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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In Song: Devarim
Detail from ‘Moses and the Messengers from Canaan’ by Giovanni Lanfranco, 1621-1624. Each week The Arty Semite connects the Torah reading — however tenuously — with a classic work of rock and roll. This week’s parsha, Devarim, is the first in the fifth and final book of the Torah. Moshe begins his recap of the…
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Roseanne Barr: Israel’s Next Prime Minister?
Forget the usual slate of Israeli politicians – the country’s next prime minister could be Roseanne Barr. So says the comedian, who announced her unlikely candidacy on yesterday’s “Tonight Show.” After announcing that she would also seek the American presidency, the former “Roseanne” star added the Israeli premiership as a “two-fer.” “I’ve got to solve…
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Books Our Good Friends the Essermans
Earlier this week, Melissa Fay Greene wrote about the adoption of her daughter, Helen, from Ethiopia, and telling jokes at church. Her new book, “No Biking in the House Without a Helmet,” is now available. Her posts are being featured this week on The Arty Semite courtesy of the Jewish Book Council and My Jewish…
The Latest
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Friday Film: Sudeten Germans Were Victims, Too
Courtesy of Corinth Films The Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the annexation of the largely German-speaking Sudetenland in October 1938. Most people are unaware of the aftermath of the occupation, in which Czech people took revenge on their German-speaking neighbors. This story is explored in a German-Czech-Austrian feature film titled “Habermann,” opening August 5…
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No Sting in the Tail From Cale
Crossposted from Haaretz I wish the opposite had been the case. I wish John Cale’s show Tuesday had been lukewarm at the start, and then picked up momentum until the fabulous end. But in fact, exactly the opposite occurred. The performance started out fabulously, became less exciting and ended just okay. While leaving the club,…
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Lauren Ambrose Named the Next ‘Funny Girl’
The role that launched Barbra Streisand has been recast — and it didn’t go to the Jewish heir apparent. The next Broadway production of “Funny Girl” will star Lauren Ambrose as Fanny Brice, the real-life Jewish comedian whom Streisand played during the show’s original 1964 Broadway run. The role, which earned Streisand a Tony nomination…
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The Disembodied Evil of Jewish Horror Movies
Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror By Jason Zinoman The Penguin Press, 272 pages, $25.95 The contribution of Jews to the American film industry both behind and in front of the camera is well known and well documented. Yet, having just read Jason Zinoman’s “Shock…
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Yossi Huttler’s Poetry of Fate and Faith
The unswerving religious focus of emerging American poet Yossi Huttler, 45, will likely limit the audience for his debut book, “Lakol Z’man” (“A Time for Everything”) — and that’s a shame. In it, the author, who is pious in his Jewish practice, evokes piyyutim, Hebrew liturgical verse. But he also alludes to a more varied…
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Israel’s Friday Night Sitcom
Crossposted from Haaretz This is apparently the ultimate all-Israeli experience, crossing sectors, affiliations and barriers. A family comes together for Friday night dinner. Elderly parents, their children with or without families of their own. Often there will be a blessing over the wine and there will always be a gut-busting meal, full of familiar dishes….
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Rick Sanchez To Launch Talk Show
Former news anchor Rick Sanchez, who was fired by CNN last fall after implying that Jews control the media, has completed the next step of his professional comeback. The ex-cable host is developing a syndicated talk show that will shoot in Florida, TVNewser reports. The program will be shot in both English and Spanish, and…
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Out and About: Wikimania in Haifa; Lady Gaga and the Jews (for Jesus)
The dispute between Chabad-Lubavitch and Russia over the Schneerson library is gumming up the works for major art exhibits. Hundred of Wikipedia contributors are descending on Haifa today for the seventh annual Wikimania conference. At the Paris Review, Sadie Stein writes about her grandfather, Joseph Stein, who wrote the screenplay for “Fiddler on the Roof.”…
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