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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Top Jews on Forbes Celeb 100 List
Steven Spielberg is the top Jew on Forbes’s list of The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities. The director/writer/producer/studio owner came in at number 10 on the list of 100. Ahead of him were Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Tom Cruise. But coming in behind Spielberg…
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Reality Show Seeks U.K.’s ‘Best Jewish Mum’
Crossposted from Haaretz Dozens of Jewish mothers around Britain have been followed in recent weeks by television cameras tracking their daily lives. Their cake-making, homemaking and matchmaking skills will be under scrutiny by a team of experts and when the four-part series is screened on Channel Four at the end of the summer, the Best…
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Books Author Blog: It Takes Two
Earlier this week, Dvora Meyers wrote about being an Orthodox Jewish gymnast. 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: As a writer, I’ve paid scant attention to the images that accompany my…
The Latest
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Saving (Jewish) Lives on the Sabbath
Yosef, spiritual leader of Shas, the Orthodox Sephardic political party, has tackled that hot potato of what, exactly, Judaism says about saving life on the Sabbath. Everyone agrees that religious law lets you break Sabbath restrictions to save a life — but for whom? Many rabbis, including the late American religious authority Moshe Feinstein, have…
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Out and About
Sacha Baron Cohen is being criticized for presenting negative stereotypes of Arabs in “The Dictator.” Can’t say this one was hard to see coming. Aaron Sorkin has signed on to write the script for a Steve Jobs biopic. Aharon Appelfeld’s “Blooms of Darkness” has won the British Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Read our review of…
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Video: Zosia Mamet on ‘Girls’ and Dating Horrors
Zosia Mamet recently stopped by Conan to answer the question that fans of her HBO show “Girls” have been asking since the series debuted: Is dating in your 20s really as bad as the show makes it look? “It’s a little worse,” Mamet replied. “It’s pretty f**king bad.” On Girls, Mamet plays Shoshanna, the fresh-faced,…
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Q&A: Maggie Gyllenhaal on ‘Hysteria’
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics Maggie Gyllenhaal is no stranger to playing strong, confident women. The Academy Award-nominated actress has played roles ranging from a journalist and single mom in “Crazy Heart” to a liberal and outspoken academic in “Mona Lisa Smile.” Her latest film, “Hysteria,” which opens May 18, is set in London…
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Leonard Cohen Wins, Then Gives Away $50,000
Leonard Cohen humbly accepted the Glenn Gould Prize on May 14 in Toronto, and then promptly gave away the $50,000 that goes with it to the Canada Council for the Arts. “Thank you so much … how very kind of you to greet me with such hospitality,” the 77-year-old poet, songwriter, singer and author said…
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Mama Gyllenhaal Happily Skips ‘Hysteria’ Premiere
Maggie Gyllenhaal was decidedly not hysterical about missing the premiere of her new film on Monday. It wasn’t fear of the paparazzi that kept Gyllenhaal away, but rather her decision (a no-brainer!) to stay home with her newborn daughter, Gloria. Skipping the red carpet scene at the Hotel Chantelle bash, Gyllenhaal opted for pajamas instead…
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‘Dictator’ Is Sacha Baron Cohen’s Best Film Yet
Until “The Dictator,” only a certain class of people appreciated Sasha Baron Cohen’s sense of humor — a class that fell between freshmen and juniors. In previous incarnations — as Ali G, Borat and Bruno — Cohen’s humor centered on putting unsuspecting people in awkward situations. It was occasionally funny, but more often just painful…
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Heyyy! Fonzie To Play Porn Star on Broadway
Hold on to your leather, “Happy Days” fans: The Fonz may be coming to Broadway as a porn star. That’s right — the onetime teen heartthrob Henry Winkler, now 65, is in negotiations to play an aging adult entertainment great in “Performers,” a new comedy by David West Road about the porn industry. Winkler’s character…
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Music After decades of waiting, we’re finally getting a Bob Dylan-Barbra Streisand duet
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Yiddish World A photo of my bubbe when Jewish stores still had Yiddish signs
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