"Shahs of Sunset" Bravo's New Reality Show

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Can't get enough of "Jersey Shore" but wish they were richer and looked like the Kardashians? Then TV channel Bravo has got a show for you.

"The Shahs of Sunset" is a reality show about a group of six glamorous Iranian American socialites living it up in Beverly Hills. The Real Housewives meets Keeping up with the Kardashians meets Jersey Shore.Oh what a lethal combination!

This new show follows a group of friends who are trying to juggle their active social lives and up-and-coming careers while balancing the demands of their families and traditions. These passionate socialites are fervent on the dating and party scene, but seeking approval from their family they face pressures to settle down and marry within the Persian community.

From outings on Rodeo Drive to traditional Persian feasts at home, this series celebrates the unique lifestyle of a group of friends who have worked hard for what they have and are not afraid to flaunt it.

If you dare dedicate some of your brain cells for this, it's premiering on March 11.

Tel Aviv set for star-studded celebrity invasion

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Two of Hollywood's most dashing leading men--Brad Pitt and Stephen Dorff--are due to arrive in the Holy Land in coming months to film movies.

Dorff has been cast as the lead role in the upcoming Israeli-U.K. British production "Zaytoun," a film written by Palestinian playwright Nader Rizq and set to be directed by Israeli Eran Riklis. Dorff will play an Israeli fighter pilot who finds himself in an unlikely friendship with a Palestinian boy and according to the Blog Talk Radio he is taking intensive Hebrew lessons to master basic vocabulary and dialect. Filming begins March 12 and will reportedly include scenes with a great deal of Hebrew dialogue.

"I went to Israel for the first time two weeks ago for some rehearsals and I will be there for a couple of of months. I have some cousins there because my dad is Jewish so it should be an interesting part," Dorff told Blog Talk Radio.

Pitt, meanwhile is set to stars as an assassin-turned-target in the upcoming "The Gray Man." According to the Shalom Life website, the movie will require a month of filming in Israel set to take place this summer.

'Footnote' star: Oscars like representing Israel at the Olympics

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

With only two days to go before the Oscar ceremonies, one of the stars of the Israeli film "Footnote," which will battle it out this year in hopes of taking home a statue for Best Foreign Film is admitting to some butterflies.

"It would be a huge surprise if we win and it's very important to remain humble at this stage," Shlomo Bar-Aba, a legendary Israeli comedian and one of the film's leading men, told Israel Hayom newspaper. Bar-Aba arrived at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Thursday morning in preparation for the star-studded ceremony that will take place this Sunday night.

"I admit I'm not doing a very good job dealing with everything and I feel almost like this some big practical joke," said Bar-Aba. "Camera crews from all the TV stations accompanied me to the airport, like some sort of prince. I'm a little embarrassed by the whole situation. It feels like representing Israel at the Olympics and people will be mad if I come home without a medal."

Bar-Aba knows that in just 48 hours he will walk the Kodak Theater's red carpet shoulder to shoulder with some of the world's biggest film stars, but said that the reality has yet to sink in. "This whole thing feels like some sort of hallucination. I need to stop myself from taking out my camera and asking to take photos with everyone."

Charlie Chaplin: Jew? Gypsy? Communist?

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Newly released secret M15 documents reveal that the silent film star's claim that he was born in London cannot be proven. Speculation regarding the actor's origin suggest his real name could have been Israel Thornstein, and that he was French or perhaps Russian.

Way back in the early 1950s, the West, and especially the U.S. were convinced that a plotting communist was hiding under every tree. Under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI suspected even some of Hollywood' biggest stars of sympathy toward the Soviets and initiated surveillance and international investigations into their history.

Documents recently released by Britain's security agency, M15, reveal that one subject of such an investigation was silent film star Charlie Chaplin. M15 historian Christopher Andrew said the FBI's Red-hating chief, J. Edgar Hoover, privately denounced Chaplin as "one of Hollywood's parlor Bolsheviks."

According to a previously secret file, released Friday by Britain's National Archives, the FBI had asked the British spy agency to determine Chaplin's birthplace, but the M15 found no records to back up Chaplin's claim that he was born in London on April 16, 1889. Uncertainty about Chaplin's origins linger to this day--a mystery Chaplin himself may have helped to nurture.

"It would seem that Chaplin was either not born in this country of that his name at birth was other than those mentioned," M15 concluded. Chaplin's life story is a Dickensian rags-to-riches tale. Raised in London in a family of music hall entertainers, he moved to the U.S. in 1910 and became one of Hollywood' first megastars with his shabby, bowler-hatted everyman persona, the Little Tramp.

He was a box office sensation in movies such as "The Gold Rush" "City Lights" and "The Kid," but his left-wing friends and activities alarmed the FBI which began tracking the actor in the early 1920s.

In 1952, as fears of Soviet infiltration raged in the U.S., American authorities asked M15 to investigate Chaplin's political allegiances and personal background including a long-standing rumor that Chaplin was an alias and the performer's true name was Israel Thornstein. British spies could find no trace of him in the birth records at London's Somserst House under the names Chaplin, Thornstein or Harley, his mother's stage name. The spies also checked French records amid rumors he might have been born in the town of Fontainbleau--but that too, drew a blank.

Elsewhere in the file, agents speculate that Chaplin might have Russian roots. There was an allegation that he had once spoken of "going back to Russia."

M15 seemed content to let the mystery of Chaplin's birth remain. British agents were skeptical of American claims that the stars was a communist threat with John Marriott, the head of M15's counter subversion branch, calling the U.S. allegations "unreliable."

"It is curious that we can find no record of Chaplin's birth, but I scarcely think that this is of any security significance," he wrote in 1952. The U.S. thought differently and Chaplin was refused re-entry to the country in 1952. He settled in Switzerland and lived there until death in 1977.

"The Rebbe's Army"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Book review

They seem to be everywhere--in big cities, small towns and suburbs throughout the United States as well as in sixty-one countries through-out the world. They light giant Chanukah menorahs in public squares; run "Chabad Houses" on college campuses from Berkley to Cambridge; give weekly Bible classes in the Capitol basement in Washington D.C., run a nonsectarian drug treatment center in Los Angeles; establish synagogues, Hebrew schools and day-care centers in places that are often indifferent and occasionally hostile to their outreach efforts. They have built a billion-dollar international empire, with their own news service, publishing house and hundreds of websites.

Who are these relentlessly cheerful, ideologically driven men and women? Why do they in their early twenties and newly married, leave their families and friends for locations hundreds of miles away? Sue Fishokoff interviewed Lubavitch emissaries from Anchorage to Miami and has written a fascination account of a Hasidic group whose motives and methodology continue to be the subject of speculation and controversy.

Chabad is a fascinating phenomenon: a deeply religious Hasidic movement whose members adhere to a strict interpretation of Torah law, but which sends out its best and brightest young married couples to live and work among non-observant Jews all over the world. These black-hatted, long-bearded men and their modestly dressed bewigged wives move into your town without notice and before you know it they're koshering your home, teaching you Bible, giving your kid a bar mitzvah and running daily prayer services--most of it for free.

Chabad outreach is nonstop. Movement activists are everywhere. They hold mass Purim parties on college campuses. They light huge outdoor Chanukah menorahs in hundreds of cites around the world and stream the major lights live on the Internet. They run around in "mitvah tanks," asking Jewish men to put on phylacteries and Jewish women to light Sabbath candles. They build mikvahs in New Mexico, they teach lunch-time Torah classes on Wall Street, at Microsoft headquarters and at the National Institutes of Health. They set up sukkahs in Brazil and hold Passover Seders for 1,500 backpackers in Katmandu. They run drug rehab centers and soup kitchens. They teach Kabbalah to Hollywood celebrities. They sponsor huge advertising campaigns to promote observance of Jewish holidays.

Today, Chabad is stronger, bigger, richer and more popular than ever, with more than 3,800 emissary couples stationed in 45 U.S. states and 61 foreign countries, dedicated to bringing Jews back to Judaism.

The Vienna Opera Ball

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Diplomatic Circles Report

Political leaders and showbiz stars had only kind words about last night's Opera Ball.

Austrian President Heinz Fischer said the event had nothing to do with the corruption scandals former Austrian government ministers, businesspeople and lobbyists are accused of being involved in. A special parliamentary commission headed by Gabriela Moser of the Green Party is currently investigating whether there is any substance to the various allegations. State prosecutors have also been examining a large number of reported cases of abuse of office and embezzlement for months.

Asked whether the Viennese State Opera ball was a popular gathering place of shady networkers and corrupt lawmakers, Fischer told radio station O1 that there was no direct connection between the event and the occurrences "which infuriate us all." The former Social Democratic (SPO) science minister added that illicit deals could be made at any event including Vienna's other glamorous balls.

Newspapers point out today that none of the personalities who are accused of being involved in the corruption cartel turned up for this year's Opera Ball--in contrast to previous editions. Ban ki-moon the secretary-general of the United Nations praised the ball as a "celebration of Austrian music culture." Ban attended the event on invitation of Fischer. The former ambassador of South Korea to Vienna followed all the action on the dance floor from the presidential box.

A Brief History of the Oscars

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in May 1929 over dinner at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel. It was attended by 270 people, including some who paid a $5 fee as guests of those with invitations and was hosted by silent-movie actor Douglas Fairbanks, who handed out the awards in just a few minutes. The 15 winners had been disclosed 3 months earlier and the very first Oscar--a 13-inch-tall gold-plated statuette designed by MGM's art director, Cedric Gibbons--had already been presented to German actor Emil Jannings, who had sailed to Europe a few weeks before. The silent-movie star was actually the runner-up in the leading actor category. Celebrity dog Rin Tin Tin had picked up more votes, but was denied the award by an embarrassed academy.

Legend has it that a librarian at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which awards the prizes, took a peek at a statuette and said, "Gee! He looks just like my Uncle Oscar." The name stuck and so did the "Little Man," which remains the single most prized award in the movie business. And this year's 84th Oscar ceremony will be much like the previous 83 with studio bosses, actors, directors, sound editors and makeup artist doing their utmost to be called up on stage. Their fate rests on the votes of the Academy's members, whose numbers have climbed from 36 in 1927 to 5,783 today.

Does winning really matter?

You bet. In crude financial terms, winning an Oscar or even being nominated, can have a huge effect on a film's success. U.S. ticket sales for "Slumdog Millionaire" jumped more than 200 percent when it was nominated in 2009. Studies have shown that nominations alone can extend a film's presence in cinemas for weeks. At the real business end of Hollywood, however, Oscars are a bonus but don't massively boost the grosses of box office smashes. Of the top 50 grossing films of all time, just three have won Best Picture: "Titanic," "Forrest Gump," and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Hitler Had a Son??

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A Paris magazine has caused a stir by reviving a sensational allegation about Adolf Hitler. He supposedly fathered a son with a French teen while he was a soldier in WWI. "The Telegraph" has the details. The son's name is Jean-Marie Loret, and he died in 1985 having never met his father. In fact, he fought against Nazi forces in WWII. His biological mother, Charlotte Lobjoie, was 16 when she said she struck up a relationship with the young Hitler, who was on leave.

Loret has told his story publicly before, he even wrote a book called "Your Father's Name Was Hitler," which is now being republished. According to the story, Hitler never acknowledged his son, though he kept in touch with Lobjoie over the years. The Paris magazine LePoint presents lots of circumstantial evidence. The men have the same blood type, the German army gave envelopes of money to Lobjoie in WWII, painting seemingly signed by Hitler were found in her attic up her death, etc. The Telegraph sees an "astonishing resemblance," which is debatable. (But the mustaches deinitely look alike.)

PBS Clinton Doc Has Lewinsky in Spotlight

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

PBS begins airing a two-part documentary on Bill Clinton's presidency Monday night with much of the early press focusing on its coverage of the Monica Lewinsky affair. Many advisers speaks publicly about it for the first time notes the Los Angeles Times, including Dick Morris, "When the Lewinsky scandal broke the president paged me and I returned the call," he says in the documentary. "And he said, 'Ever since I got here to the White House I've had to shut my body down, sexually, I mean, but I screwed up with this girl. I didn't do what they said I did but I may have done so much that I can't prove my innocence."

The film does not interview Lewinsky herself, but it's sure to bring her renewed and probably unwanted attention. The LAT say she has kept a low profile since heading to London in 2005. The following year, she graduated from the London School of Economics with a master's in social psychology. The film also deals with other Clinton "girlfriends," notes the Guardian many going back to his days as an Arkansas hopeful. The first part of the four hour documentary is available on the PBS website.

Caught off guard, Israel reviews security abroad

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Diplomatic Circles Report

A Wave of terrorist attacks against Israeli diplomats catches the defense establishment by surprise. Israel's request for more stringent measures is approved by host countries. Some diplomats provided with round-the-clock security details.

An Israeli counter-terrorism official says Iran and Hezbollah are plotting more attacks on Israelis overseas. The official did not identify specific countries that might be targets, but said Israel had "general information reflecting intent."

He says Israel drew this conclusion from intelligence reports and findings from investigations into the recent bombing attacks targeting Israeli diplomats in India and botched attempts in Georgia and Thailand.

Israel has blamed Iran for all three attacks and there has been speculation Hezbollah acted on behalf of its Iranian patron Iran and Hezbollah have denied involvement in three attacks.

The Israeli official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. The counter-terrorism bureau has called on Israeli citizens abroad to be vigilant for possible additional attacks and to avoid receiving suspicious packages from strangers. Israel Radio reported on Friday, Israel embassies and Jewish institutions around the world have also been instructed to remain on high alert.

"The Goldbergs"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"The Goldbergs" is one of my favorite old time TV shows that runs on the Jewish Television Network here in Los Angeles. It's a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American radio and from 1949 to 1956 on television. It was adapted into a 1948 play "Me and Molly" and a 1973 Broadway musical "Molly."

In many ways the program that Gertrude Berg devised in 1928 and sold to NBC radio the following year was unique. No other daily serial drama reflected so explicitly its creator's own Jewish ethnic backround and few other producers retained such close control over their work. Until the late 1930s, Berg herself wrote all the scripts, five to 16 minute stories per week and even after hiring outside writers, continued to act as producer: she performed the role of the main character herself throughout the show's 30 year history on radio and television.

The television version ran on CBS from 1949-1951 and co-starred Philip Loeb as Jake Goldberg. Berg was once quoted as saying she avoided "anything that will bother people...unions, fund raising, Zionism, socialism, intergroup relations...I keep things average. I don't want to lose friends." Berg's hard work and determination paid off. In 1950 she won the first Best Actress Emmy Award for her role as Molly on "The Goldbergs."

Yet Berg was not averse to incorporating serious real-world issues that affected Jewish families. One 1939 episode addressed Kristallnacht and Nazi Germany (including a rock thrown through the family window as the Goldbergs made their Passover Seder); other WWII era episodes alluded to friends or family members trying to escape the Holocaust. But these episodes were sporadic deviations from the show's main theme of family, neighborhood and the balance between old world values and new world assimilation. Molly shows viewers the strong Jewish and sometimes stereotyped matriarch that she is by constantly helping others with their dilemmas and proving to be the hero time and time again.

"The Goldbergs" was so popular that performing stars in other arts sought to appear on it. Berg consented for example to cast Metropolitan Opera star Jan Peerce almost annually to sing on Yom Kippur and Passover.

"The Goldbergs" was destined to spend almost a decade on television--but not without disruptions. In 1950, Philip Loeb was blacklisted and pressure was placed on Berg (who owned the TV version as she had the radio original) to fire him. When she refused, General Food cancelled their sponsorship and CBS dropped it from their schedule by June 1951.

In March 2010, Shout! Factory released "The Goldbergs" on DVD via their retail website. The release includes all 71 episodes of the television series.

"The Goldbergs" JTN M-F 10:00am-11:00am.m. Channel 177

Officials Dispute Who Should Pay for Neo-Nazi's Cats

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Since her arrest in November on suspicion of being part of a neo-Nazi terror cell involved in 10 murders over the past decade, Beate Zschape's cats have been held by an animal shelter in Germany. This week, an argument went public between the shelter and federal police who are refusing to pay for the pet's upkeep.

The felines are being cared for in a shelter in Zwickau, where Zschape lived until she blew up her home and turned herself in to police last November. Zschape is believed to be involved in a series of 10 murders over the last decade targeting people mainly of Turkish descent. A policewoman was also killed.

Zscape's two cats were initially given to a neighbor, but the local police then turned them over to the Zwickau animal shelter, German public television station MDR first reported on the plight of the felines on Wednesday night.

Michael Sperlich, the shelter's treasurer told SPIEGEL he is outraged at how criminal justice authorities have dealt with the facility, which so far has accululated costs of more than $1,300 in providing care for the cats.

Local police paid the shelter for three days and then said the BKA was responsible for the pets. But the BKA has refused to pay, saying it doesn't own the cats, Spelich said.

In addition, Sperlich said the BKA told him it's the shelter's job to figure out who legally owns the cats. Sperlich says that's not true and asks how he's supposed to get information from Zscahape, who is being held in a federal prison. "That's what government agencies are for," he said.

Sperlich said he decided to go to the press with his dilemma because he's not satisfied with the response he's gotten so far from the authorities. Depending on how the BKA responds, he said he may pursue legal action against the agency.
Meow!

Who you gonna call? Not Bill Murray for 'Ghostbusters 3'

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"The Ghostbusters" retired a long time ago, after a 1984 hit film, 1989 sequel and two animated TV shows. But their spirit is still haunting the entertainment world.

In a webcast with Empire Magazine, former Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd implied he and co-star Rick Moranis were actively working to bring "Ghostbusters" to theaters sometime in the next few years.

"IF we can get the script to "Ghostbusters 3" right, then it would defintely have Moranis as a major component. None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant," said Aykroyd.

He also responded to questions that another star, Bill Murray, wasn't into the idea, denying reports that Murray actually shredded a potential script and included the note, "NO one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts."

Replied Aykroyd, "Bill Murray is not capable of such behavior. This is simply something that would not be in his nature. We have a deep, private personal relationship that transcends business involvement in "Ghostbusters 3."

Nevertheless, Aykroyd continues on his quest, hinting he will be pursuing alternative actors to fill the shoes.

Tough to say what a "Ghostbusters" movie would be like without Murray. Not all fans are thrilled.

"Leave 'Ghostbusters' in the past where it belongs, with its reputation maintained by affectionate nostalgia," writes Belfast Boy on Empire's comment page. "The legacy can only be tarnished by a much belated continuation."

Pekingese Wins Westminster Dog Show

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

America's top dog is just 11 pounds: Malachy a 4-year-old Pekingese was named "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. Malachy, who has won 115 best in shows and was Westminster's #2 dog last year, will retire after his victory.

"He's a lot of dog in a small package," says Handler David Fitzpatrick. The Pekingese is the 4th of his kind to win Westminster, USA Today reports. Malachy competed against more than 2,000 dogs and appeared as a guest on the Today Show this morning.

New Mob Museum highlights Las Vegas' history

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The promoters of Las Vegas' newest museum would like you to say hello to their little friends. Opening today, The Mob Museum chronicles the lives--and often gruesome deaths--of Al Capone, "Bugsy" Siegel and a rogue's gallery of crooks, hoods and Mafioso.

"You can't tell the story of Las Vegas without talking about organized crime," said Jonathan Ullman, the museum's executive director. "It's part of the genesis of the city as the destination that it became."

Or, as three-time mayor and former "mob attorney" Oscar Goodman puts it: "Las Vegas is unique. Our founding fathers were alleged mobsters."

Goodman, in fact, had a seminal role in the development of the downtown museum, proposing the idea 10 years ago when, as mayor, he oversaw the transfer of Las Vegas' federal courthouse and post office to the city. The building it turns out, had been one of the sites for the landmark Kefauver hearings, a US senate investigation of organized crime in the early 1950s.

Signature exhibits include the wall from the infamous St. Valentine's Day massacre in 1929, the barber's chair in which ALbert Anatasia met his gruesome end in 1957 and a film that explores Hollywood's ongoing fascination with wiseguys, goodfellas and other made men. Given the subject matter, it should come as no surprise that some exhibits include graphic images depicting violence, prostitution and other illicit activities and while there are cautionary signs throughout the museum, it may not be appropriate for small children.

On the other side of the law, visitors can explore the efforts of famous mob-busters, including Eliot Ness, J. Edgar Hoover and Joe Pistone, who is perhaps better known by the name he adopted during six years undercover in the Bonanno and Colombo crime families: Donnie Brasco.

According to Michael Green, a history professor at the College of Southern Nevada and a consultant to the museum, the goal is not to glamorize gangsters but to tell both sides of a story that encompasses immigration, Prohibition, the criminal justice system and the influence of popular culture.

"History is sometimes beautiful and oftentimes ugly," he said in an interview. "If we can tell the truth, people will come out not feeling that we glamorized it but that we informed them."

As for Goodman, he, as is his wont, clearly hopes people will also be entertained. When asked if he'd contributed any of his alleged mob-related memorabilia, he mentioned one item in particular, the briefcase he used while defending the likes of Lansky, Rosenthal and Tony "The Ant" spilotoro.

"I used to leave Las Vegas with it empty," he said "and come back with it full of Mr. Green."

"Killing the Messenger"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Book Review

When a 19-year-old member of a Black Muslim cult assassinated Oakland newspaper editor Chauncey Baiely in 2007--the most shocking killing of a journalist in the United States in 30 years--the question was, Why? "I just want to be a good soldier, a strong soldier," the killer told police. A strong soldier for whom?

Killing the Messenger is a searing work of narrative nonfiction that explores one of the most blatant attacks on the First Amendment and free speech in American history and the small Black Muslim cult that carried it out. Award-winning investigative reporter Thomas Peele examines the Black Muslim movement from its founding the early 20the century by a con man who claimed to be God, to the height of power of the movement's leading figure, Elija Muhammad, to how the great-grandson of Texas slaves reinvented himself as a Muslim leader in Oakland and built the violent cult that the young gunman eventually joined.

Peele delves into how charlatans exploited poor African Americans with tales from a religion they falsely claimed was Islam and the years of bloodshed that followed from a human sacrifice in Detroit to police shootings of unarmed Muslims to the horribel backlash of racism known as the "zebra murders," and finally to the brazen killing of Chauncey Baily to stop him from publishing a newspaper story.

Peele establishes direct lines between the violent Black Muslim organization run by Yusef Bey in Oakland and the evangelicalism of the early prophets and messengers of the Nation of Islam. Exposing the roots of the faith, Peele examines its forerunner, the Moorish Science Temple of America which in the 1920s and '30s preached to migrants from the South living in Chicago and Detroit ghettos that blacks were the world's master race, tricked into slavery by white devils, In spite of the fantastical claims and hatred at its core, the Nation of Islam was able to build a following by appealing to the lack of identity common is slave decendants.

In Oakland, Yusef Bey build a cult through a business called Your Black Muslim Bakery, beating and raping dozens of women he claimed were his wives and fathering more than 40 children. Yet, Bey remained a prominent fixture in the community and police looked the other way as his violent soldiers rules the streets.

An enthralling narrative that combines a rich historical account with gritty urban reporting, Killing the Messenger, is a mesmerizing story of how swindlers and con men abused the tragedy of racism and created a radical religion of bloodshed and fear that culminated in a journalist's murder.

Movie About Nazis in Space Gets Laughs in Berlin

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

It's 2018 and an American space mission discovers that there's a huge colony of Nazis on the dark side of the moon, living in a swastika-shaped castle and bent on invading Earth. The comedy "Iron Sky" has proved a surprise hit at the Berlin Film Festival. Part of the funding comes from German taxpayers.

In the film "Iron Sky" American astronaut James Washington (played by Chris Kirby), parks his Lunar Lander too close to the Nazi base. This prompts Moon Fuhrer (Udo Kier), to decide that it's time to conquer Earth.

The Fuhrer and his band of Nazis formed a colony on the Moon following the Nazi defeat in 1945. They've been waiting for the right time to invade Earth and establish the Fourth Reich.

The U.S. president (Stephanie Paul), who looks like Sarah Palin, relishes the prospect of a fight.

The film, which is set in 2018, is directed by Finnish director Timo Vuorensola and produced by his company Energia Productions. It premieres in Germany on April 4.

Money for "Iron Sky" came not only from German government film development grants, especially from the state of Hesse, but via the Internet through crowdfunding. The producers reportedly amassed some $1.32 million from Internet fans who are now likely to profit from the movie's success. Internet sponsors were also able to offer their script ideas.

Its maybe more than ironic that the Berlin festival--long known for its ambitious politically motivated films, a low budget Nazi comedy has grabbed the headlines.

But critics were less thrilled. The "Hollywood Reporter" said the movie is "uneven, it's humor never quite matching the luster of its visuals."

"Variety" said while the movie is an immediate box office winner, "the final product is much more amusing in theory than in execution." Still, the film " can count on support from its small army of fan investors, but otherwise, poor word of mouth may sabotage its plans for world domination."

Staying Single: A Valid Choice for Millions

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Americans can sympathize with people who are alone because of divorce or the death of a partner--but what about the eternally single? In a society obsessed with romance, lifelong singles are often ostracized and considered flawed, the Washington Post reports. "Do they just not like me?" asks Bella DePaulo, author of "Singled Out: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized and Ignored," and "Still Live Happily Ever After." "Or is it because I'm single and they're coupled and couples date other couples essentially."

In a nation with 96 million unmarried adults, many have given up on finding "the one." And DePaulo's book reveals it's not all bad. Lifelong singles are as healthy as married people and the so-called "happiness bump" for married folk dies down after tying the knot. Yes, the unmarried can get lonely, but it's time we salute their life choices too: "Settling just never seemed like the right move," says Wendy Braitman, author of the blog "All Things Single. "Because that, I think, tears at your soul."

Bombers target Israeli Embassies in India, Georgia, Wounding one

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Diplomatic Circles Report

Bombers targeted staff at Israeli Embassies in India and Georgia today, the Foreign Ministry said, with a bomb going off in New Delhi but a second device in Tiblisi defused.

Indian police said a bomb hit an embassy car and wounded a woman. She was not immediately I.D.d and there was no word on her condition but some reports said she was the wife of an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi.

"There was one attempted attack and one successful as it were," said Paul Hirschnson, a spokesman for Israel's Foreign Ministry. "In both cases the people concerned worked with the Israeli Embassies."

He also confirmed that a bomb had been found in a car belonging to a staffer at the embassy in the Georgian capital Tiblisi, which was defused by local police. Hirchnson said the Israeli ambassador to India was not hurt in the New Delhi attack.

Israel had put its foreign missions on especially high alert ahead of the Feb 12th anniversary of the assassination in 2008 of Imad Mughniyeh, the military mastermind of Lebanon's shi'ite terrorist group Hezbollah.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah had vowed to avenge Mughniyh's 2008 death in a Damascus car-bombing, blaming it on Israel.

Israelis had also warned of possible reprisals ordered by Tehran for the assassination of several scientists involved in Iran's controversial nuclear program. No one has claimed responsibility for the Iran killings.

Police accused of ignoring neo-Nazi attack in Vienna

By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Diplomatic Circles Report

Viennese police officers are facing jail time over failing to help a retired politician after he was assaulted by a right-wing mob.

Albrecht Konecny, the former head of the Social Democrats' (SPO) delegation in the federal council said a group of policemen were watching on as he was beaten up on his way home from a street event against xenophobia and fascism.

Konecny attended an event organized by several human rights organizations and members of Vienna's Jewish community.

They also came together to commemorate the victims of the Nazi's killing at the death and slave labor camp of Auschwitz. The open air event took place on the same day as a ball co-organized by student fraternities with a right wing extremist backround.

Konecny said the group of people who punched him senseless that night were most likely members of Austria's neo-Nazi scene. The former politician stressed that the police officers who were nearby did not help him on his feet after the attackers ran away. Konecny said they did not call an ambulance either, claiming that the police radio was busy.

Now it emerged that the Viennese police director started an internal investigation. The officers accused of denial of assistance when the physical assault occurred could be imprisoned for up to six months, according to the Austrian Times. Newspapers also reveal today that the leaders of police in the capital city decided to ask the state prosecution to investigate the matter.

The disputed ball took place at Vienna's Hofburg Palace. A group of companies handling the venue's promotion and marketing activities decided not to extend the contract with student frats due to the mounting political controversy. This means that the right-wingers must search for another venue for next year.

Viennese police forces shut down vast areas around the building on the evening of the ball in the past years to avoid riots.

Madonna Fans in Israel: Don't Bomb Iran Before Show!

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Madonna is coming to Israel and her hardcore fans there are begging the government to PLEASE hold off on a potential war with Iran, just at least until after Madonna's concert.

The Israeli Madonna nuts are spreading the word through a Facebook group called "Bibi don't start a war with Iran until after Madonna's show on May 29," reports the New York Daily News. (Bibi, of course, is Benjamin Netanyahu's nickname).

Israeli Mag Sexes Up Orthodox-Women Clash

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Get ready for the fireworks. An Israeli fashion magazine is adding steamy scenes to the ongoing clashes between women in Israel and ultra-Orthodox Jews who have been harassing them to dress more modestly and move to the back of buses in Israel.

In the "Belle Mode" spread, ultra-hot young male models dressed as Haredim lust after women on a bus dressed in sort-of Orthodox female garb (except that at least one skirt and shirt are transparent).

The mag is bound to enrage the ultra-Orthodox male city whose influence in Israel is growing as they pressure mainstream Israelis to conform to their religious views. Stay tuned...

"Smash" Opens to Rave Reviews

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

If you watched the Super Bowl, you just might have heard of "Smash," NBC's new drama about the making of a Broadway musical. Critics are (mostly) giving it a standing ovation.

The buzz has gotten so intense that the conversation isn't even about whether it'll be good. "Good? Darling, it's great!" gushes Mary McNamara of the LA Times. The creators have "managed to capture the grand and sweeping gesture that is musical theater and inject it with the immediate intimacy of television," an impressive, unprecedented feat.

"Smash" looks and feels like a well-written, tightly focused adult drama more likely to be found on cable than anywhere else," observes Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter. "That doesn't mean it's going to be a hit, nor even acclaimed...But it's a hell of a start."

But he warned: "Smash" has enough cheese to feed all the rodents in Disney World and Washington combined," writes Glen Garvin of the Miami Herald, though he still found it's cavalcade of cliches entertaining.

"It's pure greasepaint melodrama. Sneer all you want, but if you sneak in a secret smile now and then, that's OK, too."

But all the stock characters and situations ruined the show for James Poniewozik of Time. "Smash" is about sophisticated people, yes, but that doesn't mean it's actually doing sophisticated storytelling," he writes. "For all the talk of it's ambition, it was pretty much exactly what I'd expect a middlebrow, adult-oriented NBC show about Broadway to look like."

Bridesmaids Is Biggest Video-on-Demand Film

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

It's official: "Bridesmaids" has become the most popular video-on-demand movie ever, with $4.8 million rentals in four months says the Hollywood Reporter.

It's just the latest record for the sometimes raunchy female comedy, which is also the top-grossing movie in its genre ever made--$288 million worldwide. And that's not counting $100 million in Blu-ray and DVD sales in the United States and two potential Oscars--for original screenplay and supporting actress (Melissa McCarthy).

Naomi Watts to Play Princess Di

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Naomi Watts will play Princess Diana in a major biopic of her last years, reports the BBC. The 43-year-old Watts landed the plum role in "Caught in Flight," which is scheduled to start filming this year, notes the Associated Press.

It is expected to focus on her relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Kahn, which lasted from 1995 until a few months before she died in August 1997. Filmmakers say it will explore how Di found "true personal happiness for the first time." The movie by Britain's Escosse Films will be directed by Oliver Hirschbigel, best known for his Hitler film "Downfall."

"Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

I just watched "Judgment at Nuremberg" On Turner Classic Movies last night as part of a month long series of Academy Award winning movies and found this to be a truly astonishing movie. Austrian actor Maximillan Schell, playing a German Defense Attorney was superb and startling. In many ways the movie is the senior brother to "Schindler's List," probing thoughtfully through the mist of excuses and exaggerations of the era.

Nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Judgment at Nuremberg is magnificent, continously exciting and boasts brilliant performances by an all-star cast including Richard Widmark, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Werner Klemperer, William Shatner and Burt Lancaster.

"Judgment at Nuremberg" provided early roles for two actors who would later become prominent in television and film during the 1960's: Werner Klemperer and William Shatner as Captain Byers.

"In Darkness"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

"In Darkness," is a Polish drama film that is based on a true incident in German Nazi-occupied Poland. It's been selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards.

From acclaimed director Agnieszka Holland (Europa, Europa), "In Darkness" is based on a true story. Leopold Socha, a sewer worker and petty thief in Lvov,a Nazi occupied city in Poland, one day encounters a group of Jews trying to escape liquidation of the ghetto. He hides them for money in the labyrinth of the town's sewers beneath the bustling activity of the city above.

What starts out as a straightforward and cynical business arrangement turns into something very unexpected, the unlikely alliance between Socha and the Jews as the enterprise seeps deeper into Socha's conscience. The film is also an extraordinary story of survival as these men, women and children all try to outwit certain death during 14 months of ever increasing and intense danger.

According to Agnieszka, "2009 brought a number of new Holocaust stories in books and films. One may ask if everything has now been said on this subject. But in my opinion the main mystery hasn't yet been resolved, or even fully explained. How was this crime (the Holocaust), possible? Where was Man during the crises? Where was God?"

Britain marks the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

He wrote about life in the modern city, with its lawyers and criminals, bankers and urchins, dreamers and clerks. He created characters still known to millions--Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, Pip and Miss Havisham, Fagin and Oliver Twist. And it made him a star, mobbed by fans on both sides of the Atlantic.

Britain today marked the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, the first global celebrity author and chronicler of a world of urban inequality that looks a lot like the one we live in today.

"You only have to look around our society and everything he wrote about in the 1840s is still relevant," said Dickens' biographer Claire Tomalin. "The great gulf between the rich and poor, corrupt financiers, corrupt Members of Parliament...You name it, he said it."

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, actor Ralph Fiennes, a host of dignitaries and scores of Dickens' descendants at a memorial service today in London.

New exhibit sheds light on the 'operation that made the Mossad'

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Lifting a half-century veil of secrecy, Israel's Mossad spy agency is opening its archive this week to reveal the story behind the legendary 1960 capture of Nazi mastermind Adolf Eichmann.

The "Operation Finale" exhibit, curated by a Mossad officer who cannot be fully identified, displays never before seen items, names and documents that led to Eichmann's nabbing in Argentina. It also disclosed new details such as how forensic experts identified Eichmann by his ears.

Eichmann was in charge of implementing Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution," the plan to exterminated the Jews of Europe. Six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and their collaborators during WWII.

The Mossad's exploits typically become known only when something goes wrong. This exhibit tells a success story, offering the most comprehensive picture to date of the complex operation that helped shape the agency's image--bringing a top Nazi criminal to justice.

"This is the first time the Mossad carried out a huge operation overseas, and it had to invent all this 'James Bond' stuff in the process," said the curator who can be identified only as Avner A because of agency regulations.

Avner said the agency's tactics and strategies have evolved since then. Even so, the exhibit was initially intended to remain classified but "the Eichmann story is so strong that we just couldn't keep this one to ourselves."

Among the highlights of the exhibit at the Beit Hatfutsot museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv is the original Mossad file on Eichmann, code named "Dybbuk"--Hebrew for "evil spirit," the briefcase with a concealed camera that took the first pictures of Eichmann in Buenos Aires, the fake license plates the agents made for vehicles to track Eichmann, the gloves used to nab him, the needle used to sedate him and the forged Israeli passport his captors used to smuggle him out of Argentina.

Eichmann's 1961 trial in Jerusalem captivated the country and the world with gripping public testimony of more than 100 Jews who survived extreme torture and deprivation in concentration camps and brought to life the horrors of the Nazi "Final Solution."

Eichmann was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and was hanged the following year, the only time Israel has carried out a death sentence.

After the war ended in Germany's defeat, Eichmann escaped American captivity and fled to Argentina in 1950, assuming the name Ricardo Klement.

The exhibit also showcases the personal effects found on Eichmann's body--a comb, a pocket knife and a plastic cigarette holder.

Eichmann was held in a safe house for nine days until the group flew out in an El Al Israel Airlines plane that had brought an official Israeli delegation to mark Argentina's 150th anniversary. Eichmann was drugged, dressed in an El AL uniform, seated in first class and passed off as a crew member who was ill.

The operation was so secret that even diplomat Abba Eban, who later became Israel's foreign minister, had no clue he was providing cover for a plane to return to Israel with Eichmann and the Mossad team, leaving Eban and other diplomats behind.

Vienna Opera Ball 2012 Features Roger Moore and Brigitte Nielsen

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Richard Lugner has expressed concerns about Sir Roger Moore's health.

The movie star is set to attend this year's Vienna Opera Ball alongside the Viennese businessman. Lugner managed to claim most of the public attention at past balls by inviting international and sometimes infamous celebrities--despite the attendance of Europe's political and economic elite.

Now the entrepreneur, who owns Vienna's Lugner City Mall, claimed that organizers of the ball were posing "unreasonable demands." Lugner's feud with promoters of the event is set to continue as they once more kept him from booking a first-floor box. Instead, Lugner and his entourage will follow the opening from a box situated on the opera's second floor.

"That's asking a bit much," Lugner fumed today. He explained "Roger Moore is currently physically handicapped. He recently underwent knee surgery. He is depending on a walking stick. How is he supposed to make it to the second floor like that?"

This year's Opera Ball will take place on Feb 16. Lugner who was accompanied by actress Carmen Electra and "IT" girl Paris Hilton at previous balls-- will not only have the "James Bond" star by his side. Danish model and actress Brigitte Nielsen also accepted his invitation.

Lugner wanted Nielsen--who won the latest edition of German TV station RTL's version of "I'm a celebrity--Get Me Out of Here!"--to wear a dress made of chocolate at the Viennese Opera Ball. Now he admitted that this stunt was scrapped as it would have featured unpredictable complications. Lugner, who has been married four times, said a seamstress would have followed Nielsen all night to avoid any kind of unfortunate incidents caused by the risque outfit. "Brigitte could not sit down wearing the dress so we were forced to pull the plug," Lugner told Austrian papers.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, European Parliament President Martin Schulz and model Helena Christensen are also expected to attend the Opera Ball.

Austrian Skydiver Plans Jump From Edge of Space

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

If you have a fear of heights, don't read on: An Austrian adventurer plans to jump from the very edge of space later this year, falling from the dizzying height of about 23 miles. (That's 120,000 feet, for comparison's sake, consider that the average passenger plane flies at just 35,000 feet). If he is successful, Felix Baumgartner will break the record for the highest skydive ever--and he may even break the sound barrier. He will wear a pressurized suit that will protect him and provide oxygen (unless, of course, it leaks, notes the morbid BBC).

The suit will completely encase him and is similar to a spacesuit, but must be even tougher: A serious breach could cause Baumgartner's tissues to swell and the moisture in his eyes and mouth to boil. Fortunately, the suit has been tested and "does it's job," the adventurer says. Baumgartner is no stranger to skydive feats: Among his past claims is a leap from Malaysia's Peronas Towers. If this stunt is successful, it will break the 1960 record set by Joe Kittinger, who jumped from 102,800 ft. Baumgartner plans to reach his jumping point via balloon.

"Artist" Star Uggie Has Mystery Syndrome

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Uggie's time in the spotlight could just about be over: The heart-stealing Jack Russell terrier who stars in the hit movie "The Artist" is suffering from a puzzling debilitating condition and will retire next month says his devoted trainer. "It's very sad, but he is suffering from a mystery shaking syndrome. It is a neurological disorder and we've spent thousands on vets' bills trying to figure out what is causing it, but the experts don't really know," trainer Omar Von Muller tells the Daily Mail.

"He started shaking shortly before "The Artist" began filming. It comes and goes. Ironically, it's worse when he's relaxed. When we were filming you hardly notice it." But it's not all a tale of woe for the 10-year-old pooch. Uggie has one more star turn at the Oscars this month, when he'll do a bit with Billy Crystal. "It's a shame this happened when he's getting the biggest success of his career," says Von Muller, who adds that vets don't believe Uggie's condition is painful. "For "The Artist," we were working 15-hour days, and I can't put him through that again."

Like a prayer: Madonna to kick off world tour in Holy Land

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Madonna will go on tour for the first time in three years, starting in Israel before moving on to Europe, with legs in South America and Australia, where she has not performed for 20 years, tour promotion company Live Nation said on Tuesday.

The tour starts on May 29 in Tel Aviv and then visits Abu Dhabi and Istanbul in early June before moving on to Europe. The European leg concludes on August 21 in Nice, France and the North American leg will end in Miami with the date yet to be confirmed, the company said in a statement.

The announcement came just days after Madonna's halftime performance at the Super Bowl on Feb 5 with a record 114 million people tuning in to watch the glitzy, Cleopatra-themed show, which was lauded by critics but resulted in an apology for television network NBC and the NFL for a rude gesture made by British hip hop star MIA during the show.

Madonna brought her mix of provocative music and spirituality to Israel with a Tel Aviv concert in Sept 2009 a stop that marked the final stop in her "Sticky and Sweet Tour."

"Every time I come here, I get so supercharged with energy," she said at the 2009 concert. "I truly believe that Israel is the energy centre of the world. And I also believe that if we can all live together in harmony in this place, then we can live in peace all over the world."

Elizabeth Marks 60 Years as Queen

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

It's 60 years to the day since Elizabeth II became queen and she's kicking off a year of celebrations with a message to the British people. "I am writing to thank you for the wonderful support and encouragement that you have given me and Prince Phillip over these years," she writes. "In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope that we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness."

Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne after the death of her father, George VI on Feb 6, 1952. That makes 2012 her Diamond Jubilee and the royal family is gearing up for festivities through out the year. Will, Kate and other members of the family will head to British Commonwealth countries like Canada and Belize, on the first weekend in June, celebrations well be held at home, including a 1,000-vessel flotilla on the Thames, reports the Associates Press.

D'oh! Iran Bans Homer Simpson Doll

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Maybe they're offended by lines like "Homer no function beer well without," and "I felt a surge of power...like God must feel when he's holding a gun?" Whatever the reason, Iranian officials have firmly placed the Homer Simpson doll alongside Barbie on the nation's no-buy list, the AP reports. "We do not want to promote this cartoon by importing the toys," says an official at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults.

In an attempt to fend off Western cultural influence since the 1979 revolution, it has defined a few rules for it's toy ban: no distinguishable genitals, no adult toys, no toys that belt out tunes in the voices of Western singers and no kitchen sets with glasses for drinking booze. Spider-Man and Superman, however, are OK. "They help oppressed people and they have a positive stance," the officials says.

Iran threatens to boycott Samsung over Israeli TV commercial

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

In spot produced by cable provider HOT, a "Mossad agent's" Samsung electronic device is used to blow up Iranian nuclear facility. Iran's parliament threatens to boycott South Korean electronics company. Samsung denies any involvement in production of the commercial.

Iran's parliament has threatened to boycott Samsung (the South Korean electronics company) because of a comical Israeli commercial in which actors inadvertently blow up an Iranian nuclear facility using a Samsung tablet device.

The commercial, which aired on the HOT cable provider, depicts a bored Mossad agent stationed in Isfahan, Iran, near the site of a nuclear reactor, who passed time by watching episodes of the popular Israeli television series "Asfur," which airs on HOT's channel 3. The series' four main characters appear, dressed in drag and approach the Mossad agent. After chatting for a bit, one of them asks, "What does this application do?" and then touches the Samsung tablet detonating the nuclear reactor behind them.

Samsung representatives denounced the Israeli commercial over the weekend but also expressed surprise and concern over the Iranian threat to boycott it over supposedly "anti-Iranian" content in the ad. The company emphasized that it played no role in producing the spot.

While South Korea purchases 10% of its crude oil from Iran, at the end of 2011 it blacklisted 100 organizations associated with the Iranian nuclear program. However, it has not agreed to join a boycott of Iran's crude oil industry.

Actor Ben Gazzara Dead at 81

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Actor Ben Gazzara died of pancreatic cancer today reports the New York Times. The obituary recounts a long and varied career on stage ( a starring role in the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), television (Run for Your Life in the early 1960s), and film (especially with director John Cassacetes in movies such as "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie). He may be best known, however, for a wide range of supporting roles in movies such as "Summer of Sam," "Bandits," and "The Big Lebowski."

Gazzara was a contemporary of Brando but never achieved the same level of fame and the Times recounts a quote from the actor himself in 1998: "When I became hot, so to speak, in theater, I got a lot of offers. I won't tell you the pictures I turned down because you would say, 'You are a fool.' And I was a fool."

Roseanne Files Papers to Run for President

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Roseanne is in. The comedian has filed papers to seek the Green Party's nomination for president, reports TMZ, which says she'll be pushing hard to legalize marijuana. Barr says the run is no joke, and she's looking to capitalize on the Occupy Wall Street sentiment, notes AP. "The Democrats and Republicans have proven that they are servants--bought and paid for by the 1%--who are not doing what's in the best interest of the American people," she said in a statement. Barr joins three other Green Party candidates, and Green Party Watch has bios out there. She first talked about running a while back on Leno.

"Groundhog Day"

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie Mac Dowell. An all time classic, Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Goundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he beings to re-examine his life and priorities.

In 2006, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

The shooting location for most of the film was Woodstock Illinois, a far northwest suburb of Chicago about 10 miles from the Wisconsin border. Residents of the city helped in the production by bringing out heaters to warm the cast and crew in cold weather.

The film was released to universal acclaim. It currently garners a 96% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is number 34 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Funniest Movies. Film critic Roger Ebert acknowledged in his "Great Movies" essay that, like many viewers, he had initially underestimated the film's many virtues and only came to truly appreciate it through repeated viewings.

The phrase "Groundhog Day" had entered common use as a reference to an unpleasant situation that continually repeats, or so it seems. In the military, referring to unpleasant unchanging repetitive situation as "Groundhog Day" was widespread very soon after the movie's release in February 1993.

Punxsutawney Phil Says: More Winter

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Punxsutawney Phil made his 126th prediction this morning on Gobbler's Knob, and it looks like you shouldn't break out the flip flops just yet. The groundhog saw his shadow this morning, signaling six more weeks of winter--or depending on where you live, six weeks of winter. The AP notes that the season has brought very little snow and only a few extremely cold days to much of the East. Indeed, New York City hit a high of 63 degrees yesterday.

The Associated Press notes that the whole thing is a bit of a sham. Phil's prediction is actually decided ahead of time by the Inner Circle, a group decked out in top hats and tuxedos that decides in advance whether he'll see his shadow. And he generally does. According to existing records, Phil has now seen his shadow 100 times and hasn't seen it just 16 time since 1886.