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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Paul Simon Mistaken for Neil Diamond
It’s conceivable that someone might mistake Paul Simon for the other Paul Simon. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past half-century, then you could possibly think someone was talking about the late politician Paul Simon, rather than about the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and one half of Simon & Garfunkel. But apparently it’s…
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Yes, Joe Biden Danced the Hora
It’s the question that’s been on everybody’s — okay, maybe just the Shmooze’s — mind since Ashley Biden’s big wedding to Jewish doctor Howard Krein: What’s the vice president like on the dance floor? Word’s just in that proud Papa Biden joined in a traditional Jewish wedding dance in honor of his daughter and her…
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Friday Film: How to Find a Childhood Hero
In the 1970s, Paul Williams was a star, penning chart-topping songs such as “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Evergreen” and “Rainbow Connection.” But Williams and his fame burned out, and six years ago he was selling CDs in the lobby of a casino. Now filmmaker Stephen Kessler has written and directed “Paul Williams Still Alive” a…
The Latest
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Books Keret and Englander Nominated for Award
Israeli writer Etgar Keret and American author Nathan Englander have both been shortlisted for the 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, the biggest prize in the world for a short story collection. Keret was nominated for “Suddenly a Knock on the Door,” and Englander received a nod for “What We Talk About When We…
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Video: The ‘Jewish Justin Bieber’
The pop music world has yet to have an Orthodox Jewish megastar, but one 13-year-old crooner may change all that. Edon Pinchot, who earned the nickname “the Jewish Justin Bieber” from the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, displayed precocious singing abilities on Tuesday’s episode of America’s Got Talent. The yarmulke-clad Pinchot doesn’t quite have the…
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May the Most Manly Man Win
Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity By Joel Stein Grand Central Publishing, 304 pages, $26.99 Was it possible for Joel Stein to get through his new book, “Man Made: A Stupid Quest for Masculinity,” without mentioning Judaism? Of course not. The Time Magazine humor columnist makes it only a few steps into his journey…
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Gaza Journalist Honored by Women’s Group
She is one of the most remarkable public figures in Gaza, and now her work is being acknowledged with a prestigious accolade. Journalist Asma Al-Ghoul has worked in the media for a decade, writing about life under Hamas rule as she sees it — and also doling out a fair bit of criticism to the…
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Gymnast Kerri Strug Is Now a Mom
It’s a boy for Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Kerri Strug and her husband, Robert Fischer! Their son, Tyler William Fischer, was born on March 1, according to People magazine. The couple has been married since April 2010, and this is their first child. Little Tyler weighed in at 7 lbs. 1 oz. at birth, which…
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Q&A: Neil Sedaka on Adele and Carole King
Neil Sedaka’s life is like a Disney movie — specifically, “The Lion King.” There was a long period in the 1950s and ‘60s when he was, if not the king, certainly the crown prince of pop music. Songs he wrote and sang topped the hit parade. This was followed by a low period around the…
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Eli Yishai: Eritrea No Worse Than Sderot
Always diplomatic, Israel’s Interior Minister has come up with another gem. He told Israel Radio today that he questions whether Eritrea is actually more dangerous that Sderot, the town on the Israel-Gaza border that is subject to Palestinian rocket attacks. Eli Yishai, who leads the Haredi Shas party, was on the offensive against asylum seekers…
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Barbara Walters Tried To Get Assad Aide a Job
As if Barbara Walters’s exclusive soft-ball interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last December wasn’t bad enough, now there is word that the 82-year-old host of “The View” has inappropriately used her influence to further the career of one of the brutal dictator’s closest aides. The Telegraph reports that Walters tried to help Sheherazad Jaafari,…
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