Video: Jerry Seinfeld Promotes Bee Movie To Peres

(Hat Tip: Isrealli.org)

Jerry Seinfeld's arrival into Israel has received a lot of buzz (note: pun not intended) regarding his Bee Movie, which has been doing fairly well in the US.

During his visit Seinfeld was able to meet privately with Peres, and exchange some jokes as well as some information of what Israel was all about.

(Jerusalem Post) On Friday, Seinfeld toured Yad Vashem, Jerusalem's Old City and Masada. He also met with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres. He told Peres that he was very excited by the warm welcome that he had received in Israel, and amazed by how popular his sitcom Seinfeld is in this country.

"You can imagine how much people like you here and respect you," Peres told Seinfeld as the two sat in suits and ties in front of Israeli flags at Beit Hanassi.

Seinfeld explained his movie to the 84-year-old Nobel peace laureate. "It's about a bee who's not sure that he wants to go into honey," Seinfeld said, as Peres laughed. "They tell him he has no choice."

According to the article, Jerry seemed to be surprised by how popular his show Seinfeld was in Israel. Whether its due to the fact that Israeli's love to see a Jewish star blossom, or that the show revolves around nothing, Seinfeld has become a phenomenon world wide, and hopefully we will see more of Jerry in Israel--along with his Jewish wife.

Is Madonna Good Or Bad For Israel?

It looks as if the Jewish state is humming about their "favorite Kabbala girl," Madonna. While the serious faithful look upon the material girl with much scorn, it seems the business folk are seeing her arrival as a blessing in disguise.

(Israel National News) However, tourism and business are expected to boom with her visit, and the Florida Jewish federation has pledged $8 million in contributions for projects in the region, including $100,000 to start an international Kabbala center.

Realtors also will benefit. Madonna is planning to buy a house in the Rosh Pina-Tzfat area.

Madonna's entrance into the Israeli scene may not improve the spiritual climate of the holy land, but it definitely will help raise the financial state of the region (at least for the tourism sector).

Note: While Madonna is in Israel, someone should encourage her to visit Sderot, as she may help bring some more attention to that region.

(Image Credit: Wikipedia)

Video: Jerry Seinfeld To Visit Israel

(Hat Tip: What War Zone??)

One of the greatest comedians of television prime time has decided to take a small detour in the Holy Land in order to promote an upcoming film.

(Ynet News) Jerry Seinfeld is scheduled to visit Israel in November to promote the new animated film, "Bee Movie." [...]

The movie tells the story of a male bee (dubbed by Jerry Seinfeld) who graduated college and is disgruntled by the fact that his only option is to manufacture honey. The bee hangs out in New York City where he befriends a flower salesgirl.

No word on whether Jerry Seinfeld will perform or not, but either way his visit will sure make many Israeli Seinfeld fans happy.

For those wondering what the film looks like, here is a preview of the flick below.





More details over at BeeMovie.com.

Teapacks Allowed To Play In Eurovision

I've been following this story on (and off) online, and after much speculation it seems that an Israeli bands controversial song will be allowed to be played at the Eurovision competition after all.

(Jewtastic) The Israeli entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be allowed despite fears the track would insult Iran with its references to nuclear war.

Finnish Eurovision official Kjell Ekholm voiced concerns about Teapacks' Push The Button entry last week, because he thought it could be deemed offensive to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The song is humorous, and may allow give a few chuckles to some Israelis who are in need of a good laugh.

For those of you wondering what all the fuss is about, Isrealli has a video highlighting all of the fun.

Leonardo DiCaprio (And Girl Friend) Visit Israel

Leonardo (or Leo for short) is probably best known for staring in the chick flick Titanic, which will make any girl cry and every guy wanting to see something more entertaining.

Either way, its good to see more celebrities visiting the promise land, as that can only encourage others to follow suit.

(Ynet News) Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio and his Israeli girlfriend model Bar Rafaeli toured Monday evening the Yad Vashem Museum for the commemoration of the Holocaust, which opened after hours for their visit.

DiCaprio apparently showed great interest in the tour and was moved by the experience, asking numerous questions and pausing repeatedly at various displays. The couple was expected to tour Jerusalem immediately following.

Leo seems to have a deep appreciation for the Jewish state, which may be in part to his kosher girl friend Bar Rafaeli.

The comments on Ynet are entertaining to read about this, although Leo seems to be really enjoying his stay there if some of the "Yneters" are not. Leo's appearance will definitely help out with Israel's tourism which has not seen the greatest of times since the war.

Israeli Producer's Film Generates Hollywood Buzz

It looks as if Ram Bergman will be launching a new film entitled "The Brothers Bloom" which is a movie about two cons deciding to perform one more act of misconduct before retiring.

(Ynet News) Bergman, who is currently working in Hollywood, managed to recruit actor Adrien Brody ('The Pianist,' 'King Kong'), British-Jewish actress Rachel Weisz (who won an Academy Award last year for best supporting actress in 'The Constant Gardener'), and Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi (who is nominated this year for an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 'Babel') to participate in his intriguing and all-embracing production.

Director Rian Johnson wrote 'The Brothers Bloom,' inspired by the film 'The Sting.' Johnson has already worked with Bergman on 'Brick,' a successful movie which won Bergman recognition as one of the 10 prominent producers in American independent cinema.

Bergman says that the film industry is extremely intrigued by the new movie ("everyone in Hollywood wants to work in this film"), referring to Johnson as "the next Tarantino."

With the film hosting an incredible cast I would not be surprised if this was nominated for an Academy Award. No word when this movie is scheduled for release in the states, but from my estimates films like these can generally take up to two years (or more) to produce, edit and release.

Saudi Arabian Prince To Build Tel Aviv Hotel?

Despite heading the worlds best known Islamic theocracy's, it seems as if the Saudi Arabian prince is making plans to build a hotel in one of Israel's largest metropolis.

Is it me, or is the middle east getting weirder by the day? (I mean in a good, kosher type of way)

(Israel Today) Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal plans to invest into Israel as he is in negotiations to build a hotel on Tel Aviv's coastline.

Bin Talal already has two architects working on the project. One is Basel al-Beiti, the prince’s private architect who has experience in designing oriental hotels around the world. The other architect is former Tel Aviv Chief City Engineer, Yisrael Gudovich. [...]

According to recent blueprints submitted to the Tel Aviv Municipality, the hotel is to be an eight-story, 150-room complex on the Mediterranean Sea.

Bin Talal is the nephew of the late Saudi King Faisal, and is believed to be worth $26.4 billion.

It would probably be a hotel for the "rich and famous," although I would love to catch a photo of the hotel when its done. The prince seems to be more "pragmatic" than his religious counterparts, although I pray his venture would lead towards greater diplomatic ties between the two nations in the future.

Can Spielberg Create Peace In The Middle East?

Steven Spielberg is planning to create a new film in order to promote peace between the Palestinians and Israelis. The major difference between this film, and his previous ones is that he won't be in the pilot's seat directly shooting the film.

(Israel Today) Upon arrival in Israel to promote the film, Spielberg will distribute 100 small video cameras to Israelis and 100 to Palestinians. Their assignment will be to document their daily lives, which Spielberg will combine the footage for his new film. [...]

"The youngsters will be busy filming instead of throwing Molotov bottles and they will get a chance to see how the other half lives," said Spielberg. "Furthermore they will come to realize that we are all human beings who wish to live in peace. I want you to make movies not war."

This idea has already received praise from Dan Gillerman, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations who hopes that this project will not only unite the individuals who make the film, but also hopes that this will turn into "something much bigger."

If so, scenes like this will hopefully become more popular in the future.

Note: It also seems as if Spielberg is considering forming joint film academies in Tel Aviv and Ramallah. If so, I wonder if he will link up either of them via internet and video?

An Israeli Festival In Manhattan?

Great! Here is one party I would love to go to, but I am almost a thousand miles away from the event!

And in one of my favorite cities too! (after Tel Aviv that is)

(Israel Today) The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Manhattan in partnership with Israel’s Foreign Ministry have found a way to bring Israeli culture to the world, spicing up New York City with some Israeli flavor during the 6th annual Israeli Non-Stop Festival.

The festival is a non-stop marathon celebrating today's Israeli artists by showcasing them in the Big Apple.

The six-day event, scheduled for the end of February, will feature Israeli singer Mosh Ben-Ari. Ben-Ari was born in Israel, but with his Yemenite and Iraqi background, he mixes guttural Middle Eastern sounds into his blend of rock, reggae and world music.

They will also be hosting hummus samples for everyone to enjoy for free, not to mention some Israel jazz! For those of you who enjoy wine, there will be some taste testing there as well.

Perhaps the folks at Isrealii could cover this for all of us unable to attend. (with video of course!)

Britney Spears Did What?

You gotta be kidding me.

(Ynet News) According to The Sun newspaper, Britney has dyed her hair dark and was seen wearing a Jewish Star Of David said to impress boyfriend Isaac Cohen while they were out on a dinner date in LA.

The singer has been rumored to have broken up with Jewish Isaac, and also to have used him to try and win back her former boyfriend Justin Timberlake, the report noted.

However sources close to the singer are saying that perhaps her choice of symbol is a sign of true devotion to Isaac, her Jewish boyfriend.

Well, at least she looked Kosher, even she is far from being kosher. You gotta at least give her credit for that.

Note: I wonder what Isaac's mother thinks about all of this?

Lenny Kravitz To Fly Away To Israel?

(Hat Tip: Isrealli)

He still has not decided whether or not he will play in Israel (everyone is hoping that he does, including me) although he will be making a short trip to the holy land this summer to visit some friends.

(Ynet News) Singer Lenny Kravitz, one of America's most popular rock stars, has announced he will make his first visit to Israel in the summer, Israel's leading newspaper reported Thursday.

The 42-year-old singer will visit as a tourist, and has not decided if he will perform here during the visit.

During the Jewish-African American reception earlier this week, Kravitz told Israel's consul general in New York, Aryeh Mekel, that he will be arriving in Israel in the next two-to-three months to visit friends in Tel Aviv.

His journey through the holy land will probably be "on the down low" although if people press him hard enough, he might throw a free concert while in Tel Aviv.

Cheb I Sabbah Making Arabians Dance

If Madonna can bring the people together in the west, Cheb i Sabbah is definitely doing this in the east.

And the best part about this is he does it with style.

(Foward) For many people, the idea of a Jewish DJ being named a featured artist at venues like the Arab Film Festival or the Arab American National Museum would be a head-scratcher. For global electronica DJ Cheb i Sabbah, however, it's standard fare.

In the four decades of his accomplished career, Sabbah - born Haim Serge El Baaz - has specialized in crossing barriers between nationalities and working with artists of all religions and ethnicities. [...]

"It wasn't something we were conscious of - bringing a Jewish artist into the museum - but we wouldn't not bring a Jewish artist into the museum," she said. "We invite all people to be together, as performing arts, music and dance are ways for all of us to heal and learn about each other.

Sabbah really has some great music as you can tell by visiting his site (geek warning: heavy in flash).

I think I'm tempted to even buy some of his stuff as it would help set a great mood for a party. Unfortunately I have no clue what they are saying...perhaps I can Google a translation somewhere as it sounds like the song is done in several different languages.

Update: Reposted on IsraPundit.

The Bee Gees headed for Israel?

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive."

Sorry for that, I just had to get that out of my system.

(Israel Today) Singer and songwriter, Robin Gibb of the "Bee Gees" arrived in Israel as a guest of psychic Uri Geller and the Ministry of Tourism.

Gibb was a member of the band that was a singing trio of brothers who became one of the most successful musical acts of all time, attaining exceptional success in the late 1960s through the end of the 1970s. The Bee Gees are categorized as among the six most successful artists in the world together with Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney. The group won seven Grammies during its forty years of recording music.

Despite it being only Robin visiting the holy land, his arrival should make for an interesting tour--at least for the Israeli music industry.

Although he may consider otherwise, I wonder if he'll sing "Stayin' Alive," as it seems to be Israel's theme song.

Kosher And Famous?

(Hat Tip: Israellycool, Twice)

I would have never guessed that Elvis Presley and Yaphet Kotto were Jewish.

I was able to meet Presley's step brother (by marriage) a few years ago, although he mentioned nothing about his step brothers kosher roots (then again, he was talking to a couple hundred students at the time).

I wonder how many other actors we see on TV are Jewish? Besides Superman, that is...