Adam Levine is ‘Sexiest Man,’ Beastie Boys-Goldieblox tangle, Drake-Zoe Kravitz dating (maybe)
By JANA BANIN
HOLLYWOOD, FL (JTA) — It’s been a big year for ridiculously attractive Jewish celebrities. Mila Kunis was named “Sexiest Woman in the World” by FHM, Scarlett Johansson nabbed Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive” award, and now there’s the undeniably hot Adam Levine.
Adam Levine, of TV's "The Voice" and frontman for Maroon 5, is the first Jewish "sexiest man alive," according to People Magazine. (©People Magazine)
The Maroon 5 frontman and televised singing competition judge has been named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2013. News of the score was announced last week on “The Voice.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Levine is the first Jewish man to receive the title. Mazel tov!
Best new (possible) Jewish couple alert ever: our favorite rapper Drake and musician/actress Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet.
Drake, who has been linked recently to Rihanna, was spotted dining with Kravitz over the weekend, and Kravitz has also made an appearance on his tour bus, Vibe reports. The photo of the two is a pretty compelling clue, as is the shot Drake posted to Instagram in which he is wearing a “Lolawolf” hat. That’s the name of Kravitz’s band.
No need to remind you of Drake’s extensively documented Jewish pride, but something you might not know is that Kravitz, who has a Jewish grandmother on her mom’s side and a Jewish grandfather on her dad’s, identifies as a secular Jew.
A chuppah in their future, perhaps?
‘Princess Machine’ video cops Beastie Boys song
The Internet was kvelling like crazy last week over the viral video from the toy company Goldieblox in which empowered cuties eschew princess merchandise for a Rube Goldberg-like “Princess Machine.” And when we say viral, we mean viral — it has been viewed over 8 million times.
It seems a couple of well-known boys are unhappy with the ad — the Beastie Boys, actually. An adaptation of their song “Girls” is featured in the clip, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, GoldieBlox claims the band has threatened the company with copyright infringement. Goldieblox’s stance is that the song is a parody and therefore qualifies as fair use.
The Beastie Boys, meanwhile, claim they never filed a complaint. They released a statement Monday saying that while they are “impressed by the creativity and the message” of the Goldieblox video, “make no mistake, your video is an advertisement that is designed to sell a product, and long ago, we made a conscious decision not to permit our music and/or name to be used in product ads.”
They added, “When we tried to simply ask how and why our song ‘Girls’ had been used in your ad without our permission, YOU sued US.”
They have a point — a rock solid one, at that. Unfortunately, our informal survey of Chanukah gift purchases shows that their song has already helped move a whole lot of product. The music is at least half of what makes the thing so great.
Joshua Malina of ‘Scandal’ on being Jewish in Hollywood
Some actors get typecast as villains, some as goofballs and some, like “Scandal” actor Joshua Malina, as “smart Jews in suits.” His words, not ours, spoken last week at Cornell University, as reported by The Cornell Daily Sun.
Melina, who also has starred in “The West Wing” and “Sports Night,” was at the Ivy League school delivering a talk titled “How to Make it in Hollywood and Remain a Mensch.” If that strikes you as vaguely annoying, you should know he opened by declaring that he’s not exactly sure he’s made it, or that he’s a mensch.
“[They are] both unproven, merely self-proclaimed — but if you grant me the points it will go more smoothly,” Malina said, making the audience laugh and moving himself into bona fide mensch territory.
More evidence Malina might have actually done what his title claims:
* He honored his parents big time, thanking them for being so awesome and teaching him about Jewish values like charity through their own actions. “I grew up in a household that honored the Jewish tradition and instilled me with Jewish pride, something that I’m trying to pass on to my kids,” he said.
* Malina as a teenager sort of knew Aaron Sorkin and, at the urging of his mother, reached out to the renowned producer/writer as an adult. Then Malina saved Sorkin’s life when Sorkin was choking on a burger. “In a perhaps not unrelated note, I’ve gone on to appear in almost anything he has written since then,” Malina said. His advice to aspiring actors: “Heimlich someone who’s more talented than you are.”
* While he believes it’s completely OK to be critical of Israel, Malina, who spoke about his experience being the entertainment industry’s sole representative at a rally for Israel’s right to exist, doesn’t understand why the country doesn’t have more celebrity backing. “It can be lonely work trying to support Israel in Hollywood,” he said.
Mr. Malina, if you are reading this, we formally invite you to replace every speaker at every single boring Jewish event and fundraiser we ever attend.
Tom Jones shakes off anti-Israel protesters
Tom Jones refused to bend under pressure from Roger Waters and others to boycott Israel, and he has something to say to those who have.
“I don’t agree with that,” the Welsh singer said at a recent charity event, per The Telegraph. “I think entertainers should entertain. They should go wherever; there shouldn’t be any restrictions. I did two shows in Tel Aviv and it was fantastic.”
Jones joins artists Alicia Keys and Rihanna, both of whom recently played Israel. He is the first, though, to speak up, letting fans know he is principled. Or dedicated to his audience, at least.
“I wanted to go because the Israeli people asked me,” Jones said. “They would like me to sing, and I don’t see any problem in doing that. I don’t see why anyone would mix up the two things — entertainment and politics.”
So it sounds pretty neutral, but Jones might have more of a Jewish connection than he’s letting on. The guy did sing “My Yiddishe Mama” at one of those Tel Aviv concerts in October, after all.
ABC picks up ‘Rising Star’ from Israel
Is it just us or does it seem like Israeli TV is invading Hollywood lately? There’s “Homeland,” “Dig,” the forthcoming show from Yitzhak Rabin’s granddaughter and now, Deadline reports, ABC has bought the format to the popular Israeli talent competition show “Rising Star.” The network has ordered up 10 episodes of an American version of the series, which allows viewers to vote on contestants in real time via an app.
Also separating “Rising Star” from similar shows such as “American Idol” and “The X Factor” is that it’s all live, starting with the auditions. And then there’s this: In a twist, the performer is separated from the studio audience and the judges by a translucent floor-to-ceiling LED screen where images of voters at home, taken from their Facebook pages, appear live facing the singer.
The singer sees how fast the vote tally is growing during the performance for an immediate feedback, making result shows feel “antiquated,” as a person close to “Rising Star” put it.
ABC plans to air “Rising Star” next summer. Can’t wait to see if it’ll come with an American version of “The Amazing Rabbis.”
For the latest Jewish celebrity news, visit JTA’s 6 Degrees (No Bacon) blog.
