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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ScarJo Could Get $66,000 From Hacker
Operation Hackerazzi is a go. Scarlett Johansson could get more than $66,000 from Christopher Chaney, the creep who leaked nude photos of her last year. Chaney pleaded guilty in March to 9 counts, including identity theft, wiretapping, and unauthorized access and damage to a protected computer. U.S. attorneys requested the five-figure restitution for Johansson in…
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Screenwriter Alex Kurtzman on ‘People Like Us’
Alex Kurtzman is best known for writing Big Summer Movies, the so-called tent pole films. If it has a Roman numeral in the title — “Transformers,” “Star Trek,” “Mission Impossible” — there’s a good chance that Alex and his writing partner Roberto Orsi are involved. June 29 marks the release of “People Like Us,” a…
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Books Author Blog: Truth That’s Stranger Than Fiction
Earlier this week, Lois Leveen wrote about what makes a book Jewish. 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 the series, please visit: Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. But it can be hard to tell….
The Latest
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Anti-Semitic ‘Elmo’ Ran Cambodian Porn Site
It turns out that the anti-Semitic “Elmo” from recent news might also be called the pornographic Elmo. Anti-Semitic Elmo is back in business in Central Park following the release of a viral video of him spewing anti-Jewish vitriol and his subsequent psychiatric evaluation at Metropolitan Hospital Center. But Michael Wilson of The New York Times…
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Praying Against Rabbi Funding Changes
It’s interesting seeing the spiritual guidance of Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi regarding how and when we should make emergency requests from God. According to Shlomo Amar, Israelis should be praying that a state decision to fund some Reform and Conservative rabbis isn’t implemented in the same way that they pray when “rockets are fired at…
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Andrew Garfield Speaks Out Against Bullying
“The Amazing Spider-Man” movie is not yet out in theaters, but its star, Andrew Garfield, was out doing some amazing work with New York kids on Tuesday. Garfield, along with other members of the film’s cast, participated in “Be Amazing, Stand Up and Volunteer” events, sponsored by Columbia Pictures and “The Amazing Spider-Man,” throughout the…
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Jewish Music Comes to Tatarstan
We can now add Kazan, the capital of the Tatarstan Republic in the Russian Federation, to the list of cities that host international Jewish music festivals. Early in June, the city was the site of Tatarstan’s first-ever Jewish music festival, which featured performances by artists from the U.S., Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Austria and Cuba. Tatarstan…
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Bar Refaeli As Cinderella?
Is there anything Bar Refaeli can’t do? She models, she designs underwear, she coaches model wannabes on TV, she acts in films…and now she might also star in a musical. Abbanibi reports that the ubiquitous supermodel is rumored to be considering the title role in a musical version of “Cinderella” to be performed in Israel…
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Watch Nora Ephron’s Timeless Wit
To truly understand Nora Ephron, one has to see her wit and candor for oneself. We’ve compiled a few videos taken of Ephron interviews. These clips only brush the surface of her humor and wisdom. But they provide insight into the character of the woman who created some of our today’s greatest romantic comedies. A…
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Avigdor Lieberman Heckled in Bedouin Town
Avigdor Lieberman has such a way with words. Israel’s ultra-controversial Foreign Minister went to visit el-Zarnouk today, a Bedouin town in Southern Israel, to emphasize the fact, much to residents’ anger, that the government considers illegally built. His subtext was to point to the fact that unauthorized structures in the village are still standing even…
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Books Author Blog: Pioneering Geneticist Chaim Sheba
IIn “Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People,” Harry Ostrer wrote about a series of scientists who contributed to our contemporary understanding of Jewishness. This week, he provides a series of short vignettes that describe their contributions about what it means to be a Jew. His blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite…
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Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
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Music After decades of waiting, we’re finally getting a Bob Dylan-Barbra Streisand duet
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News Is the crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism the new Red Scare?
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Opinion Trump’s cuts are a war on Jewish literature, thought and history itself
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