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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Man Repeller, the Jewish it-girl blog that spanned a decade, is no more
In 2010, Leandra Medine Cohen founded the fashion blog Man Repeller from her parents’ house on the Upper East Side. Now, 10 years later, the publication, which in September changed its name to Repeller, has announced that it will close. “The company has been self-funded by its operations since its launch ten years ago as…
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‘Rebecca’ proves that Armie Hammer is better at playing gentle Jews than grim gentiles
Last night the Schmooze went to Manderley again … and it was a huge bummer. Before it even debuted, the Netflix reboot of Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” was slated to go wrong in a lot of ways. A 1938 Gothic thriller with strong “Jane Eyre” vibes, the novel follows a naive 20-something narrator who marries…
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Why does the ‘Great British Baking Show’ keep messing up Jewish breads?
“The Great British Baking Show” is supposed to calm you down. With its bespectacled judges and decidedly low-stakes narration — “For some bakers, bread is a new challenge” — it’s earned a reputation as a self-soother for the pandemic era. At a time when reality increasingly resembles dystopian prestige TV, “The Great British Baking Show”…
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For Doug Emhoff’s birthday, read our best coverage of the ‘Second Mensch’
Today, Doug Emhoff — Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ husband and Forward-certified “Hot Jewish Dad” — marks his 64th turn around the sun. So how is the potential Second Gentleman celebrating? By registering voters in Virginia, of course. Emhoff, who has not been seen sans Biden-Harris paraphernalia since sometime in August, started out the…
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Five ways to run a presidential debate like a Shabbat dinner table
Susan Page, a “Midwest nice” native of Wichita, Kan. asked some good questions during Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate. But when it came to holding her ground against overtalking from Vice President Mike Pence, she failed miserably. While the ground rules stipulated equal speaking time for each candidate, Pence, who delivered each answer in the…
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Jewish celebs get naked to talk “naked ballots” in new voting PSA
Tiffany Haddish just made a voting PSA wearing a Magen David necklace…and nothing else. The Jewish comedian was part of a gaggle of celebrities who got naked for a get-out-the-vote video about the “naked ballots” rule in Pennsylvania, a new voting restriction that could potentially disenfranchise thousands of voters. Celebs including @SarahKSilverman, @TiffanyHaddish, and @chrisrock…
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Justice for Seymour! The internet demands Rick Moranis’ attacker be found
Actor Rick Moranis was the victim of a violent, apparently random attack Thursday morning on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Video obtained by ABC-7 shows the 67-year-old actor being punched in the head and knocked to the ground by a man in a black “I (heart) NY” sweatshirt on West 70th Street near Central…
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Lenny Kravitz still looks great shirtless, in case you were wondering
Did you ever pause while sanitizing your groceries or purchasing masks in bulk to wonder how Lenny Kravitz’s abs are faring during this global pandemic? If so, you’ll be happy to know the answer is here, and the answer is: just fine. Those corners of the internet that haven’t been broken by President Trump’s coronavirus…
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Natalie Portman gives Aesop an update with new children’s book
If I had to choose one image to represent the phrase “having it all,” it would be a simple snapshot of Natalie Portman, best known as an actress but also a climate activist, vegan lifestyle evangelist, literary influencer, promoter of those social justice causes already widely accepted in Hollywood, sports entrepreneur, and alleged disrupter of…
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Crushing on your bar mitzvah dancer? Rachel Bloom has a show for that
If you’ve ever harbored tender feelings for an adult your parents hired to help you and your peers get down on the dance floor during the most awkward period of your life, you probably never wish to contemplate that individual again. You may feel uncomfortably seen by this Key and Peele sketch. You may destroy…
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‘High School Musical’ star Ashley Tisdale is pregnant
Ashley Tisdale has disobeyed her own erstwhile advice and shaken up the status quo: the “High School Musical” star, 35, is pregnant with her first child. Tisdale broke the news through the humble medium that scores of celebrities have been forced to adopt since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: a simple Instagram post staged…
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In Case You Missed It
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Culture At 95, Shaindel Schreiber is still dispensing babka and advice on the Lower East Side
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Fast Forward Fighting antisemitism is ‘an American issue’ not a Democratic or Republican one, says House Democratic leader
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Fast Forward Netanyahu now faces arrest in several Western countries following ICC warrant
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Film & TV Bonhoeffer biopic tells of a pastor turned would-be Hitler assassin — but is the story true?
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