever and original musical about fate and Jewish guilt may seem too slight for the Great White Way. But in truth, it is witty and smart and far more entertaining than many of the projects that open (and…
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Forward! And Away We Go
The Boss, aka Bruce Springsteen, performed a song last night that we just can’t get out of our heads. It’s called “Forward, And Away We Go.” According to USA Today, “Springsteen said Obama called him up — we’re not sure whether he was joking — and said he wanted to close the ‘campaign song gap’…
The Latest
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Books Author Blog: Leading by Example
Earlier this week, Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the editor of “Living Jewishly,” wrote about engaging 20- and 30-somethings in the Jewish world, Rabbi Jason Miller wrote about exploring commonalities between religions and Rivka Nehorai shared the truth about motherhood. Today we hear from “Living Jewishly” contributor Rachel Wright. Their blog posts are featured on The Arty…
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Drake Graduates From High School
Drake deserves a mazel tov for finally graduating from high school. The 25-year-old singer’s secondary education got sidetracked a decade ago as he started focusing on his music and his acting on the Canadian TV series, “DeGrassi: The Next Generation.” Thanks to a final push and support from his teacher Kim Janzen, whom he thanked…
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Wunderkind Composer Hits the Road
Electric energy pulses through the music of Tel Aviv-born pianist and composer Matan Porat. Earlier this year pianist David Greilsammer and the Israeli Chamber Project released recordings of his works, and he will tour North America this month and next spring with Musicians from Marlboro. He will be at the keyboard for György Ligeti’s 1982…
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Books Author Blog: The Truth About Motherhood
Earlier this week, Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the editor of “Living Jewishly,” wrote about engaging 20- and 30-somethings in the Jewish world and Rabbi Jason Miller wrote about exploring commonalities between religions. Today we hear from Living Jewishly contributor Rivka Nehorai. Their blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council…
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Celebrity Tweets from Presidential Debate
You and your friends weren’t the only ones tweeting during Tuesday night’s debate between President Obama and Governor Romney. Plenty of celebs shared their thoughts, as well. Here are some of those 140-characters-or-less commentaries, including ones from Sarah Silverman, Albert Brooks, Elizabeth Banks, Ivanka Trump, and Samantha Ronson. And in more election-related celeb news, The…
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Books Author Blog: One Missing Yarmulke, Several New Friends
Earlier this week, Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the editor of “Living Jewishly,” wrote about engaging 20- and 30-somethings in the Jewish world. Today, we hear from one of Living Jewishly’s contributors, Rabbi Jason Miller. Their blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series….
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Pushing Ben-Gurion off the Roof
In his latest tour de force, Assi Dayan, Israeli cinema’s enfant terrible, seeks to push Israel’s Ashkenazi elite into its grave, literally and figuratively. Produced on a budget of just NIS 1 million (roughly $250,000), “Dr. Pomerantz” premiered last year at the Haifa International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Screenplay at September’s Ophir…
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Don’t Mess with Sarah Silverman’s Dad
You’ve been warned: don’t mess with Sarah Silverman’s dad. Donald Silverman told Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt, who wrote a nasty open letter to the comedienne in The Jewish Press, “You don’t F**k with my family.” Nipples abounded on Chelsea Handler’s “Chelsea Lately” show earlier this week. When Handler wasn’t making fun of Jennifer Aniston’s “very pronounced…
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