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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Montreal Cabbie Can Display Religious Objects in his Cab
Is a rabbi’s picture dangerous? That’s what Montreal police seemed to imply by fining and ticketing cabbie Arieh Perecowicz, who’d racked up more than $1,000 in fines “for having pictures of his daughter and a rabbi in his cab, along with a Canadian flag, two small religious symbols and a Remembrance Day poppy,” according to…
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Adah Isaacs Menken: a Civil War-era Sexpot Remembered
The 19th century New Orleans-born entertainer and sex symbol Adah Isaacs Menken is still shivering timbers long after her premature death in 1868. Back in 2003, Renée M. Sentilles, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University, published an enjoyable scholarly analysis with Cambridge University Press, “Performing Menken: Adah Isaacs Menken and the Birth of…
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Friday Film: Behind the Scenes of ‘Jewish Arena Rock’
“The Klezmatics are the Jewish equivalent of arena rock,” ethnomusicologist Bob Cohen deadpans early in Erik Greenberg Anjou’s documentary “The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground.” “They’re not heavy metal; they’re heavy Yiddish.” It’s a bit of tongue-in-cheek analysis calculated to make us chuckle (picture these mild-mannered, middle-aged folks head-banging in eyeliner and platform heels!) — and…
The Latest
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Liz Taylor Fashionably Late to Her Own Jewish Funeral
Even as she made her final exit, Elizabeth Taylor knew how to make an entrance. At the star’s request, Taylor’s funeral began 15 minutes past schedule yesterday in California, London’s Daily Mail reported. “She even wanted to be late to her own funeral,” the paper quoted her publicist as saying. Presided over by a rabbi,…
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American Apparel CEO Faces Four More Accusers
Less than a month after an ex-employee sued him for sexual harassment, four women are banding together in a similar case against American Apparel CEO Dov Charney. According to Courthouse News Service, the quartet’s lead plaintiff “claims Charney sexually assaulted her when she went to his home for an interview. Three other women say they…
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How Lewis Black Almost Became a Rabbi
Lewis Black is a bundle of apoplectic fury on stage. His fingers shake and his voice is raised in rage as he throws thunderbolts of indignation at the audience. Consider his concert at Carnegie Hall a few years ago. It was recorded for posterity (not to mention profit) and ultimately earned him his first Grammy…
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France’s Jewish Triple Threat
Crossposted from Haaretz “I was boiling with anger when I heard that Mike Leigh and Ken Loach had called for the boycott of Israeli films,” says French-Jewish actor, director and screenwriter Pascal Elbe. “As a Frenchman, I see in culture, as in academia, a necessity for every dialogue. What bridges do they want to burn?…
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Houdini’s Escape From Death
Extra! Extra! Houdini has done it again: he’s managed yet another fabulous trick. But this is the Big One, the one in which he comes back from the dead. Just look around: Google has adopted him for its logo; he’s on novels, Broadway shows, museums exhibits, movies, biographies, playing cards, computer games… Not bad for…
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Liz Taylor’s Funeral — The A-List Rabbi
Crossposted from TMZ Liz Taylor’s funeral will be officiated by a man with plenty of celebrity experience — because he’s helped bury dozens of them. Taylor is having a traditional Jewish burial ceremony at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, Calif., right now — and the man doing the service is Rabbi Jerry Cutler. Cutler has…
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Jon Stewart: What Happens in Eruv, Stays in Eruv
Last night on Jon Stewart, Wyatt Cenac reported from West Hampton Beach- the West Bank of Long Island- where trouble has arisen over an Eruv. Some residents aren’t happy about the invisible boundary that allows ultra-observant Jews to carry keys or push baby strollers on the Jewish Sabbath.
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Ashkenazim, Sephardim and Singing Fish
Success has many parents and, it appears, a number of vigorous children. The Maccabeats YouTube success at Hanukkah has spawned a whole cottage industry of Jewish videos. The latest of them is the offspring of Dreamworks (not officially) and Chabad (not officially) and is not, thankfully, an exposition of a minor festival but a celebration…
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