Celebrity Grapevine

The party is finally over for Michal Yanai and Ofer Rasselas, whose highly publicized wedding a couple years back did not lead to a happily-ever-after ending.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
michal yanai 88 (photo credit: )
michal yanai 88
(photo credit: )
SHE'S the queen of Israeli telenovelas, but former singer TAMIRA YARDENI is seldom seen on camera. The proprietor and CEO of Teddy Productions not only produces Israel soaps, she can be credited with creating Israeli trends. That may be part of the reason that Advertising Agencies Association Israel chose her as one of its top two marketing talents for 2005. Yardeni shares AAAI kudos with GUY ROLNIK, the founding editor of Haaretz section The Marker, which went against the tide by moving from an Internet site to paper. Yardeni has dotted Israel's entertainment sky with new stars who have come to fame and fortune via A Star is Born, Our Song and Born to Dance. All three shows have demonstrated Israel's wealth of talent and turned budding entertainers NINETTE TAIB, HAREL MOYAL, HAREL SKAAT and YEHUDA SAADO into household names. NOT TOO many Brits have succeeded in penetrating Israel's entertainment scene. One of the notable exceptions has been CAROLINE LANGFORD, who was briefly married to actor and filmmaker ASSI DAYAN. The comedy actress' father, actor BARRY LANGFORD, has also achieved success in Israeli cinema, appearing in Israeli films for more than thirty years without ever mastering Hebrew. Aside from acting, he's a phenomenal bridge player, and is considered one of the country's leading experts in a game he has taught to countless others. Langford arrived in Israel in 1972 with a background as a producer of BBC pop music shows. Without command of the language, he somehow made it into the entertainment industry, and in addition to appearing in several movies and television productions, he has also directed plays and light entertainment shows. Now, he's about to celebrate his eightieth birthday with a "This is your life" production at the Carmel Hotel in Netanya on February 7. The event will be hosted by Amos Ettinger, who has hosted a number of shows on television and the stage. This time around, there will be more English than Hebrew in the dialogue. THE PARTY is finally over for MICHAL YANAI and OFER RASSELAS, whose highly publicized wedding celebrations in Caesarea a couple years back did not lead to a happily-ever-after ending. When rumors of a rift started, Yanai, the former queen of children's television shows, initially denied them, pretending that all was well. But the marriage was doomed almost from the start. It took a while for Yanai to realize that she had to move on with her life. She also moved on geographically, and decided to pursue her acting career in Los Angeles. She came home earlier this month to sever all ties with Rasselas at the Tel Aviv rabbinical court, and two days later was on her way back to LA to fulfill her movie obligations. CHANNEL TEN'S GUY ZOHAR was receiving congratulatory wishes last week on becoming a father for the third time. The newest addition has changed the gender balance in the family. The female side is now in the majority.