Is Matisyahu the new Britney Spears?

The Weekly Schmooze: Natalie Portman is now the most-searched name on the Internet Movie Database.

weekly schmooze 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
weekly schmooze 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
What does Matisyahu have in common with Britney Spears? Well, the pop princess famously shaved her head and then assaulted photographers with an umbrella a few years ago. First Matisyahu shaved his beard, and now it seems the Hassidic reggae star (he may not like the title, but that’s what he is) has moved on to stepping on photographers.
Photographer Rebecca Smeyne from Paper magazine was using her flash during a Hanukka concert, when the singer stepped off the stage and onto her, leading her to fall. Then he ripped the flash attachment from Smeyne’s camera. Matisyahu later tweeted an apology to Smeyne, saying that he “totally snapped” because the flash was distracting him, and told her she should be “more sensitive to the performer.”
For those who forgot, Matisyahu shaved off his beard recently, but tweeted and blogged soon after that he is still Orthodox, but has chosen to follow less rules. Watch him explain his transformation to Rolling Stone:
In case you needed more proof that Natalie Portman is a huge star, she has now been crowned the most-searched name on the Internet Movie Database, replacing Johnny Depp, who topped the list for six out of the last seven years. Portman’s Black Swan co-star Mila Kunis took second place, with Depp in third.
Hanukka may be over, but there are still Hanukka videos that the Schmooze hasn't shared yet! MTV interviewed Matt Damon and Scarlett Johanssen about the Festival of Lights, gefilte fish and Mayim Bialik, who Johanssen mistakenly identified as a rabbi.
Who is the greatest Jewish athlete of all time? If you ask Sports Illustrated, it’s 1963 baseball MVP Sandy Koufax. The magazine’s web site listed 24 top Jewish athletes last week, in honor of Hanukka. The list includes seven-time Olympic gold winning swimmer Mark Spitz, Israeli NBA player Omri Casspi, and Olympic figure skater Sarah Hughes, among others.
Yet another site, Forbes Magazine’s, to be precise, made a Jewish list in honor of Hanukka. The business magazine ranked Jewish rappers, ranging from MC Paul Barman to The (indisputably great) Beastie Boys in the top spot. Here's one of the trio's hits:

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The Weekly Schmooze collects the hottest Jewish culture news from around the world. Ranging from celebrities to philanthropy to quirky communities, we're here to schmooze about Jews. If you have any news to share with The Weekly Schmooze, write to: weeklyschmooze@gmail.com