By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff  |  November 2, 2006

Mike "Zappy" Zapolin on the Robertson Blvd billboard that was pulled in Hollywood CA. The new billboard on Olympic Blvd in Beverly Hills CA.. Zapolin & Tara Reid

Putting kibosh on their kabbalah fun
By creating a guide and a deck of kabbalah cards with Dr. Feelgood Deepak Chopra, Boston businessman Michael "Zappy" Zapolin probably thought he was being helpful. Apparently the friendly folks who run the famed Kabbalah Centre in LA don't see it that way.

The centre has put the kibosh on a billboard promoting Zapolin and Chopra's "Ask the Kabala Oracle Cards," which are billed as a beginner's guide to the Jewish mysticism espoused by the likes of Madonna and Britney Spears." [Kabbalah] is something I've come to incorporate in my business practices and wanted to share that," Zapolin told us.

Although he wouldn't criticize the Kabbalah Centre, which has a branch in Brookline, he did say he's disappointed that the LA headquarters is trying to "squelch" his efforts. The billboard is back up on Olympic Blvd, in Beverly Hills, and it seems like his message is getting out.

Earlier this year, he took the cards to the Cannes Film Festival, where he mingled with celebs such as Tara Reid, Ethan Hawke, and Sir Ian McKellen.


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