Phil Spector, the massively influential rock composer and producer who murdered a woman and spent his declining years in jail, died at 81. Spector died Saturday at a hospital in French Camp, east of Stockton, of Covid-19 complications, The New York Times quoted his daughter, Nicole Audrey Spector, as saying. Spector was born into a Jewish…
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Celebrity Jews
A big honor for Shira Haas; Ed Asner is still working; etc.
Rockin’ in the new year What did you do on New Year’s Eve? Celebs were working, or some of them were. Paula Abdul and Doja Cat performed on “Dick Clark’s…
The Sit-Down
Hasidic rapper Nissim Black on his creative process and Covid recovery
Nissim Black is passionately, assuredly, confidently in love with God. Not in love with Judaism, though he’s fastidious in prayer and observance. Not in…
Celebrity Jews
David Cronenberg does Star Trek; Hallmark does Hanukkah; etc.
It’s beginning to look a lot like … that other holiday For anyone who has felt bad that Jews haven’t been included in cheesy holiday rom-com marathons,…
Music
Daveed Diggs on representing Jews of color in his new Hanukkah video
Daveed Diggs hadn’t planned to write a Hanukkah song. And when Disney first approached him and his rap group, Clippings, about writing one, his original…
Music
Orthodox rapper Nissim Black reinvents ‘Hava Nagila’
The latest single by Nissim Black, a pathbreaking Orthodox hip-hop artist, reimagines what may be the mostly widely known Jewish song. “The Hava Song,”…
Music
How Hanukkah returned to Amsterdam’s Royal Concert Hall
There’s a huge pipe organ where the Torah ark should be, but otherwise this city’s Royal Concert Hall looks, sounds and feels like a synagogue for one…
Music
WATCH: Daveed Diggs’ new ‘Puppy for Hanukkah’ song
There’s a long history of Jewish artists releasing parody songs for Hanukkah, but this year’s most catchy addition to the holiday canon may be Oakland…
Celebrity Jews
Drake-scented candles; Andy Samberg defends Oscar diversity rule
Israel on top Rhythmic gymnastics champ Linoy Ashram, 21, has added another medal to her collection — the Israeli athlete just won the top prize at the…