Shia LaBeouf, shown here at a 2013 movie premiere, has been embroiled in a plagiarism controversy. (Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
LaBeouf\u2019s recently released short film \u201cHowardContour.com\u201d appears to be a near replica of veteran cartoonist Daniel Clowes\u2019 2008 comic \u201cJustin M. Damiano.\u201d Clowes apparently was blindsided by the plagiarism, telling Buzzfeed that he had no idea of the film\u2019s existence until it was released online in December.<\/p>\n
LaBeouf has been tweeting bizarre apologies for weeks, many of which turned out to be plagiarized themselves from sources as diverse as Robert McNamara and Mark Zuckerberg. But LaBeouf topped himself, literally, when he took to the skies tweeting an image of a sky-written message — because clearly writing \u201cI AM SORRY DANIEL CLOWES\u201d in the sky above Los Angeles was a logical response to the situation.<\/p>\n
There was one flaw in LaBeouf\u2019s plan: Clowes lives in the Bay Area, hundreds of miles north of the L.A. ether.<\/p>\n
Harry Styles\u2019 New Year\u2019s resolution: Learn Hebrew<\/strong><\/p>\nHebrew school-dreading children everywhere may have a new and very surprising source of inspiration. According to the Daily Star, boy band One Direction\u2019s Harry Styles has taken up Hebrew lessons.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarry\u2019s made it his mission to learn to speak and write Hebrew,\u201d a source said, adding that the British cutie plans to devote 2014 to picking up the language. \u201cSo far he\u2019s learned to write his name and One Direction in Hebrew.\u201d<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t the first time that Styles, 19, who is not Jewish, has shown an interest in Jewish culture. In 2012 he got a tattoo of his sister Gemma\u2019s name in Hebrew, he occasionally tweets Yiddish and Hebrew phrases, and in August he was spotted at a Manhattan kosher eatery. Apparently he\u2019s had some guidance from his Jewish pal Ben Winston, who bought him the kippah he wore to that very meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen has been helping him with Jewish cultural tips and Harry has even taken the prayers at their house on the Sabbath,\u201d the unnamed friend said.<\/p>\n
We hope he sticks with his resolution — at least long enough to be able to throw around some Hebrew on stage when One Direction hits Israel later this year.<\/p>\n
Seinfeld reveals new collaboration with Larry David<\/strong><\/p>\nJerry Seinfeld and Larry David have teamed up for a new project, and it\u2019s big. And, well \u2026 that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
Other than the fact that the thing is about \u201cintentional mumbling\u201d and that we will see it \u201ceventually,\u201d Seinfeld revealed little else about the script while answering audience questions on Reddit.com. Reddit\u2019s AMA, or \u201cAsk me Anything,\u201d feature allows members of the popular social website to ask questions to significant figures. Seinfeld opened up to questions on Monday.<\/p>\n
Although he was reticent about the new mystery project, Seinfeld was more vocal on other topics. In the interactive interview, the comedian spoke about going for bagels and lox with his kids, scrapping an episode of \u201cSeinfeld\u201d in which Jerry buys a handgun, his favorite supporting character on the show (Newman!), and much more.<\/p>\n
Oh yeah, and there was also that plug for season 3 of his web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, with a debut episode featuring Louis C.K. It\u2019s no \u201cSeinfeld\u201d part 2, but it\u2019ll do until \u201ceventually\u201d finally hits.<\/p>\n
David Copperfield engaged to model girlfriend<\/strong><\/p>\nMazel tov to David Copperfield and Chloe Gosselin on their engagement!<\/p>\n
The 57-year-old Jewish illusionist formerly known as David Kotkin and his new fiance, a 28-year-old French model, have a 3-year-old daughter together named Sky.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the second time Copperfield has popped the question to a model. Back in the \u201990s, he was famously engaged to Claudia Schiffer for six years before the relationship fizzled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, that was a long time ago,\u201d he told Hello! Magazine. \u201cNow I\u2019m engaged and in a committed relationship with Chloe in my mind and my heart.\u201d
DiCaprio defends \u2018Wolf of Wall Street\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nLeonardo DiCaprio has responded to critics who say that \u201cThe Wolf of Wall Street,\u201dMartin Scorsese\u2019s new flick about the \u201890s recklessness of Wall Street bankers, condones the horrible behavior of its characters.<\/p>\n
In the film, DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a real-life stockbroker (raised by two Jewish accountants) who partied hard and defrauded clients. After being convicted of stock fraud and forced to pay restitution to victims, Belfort wrote a memoir on which the film is based.<\/p>\n
The movie delves deeply into Belfort\u2019s party-boy lifestyle, with its drugs, yachts and doing drugs on yachts — not to mention his scornful attitudes toward women (the movie contains a marital rape scene). Some critics see Scorsese\u2019s glamorous portrayal as tantamount to an endorsement of Belfort\u2019s behavior, which cost his clients millions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis film may be misunderstood by some,\u201d DiCaprio told Variety. \u201cI hope people understand we\u2019re not condoning this behavior, that we\u2019re indicting it. The book was a cautionary tale and if you sit through the end of the film, you\u2019ll realize what we\u2019re saying about these people and this world because it\u2019s an intoxicating one.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the latest Jewish celebrity news, visit JTA’s 6 Degrees (No Bacon) blog.<\/em><\/p>\n
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