Natalie Portman’s Jewish wedding, Lollapalooza coming to Israel, Dr. Ruth’s Olympic urges
Published August 7, 2012
SIX DEGREES (NO BACON)/JEWISH CELEBRITY ROUNDUP
NEW YORK — Mazel tov to Natalie Portman! The Oscar-winning Jewish starlet tied the knot Saturday night with Benjamin Millepied, whom she met while rehearsing for the blockbuster “Black Swan.” In a small ceremony that took place on the California coast under the stars, the two exchanged vows as they were both wrapped in tallits under a chupah.
That Millepied is not Jewish did not stop him from breaking the glass, to everyone’s collective cheer of “Mazel tov!” Despite the late hour, the newlyweds’ 14-month-old son, Aleph, was in attendance — along with famous guests including Diane Sawyer, Ivanka Trump and Macaulay Culkin. The wedding was completely vegan, per Portman’s current diet, and there wasn’t even a wedding cake, just French macaroons, to honor Millepied’s home country. To add to the Jewish-French theme, the guests enjoyed a 20-minute hora dance where the bride and groom were lifted on their chairs, and guests later received wildflower seeds in a bag with the French writing, “Merci.”
Lollapalooza is coming to Israel
The popular music festival Lollapalooza will make its next international stop at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv next summer. Founder Perry Farrell, of the popular ’90s band “Jane’s Addiction,” said in a statement that Tel Aviv was chosen because on a recent visit there he found an “international music community that listens to everything we all listen to, but the artists weren’t traveling there so it was an opportunity.” Farrell created the festival in 1991 as a farewell tour for his band; it has been held in various locations throughout North America, with the festival now being held regularly in Chicago. In addition, an international expansion brought the festival this year to Santiago, Chile and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Farrell described Tel Aviv as a “sexy city,” adding: “Talk about the after party!”
Kravitz says ‘Shalom’
Another musician making his way to Tel Aviv is Lenny Kravitz, who will perform there in October. To promote the concert, Kravitz, born to a Jewish father, reached out to Israeli fans with a video, in which he used the oldest trick in the book — proclaiming a Hebrew word, which not surprisingly was “Shalom.”
Dr. Ruth does her thing with Olympic tweets
Famed sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer offered her own brand of commentary to the Olympic frenzy. In a series of tweets, Dr. Ruth urged followers to take advantage of the games for, well, you know. “Olympics is all about young perfect bodies exercising in skimpy outfits. It should turn you on!” she exclaimed in one tweet. In another, she wrote: “The original Olympics were performed in the nude so why not watch them the old-fashioned way, naked.”
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