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January 5, 2010

Jewish construction in eastern Jerusalem approved

The Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of four apartment buildings on the Mount of Olives in eastern Jerusalem.

The city’s planning and building committee approved the construction, which has been in the works for several years, on Monday. The buildings, which will house 24 Jewish families, will be located next to the long-established Beit Orot yeshiva. The land is privately owned.

American Jewish millionaire Irving Moskowitz initiated the project, according to reports. Moskowitz last year received permission from the city to build 20 apartments on other eastern Jerusalem land.

Monday’s approval comes as the Palestinians continue to refuse to come back to the peace negotiating table until Israel halts all settlement construction, including in Jerusalem. The Palestinians say that eastern Jerusalem will be the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Last week, the government solicited bids to build nearly 700 new apartments in Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem as part of a tender issued for 6,500 housing units in 54 communities throughout Israel.

The 10-month freeze on new West Bank settlement construction announced in November does not include Jerusalem.

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Israeli military officials cancel Britain trip

A delegation of Israeli military officers canceled a visit to Britain out of fear that they would be arrested on war crimes charges.

The cancellation of the visit, scheduled for last week, was announced Tuesday.

It comes a month after Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni canceled a visit to Britain after learning that a London court had approved a warrant for her arrest on war crimes charges.

The delegation of senior Israel Defense Forces officers had been invited by the British army. Their visit was put off after British authorities said they could not assure Israeli Foreign Ministry officials that the delegation would not be arrested.

The warrants seek to charge Israeli officials with war crimes in connection with Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza last winter. In December, Hamas said that it was working with lawyers in Britain and other European countries to pursue war crimes cases against Israeli leaders.

During a meeting Tuesday in Jerusalem with British Attorney General Baroness Scotland of Asthal, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon protested the arrest warrants issued against senior Israeli officials.

“This will make it difficult for the two countries to maintain a normal relationship,” Ayalon said.

The Baroness told Ayalon that the British government is considering options to solve the problem.

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MURPHY’S LAW — 2010

An actress has many ” title=”DANCES WITH WOLVES…. AND OTHER BEASTs”>Prince Charming yells, and before I can react, he grabs me by the waist. Then he turns to the bouncer and tells him, confidently, “She’s with me. Right, doll?”

“Oh,” I say, discretely returning my pepper spray into my pocket. “Sure.”

2010, here I come! I think to myself as the bouncer parts the sea in front of us, allowing my Gallant Knight and I to enter the club. This is my lucky night! If only I’d known that I wasn’t the only one getting through the barricade. ” title=”FROM HOLLYWOOD TO TEL AVIV… TOPLESS?”>“helpful hands”.

Okay, no big deal, I think logically. I’ll just make a couple of phone calls to cancel the credit cards. But of course, as I step out of the club to make the call, ” title=”GET RICH QUICK — THE DOCTOR DOLITTLE WAY”>200 shekel bill into my pocket for the cab-fare home.

During the next twenty minutes I learn there’s no such thing as a vacant taxi on Sylvester, so I prepare for the mile and a half walk home – in ” title=”OLD YEAR’S RESOLUTION FOR 2010″>surprised in 2010.

The teller, noticing I have exactly 8 shekels in small change, gasps excitedly and says: “Wow! This must be your lucky day!” She leans over and smiles knowingly: “You’d better go fill out a lottery form this instant!”

“I would,” I answer. “Except that I just gave you my last shekels.” 

I grab my drink as Murphy and I make our way back home to scrub some shit out of my shoes. We’ve got a date to prepare for, with a guy who makes me want to throw away my pepper spray.

Not that I will. I don’t trust Murphy. Or the universe.

As far as I’m concerned, I wear my poker face from here on in!

Follow ” title=”Follow HOLLYWOOD EAST on Twitter! (TiferetP)”>Twitter!

MURPHY’S LAW — 2010 Read More »

Farmar leading the Lakers

Just got back from a Clippers game—desperate times, but got to love that B Diddy—at which Cantor Chayim Frenkel sang the national anthem and then sat courtside. It reminded of Jordan Farmar’s performance in the Lakers domination of the Mavericks last night.

I know, seeing a cantor and thinking of the NBA’s first MOT since Danny Schayes retired is a stretch, but, again, it’s desperate times for Jewish players in the NBA. There’s rookie Omri Casspi, who is tearing it up, and there’s Farmar. About last night:

The Mavericks couldn’t do anything right. The Lakers could do no wrong.

Jordan Farmar led seven players in double figures with a career high-tying 24 points, and Los Angeles trounced the Western Conference’s second-best team in a 131-96 victory over Dallas on Sunday night. …

“Yes, you can expect this every night,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson deadpanned.

One can hope. Farmar, who is earning $1.9 million this year, making him one of the poorer homeowners in the South Bay, is averaging 6.9 points and 2 assists per game. But the opportunity seems there as Derek Fisher takes a backseat. One can hope.

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Polskys’ ‘Bad Lieutenant’: Best film of the decade or homecourt advantage?

Illustrious film critic Roger Ebert has weighed in with his top ten films of the decade and an unlikely contender has made his list: Werner Herzog’s “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” the first produced feature from newcomer brothers Alan and Gabe Polsky, who just so happen to hail from Ebert’s hometown of Chicago.

While the film received a healthy mix of criticism when released (David Denby of The New Yorker wrote, “The film is a mess, but it’s certainly not dull”), Ebert was unsparing in his praise and awarded the film four stars. Not a bad commendation for Hollywood’s hottest amateurs—who also graced our cover last December as “The Next Moguls”—question mark.

Last week, Ebert named ‘Bad Lieutenant’ one of the best films of the decade, among an eminent list of films that includes, Jason Reitman’s “Juno,” Charlize Theron’s Oscar-turn in “Monster,” Spike Lee’s post 9/11 pic “The 25th Hour” and one of this year’s top Oscar contenders, “The Hurt Locker.”

The Polskys ‘Bad Lieutenant’ is a wild, chaotic adventure that features the best Nicolas Cage performance since “Leaving Las Vegas” (and we all know how badly he needed a hit). But is it tops of the decade? We may have to chalk that one up to a bit of fatherly pride.

Read my profile of Alan and Gabe Polsky:

Two weeks before the theatrical release last month of their first feature film, “The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” producers Alan and Gabe Polsky threw themselves a coming-out ball.

As newcomers in Hollywood, the Polsky brothers sought a venue that would send all the right messages to all the right people: Bungalow One at the storied Chateau Marmont, the legendary hotel steeped in Hollywood history and glamour, where they could earn cachet simply by being seen there.

More on The Polskys

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The Emanuels: The Jewish Kennedys?

From TheDailyBeast.com:

Think the Emanuel brothers—Rahm, Ari, and Zeke—are power players? Wait till you meet their ambitious, ridiculously precocious kids. Rebecca Dana on the political dynasty’s next generation.

This spring, the next great American dynasty will take a spiritual vacation. No, the Kennedys aren’t off to Hyannis Port. The Bushes aren’t whacking brush somewhere in Central Texas. The Roosevelts aren’t in Oyster Bay.

The Emanuel boys are heading to Israel.

Ari and Rahm Emanuel are returning to the land of their forefathers—and their actual father, Benjamin—to celebrate the bar mitzvahs of their eldest sons, Noah and Zach. That’s two more Emanuel men coming of age. And if you think the current generation is insufferably driven and accomplished (all three, including older brother Zeke, being titans in Hollywood, government, and medicine), just wait till you see the mensches in the wings.

Read the full story at TheDailyBeast.com.

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