Bruce Feiler - Where God Was Born, Abraham, Walking The Bible

What Not to Wear When Meeting a Nobel Laureate
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

First of all, let me apologize for some missteps in the last few days while we were switching Feiler Faster and all of brucefeiler.com to a new server.

But just to prove that we at Feiler Faster will stop at nothing to bring you topical news and information, here's the very latest from Leo in the Holy Land. For those of you who missed the Breaking Celebrity News from last week, Leonardo DiCaprio, fresh from his shutout at the Oscars, took his latest supermodel girlfriend, Bar Refaeli, back to her home country. While visiting the tunnels along the Western Wall (easily the best single tourist thing to do in Israel that's been added in the last decade), he created something of a riot. A Paparazzi Intifada, if you will. Here's how Reuters reported the incident:

Israeli police arrested on Monday two members of actor Leonardo DiCaprio's security team after they clashed with photographers during a visit to Jerusalem by the star and his Israeli girlfriend Bar Refaeli.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said DiCaprio and supermodel Refaeli were taking a private tour of the Western Wall tunnels, next to the Western Wall which is Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's walled old city.

Rosenfeld said the photographers waited outside the tunnels for the couple to emerge.

"Two of his (DiCaprio's) security guards were arrested by police after being involved in a fight that broke out," Rosenfeld said. "They are being questioned."

Covering their faces after the tour, DiCaprio and Refaeli were whisked away in a waiting white van.

As a public service (and really, Mrs. Feiler Faster, that's all that it is) I append here a few pictures of Refaeli.

But there's more! Seeking, no doubt, to counter this bad publicity, DiCaprio's team leaked this story to People. But their plan ran square into a fashion problem.

Leonardo DiCaprio's reputation as an activist has reached as far as the Middle East: On his recent trip to Israel, he was asked to help promote environmental conservation and peace in the region, PEOPLE has learned.

Israeli Vice Premier and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres requested a meeting with DiCaprio, 32, within hours of the actor's March 11 arrival in Tel Aviv with his Israeli girlfriend, model Bar Refaeli, 21, a Peres aide tells PEOPLE.

"The meeting was pleasant and interesting," says the aide. "Shimon told Leo about his Peace Valley project [a joint Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian economic development plan] and Leo spoke about [11th Hour,] his documentary on the environment."

The DiCaprio and Refaeli were dressed casually – he wore a sweater and backwards baseball cap; she a sweatshirt and jeans. Peres told local newspaper Ma'ariv on Monday: "They called my office and asked to meet me and I immediately agreed. Leonardo apologized for not dressing properly and in order to look fine turned his baseball cap."

Labels: Middle East

Posted by B Feiler at 4:03 PM
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