The latest Israeli celeb

May 23, 2011 - 12:12 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Blogging, Entertainment, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Movies, Pop Culture 

Gal in the Fast Five movie poster in the homeland

The latest Israel celeb on the publicity trail is newly minted actress and Miss Israel 2004, Gal Gadot. She’s playing the feminine but tough Gisele Harabo in the newly released “Fast Five” film with a bunch of tough guys, including Vin Diesel.

As she tells Curt Schleier in The Forward’s Shmooze blog, she led the life of a fairly regular Israeli teenager until winning the Miss Israel pageant — although she was clearly heading in that direction for a while. She then modeled for three years before serving her full two years in the IDF as a fitness instructor.

After finishing her army service, Gadot was cast for Fast & Furious, the fourth installment in the series, and she told Schleier that director Justin Lin used her weapons knowledge to good effect in the film:

Giselle is not Israeli. How was it decided to now have it that she worked with the Mossad?

You don’t have to be an Israeli to work with Mossad. [Director] Justin Lin and I knew we were going to work on [three films together], and we wanted her to evolve. I think the main reason was that Justin really liked that I was in the Israeli military, and he wanted to use my knowledge of weapons.

According to IGN’s Babe of the Day posting, Gadot is “not only an ass-kicking action movie hottie, but she’s got the skills to back it up. At just 25 [now 26], Gal Gadot has already served in the Israeli Defense Forces and now as our Babe of the Day.”

The famous Maxim photo

IGN notes that the world began taking notice of Ms. Gadot after being featured in Maxim Magazine’s “Women of the Israeli army” photo shoot, when her photo was featured on the launch party invite and then on the cover of the New York Post.

Good luck to Gal.

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Bar Rafaeli – proof that Israel is a land of beauty and wonder?

May 14, 2009 - 10:36 AM by · 5 Comments
Filed under: General, Life, Pop Culture 

More to Israel than meets the eye?This is clearly Bar Rafaeli’s year. The Israeli supermodel has been voted the third “hottest” woman in the world by men’s mag Maxim.

She was beaten to the top position on Maxim’s list by US actresses Megan Fox and Olivia Wilde.

Under her picture, which was published in Maxim yesterday, the editors wrote: “If there’s any evidence that the Middle East is a land of beauty and wonder – not just unending turbulence – Bar is it.”

Amazing what a pretty face can do. Politicians, professors, entrepreneurs and charitable institutions can speak about this endlessly, but Rafaeli flashes a smile in a picture and the world suddenly gets it.

Strange that they say the Middle East, however, and not Israel.

Hod HaSharon girl - Bar aged 18

Hod HaSharon girl - Bar aged 18

What a ride it’s been for Rafaeli. Still only 23, she’s risen to the top of her field, dates Leonardo DiCaprio on and off (she met him at a party in Las Vegas when she was 20), and was the cover girl for Sport’s Illustrated’s 2009 swimsuit edition – the one that matters according to industry buffs.

Modeling since she was eight months old, one can’t help but wonder what comes next for this Hod HaSharon girl?

Think what an ambassador for Israel she could be… if she wanted to.

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