Israeli ‘American Idol’ Judge Arrested
Image by Wikimedia Commons
Forget Hamas, forget the massive housing protest. Right now Israel’s attention is squarely focused on Margalit Tzanani, a major music and TV star who has been jailed on charges of extortion.
Best-known in recent years as a judge on the Israeli version of “American Idol,” Tzanani was arrested at her home this morning, in a surprise raid. The singer will spend tonight in jail, and will appear tomorrow in court, where prosecutors will attempt to prolong her detention as the investigation continues.
A star so big she’s generally referred to simply as “Margol,” Tzanani is suspected of hiring thugs to intimidate and extort a talent manager, Assaf Atedgi, with whom she is fighting over hundreds of thousands of shekels in royalties. The 57-year-old singer and her lawyer have categorically denied the charges, noting that she and Atedgi have hired a mediator to settle the dispute.
The charges follow what has been a difficult period for the singer, a veteran hitmaker whose biggest singles are still regularly played at Israeli bars, clubs and weddings. After belittling the “tent protests” currently shaking the Israeli political establishment, the singer faced a backlash so strong that she was forced to recant, going so far as to give a free performance for protesters in Beersheba on Saturday.
The arrest should also make things interesting during the next season of “Kochav Nolad,” (“A Star Is Born”), the Israeli version of “American Idol.” As big a hit as its American counterpart, the show has faced scandal before — as the Shmooze dutifully reported — but nothing on nearly this scale.
Amazingly, Tzanani is not the first Israeli celebrity accused of hiring goons to threaten enemies.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
