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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Jewish Actor Says Playing Hitler Is ‘Strange’
Taika Waititi — New Zealand’s triple threat director/writer/actor — opened up on Saturday about playing Hitler in his new film “Jojo Rabbit.” “It was very strange for me to have to put on the suit and put the mustache on or things like that,” Waititi said to a reporter at the Karlovy Vary International Film…
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Ariana Grande Defends Pete Davidson After Controversial Joke Resurfaces
Ariana Grande has finally responded to criticism that resurfaced this week over a highly insensitive comment that her fiance, Pete Davidson, made last fall during a stand-up appearance. He spoke about what must have been a serious reality check for Grande after the Manchester bombing at her 2017 concert: “Britney didn’t have a terrorist attack…
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Sacha Baron Cohen Promises Us A Scathing New Trump Parody
Thirteen years after Sacha Baron Cohen fooled Donald Trump while in character as Ali G — the English comedian posted a mysterious video this week on July 4th, where the POTUS refers to his adversary as a “third-rate character,” saying: “Go to school, and learn about being funny, because you don’t know sh**.” Trump’s remarks…
The Latest
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‘Maktub’, Israel’s Best Action-Comedy Movie, Streams on Netflix
The best cultural phenomenon out of Israel since “Fauda” has been released into the wilds of the Internet. “Maktub”, which first debuted at the 2017 Israel Film Festival, has at last made its way onto our screens. Now that Netflix is streaming the action-comedy, 45 million subscribers a day are welcome to delve into a…
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Backlash After Scarlett Johansson Cast As Trans Character
Scarlett Johansson has faced massive criticism this week for taking on a role as an apparently transgender man. Johansson will play Dante “Tex” Gill, an iconic massage-parlor kingpin who dominated Pittsburgh’s illicit pleasure centers in the 70’s and 80’s in the upcoming movie “Rub and Tug.” Johansson is a cisgender woman. Gill presented and identified…
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Andy Dick Groped Ivanka Trump In Forgotten ‘Kimmel’ Clip
Video footage from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2007 shows comedian Andy Dick rubbing Ivanka Trump’s legs and hair as Trump protests. Later in the episode, said Kimmel, the talkshow host and security guards forcibly removed Dick, who had also demanded a kiss from Trump on air. This video has resurfaced after the April incident in…
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JK Rowling Blasts Trump With A Torah Quote Over Family Separation
In the early hours of the fourth of July, “Harry Potter” scribe JK Rowling took to Twitter to denounce the Trump administration’s family separation policies and resulting decisions to force toddlers as young as three years old to represent themselves in court. It’s so awful we could laugh. Or drink. But Rowling, who 4,224 pages…
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Alan Dershowitz Kvetches About Martha’s Vineyard — And The Internet Laughs At Him
Alan Dershowitz had a thing or two to say about liberals pestering Trump administration officials. At least that’s what he claimed he was talking about. The bulk of the legal eagle’s latest oped is really more about how Dershowitz’s friends in Martha’s Vineyard are “shunning” him for his support of Trump on Fox News and…
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Controversy As Scarlett Johansson Cast As A Transgender Man
Scarlett Johansson has been cast in the provocatively titled movie “Rub and Tug,” which tells the extraordinary real-life story of Dante “Tex” Gill, a 70’s-era, mobster-esque impressario of sexual massage parlors. Tex Gill was a woman…if you ask Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, or Variety. Tex Gill was a man…if you ask ScreenCrush. And according to…
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Michelle Wolf Compares Ivanka Trump To Herpes
Love her or hate her, Michelle Wolf has the sharpest tongue on television. From Ana Navarro to Alex Jones, nobody comes close to Wolf’s ability to lacerate. On a new episode of her Netflix show, “The Break With Michelle Wolf,” the notorious host of the White House Correspondence dinner compared first daughter and presidential advisor…
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Mila Kunis Talks Marriage and Pregnancy Rumors: ‘My Dad Is Always Hopeful!’
Since the beginning of her relationship with Ashton Kutcherin 2012, Mila Kunis has had her relationship, marriage, and eventually the births of her two children plastered all over the tabloids. Everyone wants to know what’s up with her and her seemingly idyllic life. And admittedly, we are no exception. But what seems the most idyllic…
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Most Popular
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News An Alabama millionaire offered Jews $50,000 to move to his town. 16 years later, what’s left?
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Culture Why is Israel’s attack on Iran called ‘Rising Lion’ — and what does the Bible have to do with it?
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News ‘Very misguided’: ADL regional board member resigns over organization’s approach to antisemitism and civil rights
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News As Israel attacks, what is life like for Jews in Iran?
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