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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Jill Zarin In Trouble With Dallas Jewish Federation
Jill Zarin, Real Housewife of New York, is not happy with the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. And, as might be expected, the feeling is mutual. It seems that Zarin is in a tiff with the Federation over what exactly happened at a women’s charity event sponsored by the organization. Zarin, her sister Lisa Wexler,…
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Q&A: Actor Jason Isaacs on ‘Awake’
British actor Jason Isaacs is best known for his role as the villain Lucius Malfoy from the “Harry Potter” movies, but you also might recognize him from his role as the Scottish private investigator Jackson Brodie on the popular British series, “Case Histories,” shown in the U.S. as part of the PBS “Masterpiece Mystery!” series….
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Out and About
Remember “My Dinner With André”? Well, Wallace Shawn and André Gregory are back at it with an adaptation of Ibsen’s “Master Builder.” “Leeches” by David Albahari, “Fiasco” by Imre Kertész, “Kafka’s Leopards” by Moacyr Scliar and “Scenes From Village Life” by Amos Oz, are all on the longlist for the 2012 Best Translated Book Awards….
The Latest
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Congressional Hopeful Denies Holocaust
The Holocaust never happened. That’s one of the campaign platforms for Arthur Jones, a Lyons, Ill. insurance salesman gunning to become the Republican candidate to run against Democratic Congressman Dan Lipinski in Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District this fall. “As far as I’m concerned, the Holocaust is nothing more than an international extortion racket by the…
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Books Alba Arikha and Her Artist Father
It was appropriate that the moderator for Alba Arikha’s talk last week at London’s Jewish Book Week was the war correspondent Janine di Giovanni. Di Giovanni is noted for preserving the human dimension in the complexities of conflict. Likewise, “Major/Minor,” Arikha’s recently published memoir, digs deep beneath the surface to explore her tempestuous relationship with…
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Gay Porn Star Dror Barak Dead at 38
Dror Barak, the New York City-based Israeli Consulate employee whose sideline in gay porn got him fired from his day job in 2007, has reportedly committed suicide. Barak’s boyfriend — who was not named — told Out.com that the porn star, who performed as “Roman Ragazzi,” took his own life last Thursday. “Dror was not…
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Fashion, But No Statement
Crossposted from Haaretz Designer Yossi Katzav’s fashion show for his men’s fashion brand, Sketch, was an intimate affair. At least in the atmosphere prevailing in the showroom and the adjacent balcony, it was reminiscent of fashion shows in Paris before celebrities and the masses began flocking to catwalks in recent decades. Taking place in a…
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Joan Rivers Disses Angelina Jolie
Joan Rivers is known primarily for two things: her addiction to plastic surgery and her predilection for calling it like she sees it — on the red carpet and off. She’s in the news most recently for the latter, only in this instance she issued her commentary with even less tact than usual. Rivers, like…
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Sh-t Westerners in Israel Say
The latest group to feature in the “sh-t” meme may be familiar to you. Since Sh-t Girls Say went viral in December, there has been a steady stream of videos caricaturing the conversation of different groups around the world. Now, the new focus is Israel’s English-speaking community. The video went online on Monday, and has…
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Books Author Blog: The Unlikely In-Laws
Earlier this week, Michelle Haimoff discussed having immigrant parents, baby boomers and parental expectations. Her blog posts are being featured this week 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: The hardest thing about breaking up with the…
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‘Kaddish’ in the Armory
“Strange now to think of you, gone without corsets & eyes, while I walk on / the sunny pavement of Greenwich Village. / downtown Manhattan, clear winter noon, and I’ve been up all night, talking, / talking, reading the Kaddish aloud..” So begins Allen Ginsberg’s “Kaddish,” a sprawling lament for his late mother, Naomi Ginsberg….
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