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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Roseanne Barr: Best Roast Ever
Comedy Central’s got a hell of a spitfire for its next roast-ee. Roseanne Barr, comedienne, erstwhile Green party presidential candidate and self-proclaimed “fat old Jew” is next on the docket for the merciless mockery-fest, which will air August 12. Grade-A roasters like Sharon Stone and the sharp-tongued Carrie Fisher will be on hand to rip…
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Andy From ‘Weeds’ To Co-Star With Monkey
Any fan of the cult-hit Showtime series “Weeds” will recognize Justin Kirk as Andy, the love-him-then-hate-him-then-love-him-again Jewish brother-in-law of the show’s star matriarch, Nancy Botwin. In the show, Andy throws around Jewish jokes and stereotypes non-stop as he searches for his place in the dysfunctional drug-dealing family. (And while he might not identify as Jewish…
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Books Quebecois Chronicler of Continent’s First Jews
A French-language tome by a hard-line Quebec separatist doesn’t seem like a typical candidate for a Canadian Jewish Book Award. But in June, Denis Vaugeois’s “Les Premiers Juifs d’Amérique” won the 2012 prize for history, crowning what the Montreal Gazette called the historian’s ”55-year quest” to rescue the story of Quebec’s pioneering Hart family ”from…
The Latest
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Harvey Weinstein Calls for Film Violence Summit
Is Harvey Weinstein planning to spend the rest of his career making romantic comedies? The legendary movie mogul behind “some of the most violent movies ever made” is apparently feeling contrite after the Colorado massacre of filmgoers attending a midnight screening of the latest “Batman” installment, the New York Daily News reports. “I think as…
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POEM: (how to sleep on) Le’il Tisha B’Av
a pillow less or pillow-less a stone mai’avenei hamakom head rest for one’s temples can you really sleep like every other night of the year
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William Shatner To Host Trekkie Reality Show
Once upon a time, it seemed like William Shatner could sum up his attitude towards his avid (rabid?) fanbase by paraphrasing a certain Star Trek doctor: “Dammit, man, I’m an actor, not a space captain!” But these days, the spry 81-year-old welcomes attention from square pegs who flock in costume to Trek conventions and stack…
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Books Jews and Anxiety
Earlier this week, Daniel Smith, whose newest book, “Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety,” is now available, wrote about hearing voices and coping with anxiety. 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:…
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Drake’s Scout Sues for Royalties
The beleaguered hip-hop star Drake, already embroiled in the aftermath of his club brawl with Chris Brown, has another lawsuit on his hands. James Prince, the Texas scout who “discovered” Drake’s rapping talent, is taking Drake’s managers to court over failure to cough up royalties. According to the New York Daily News, Prince’s attorney is…
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Writing ‘Episodes’ Together
David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik earned their stripes more than a decade ago for their work on two of the most popular series in television history. Crane co-created the NBC series “Friends,” while Klarik received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations as a writer and producer on another NBC show, “Mad About You.” The two got…
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Salzburg Festival Embraces Jewish Music
Austria’s internationally-acclaimed Salzburg Festival opened a new chapter last weekend when it kicked off the first in an annual series of spiritually-themed “Overtures” with concerts featuring selected pieces from the classical canon composed and performed by Jewish musicians. The 10-day addition of religiously-inspired programming to the beginning of the five-week performance calendar in the prominent…
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Video: Does Matisyahu Look Like Bieber?
God exists and he has a sense of humor. Or at least the god of technology does. On Jimmy Kimmel Live yesterday, YouTube, TV and Twitter converged in a fabulous segment called Mean Tweets. Throw in some love-to-hate-them celebrities, and hilarity ensued. Apparently, Mean Tweets is where Jimmy Kimmel sits celebrities down in front of…
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Fast Forward Ye debuts ‘Heil Hitler’ music video that includes a sample of a Hitler speech
In Case You Missed It
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Yiddish קאָנצערט לכּבֿוד דעם ייִדישן שרײַבער און רעדאַקטאָר באָריס סאַנדלערConcert honoring Yiddish writer and editor Boris Sandler
דער בעל־שׂימחה האָט יאָרן לאַנג געדינט ווי דער רעדאַקטאָר פֿונעם ייִדישן פֿאָרווערטס.
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Fast Forward Trump’s new pick for surgeon general blames the Nazis for pesticides on our food
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Fast Forward Jewish feud over Trump escalates with open letter in The New York Times
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Fast Forward First American pope, Leo XIV, studied under a leader in Jewish-Catholic relations
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