We Need Nets David's commercial spot for World Malaria Day aired on the 25th. Check it out here:
Becks Sweeps the Sweeps? For those who have any interest in the business of TV, and who may be interested in Becks's effects on ratings, check out this informative article about David and the May Sweeps.
Gullit on Galaxy, Beckham Gullit's recent comments about the state of MLS are likely to be controversial, though they are in truth fair. But nestled in the criticism of the league on the whole, he offered praise for Becks. Sagnad suggests this link.
Galaxy 5 - 2 Chivas Congratulations to Becks & the Galaxy, who pulled off a pleasantly surprising 5-2 victory over rivals Chivas USA on Saturday.
Once again we saw a strong partnership between David and Landon, who scored a hat-trick. Of Landon, Becks said:
"He's scoring goals and that's what counts," Beckham said after Saturday's victory. "He's a special player. He proved what he's able to do, he's good in the box and from outside. When we have a player in the form that he's in, it gives the team some confidence."
The Beard By now you'll have noticed David is sporting new facial hair, which was in full force over the weekend. He appears to be growing a full beard, which isn't so much news as an observation--but it's making headlines all the same. There's a large, clear pic here.
Becks & Elmo? This is a strange piece, in that I was unable to locate links other than The Sun that mentioned it. According to the tabloid, Becks made an appearance on Sesame Street. Excerpt:
Becks ventured on to the famous children’s show last week to film an episode with the fluffy red host.
The former England skipper was invited on to the hit American programme to introduce a new word to Elmo and the millions of youngsters who watch at home.
Midfielder Becks went for “persistence” as his word of choice — and explained why it was important to him.
A source said: “David has always been a huge fan of the show. When he was a kid he watched it, like a lot of people, and knew all the characters. He was more than happy to go on.
“He loves dealing with kids and thought it would be a great way to get through to them. He has developed a great understanding speaking to children with his own boys and through his coaching at the Beckham soccer schools.
Los Angeles vs. Chivas This is always a unique pairing as not only is it a hometown derby, it's a home stadium derby. They share the Home Depot Center, so the rivalry's always hot! As has been pointed out in comments sometimes the Galaxy/Chivas clash gets a little physical (to put it mildly) so here's hoping there are no injuries and the boys all behave themselves reasonably well! Good luck to the Galaxy.
Kickoff is 10.30pm ET, 7.30pm local.
Television: Tonight's match will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Espanol. If you do not have FSC/FSE through your cable or satellite service, you can almost always see FSC programming on TVU Networks online.
Online: Visit TVU Networks and download the software/plugin. Then you can either view in the standalone software or right on their site. To view on their site, use this link. The TVU embedded player will appear in the middle and a list of channels on the left. FSC is channel "soccer" (#21500).
I will update with any other online viewing options as I find them.
Update: You will find the Galaxian Rams Sopcast links here, for those who prefer to watch via Sopcast. The Sopcast software can be obtained here.
Radio: Radio coverage for the match will be in the LA area: 1150 AM in English (listen online), and 1330 AM in Spanish.
Text: As usual ESPN will run their great Gamecast service, which is both text and a graphical representation of shots, elapsed time, goals, cards, and subs. Gamecast for this match is here. If you prefer live text without the Gamecast, click here.
Match Preview: You can find a match preview here. The game guide can be found here (pdf).
Probable Galaxy line-up in a 4-4-2 formation is Cronin in goal; back line (right to left) Klein, Franklin, Vanney, Randolph; midfield (right to left) Beckham, Gordon, McDonald, Tudela; front (right to left) Buddle, Donovan.
As the Galaxy are the "home" team for this match, they will wear their white strip.
Becks on Ellen, Again I located the full appearance on Ellen in two parts, rather than a bunch of smaller clips. You can see them on YouTube here: Part 1 + Part 2.
Looking Forward to Canada David spoke to Canadian press about the Galaxy friendly in Edmonton, Canada in May. He said he was looking forward to the trip and spoke favourably about Wayne Gretzky, hockey legend. You can read the full article with many quotations here.
Excerpt: "I'm interested in any person that has made a difference like he did in a sport," Beckham told one reporter who compared him to Gretzky, moving to Los Angeles and changing the character of the sport.
"Without a doubt he is one of the legends - he is the legend.
"I haven't met him yet but I would love to meet him one day," Beckham said. "I think that he's one of the best sportsman of anyone's time.
And, when you do something like that to a sport which he did - that's what you need - that's what anybody needs in their lives - someone to look up to - a role model."
Becks Possible for 2010 Capello has spoken out about David's long-term goal of playing for England in 2010:
"The door is open. He played the last game, and did well against France," Capello was quoted as saying by sports newspaper Marca on Friday. "It depends. There are players who at 33 or 34 take good care of themselves, they understand that the body is not as it was and they take more care. It depends a lot on that."
While critics have always dismissed the idea of David participating out-of-hand, it seems Capello is not swayed by their opinions!
I'll be back tomorrow in time to give you links for viewing, listening to, or reading text commentary of tomorrow night's game against Chivas. Whenever Galaxy and Chivas meet up it's usually a lively affair, so get ready!
Becks on Ellen Here's a recap of David's appearance on Ellen DeGeneres's show today:
"You're easy on the eyes. You really are," DeGeneres said when Beckham sat down for the interview. Then, apologizing for the heat in the studio, teased, "If you want to take off anything, you can."
In between gratuitous montages of the L.A. Galaxy player mostly sans shirt, he fielded questions about his sons' break-dancing talents and having another baby.
"From the moment he wakes up in the morning, he just spins on his head," Beckham said of his youngest, Cruz, who debuted his skills at Madison Square Garden earlier this year.
As for more kids being in the works for Beckham and his wife of nine years, Spice Girl Victoria "Posh" Beckham, he said, "We always wanted a big family." The couple has three boys: Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 5, and Cruz, 3.
Not one to give up easily, DeGeneres admitted at the end of their chat that she has never kicked a soccer ball and told Beckham, "So, if I kick well, you'll take something off."
A video accompanying the article is also available here.
A YouTube video here:
And an official video from the show itself:
David Speaks to Extra According to This is Nottingham, MSN and others, Becks gave a number of quotes to Extra, which can be seen here.
Among them he mentions his post-player career:
"I've always loved working with kids, always wanted to give something back to the game," he declared. "This is a great way of doing it. Some way that I know I can do it."
Becks in TIME 100 Thanks to an anonymous poster for pointing out there is currently an option to vote for David for Time magazine's most influential people of 2008 titled "TIME 100". Click here to visit the direct page to vote for Becks!
More on Adidas Advert Sagnad has shared a link for more video of the new Adidas advertisement. Enjoy!
David on Ellen Preview Here's a quick news report video with a strange "back to the future" (since it airs Thursday) recap of the appearance. Quote:
Football superstar David Beckham has continued his charm offensive in the United States by appearing on the Ellen Degeneres show.
Beckham talked about his love of being nude around the house, his legs being insured for tens of millions of dollars and wanting more kids.
Beckham also confesses to how uncomfortable he felt when he stripped down to his underwear for his first Armani shoot.
Catch him on the show tomorrow! Click here for info about the Ellen show in general. Here is the official promo clip for the episode, and here is a list of what's on the show this week--Thursday's write-up is quite funny.
Original Ted Beckham Interview Someone (with all the "anonymous" commenting it's hard to give credit or answer to a person specifically, sorry) asked for this link to the original Ted Beckham interview to be posted. So here it is.
Galaxy and Iran? It's been reported that the Galaxy requested a friendly against the Iranian national team. This news has come from Iran via a number of worldwide sources. The Galaxy are apparently denying the claim, so for now we're best assuming the Galaxy statements are correct and no invitation has been extended to Iran. We've learned the hard way (with the Hong Kong match) how the channels of communication become confused at best when the press is involved, so if anyone is hopeful this match will happen, stay tuned and we'll see.
Becks Blogs Latest blog c/o davidbeckham.com:
Hi everyone,
I hope you are well?
I was pleased with the draw on Saturday against Houston Dynamo considering the way we started the game. We had no fight in the first half; no urgency at all and everything we did was slow. At half time a few words were said in the changing room and we came out a different team in the second half. It shows that there is plenty of fight within the team, which bodes well for the future if we can play at the level we did in the second half for the rest of the season and turn draws into wins. For me, personally, it was also nice to get a couple more assists. It’s great to play with intelligent players, who know when to make runs and know where the ball is going to be. My game is all about assists, so it was great to get two more and for Landon Donovan to score them. Good luck to Manchester United, who play Barcelona in the champions league semi-final tonight. The matches between the two teams in the past have always produced great football and I was lucky enough to play in a couple, when United won the Champions League in 1999. I think that United will feel they can win this over the two legs, but Barcelona are also a great team, so both games should be amazing. I’m going to go for United though as they’re the team I support.
New Adidas Ad (source)David appears in a new Adidas ad which shows Beckham and other football stars visiting some of the world's smallest footballing nations, including the Isle of Scilly's two-team league.
"The campaign, called Dream Big, aims to provide an antidote to the hype that will surround the footballing superpowers playing in this summer's European Championship in June." See source for more details. Check the source for a nice video of the Ad too!
Victoria's 2nd Birthday Celebration Victoria celebrated her birthday again, this time with the adult friends. We can see a bunch of celebrities were invited, the usual friends like Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes, Will Smith & wife Jada Pinkett and Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs amongst other like Gwen Stefani & husband Gavin Rossdale, Kate Beckinsale & husband Len Wiseman, Usher & wife Tameka , Eva Longoria and many other like Elton John hehe!. Check out more with some nice pictures: Here (pictures) Here (video) Here (video & pictures)
David really wants a baby girl Continuing on Dina's post below, here are few more quotes from Ted, granted, these quotes are posted by Now Magazine, not the most reliable source (ok, not even close) but it's not the first time we post the "rumors" that David really wants to have a baby girl. It's not that hard to believe anyways, with 3 boys already why wouldn't he want a girl to add to the picture. Here are his quotes on this:
"David really wants a girl," he says. "He's a great dad who has a lot of time with his boys and is brilliant with them."
and on tattoos:
"He said he'd never have any tattoos but unfortunately David just got carried away with them,' (...) 'I don't think he'll have any more, unless he has another baby."
Lil' Cruz Beckham to get Jewish schooling Well not for the Judaism but apparently because it's one of the best schools for young children. Take it with a grain of salt as the source is the British tabloid "The Sun". Here's an article from The Jerusalem Post.
Game Highlights
Season Tickets? Well they must have season tickets and/or they just like the Lakers very much :) I wish I had that *bleep* gallery working yet so I could post the pictures, but here are a few:
And you gotta hand it to the guy, he knows how to get good seat with a nice view of the game and such. Not only that but look at the effort he's making to look straight ahead, you can only imagine the internal struggle, fighting against every basic man instinct... that's dicipline lol!
But you can only fight instincts so much, no one is perfect, here's a well-published pic of last Tuesday's game where he is caught making the most out of his court-side tickets :D
Snuggling up watching the boys skate
( Source )David &Victoria took the boys skating on Saturday.
Galaxy 2 - 2 Houston The Galaxy drew with Houston last night 2-2. Thankfully, though it looked likely they would lose, the Galaxy didn't give up trying to win a precious point. Both goals came from Donovan, assisted by Becks.
"I've always said my game is about getting assists. It was great for Landon (Donovan) to get two goals. Goal scorers want to score, so it's good to make them go home happy," Beckham said. (Source)
First On, Last Off Galaxy representatives have come out in support of David's lifestyle, countering the mounting claims that he spends too much time in the Hollywood scene and not enough on the pitch:
However, a spokesperson for the L.A. Galaxy has defended their key player saying, "He's the first one on the training pitch and the last one off. What he does in his private life in no way reflects on the team. He's a major celebrity and he's bound to attract attention wherever he goes."
Galactic Expectations There's an extensive, quote-heavy article here about the Galaxy's record thus far this season and the expectations people are heaping upon them. Excerpt:
"At the end of the day, people expect us to win every game, 10-0," Beckham said. "That's not going to happen. There's going to be great games and bad games. It's going to be one of those seasons.
"We have got a young team and are learning to play together."
David & Ted Heal Rift Following the heart attack that had Becks racing for his father's bedside last year, it seems he and his dad have healed the very public rift between them. Ted spoke to News of the World about his son and their relationship:
He tells the News Of The World, “I can ring David any time. We've now got a good father/son relationship and I'm very proud of him.
"We've had our ups and downs, but deep down, it's a very strong bond between me and David."
"People try to knock David - he's been kicked many times - but he's still up there.
"He's got three great boys and a wife who encourages him. People think he's a softie and he talks funny, but David has a very strong personality, and that's what I'm most proud of."
LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo Tonight the Galaxy play the Houston Dynamo. Kickoff is 10.30pm ET. Match preview and stats is here.
TV options: The match will be broadcast on TV on FSN-W (which is listed on the Galaxy site but not on the official MLS schedule) and MLS Direct Kick (expansion package for TV).
Online options: If you have the MLSlive.tv internet package, you can watch this match online on the MLS site. You can find out more about buying the package, which is $19.95 for the season, here. I don't know if it's available internationally--I have read that it is, but before you order check if you'll be able to use it in your country. You can call 877-557-3774 or e-mail customerservice@website.mlsnet.com for more info.
Because of the spotty nature of actual TV coverage for this match there may be no free p2p online options. Free p2p options, if any, will be posted here (look for the corresponding match/teams). Look for the match link closer to kickoff. You may also find the match here. Find the software you will need (likely to be Sopcast) here.
Radio options: In Los Angeles area, AM 1150 (English, listen online here) & 1330 AM (Esp).
New Aquisition Busy recruiting time for the Galaxy, between the tryout for the Cubans and a late trade for midfielder Joe Franchino from the New England Revolution. It's a homecoming for Franchino, who began with the Galaxy. So David might just have a new teammate to try to connect with tonight (line-up is TBA and I suppose he may not be settled and available yet).
Galaxy Talk Houston The Galaxy have posted a video of Gullit & the team, including Becks, discussing tonight's match against Houston here.
Gallery Maintenance Just a reminder: the gallery is up for viewing photos, but not for adding new photos yet. This means we can't add new ones and we understand the frustration. We're sorry for the delay. Franco is working hard to restore full functionality to the gallery so that the back-log of photos that we have to upload can be put up quickly. If you'd like to blame someone, blame the hackers who were trying to ruin it for everyone. Thanks to their attacks Franco's had to implement tricky security measures to keep the whole site safer--and there's teething trouble, as often there are with changes.
Meanwhile feel free to share links to photos you find in the comments here so that we can collect them for when we're able to upload them again!
Happy Birthday, Victoria We wish happy birthdays to the kids, so we'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge Posh's day too! Happy birthday Mrs. Beckham! She is turning 34.
You can see pics of her family celebration at Pink Taco here including David and their sons.
Becks On CNN Thanks to an eagle-eyed commentor for the tip that a lovely video interview with Becks from CNN can be found here.
In Praise of Becks Snoop Dogg has praised David for his contributions in his childrens' lives, namingly that Becks has "enlightened" them:
He(Snoop) said: "David and I hang out a lot. I think he's cool. I asked him to teach my kids how to play soccer - and he invited them over to his academy.
"My eldest son Corde didn't even believe I knew him. He's the best in the game and he helped enlighten my kids on a different sport." (Source)
One School to Consider! If you're thinking of going into sports studies, Staffordshire University is a good place to look. Their new curriculum for their sport, media, and culture degree includes a study of David Beckham!
"We will be examining the rise of football from its folk origins in the 17th century to the central place it occupies in British culture.
We do have to concede that Beckham occupies a lot of our attention today. He's the object of a great many fantasies." (Source)
Keeping Current in Tussauds (Source) For those who have seen the Becks & Posh pair at Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, or for those who are planning a trip to London someday, it may be of interest to know they've been overhauled to bring them in line with the current Beckham look. Yes, unless we want to talk more about the Lakers and David's illegal turn, it's a slow news day!
VERY UNCONFIRMED Tribalfootball.com sometimes comes up with the goods, but also publishes a lot of pure gossip. However, it's not the first time there's been a rumbling about the potential of David and Tom Cruise buying a club, and it's been mentioned on the BBC as well. Take it with a huge grain of salt, but for those curious in the latest speculation:
Tom Cruise, Beckham planning club buyout tribalfootball.com - April 16, 2008
LA Galaxy star David Beckham is in talks with close pal Tom Cruise about buying a football club.
Janetcharltonshollywood.com says according to a friend of the guys, they're plotting to team up and buy a soccer team.
Beckham wants to stay in football after retirement and is keen to be on the board of a club and Cruise is also open to the prospect. The pair are keeping their plans quiet for now but they're crunching numbers to put a deal together.
It's understood they're looking at MLS franchises or a club in England.
Lakers Game Provides Chance to Meet Racing Champions Becks met with three champion racing drivers at yesterday's Lakers game. Enrique Bernoldi, Nelson Philippe and EJ Viso enjoyed a visit with David and several other high-profile celebrities during halftime.
"Beckham and I actually share a mutual friend, and we spoke briefly in Spanish, which by the way he speaks very well given his previous years playing for Real Madrid," said Viso, who is competing in this season's 2008 IndyCar Series and will pilot the PDVSA HVM Racing #33 DPO1 at this weekend's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.(Source)
Latest Blog David's latest blog @ davidbeckham.com is very subdued; I imagine, given the content, he's pretty weary of handling concerns about the Galaxy's future following the defeat to Toronto. Here's hoping they get the result he'd like to see so that he can feel more comfortable being cheery on his own blog! :\
Hi everyone,
Well, since last week’s incredible high, beating San Jose Earthquakes and scoring my first MLS goal, this weekend there was the disappointment at losing 3-2 to Toronto FC. Obviously, it’s still early in the season and far too early to panic, especially as we played some good football and showed our character by coming back from behind twice, but to concede a goal so late in the game was incredibly disappointing. We need to win the next two home games, starting with Houston Dynamo on Sunday. If we can win these matches the two losses we’ve had so far will be forgotten about. We just need to get some consistency on the pitch and I’m confident with the players we’ve got that the wins will come. That’s all for now.
(source) & (source) By now, I'm sure you already know L.A. Galaxy lost their match against Toronto, 3-2, which had the worst record in the league until Sunday. I know many DBFOers have already expressed their anger with the lack of performance on the club as a whole and that David would be better off in another environment. I'm sure this match resulted in a few choice words from those that share this opinion. While it was a disappointing result for everyone including David himself, we must remember, like Dina mentioned previously that he is there to stay. The season is still very early and while he shares some of your thoughts as he points out in a few of his comments to reporters:
"We lost our shape in the second half,"... "That's where the problem started and they started passing the ball around us and they started creating chances."
and
"It's about creating chances and having the confidence to finish them off," ... "It's about putting the goals away. Hopefully that will start soon."
However he is also quick to jump back and encourage with comments like:
"Three games into the season we can't panic too much but it is obviously not the result we wanted."
and
"There's a big spotlight on the team," ... "Let's just look forward to this next game and forget this one happened."
After the match there was also a lot of talk about an offense by Beckham by fouling Toronto's Jeff Cunningham. Beckham could have received a red card.
"Sometimes they're given and sometimes they're not," said Beckham of the foul. "We got away with one."
Even Cunningham himself admits however that it would have been cruel.
"The rule says it should be a red card, but I'm a player, too, and that would have been a bit harsh,"
Stress factor Also on an interesting note, when asked about the effect of his presence of the team and the fact that it might make other players nervous and thus harder for them to perform. Beckham shrugged it off saying: "I don't want to discuss too much about myself in the Galaxy,"... "It's more important to talk about the team and the players. That's more important at the moment."
I think whoever brought up this point with him might have something. Beckham is already used to the pressure after all these years but perhaps it might take a few more match for the newer player to be up to par on the stress management level. Stress, nervousness and lack of confidence can certainly hinder performance to a great degree. Time will tell I suppose. Lets hope that they get this in check quickly if this is indeed a factor :)
Next Match The next match is next Saturday April 19th against Houston Dynamo at 7:30 PT.
Watching The Lakers With The Boys David took Brooklyn and Romeo courtside to watch the Lakers win over the Hornets. The boys were dresses in Lakers and all 3 seemed to enjoy the match very much.
Get a load of this picture David took with a giant (Ronny Turiaf) after the game. Honey, I shrunk David Beckham!:
Win a trip to meet David Beckham Thanks to a DBFO who forwarded this to me by email, I won't mention the name in case he/she doesn't want but you know who you are an thanks! This might be worth entering to the DBFOer(s) who have been asking us how to get in touch with David or how to meet him. We remind everyone here that we can't really help you getting in touch with David or meeting him... that is other than suggesting entering this contest! :)
Click on the image to enter contest
David on Ellen Degeneres show David is scheduled to appear on the Ellen Degeneres show on April 24th (Thrusday of next week). He did the show on the same day that he went on Jay Leno. Here's a preview clip which shows the David bit at the very end of the clip.
If you could ask ONE question to David What would it be? Post it here.
Site Maintenance As Dina mentioned previously, we are implementing further security measures on the server that hosts DBFO, while the forums and gallery are back up now, I still can't add new pictures to the gallery. There are a lot of pictures to add too and I promise to add them as soon as I'm able to. Sorry for the wait :(.
Galaxy vs. Toronto Tomorrow the Galaxy host Toronto at 12pm local, 3pm ET. The match will be televised on TeleFutura and FSN-W. For those within radio reach, there is coverage on AM 1150 and AM 1220.
For online viewing options, check this page close to game time. As always you can find the software you'll need (depending on what is listed before kickoff) here.
ONLINE WATCHING UPDATE: this page is reporting multiple SopCast feeds for this match. So be sure you've downloaded SopCast, then visit this page, and try the feeds! Enjoy.
If you can't find a television or radio broadcast you can usually follow league matches using ESPN's GameCast, which gives "live" text commentary and a visual for shots and goals. The GameCast for this match is here--if there will be a GameCast for this match it will not show up until kickoff.
The match preview--injury report, stats, etc. can be found here.
Good luck to the Galaxy!
Just for Fun... Michael Parkinson has shared another of his little anecdotal gems:
Parkinson told Ananova: "The second time I interviewed David I had a dressing room next door to him… the showers weren't working properly and he came round just in his pants and knocked on my door. He's got a great body - he's very lean. He's standing there looking like an archangel and says, 'Can I use your shower?' He got out of my shower, put the towel around his waist and walked out to his dressing room just as a secretary passed by carrying an armful of files. She saw the most famous man in Britain standing in a towel and went, 'Oh!' and all the papers went flying." (Source)
Site Maintenance Franco informs me that the forums and gallery are temporarily down to allow for some further security measures to be put in place. Don't worry, they'll be back soon! We thank you for your patience.
Win a Gold iPod Pocket-lint has teamed up with Goldgenie to give you a chance to win a gold plated iPod touch just like the one David Beckham was presented for getting 100 caps playing for England (without the laser etching).
David, Victoria & the Lakers Becks treated Posh to floor seats for a Lakers game last night.
Snippet from this article: At one point during the game, Becks got a warm greeting from Lakers center Didier Ilunga-Mbenga, whose 7’0” towering statue made the soccer stud look like a dwarf.
You can see some pictures of them at the game here, and a couple more here!
Here's a video from an interview he did at a Lakers game tonight, as well:
Becks Weighs in on Champions League For those keeping up with the UEFA Champions League, the LA Times is reporting David's pick for the final:
On Thursday, Beckham, now with the Galaxy, said his money is on his old team.
"I think they've got a great chance," he said. "They played some great football last night and they've done it all season. They're favorites, I'm sure."
Manchester United knocked AS Roma out in the quarterfinals Wednesday night, after Liverpool had ousted Arsenal the night before. Which team would Beckham want to see ManU avoid in the May 21 final in Moscow?
"I don't care," he said. "A Man United-Liverpool final would be incredible, but it's hard to call because Chelsea have picked up and are playing some good football now. We'll see, but it would be an amazing final, Man United and Liverpool." (Source)
Galaxy Tryout Cuban Refugees 3 of the 6 Cuban players who defected during an Olympics qualifier tournament last month have been given a 2 week tryout at the Galaxy:
Gullit said the Galaxy is serious about the tryout, and if one or more can add depth to the Galaxy, so much the better. "It's always good to have players come in and push other players and teammates for positions," Beckham said. "They're good players. It's been good."
Beckhams on Idol Gives Back Here's a video clip from the recorded message Becks and Victoria taped for the "Idol Gives Back" fundraiser this week.
Becks at LA Academy I'm not sure how recent this is, but as David's latest blog post discussed a trip to the academy, when I saw it on the most recent videos list I thought whether it was new or not it was an adorable clip!
Capello on Becks This week's "Vanity Fair" features an interview with Fabio Capello.
Capello also praised David Beckham, who made his last squad. "David in reality is a lad completely different from his public image. Generous, educated, I have seen him sign hundreds of autographs for youngsters," he said.
It was great to get a win in our first home game of the season against San Jose Earthquakes. I thought the whole team performed really well and I was really happy to score my first goal in the MLS and set a goal up for Landon Donovan. Hopefully, with three more home games in a row, we’ll get the results we want, starting with Toronto FC on Sunday.
Earlier in the week, I went to watch the LA Lakers basketball team play and met Kobe Bryant. It was great to see one of basketball’s great players in the flesh. He’s an outstanding athlete and one of the top players in the world and I was delighted that he returned the favour and came to watch the Galaxy on Thursday.
On Friday I went along to my LA Academy and took part in a session with the children that were visiting. I always enjoy going along to the Academies in London and LA, it’s great to see the kids enjoying themselves playing soccer and I can never resist having a kick-around with them.
I also recorded a message for Idol Gives Back for this week’s American Idol television show. Idol Gives Back is a charity set up to improve the lives of kids in the U.S and across the world. Simon Fuller and the Idol team have done a great job with this worthwhile cause and I am honoured to be involved.
More Salary Revelations For those interested in the business of soccer, Becks is back on top as world highest-paid player:
The Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham has regained his position as the world's highest-paid soccer player, according to the annual report from France Football magazine.
Beckham's total of salary and endorsements jumped 82 percent during the last year to $48.9 million. Second on the list is Barcelona FC's Ronaldinho, who pulled in $38.9 million last year.
Beckham previously held the top spot from 2003-2005. His deal with the Galaxy has a top-end value of $250 million over the five years of the contract. (Source)
Oops...My Bad You'll see lots of pics and pieces on gossip sites about how David was pulled over and ticketed for making an illegal left turn, so might as well mention it:
The soccer stud reportedly was pulled over for a traffic violation for making an illegal left turn on Fairfax and Sunset. Becks received a $160 fine and one point on his driver’s license unless he agrees to go to traffic school.
A spywitness says, “David was really cooperative. I think he knew he was in the wrong.”
...there, a sporting bloke willing to take a slap on the wrist when deserved! :) We may have them here at some point, but JustJared has a series of images here--you can even see him and the officer enjoying a laugh.
Idol Gives Back The "Idol Gives Back" that features David's and Victoria's taped messages will air at 7.30pm EST on FOX tomorrow (Wednesday). It's a 2 and 1/2 hour telethon event, star-studded, and sure to be entertaining! Find out more about "Idol Gives Back" here.
Ellen's Big Announcement Ellen Degeneres dramatically revealed Becks will be on her show later this month. 16 days to go! Check out this page for more!
The Contributions Continue David and Victoria joined a cast of stars to encourage American Idol viewers to donate during the Idol Gives Back charity event. Proceeds help to end child poverty through organizations like Global Fund, Malaria No More, and Save the Children. The Beckhams pre-recorded their messages of encouragement, which were played during the fundraiser. For more information see this article.
Gulati on Beckham's Arrival in MLS U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati spoke to World Soccer about the state of soccer in America, including (briefly) David's impact. Here's an excerpt from the part of the interview in question, and the rest of the piece can be read here.
World Soccer: Overall, do you think the sport is putting down roots in the U.S.?
Gulati: Absolutely -- and a very big part of that success is down to MLS, which has clearly established itself. It's not the NFL or Major League Baseball yet, but it is a remarkable presence on the American sports scene after only 12 years of existence. National telecasts -- in both English and Spanish -- are a big part of this success, and David Beckham's arrival has helped draw the attention of those who show just a casual interest in the sport. Whether they can be persuaded to be full fans, that's part of our challenge.
Beckhams' Extreme Magic The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports a Beckham-spotting, for those who are interested in what the family are doing with their down time!
Soccer icon David Beckham, his wife, Victoria, and their three sons, at Dirk Arthur's "Extreme Magic" lion and tiger show at the Tropicana on Sunday. Their 9-year-old son, Brooklyn, came on stage and helped as a magician. Afterward, they went backstage, where the boys met Jody, a Siberian tiger; Tillie, a 6-month-old baby Liger (half lion and half tiger); and viewed Keller, a baby snow tiger. (Source)
MLS Player of the Week Congrats to David for being named MLS's Player of the Week today. The honor comes for his contributions to the Galaxy vs. San Jose, including scoring his first MLS goal, and the opening goal for the team, during the match between old rivals. This article is the source of this tidbit. A nice quote from Becks regarding his performance:
"It's great to score a goal, usually I'm on the other end assisting," Beckham said after the win.
"I'm happy. But I'm more happy that the team performed well."
Salary Talk, continued Pretty quiet day today as is usually the case on a non-match weekend. Basically all that is being talked about is David's salary which Dina already went over in the last article. I will just expand a bit on it here for those that don't want to click the link and prefer a summary :p. David's Salary is twice as much as anyone else's and 50X the average MLS salary. We already knew he was paid a lot of course but put in perspective like that makes it even cooler :). His salary is said to have risen 12% to US$ 129,395 (for a total of US$5.5 million base salary) for a total guaranteed income is at US$ 6.5 Million. The 2nd highest paid MLS athlete is Cuauhtemoc Blanco with Chicago at US$ 2,666,778 and 3rd is Marcelo Gallardo with D.C. United at US$ 1,874,006. The median salary stands at US$ 61,273. These figures are according to the league's players union.
Unconfirmed: David gives £8million Dubai mansion to Victoria's parents. Again, unconfirmed but there is one site quoting "sources" that David after a discussion with Victoria decided to "give" her parents their Dubai Mansion. I say "give" because he will still legally own it but is giving them full access and to use as theirs. The decision is apparently based on the fact that they realized they wouldn't be able to spend any time in Dubai anyways and it would be a waste to have the mansion sitting there collecting dust basically. Interesting to note that the value more than increase 10 fold in value since they purchased it since Dubai has become and increasingly more popular vacation spot. A few pictures of the man-made palm-shaped island ( haven't been able to locate pictures of the masion itself yet though, if any of you come across some, please notify me so I can post them ).
It's a very quiet newsday, but I've found a couple items that may or may not be of interest!
MLS Salary Breakdown For anybody curious about just how much Becks is paid in comparison to the average MLS player, this brief article is an eye-opener. He tops the list of earners, with the lowest-tier developmental players making a mere $12,900 annually, and the median salary across the league $61,273.
An Evening with Becks Russell Brand has a piece at the Guardian site all about the experience of being in Hollywood and meeting Becks casually at a comedy night. The parts about David come later in the article, so scroll down if you don't wish to read it through. They are quite adorable and endearing--unless you mind reading the "f" word.
LA Galaxy vs. SJ Earthquakes Tonight the Galaxy have their home opener against the newly-reformed expansion team San Jose Earthquakes--where, among others, Frank Yallop and Joe Cannon have found a home. The rivalry between the two teams is no secret, so it should be an interesting night of soccer! Let's hope the Galaxy are able to put in a better performance than against the Rapids.
Kickoff: 10.30pm ET (7.30pm PT)
You can watch it live on TV on ESPN2 or Deportes.
You can listen to English audio on LAG and Spanish radio on KLOK; links to both should be available under the SJ @ LA listing here.
Watching online: It's too early to know what sources will be available but when they are listed, they will be listed here. To watch, you will need whatever software is listed at that time, which can be downloaded here.
According to above, the only available stream is via the Sopcast software, and the stream can be found here or here. Install Sopcast and click either of those links to launch it. I can't guarantee it'll work but that channel is a pretty regular feature for Galaxy games.
Galaxy 2 San Jose 0 Congratulations to the LA Galaxy who beat their old rivals (even if they're newly-reopened) San Jose 2 to 0. David scored the first goal (his very first league goal) on a break from a Donovan pass, and the second goal came from Donovan after a pass from Becks. 1 goal and 1 assist each. Read the game recap here.
Golden iPod from the Three Lions As Sagnad mentioned in comments, David's England team mates came together to give him a special golden iPod touch with 32gb memory to celebrate his 100th cap. The iPod bears the England logo and engraving marking the occasion. Find out more about the gift and see a photo of the iPod here.
Finally found the clips. I wish I could find the chapter after the 2nd one where Sherry Shepherd from the TV show The View was about to jump on him lol. I saw the show on TV last night and it was a great show. His personality really shows and you can see he's nervous but it still went great.
Part 1
Part 2
Update: Sherri Shepherd's chapter, David is not active in this one but it's still funny, he looks scared of her! lol.
Becks the Next Poker Superstar? While at first I thought this article revealing Becks will take a game off from the MLS season to play in the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe was an April Fool's joke, a detailed analysis of the idea has me scratching my head. I report it here simply because the rumours are continuing to fly (as even a joke will create them) and it's best you be armed with a few links to decide for yourself until we know for sure.
All Dressed Up David has made GQ's "best dressed" list, alongside actors like Daniel Craig and Daniel Day-Lewis. This article discusses the list, and also the culture of men's fashion it represents.
Greetings to Charity David, Victoria, and many other celebrities have created greeting cards for charity benefiting sufferers of Epidermolysis Bullosa.
From Orlando Bloom's pirate heart to Natalie Portman's dog Charlie, this is a colorful way for some stars to connect the dots and come up with a cure.
Inspired by Oprah's hit show The Big Give, celebrity hairstylist guru Ken Paves has partnered with eBay.com and his celebrity friends for a charity auction featuring 60 items donated by Ken's superstar clients.
Celebrities include Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Marcia Cross, Jewel, Christina Aguilera, Victoria and David Beckham, Bette Midler, the Eagles, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Courteney Cox, Eva Longoria Parker, Carmen Electra.
Read the article here and visit eBay to see the cards available for bidding here. There are several David-related items besides cards up for auction.
Q&A with Alexi Lalas Alexi Lalas put his unique spin on things in a recent Q&A with ESPN. Take what he says with a grain of salt, but it might interest you nonetheless. You can read the interview here.
Excerpt: ESPNsoccernet: On the field, David Beckham quieted many critics with solid play, even though he was plagued by injuries. What was you assessment of Beckham's play in 2007 and where does he go this season?
AL: I think 2007 was a wash. To come in the middle of the season, unhealthy and with the team struggling was not ideal, to say the least. Any player new to the league needs time to adjust, on and off the field. When I look at David now, having been with us for the start of preseason, I see a much wiser and more confident player. Hopefully that will translate into a successful season for him and the team.
Fan Fest Recap Here's a video from the Galaxy with an official recap of the 2008 Fan Fest activities. David addresses the crowd towards the end of the video.
