THE WORLD may belong to those aged 25 and under, but 20 judges from various fields of fashion, sport, entertainment and public relations, chose supermodel Shirly Buganim, 31, as Israel's most beautiful woman in Motek magazine. Second place went to Bar Rafaeli who recently celebrated her 21st birthday, and third place to Miri Bohadana, 28. They were followed on the top 100 list by Keren Michaeli, Yael Goldman, and Estee Ginsberg. Russian broadcaster, model, mother of six and would-be politician, Anastasia Michaeli, was too low on Kadima's list to get a spot in the Knesset, but may be consoled in the knowledge that she was highly ranked by Motek at # 7, ahead of Yael Abecassis and Sandy Bar. Abecassis, who is the oldest of the top 10, will be 39 next month.
WILL HER break-up with Robert Ben Shushan, one of the partners in the Roberto modeling agency, land Maya Buskila in court? Before the two parted company, Roberto contracted for Buskila to head the campaign for Go Under, which manufactures super sexy underwear, sleepwear and swimwear. Under the terms of the contract, Buskila was supposed to appear at the launch of the company's Aphrodite store in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Center. Buskila was not fashionably late - she simply didn't show at all, and put the company's promotional efforts out of whack. Now Go Under is thinking about whether or not to sue. On the other hand, her absence may have gotten them more publicity than her presence.
INJURED IN a traffic accident in 1994 while en route to a performance in Nahariya, singer Margalit Tsanaani was left with a deep scar on her chin, which is so visible that it has almost become her trademark. Tsanaani claimed that her ugly scar restricted her earning potential because she would no longer be considered for certain commercial campaigns. As compensation she asked the Avner & Arieh Insurance Company to pay her NIS 1.5 million. The insurance company considered the request to be too steep and rejected it.
Tsanaani filed a claim in court and her long legal battle came to an end last week at the Tel Aviv Magistrates Court, where she was awarded a small fraction of her demand. Judge Eliahu Kedar wrote in his decision that Tsanaani's argument was merely speculative. He noted that she had returned to work soon after the accident and that she had continued to make television appearances. In fact, Tsanaani is now a regular on Channel Two as one of the judges on A Star is Born.
AFTER A much publicized on again off again romance, former MK Inbal Gavrieli and soccer star Liran Strauber finally tied the knot - but not in Israel. The couple flew to Las Vegas for a civil wedding without notifying relatives or friends of their intentions. It might have been a superstitious precaution. Wedding plans for the two had fallen asunder in the past and they didn't want to risk a repeat performance. Close friends and family who were upset to have missed out on the exchange of rings between the bride and groom will have an opportunity in the not-too-distant future to witness an encore when the marriage is cemented with a religious ceremony in Israel.
AND WHILE on the subject of weddings, former basketball star Mickey Berkowitz married off his son Ro'i to the beautiful Sophie Halperin. The ceremony was performed by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, and the guest list included a large number of basketball players and officials.
