Peres retaliated by dragging Seinfeld on a boring tour Photo: Moshe Milner
No dress code for Olmert Photo: Doron Gorewitz
To bee or not to bee?
If you think Seinfeld's visit to Israel was a success - think again. From the embarrassing meeting with Olmert through the chaos at the press conference, here are the facts
Promoters in Hollywood should have learned the lesson by now: Leonardo Di Caprio's visit to Israel should
have taught them that it is not a good idea to shirk the local media. From David Lynch's trip they should have learned that there is no way a celeb can avoid a meeting with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
no matter how busy they might be.
When it was announced that Jerry Seinfeld is on his way to promote his animated "Bee Movie," local public relations professionals knew they'd better do their homework. For weeks they explored every possible scenario. Well, almost every scenario, as it is impossible to predict that elusive, unpredictable factor known as "Israelis."
Much Ado
Jerry Seinfeld in the Holy Land / Keren Natanzon
The comedian who conquered the world with a show 'about nothing' arrived in Israel Friday morning to promote his new movie. Seinfeld will spend time vacationing and meeting Israeli leaders
It has been 37 years since Seinfeld's last visit to Israel but that did not concern him. It did concern everyone else – from the president to random fans – all insisted on reminding him of his time as a volunteer in Kibbutz Sa'ar's banana plantations.
On his first day in Israel, Seinfeld met with
President Shimon Peres, who knows nothing about animated films. Seinfeld suggested Peres leave the residence every once in a while and go to the movie theater. Peres retaliated by dragging Seinfeld on a boring tour of the archeological garden behind the official residence.
Before going on to meet with
the prime minister, producers checked what the appropriate dress code was. They were told that for such an occasion Seinfeld should wear a suit. He did, yet, Olmert showed up in a black t-shirt.
Many politicians, including Benjamin Netanyahu, attended the premier. Tourism Minister Isaac Herzog tried to squeeze in close to the star but only managed to yell: "My wife and I are huge fans; we memorized all of the episodes by heart."
Producers wanted to do it "Hollywood style" so they called a press conference with a red carpet and paparazzi. When Seinfeld walked in he was smiling. As he left the smile was gone: Even though reporters were asked to focus on the movie and not the TV show, the first question Seinfeld was asked was: "When will the movie be adapted into a TV series?"
IDF Radio's reporter tried to outsmart the comedian and said that since we already know everything about him, he should ask her some questions. He didn't.
Then, reporters tried to push Seinfeld into admitting there were references to the Holocaust in "Bee Movie" and when that failed, they asked if he made out at Yad Vashem and whether it was a film about nothing. Seinfeld didn't see the humor and stepped out.
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