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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Big Wins at Sundance
The final winners at the Sundance Film Festival were announced on the evening Sunday January 29 and there were big wins for Israel and Jewish themed films as well as films helmed by Jewish directors. Alison Klayman, who was featured on The Arty Semite blog last week, won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for…
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Carlebach Musical Broadway Bound?
At one point in the musical “Soul Doctor,” an actor says, “There are two types of Jews. Those who have heard of Shlomo Carlebach and those who haven’t — yet.” For either type, “Soul Doctor: The Journey of a Rockstar-Rabbi” can be an enlightening experience. During his lifetime, Carlebach was known as “The Singing Rabbi”…
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Ferris Bueller Returns in Superbowl Ad
Life moves pretty fast: It seems like just yesterday that Ferris Bueller was taking the day off. But, believe it or not, that was already 26 years ago. And now the righteous dude is back, but it’s not clear yet what he is up to this time. A teaser video released on Thursday indicates that…
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Demi Moore Drops Gloria Steinem Role
Demi Moore has been having a rough time lately. First came the announcement of her split with husband Ashton Kutcher. Then, earlier this week, she checked into rehab to overcome her exhaustion and alleged addictions to nitrous oxide and Red Bull. Now word is that we can no longer expect to see her playing feminist…
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Gilad Shalit, Basketball Fan
Going to a basketball game isn’t headline-making news — unless you’re Gilad Shalit, and the game is one of your first public outings after more than five years in Hamas captivity. Israel’s most famous ex-prisoner returned to the local news in a big way last night after arriving in person to watch his favorite pro…
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Friday Film: Exiles in Any Land
Once in a blue moon you get the chance to see a real talent in the making. That was my main thought after seeing first-time director-screenwriter Guy Yeroslavsky’s new TV pilot, “Forced Landing,” last October at the Haifa International Film Festival. Luckily, Israeli viewers may soon have a full-season of “Forced Landing” in store for…
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My Influences Are Showing
Earlier this week, Liana Finck let us peek behind the curtain at the source material for her comic based on A Bintel Brief. She showed us the first two pages and the second story. Her blog posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish…
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Private Letters of a Noble French Statesman
Along with Léon Blum, Pierre Mendès France (1907-1982) was the only Jewish statesman ever allowed to serve as Prime Minister of France. Mendès France held that office from 1954 to 1955, following years in the wartime French Résistance. Like Blum, Mendès France was targeted for a multitude of anti-Semitic insults, which made him resolve not…
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Agnieszka Holland Shines Light on Heroic Poles
“My first reaction was, ‘I can’t do it!’” Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland told me during our chat about her film “In Darkness,” which opened in New York on January 27 and has been nominated for an Academy Award. “I was attracted to the main character, the ambiguous Leopold Socha,” who in 1943, in Nazi-occupied Lvov,…
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Barrymore Enlists Sandler as Conversion Coach
Is it any surprise that, after going out on fifty first dates with Adam Sandler and also falling for him as a wedding singer, Drew Barrymore would say that she is close to her co-star? Of course, not. However, it’s one thing to look to a co-star for friendship and acting advice — or even…
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Stephen Colbert vs. Maurice Sendak
“Where the Wild Things Are” writer Maurice Sendak turns out to be the cranky Jewish grandfather fans of “The Colbert Report” wish they had. The 83-year-old author has been featured the past two nights on the Comedy Central series, in an interview producers apparently liked so much they stretched it across multiple episodes. Shot at…
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