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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Singer Georges Brassens and His Estonian Love
October 29 marked the 30th anniversary of the death of the warm-voiced, humane French singer/songwriter Georges Brassens (born 1921), and tributes have included a 19-CD set out on October 17 from Mercury/Universal, following the interrogatively titled study “Brassens?” by French popular song specialist Bertrand Dicale, out in February from Les éditions Flammarion. Also receiving posthumous…
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Out and About
A posthumous Amy Winehouse album is set to be released in December. The British music label EMI is being sold to Russian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik. For the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, Nextbook Press has created an interactive version of Emma Lazarus’s poem, “The New Colossus.” Nathaniel Rabkin takes a…
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New App Detects Military Police Presence
It’s the iPhone app that helps you to be a shloch. For Israeli teenagers who grow up attending schools with — how shall I put this delicately as the husband of a teacher? — loose discipline by international standards, the military police they encounter on their conscription to the army come as a shock. All…
The Latest
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Q&A: ‘Harold and Kumar’ Directors on High School
Writer-director pals Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz have expectations to live up to. Fans of “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and its sequel, “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” are expecting even bigger laughs from the third installment in the comic duo’s franchise, “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” which opens…
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Toronto Arts Center Gets Downtown Home
While it’s long maintained headquarters in Toronto’s heavily Jewish northern reaches, the Koffler Centre of the Arts has never had a permanent home downtown, where much of its edgy programming originates. As a result, the Koffler made a virtue of necessity, building a brand around acclaimed off-site exhibitions that showcased its content at urban venues…
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Books Talking to Aharon Appelfeld in Pennsylvania
“I’m not looking at Aharon…” “He’s looking at you.” It’s not often that professors of literature have a chance to speak about a writer’s work in front of him. This interchange between Iris Milner, of Tel Aviv University, and Yigal Schwartz of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, took place at the International Conference on…
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Herman Cain Angers Palestinians With Gaffe
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has once again demonstrated that he could use a crash course in American foreign policy. His latest blunder in this subject area comes as a quote from him in Israel Hayom, the Israeli right-wing mass circulation tabloid backed by American multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Sounding more extreme than even the most…
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Books My First Writing Group: The Internet
On Monday, Gloria Spielman wrote about the University of the Ghetto. Her most recent book, “Marcel Marceau: Master of Mime,” is now available. Spielman‘s 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:…
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My Doctor Is Marrying Joe Biden’s Daughter
What is it about the daughters of Democratic politicians and Jewish men? Former Vice President Al Gore’s daughter Karenna married Andrew Schiff, who is descended from a long line of German Jews. Bill and Hillary Clinton’s only daughter, Chelsea, married Philadelphian Jew Marc Mezvinsky in a ceremony presided over by a rabbi. Now, Vice President…
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Zurich’s Cosmopolitan Choreography
Crossposted from Haaretz Many dance troupes are closely identified with the choreographer and artistic director leading them. But in the case of the Zurich Ballet, it seems that Heinz Spoerli has taken this tendency a step too far. His name appears together with the name of the troupe wherever possible, whether on billboards and in…
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Nigerian Theater Troupe Visits Tel Aviv
Crossposted from Midnight East “Development need not be an enemy of culture.” Nigerian theatre director Se-gun Ojewuyi mops his brow lightly as he speaks. It’s a warm afternoon, in the middle of rehearsals for the evening’s performance, but he is composed and unhurried as he reflects on his first visit to Israel. In late October…
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