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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Frank Auerbach Paintings Go on Block
Sotheby’s in London will later this month auction off a collection of eight portraits of Ruth Bromberg by the artist Frank Auerbach, one of Britain’s most acclaimed living painters. Auerbach produced a total of 20 paintings of Bromberg, a patron of the “London School” of artists and a key sitter, and Sotheby’s is offering these…
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Scribe vs. Scribe on Soccer Field
In the shadow of the Euro 2012 soccer championship, a smaller yet more intellectually profound sports event, took place last week in Haifa. Israel hosted the so-called Authors’ Euro, an international tournament of national soccer teams consisting of writers and poets. For three days, German, Italian and Israeli authors battled for the cup. In between,…
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Babs Gives $10 Million for Women’s Heart Health
On June 14, Barbra Streisand opened her home and her wallet for women’s heart health. Tired of gender inequality in cardiovascular disease research, Streisand hosted a fundraiser dinner for the cause under a tent on the property of the Malibu home she shares with her husband, James Brolin. Joining Streisand were many of her showbiz…
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Books Author Blog: Are You a Jewish Writer?
Joshua Henkin is the author of “The World Without You,” “Matrimony,” and “Swimming Across the Hudson.” 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: First of all, I want to open up my…
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Jewish Celebs Honored for Paramount’s 100th
In the heyday of the Hollywood studio system, it was customary for the studios to assemble their stable of stars for a photographic group portrait. Being that this year is Paramount Pictures’ 100th anniversary, the studio thought it appropriate to resurrect this traditional practice. On January 13, 116 of Paramount’s greatest living talents gathered at…
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Ladino East Meets American West
Though she has been involved in the Ladino music scene since Neil Armstrong strode the moon, Ljuba Davis’s new release, “East and West,” is her debut album. The 43 years Davis has spent kicking these songs around orally before committing them to permanence rings throughout the album. “East and West,” unlike comparable recent ladino records…
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Tiki Barber Headlines Einstein Medicine Benefit
Tiki Barber, the retired football legend who now makes his living as an NBC “Today” correspondent, was the big name at an inaugural benefit last night for a newish junior fundraising arm of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Barber and Aussie VH1 host Jason Dundas joined about 500 guests — mostly twentysomethings in body-hugging…
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Drake and Chris Brown Brawl Over Rihanna
A hip-hop beef went from the airwaves to the front page this week after rapper Drake and R&B crooner Chris Brown and their entourages got into a very public bar fight. At around 4 a.m. on Thursday at club W.I.P. in SoHo, the two chart-topping singers came to blows over Rihanna, with whom both have…
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Author Blog: Rising to the Top
Earlier this week, Pnina Jacobson and Judy Kempler wrote about the aging Jewish community, the Australian Jewish community, and about their decision to self-publish their cookbook One Egg Is A Fortune. Their blog posts are featured on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish Learning’s Author Blog Series. For more…
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Lindsay Lohan To Act Opposite Jewish Porn Star
Lindsay Lohan and Jewish porn star James Deen nailed it. The chance to star in the upcoming film “The Canyons,” that is. Lohan, who is currently shooting “Liz & Dick,” the Elizabeth Taylor biopic for Lifetime, will work alongside the popular Jewish boy next door in a contemporary thriller that promises a plot filled with…
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An Orphan in Pre-State Palestine
In the opening frame of Dina Zvi Riklis’s film “The Fifth Heaven,” which will be screened June 15 as part of SERET 2012, London’s first Israeli Film & Television Festival, we receive an explanation of the movie’s title. “There are seven heavens in the sky,” the movie tells us, quoting the Talmud. “The fifth one…
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