In a repeat of her 2004 High Holiday visit, Madonna and family plan to return to Israel this September, reports The Jerusalem Post. Once again, fashion designer Donna Karan plans to tag along with the pop icon. Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and possibly Demi’s ex Bruce Willis are expected to join the group.
The cavalcade of celebrities, along with thousands of students of the Kabbalah Center, will take part in a 10-day event. The festivities begin with Rosh Hashanah (sunset Sept. 12 – sunset Sept. 14) and end with Yom Kippur (sunset Sept. 21 – sunset Sept. 22.) Alas, the 49-year-old Material Mom only plans to attend the first few days of the pilgrimage, but Asaf Levi, a spokesperson for the Kabbalah Center, expressed his hopes to the Post. “Maybe she’ll be back here for the end, for Yom Kippur.”
Levi also told the Post that the press would be asked to “keep its distance” from the A-list Jewish mysticism crowd after the media hounded Madonna on her last visit. “We’ve talked about (those problems), and we hope it will be different,” Levi said. Of course one has to wonder why the Center’s spokesperson announces the star-studded affair to the media if press coverage isn’t the goal.
Extreme Spice
Is Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell taking her pre-tour fitness routine too far? Friends fear the upcoming Spice Girls reunion tour has reignited Geri’s old body issues, reports the UK Mirror. “You could feel her bones sticking through,” an old friend told the Mirror after a recent hug with Geri. “She’s on the cusp — she looks good now but if she takes it any further, she’s going to start to look ill.”
According to the Mirror, some speculate Geri’s long-time competition with the always-svelte Victoria Beckham may be to blame, even though “Posh” is godmother to Geri’s child, Bluebell Madonna. “She’s incredibly compulsive,” says the Mirror’s source. “Spice Girls’ reunion is a huge deal for her and she wants to look her very best for her moment back in the limelight.”
Another source told the Mirror that even the rest of the Spice Girls are taking notice. “The other girls are all a bit worried about Geri’s behavior,” says the Mirror’s insider. “She’s always been one to take things to extremes and the way she’s dealing with her pre-tour fitness regime is another example of her obsessive personality.
‘Silent Bob’ Kevin Smith takes on television
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Celebrity Sightings
“Clerks,” “Dogma,” and “Chasing Amy” director Kevin Smith, who also plays reoccurring character “Silent Bob” in those films, is moving to the small screen. In keeping with his comic book sensibility, Smith is set to direct episodes of the new fall show “Reaper,” “Heroes: Origins,” a spin-off of last year’s hit show, and the landmark sci-fi series “Battlestar Galactica,” reports AOL TV. Smith told AOL TV that he’s really stoked about taking part in BSG’s final season. “It’s cool, but it is scary because it is like, ‘What the f---? I can’t bring anything to that show.’” How about Jay?
Dish on the flyStudio honcho Harvey Weinstein spoke to the New York Times about one standout performance in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, “I’m Not There.” Although several actors portray the living legend in the film, Weinstein boasted, “I may be jumping the gun, but if Cate Blanchett doesn’t get nominated, I’ll shoot myself.” … Woody Harrelson threw a croquet hissy fit at a Maui resort, according to National Enquirer’s Mike Walker. Apparently Harrelson lost his cool when he lost the garden battle with Luke and Owen Wilson. The Harrelson hackles were further raised when hotel guests approached the trio for autographs. The Enquirer reports that Harrelson then complained to staff about privacy concerns but one employee stated, “Woody’s not even a guest here — and I didn’t hear the Wilson brothers griping!”
Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Helen A.S. Popkin and Ree Hines.