The dispute between supermodel Bar Refaeli and businessman Ilan Ben-Dov's Suny Electronics is expected to reach its climax when the parties meet in court Thursday.  The affair began in the winter of 2006, when Refaeli led Suny's Samsung super-thin mobile phones campaign.

Three years later, Refaeli filed a NIS 5 million ($1.38 million) lawsuit against Suny and Ben-Dov, claiming the company violated the terms of the agreement by distributing a video on the Web without her consent and intended to unlawfully use photos from a promotional event in which she was to be the star guest.  Suny retaliated with a NIS 2 million ($550,000) countersuit on the claim that Refaeli foiled the campaign.
 
'I'm a highly demanded model' One bone of contention concerned the question whether Suny would have been within its rights had it used the footage in question for the purpose of cinema advertising.  Refaeli claimed that her mother and she categorically ensure that her contracts specify the media which is permitted for the distribution of her commercials, up to the names of the television channels on which they will be broadcasted and the limitation on the number of channels.
 
As an example, Refaeli submitted four of her employment contracts, each of which includes a closed media list.  The contract provisions are disputable; however, in the meantime, Suny hired the former CEO of the Warshavsky-Freilich-Dovev ad agency, Eli Dovev, nowadays a consultant, to pen an expert opinion on the matter.
 
"Cinema advertising is considered to be complementary form of advertising to the mainstream, popular media," Dovev wrote.  Refaeli contended: "I did not give Suny my consent to show the commercial in cinemas… Cinema advertising pays models large sums of money, especially models of my caliber, and in all due modesty – I am considered an important and highly demanded model on an international scale.
 
"I am paid a lot for my work… I would never have agreed to have one of my commercials screened in cinemas for $2,500."There are two additional major controversies between the parties: One concerns the uploading of behind the scenes footage to a social website partly owned by Ben-Dov's Suny, and the second concerns Suny's promotional party to which Refaeli declined to arrive at the last minute.
 
Refaeli claimed that "my participation in the party was not included in the promotional activities I agreed to do in my contract… As far as I'm concerned, the party was another link in a chain of fraudulent and deceitful actions against my mother and myself perpetrated by Suny."
 
Refaeli and her mother claimed that they were told the party would be "a private, intimate party" and "a reception" held by Ben-Dov after completing the shooting of the commercial.  "Just before the shooting was wrapped up, I got word that the party was not intimate but massive," wrote Tzipi Refaeli. Her daughter claimed, "I was not informed that media representatives were invited to the party."
 
Ben-Dov had his own take on the events: "On the day we shot the commercial, Tzipi Refaeli made an uncommon request that I increase the pay by $10,000-20,000… I felt that Refaeli was trying to squeeze us for undue money.
 
"Unfortunately, following the incident, Tzipi and Bar Refaeli began deliberately turning their backs on the campaign."As regards to the alleged promise for a private, intimate affair, Ben-Dov wrote: "This claim is unfounded (to say the least)."
 
With a handshake or by threats?
In mid 2007, the parties attempted to reconcile their differences. According to Ben-Dov, the meeting did not go as planned.
 
"I was told that unless I pay Refaeli $250,000 in compensations, Suny and my own reputation would be ruined in Israel and in the world... These threats were put into action in a letter sent to Samsung Chairman and CEO Lee Kun-hee and to Samsung Electronics CEO Jong-Yong Yun, which brings serious allegations against Suny, including deceit."The Refaelis denied these accusations, arguing that "no threats were made; we parted with a handshake."

Refaeli's representative, Attorney Yosef Miller, imparted: "The facts will come to light in court. Already at this point, it is evident from the company's affidavit that they fabricated the contract."
Suny and attorney Moshe Barhod, who represents the company and Ben-Dov, offered no comment.

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Usually when I feature photos of Bar Refaeli she’s wearing a lot less clothing than in this perfume ad, but when you have access to a video of Bar bouncing around, about to fall out of her top, the pictures suddenly become unimportant. She really is mesmerizing when she does stuff like this. So now we know that Bar is not only good at selling jewelry, lingerie, and bikinis, she also is pretty sharp when it comes to promoting perfume. And Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t see the need to marry this woman? Must be nice. Dick.

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Bar Refaeli revealed that she is starting an online casual lingerie company called Undeez.com with fellow Israeli model Dudi Balsar. The website will be fully functional in early November, and the merchandise is billed as basic and for everyone. According to the Israeli financial newspaper Globes, Undeez has raised $1 million from Israeli investors. Balsar came up with the idea, and Refaeli is responsible for marketing and business development -- she's hoping to use her popularity as leverage.

Refaeli told Elle magazine that through Undeez, “you’ll be able to buy clothes -- underwear, socks and T-shirts for men and women -- in very soft, basic fabrics. I started the site with a friend because when I like a pair of underwear, I’ll get 30 pairs of it in the same color. But I don’t have time to go buy underwear all the time. And I had boyfriends who were the same way -- they never had time to go buy socks and underwear, that’s for sure! -- so this website is great because after subscribing, you get these necessities sent directly to you each month.”

Oprah at the Mikvah
Oprah Winfrey made a stop at the ritual bath but didn’t take the plunge. The trip to a Chabad Lubavitch mikvah in Brooklyn Heights (not the “Heights” one typically associates with Chabad) was filmed for an episode of her new series, "Oprah’s Next Chapter," which will premiere in January on her OWN Network, Oprah's new cable channel.

“I have never even seen a single one of her shows,” said Bronya Shaffer, who showed Oprah around the mikvah, in an interview with The Brooklyn Paper. “When I told Oprah’s producer that I didn’t know anything about her work, she said, ‘That’s refreshing!' "Oprah also met with Chasidic families and filmed segments for the show in Borough Park and Crown Heights.

New Amy Winehouse Album
Every time Amy Winehouse was spotted coming out of a recording studio or with mega-producer Mark Ronson, fans would become hopeful that the follow-up to 2006′s breakthrough album, "Back to Black," would soon be released. Alas, she passed away from alcohol poisoning before her third record could be completed.

But now her label has announced that Winehouse's third (and final) collection of songs will debut in December, just in time for holiday shopping season, according to E! Online. The new album will be called "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" and will boast 12 songs -- some new, some previously unheard versions of her earlier work, and some covers of classic songs.

The songs on "Lioness" were produced by Ronson and Salaam Remi, both of whom had worked with Winehouse on her previous efforts. "It quickly became apparent to Salaam and Mark that they had a collection of songs that deserved to be heard, a collection of songs that were a fitting testament to Amy the artist and, as importantly, Amy their friend," the label said.

The Wise Knick
Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks continued his Jewish soul-searching as he dressed up as King Solomon for Halloween, and even tweeted about it: “King Solomon. Learn about him.” What a boss.

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Tending to her obligations as face of the brand, Bar Refaeli recently partook in a photo shoot for Especially Escada in Los Angeles.

With the outcome being just as lovely as expected, the Israeli stunner posted the garden-based shots on her Facebook page while tweeting, "I posted 26 photos on Facebook in the album "Behind thescene of @Escada making of Especially with @BarRefaeli"

Of being named as the fragrance's first face, Miss Refaeli previously told People magazine, “For a model, the biggest thing is to get a perfume deal. And when I heard they wanted me to do it for a few years, I was like, ‘Wow, finally!’ I’m really excited about it."

The 26-year-old added that she prefers a scent “to be suitable for day and night … I like to have my smell, so when I’m around, people notice me and my smell and it comes together, almost like a second skin.”

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Israeli model Bar Refaeli is going into the underwear business. Jewish celeb-gossip site 6DegreesNoBacon reports that Refaeli will launch online lingerie retailer Undeez. with fellow Israeli mannequin Dudi Balsar. Undeez has raised $1 million from Israeli angel investors, according to Israeli financial newspaper Globes. “Undeez will apply a sophisticated e-commerce model, which was developed over many months. Balsar, an attorney and former model, came up with the idea for the venture, and Refaeli will be responsible for marketing and business development,” Globes said.

The company wants to develop a subscriber base for its “underwear, socks, and T-shirts for men and women in very soft, basic fabrics,” Refaeli told Elle. “When I like a pair of underwear, I’ll get 30 pairs of it in the same color. But I don’t have time to go buy underwear all the time. And I had boyfriends who were the same way — they never had time to go buy socks and underwear, that’s for sure! — so this website is great because after subscribing, you get these necessities sent directly to you each month.”

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Bar Refaeli looks picture perfect in these photos from her Especially Escada campaign shoot in Los Angeles. “For a model, the biggest thing is to get a perfume deal. And when I heard they wanted me to do it for a few years, I was like, ‘Wow, finally!’ I’m really excited about it,” the 26-year-old Israeli model told People about becoming the fragrance’s first face.

Bar shared that she prefers her perfume “to be suitable for day and night … I like to have my smell, so when I’m around, people notice me and my smell and it comes together, almost like a second skin.”As for what kind of scent she prefers on guys, “the just-shaved smell, I love that,” Bar revealed.

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The age old question of “Why Would You Ever Break Up With Bar Refaeli?” may finally have an answer …
Her name? Madalina Diana Ghenea, the Romanian model who is reportedly the new girlfriend of Hollywood A-Lister Leonardo DiCaprio. What do we know about Ghenea? Not much, except for the fact that she appeared alongside our founding editor in the sixth season of Italy’s Ballando con le Stelle – although they were eliminated in the fourth round. DiCaprio, 36, dated Refaeli off-and-on for six years. In addition to the SI cover girl, the Inception star has also dated Gisele Bundchen (now married to New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady) and, more recently, Blake Lively.

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Takes one to know one! Hailed as one of the sexiest women in the world, supermodel Bar Refaeli cited who she considers sexy in a new viral video created for Jay-Z’s lifestyle site.

Bar isn’t just a pretty face, she knows her music too! The Israeli beauty recently stopped by a record store for some browsing, while picking out some classic vinyl records which included Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Notorious B.I.G and Michael Jackson. The model who once dated A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio, was a bit embarrassed to profess the love she once had for pop band Hanson, admitting:

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Model and Sports Illustrated cover girl Bar Refaeli has signed on as the new face of Escada's latest fragrance, Especially Escada -- a sparkling rose scent with hints of Ylang Ylang and Ambrette seeds. "When they [Escada] first told me about what the fragrance represented, they said things like, 'spontaneous, free-spirited, elegant, feminine, soft' and all these things that I feel like I'm very much about and love in life," says Refaeli. "And then I smelled it and it actually smelled like it." We caught up with the model after the Especially Escada launch to discuss the fragrance, the workout plan that whips her into swimsuit-season shape and why she's anti-skinny jeans on guys.

What's the one product you always have in your bag?
Hand lotion. There's an Israeli brand called Ahava.

What about a go-to lipstick?
Right now, I'm using a Clinique balm with a little tint. It moisturizes your lips with a little color. I don't like lipsticks, but I like tints.

Is there any beauty advice your mom gave you growing up that you did follow and also some that you didn't follow?
It's not advice, but my mom is very known for her blue liner, she loves to wear really bright, blue eyeliner. I think now, more people are trying it, but she's been doing that forever. I've started to put blue liner inside my eye; it's unnoticeable, but it really give a pop. I like it, it's fun.

So I know that you love the new Especially Escada, but is there a scent or smell that you love?
Laundry, for sure. I'm obsessed, ask all my friends. The first thing I do when I come home is wash everything so it smells like me. And I always try to find the newest, best detergents. Obsessed, it's awful.

Who are your personal beauty icons from the past or today?
Well first of all, my mom. Because my mom always has a big smile on her face and I think that really makes a woman beautiful. It doesn't matter what she has on her face, like makeup. I like Cameron Diaz, I like how she's always sweet with her makeup. She never goes crazy, just like pink-y tints, I love that. I like Jennifer Aniston, I like all those girls that are simple. Very laid-back, the girl-next-door, sweet, always with a smile on their face and just go soft.

Can you tell me a little about how you get ready for swimsuit shoots? Does it take weeks or are you always exercising in preparation?
It depends on the time during the year. I try to exercise a lot just because I love it, I really, really love it. So when I spend a lot of time in Israel, I like to do TRX. It's a new workout, it's unbelievable. But when I travel, I don't work out. It's too tiring and it's too hard. Before a shoot, well let's see, you know what? From traveling so much and being on planes, I try to keep healthy at all times so it's not always before a shoot. I try to keep my body adjusted and normal and feeling like you can take it, it has to be healthy. So I eat junk food, but when I'm craving it, not just because it's there.

Are there any tips or tricks that you picked up on set during shoots? Any advice that you learned from other models?

I don't think there are any secrets, but eating healthy and working out. I wish there were, I wish there were a magic pill but really, it's doing that. And moderation, it's all in moderation. Don't not eat dessert ever, have it, but then relax on it. Have it when you're craving it, but then eat healthy.

What do you think is sexy on a woman, and what do you think is sexy on a man?
Same answer for both: confidence. I feel like when a woman or a man carries themselves with elegance and confidence and are happy with who they are, that's very, very sexy to me.

What's not sexy?
Lack of confidence? (laughs)
What about style-wise, what's unappealing on a man?
I don't like men that try too hard, I like men that are basic. You know, like jeans and a t-shirt. And you can also make it cool, like V-neck over crew neck. I like very, very simple. I actually like baggy jeans on guys rather than the skinny ones. I like guys that are comfortable and manly.

Last question. What's one thing that people don't know about you?
I don't know, I'll have to get a list of what people do know about me. Maybe they don't know that I'm very very goofy. Like around my friends, I'm always doing something stupid, I'm the first one up for an adventure. I like to hang out with the guys more than the girls. I'm a guy's girl.

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She is considered to have one of the sexiest bodies in the world. And Israeli model Bar Refaeli flaunted her fabulous figure to perfection as she made a special store appearance on 5th Avenue in New York City today. The 26-year-old's toned abs and slim pins were on display in an all-leather ensemble.

The Sports Illustrated model opted for a pair of skin-tight black leather pants with zipper detail and a cropped leather bomber jacket for the outing.She completed the outfit with peep-toed brown booties and simple jewellery, including several bracelets and a delicate gold necklace. Bar seemed well and truly over ex-boyfriend Leonardo DiCaprio if the giant grin on her face is any indication.The two broke up in May after dating for nearly five years. He is now reportedly dating model Alyce Crawford after just splitting from Gossip Girl starlet Blake Lively.

Bar is no slouch herself though: she recently attracted the attention of President Sarkozy's son, Pierre, at a party in Paris. She is also lucky enough to star alongside Fergie's husband, Josh Duhamel, in a new campaign for French underwear manufacturer Passionata.

Additionally, the blonde bombshell will appear on E!'s new reality series, Scouted, which follows the lives of aspiring models as they try to make it in the tough as nails modelling industry. It would seem that men aren't the only ones starstruck by Bar and her beauty, either. 'They were in awe,' the show's main model mentor, Beri Smither, told E! Online of meeting the Israeli stunner.  'They were just en amored. Completely enamored, so grateful. Just in complete admiration. It was really nice. It's nice to see people being impacted by other people in that way.'

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