Archive | 2010 | March
Oscar hopes high as ‘Ajami’ crew heads for Hollywood
The Israeli filmmakers behind the Oscar-nominated picture “Ajami” arrived in Los Angeles yesterday to attend this Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theater.
This is the third consecutive year in which an Israeli-made motion picture has been nominated for best foreign-language film.
The film’s writer-directors, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, producers Talia Kleinhendler and Moshe Danon, and eight of the cast members are in Hollywood. Yet due to the limited amount of seating set aside for the Israeli contingent, only the directors and producers will be able to attend the ceremony, which takes place early Monday morning Israel time.
The rest of the cast and crew will watch the festivities live at a special event organized by the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles.
The odds of “Ajami” capturing the prize are not great, according to both movie critics worldwide and Internet gambling sites. Most observers expect the German entry, “The White Ribbon,” which was directed by Michael Haneke, to get the nod.
In the days prior to the ceremony, the Israeli crew will attend several Hollywood gatherings. Yesterday, they sat down with journalists at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and tomorrow, Copti and Shani will participate in a special symposium of directors nominated for the best foreign-language film, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Their fellow nominees, in addition to Haneke, are Jacques Audiard, director of the French film “A Prophet”; Claudia Llosa (“The Milk of Sorrow,” from Peru); and Juan Jose Campanella (“The Secret in Their Eyes,” Argentina).
Source: Haaretz.com
Small burgers make for great fun
Tel Aviv’s recently opened Burgerim restaurant says its hamburgers are modeled on New York City’s Pop Burger chain, which is known for its 80-gram mini-burgers served in pairs or trios with a selection of sauces. While Pop Burger joints are super trendy and somewhat upscale, Burgerim is a rather old fashioned looking place, with a few tables set indoors, stools set at an outdoor counter, and an order counter.
One wall is decorated with posters for various pop music concerts, another with a large menu. The closest Burgerim comes to being “fancy” is the plastic cups in which the various sauces are served.
As a recent visit proved, however, that’s all fine with me, for these mini-burgers are great fun to eat. The burgers are made by hand and grilled to order, unlike machine-made fast-food or junk-food burgers.
My order was for a trio of burgers, one beef, one mutton and one of merguez sausages. My burgers were prepared precisely as requested, each lightly charred on the exterior and medium-rare inside. Each was served on its own lightly toasted, sesame seed-coated roll, the rolls with just a hint of sweetness and on each a slice of tomato, a bit of onion and shredded lettuce.
The beef burger was full of natural flavor and I downed it with hot mayonnaise sauce slathered on. The mutton burger was just fatty enough and went nicely with barbecue sauce; and the merguez burger was fine with nothing more than a bit of ketchup and hot sauce spread on.
I requested side orders of fries and onion rings. The fries, which came in a very generous portion, were a delight, potatoes that had been cut into thin ovals before deep frying. The fries were left with just a hint of oil to add charm. I did not resist the temptation of eating these with my fingers, some of which I sprinkled over with nothing more than salt and others of which were dipped into the hot mayonnaise.
The coated and deep fried onion rings were little more than okay, having far too much resemblance to the uniform things that are sold out of freezer cases.
All in all, Burgerim is great fun for a casual meal and certainly at the right price, as my bill, which included a draft Goldstar beer, came to a most reasonable NIS 72. Not worth a special trip but if you’re in the area and feel hungry, a good bet either for lunch or late snack during the wee hours of the morning.
Burgerim: 7 Herzl St., Tel Aviv (near the corner of Rothschild). Open daily 11:30-04:30. Tel: (03) 5166651
It’s official: Rihanna to perform in Israel
Popular Barbadian R&B artist to conclude her European tour with concert in Jaffa’s Bloomfield Stadium on May 30
Or Barnea
Published: 03.03.10, 14:46 / Israel Culture
Following months of negotiations, it’s now official: Barbadian R&B artist Rihanna will arrive in Israel for one concert, which will take place on May 30 at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
The details of the performance are expected to be revealed in a press conference next Wednesday, March 10, including the ticket prices and the singer’s itinerary in the Holy Land.
The concert will be sponsored by the Orange cellular company, which will provide its customers with tickets for a reduced price.
The Israel concert is expected to conclude Rihanna’s European tour, which will be launched in Belgium on April 16 and will last about a month and a half. The tour will include gigs in Holland, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The singer will arrive in Israel after three concerts in Ireland.
Rihanna, 22, is considered one of the most popular singers in the world these days. She has released four albums so far, but owes her international breakthrough to her third album, “Good Girl Gone Bad,” and the hit song “Umbrella”.
Her fourth studio album, “Rated R,” was released in November 2009 and was a great success. Last year, reports surfaced that she had been the victim of violence by her ex-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown.
Rihanna will be joining many famous artists scheduled to visit Tel Aviv this summer, including Metallica, The Pixies, Elton John, Rod Stewart and Elvis Costello.
Source: Ynetnews.com
Canada students counter ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ with controversial campaign
A controversial pro-Israel campaign was launched in universities across Canada last week, in an attempt to counter the global pro-Palestinian campaign, “Israel Apartheid Week,” launched on Sunday.
The campaign, named “Size Doesn’t Matter,” was initiated by the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students, and is taking place in 23 universities across Canada, according the official “Size Doesn’t Matter” website.
An especially peppery video ad posted on the campaign website displays a young couple in bed, with the young woman complaining of the “size” of what turns out to be a map of Israel.
Organizers said that the campaign was aimed at “highlighting the multitude of Israeli accomplishments and contributions,” saying it was the “result of the combined efforts by the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students (CFJS), local Hillels, Jewish Student Associations, and Israel on Campus organizations across Canada.”
The campaign website indicated that renowned speakers will be discussing Mideast-related issues, including Khaled Abu Toameh, Dr. Joel Kotek, Dr. Mohammed Wattad, and Ismael Khaldi.
“We are very excited about this campaign,” said Rebecca Cherniak, Israel Affairs Chair for the Canadian Federation of Jewish Students.
“On many Canadian campuses, Israel is often vilified by anti-Israel proponents. The “Size Doesn’t Matter” campaign will showcase an Israel that many students have never seen before,” Cherniak said
Source: Haaretz.com
Ben & Jerry’s to open new factory in Beer Tuvia
Ice-cream giant to invest NIS 8 million in new production facility that will employ dozens of workers, comply with international exporting standards. Sixteen retail stores, kiosks throughout country also slated to open in near future.
Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream company will open a new factory in the Beer Tuvia area in southern Israel, near Kiryat Malachi, in a facility that up until recently served as a soup factory and logistic center for food manufacturer Vita Pri Hagalil.
Some NIS 8 million (appoximately $2 million) will be invested in the new facility, which will employ dozens of workers, and comply with standards set by the global Ben & Jerry’s corporation as well as the European markets and US food authorities.
The company’s previous factory in Yavne was shut down after it did not hold up to the exporting standards set by the ice-cream giant.
The new plant will produce Ben & Jerry’s ice-creams as well as baked frozen items that are marketed in Israel under the brand name “Rosie’s” and include pancakes, blintzes, bagels and more. In addition, the company will open a new retail store in the central city of Modiin.
According to Ben & Jerry’s General-Manger Avi Zinger, another retail store is slated to open next month at the new Cinema City in Rishon Lezion, in addition to the one already operating in Glilot.
The company is currently holding negotiations for opening another store in Jerusalem as well. Ben & Jerry’s annual turnover in Israel is estimated at some NIS 30 million (appox. $8 million).
Along with the expansion of production facilities, Ben & Jerry’s is also planning on expanding to 16 ice-cream parlors and selling kiosks. According to Zinger, “Ice-cream parlors have regained momentum in recent years, and we have also returned to full activity.
“Ben & Jerry’s opened its first store in Israel in 1988 and operated 16 branches at its peak. In 2001 it began to close down its stores dew to losses suffered with the break of the intifada and the era of increased terror attacks,” Zinger said.
Source: Ynetnews
Dialogue through sports: Israeli cricket wins Dubai prize
The Dubai-based International Cricket Council has awarded the Israel Cricket Association with a prize for a cross-border initiative bringing together Jews and Bedouins in the southern Negev desert.
The winning project was initiated by Stanley Perlman, the Israel Cricket Association’s chairman.
The Association’s director, Naor Gudker, who is also an international umpire, told Ynet that cricket is among the top three sports in Asia and in many Arab states, including Pakistan and Dubai.
“A very high percentage of the managers, players, and coaches in global cricket are Muslims,” he said. “We do not feel that we are met with revulsion in Muslim states, such as Malaysia, where we played in 1997.”
Gudker expressed his excitement over the latest award, which joins a similar prize won by the Israeli association in 2001.
“It’s a huge achievement. It’s a project we promoted that was warmly received across the world,” he said. “This award in general and the project in particular are a good example of how cricket can bridge, bring compromise, and teach us to accept others.”
The next move is to make cricket accessible to Arab Israelis in Israel’s north, he said.
Gudker used the opportunity to criticize authorities for failing to offer cricket the support it deserves.
“Cricket is rather developed in Israel – there are 21 teams, school leagues, and youth leagues…in Beersheba, 2,000 kids are involved in projects related to the sports. Yet nonetheless, the State is unwilling to build a central cricket stadium and upgrade the sports to an international level,” he said.
Source: Ynetnews