The Aura’s of David Beckham & Carmelo Anthony

Two athletes I wouldn’t mind contracting swine flu from are David Beckham, and of course, Carmelo Anthony. I’ve covered their charity work but today my libido is in dire need of some non-essential objectification of our hotties. After all, this girl can only take so much…

First, Sir Golden Balls-who will be celebrating his birthday this weekend- caught my attention in the new Motorola Aura TV ad…Beckham is hawking the new mobile device, which retails for $2k and has a 62 Carat Sapphire Crystal Lens…

…props to Beckham’s camp for effectively, and continually, using one of the worlds sexiest men to endorse products. If others followed lead, I’d imagine we’d have quite an active ‘stimulus’ plan…speaking of stimulus plans, Carmelo Anthony and his baby blue aura once again have me forgetting my own name.

The Nuggets captured their first playoff series since 1994 after spanking the Hornets 107-86 Wednesday night. After Melo landed a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, he turned toward the camera and screamed, “This is my house.” Dear god this kids gonna be the death of me…what else can I say? His career playoff-high of 34 points is certainly impressive but I can only hope that when the Nuggets play the Lakers (exhibition game) this October in San Diego, I will be sitting courtside, trip him ala Larry David to Shaq on Curb, and have him land smack dab on top of me…If not, then perhaps I’ll finally get word from his PR people (a-hem) that Melo would be thrilled to give me an interview about all his amazing work with the kids. And just for the record, I can, in fact, conduct an interview while handcuffed to a chair.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

David Beckham Taking Aim at Mosquito’s

The good peeps from Malaria No More have just launched Malaria No More UK…and in conjunction with the launch, they’ve named Sir Golden Balls- David Beckham, tennis beast Andy Murray and Olympic Gold Medallist Denise Lewis as members of the leadership council for the new campaign.

The trio have pledged their backing for this British extension of a US charity that aims to prevent millions of deaths worldwide…I don’t think I need to remind you that malaria is a preventable and treatable disease-killing one child every 30 seconds in Africa.

“When you think that malaria kills one child every 30 seconds and three times as many under-5s as HIV/Aids, there is a desperate need in increase our understanding and awareness of this disease,” said Sarah Kline, the charity’s executive director.

Beckham: “It’s truly incredible to think we can stop this killer disease forever and it’s such a simple thing to do. For less than the cost of a football you can protect a family from dying. I urge the UK public to get behind the Malaria No More UK campaign to save a life and make malaria no more.”

Murray chimed in: “This is the first global charity I’ve been involved with in this capacity and it was an easy decision. Malaria is completely preventable and stoppable but yet it still kills more children in Africa than any other single disease. We can radically change this, it is a huge opportunity and I’m urging the UK public to help save a life and get behind Malaria No More UK, a truly world-changing and life-saving initiative.”

You know what to do…visit MALARIA NO MORE UK, buy a net, and save a life- it’s as simple as that.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Chelsea is Coming! AC Milan is Coming! Inter Milan is Coming!

Team Chelsea, one of the sexiest squads in Euro soccer, is coming to the States for the fifth time in six years-this time, as part of the inaugural World Football Challenge.

And it’s not just news about Chelsea making me squeal, its news that the tournement will host four international squads…Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Club America. The round-robin style tournament will make stops in Palo Alto, Pasadena, my house, Atlanta, Baltimore, Massachusetts, and Texas…with Chelsea playing a friendly on July 18 versus the Seattle Sounders at Quest Field.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon spoke about the teams fan base here in the U.S.: “Coming here regularly has definitely helped us so far. Our fan base over here has more than doubled in the last three years and we are seeing a genuine interest in our team, our club and our brand from people in this part of the world.”

Indeed. It’s not difficult to take a genuine interest when Chelsea’s roster of hot babes include: Captain John Terry, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Deco, Joe Cole, and Salomon Kalou and others…and giving me reason to learn Italian, from Inter we’ve got: Luis Figo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Materazzi and AC Milan babes in serious danger of a chance meeting with me: Ricardo Kaka, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Filippo Inzaghi, Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf, and Gianluca Zambrotta to name just a few.

The World Football Challenge begins July 19 where this crazy redheaded blogger will stalk Inter Milan as they take on Club at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif. My next stop will be on July 21 when Chelsea battle Inter Milan at Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where you’ll likely find me trying to get into both locker rooms. Once the hotties have escaped California, the tour continues: July 22: AC Milan vs. Club America at Georgia Dome in Atlanta; July 24: AC Milan vs. Chelsea at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore-where I expect Angela to do me proud; July 26: Inter Milan vs. AC Milan at Gillette Stadium, in Foxborough, Mass.; July 26: Chelsea vs. Club America at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

If you just can’t wait until July to see the hottest soccer players alive, remember, you can catch most of them-and then some- in New York on June 14 for the ‘All Stars for Hope’ celebrity soccer game. This one of the biggest and best events for charity this summer…hope to see you all there!

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

David Beckham ‘Buys’ Time on AC Milan

AC Milan announces that  David Beckham will remain with the Rossoneri until June 30

Finally, the saga of where Golden Balls will play has been settled. Our English beast will remain “on loan” to the hot Italian club AC Milan until May 31, the end of the season. While I’m not well versed on contracts etc…I do find it chuckle-worthy to read that Beckham’s ‘on-loan’ status is more like a “pay-to-play” arrangement. He and AC Milan are both shelling out big bucks for Beck’s to kick it Italian style. We don’t know how much Beckham or AC are paying for Becks to remain with the Italian studs, but it’s said to be a “multimillion dollar deal.” The Galaxy originally had Beckham on the chopping block for $10M, but AC apparently thought he was only worth $3M. I do know if I had deep pockets, I too would pay millions to hit the field alongside Maldini, Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf, Pirlo, Kaka and Inzaghi….

“I’m grateful to both clubs for making this dream come true,” said Beckham, “My family is happy and settled and will remain in LA. The perfect result for 2009 would be for me to help Milan to reach the Champions League and for the LA Galaxy to make the playoffs and win the MLS Cup.”

Sir Golden’s first game with the Galaxy will be July 16 against the New York Red Bulls…but the game I wouldn’t miss goes down on July 19-an exhibition game between (gulp) the aforementioned smoking hot Italian squad (AC Milan) and the Galaxy.

And for all you So-Cal readers chomping at the bit to know who and what team Galaxy is all about, you are invited to join them at the 2009 LA Galaxy Kickoff Luncheon on Thursday March 19 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott Hotel. The event includes lunch and a short program and raises funds for the LA Galaxy Foundation’s charitable endeavors

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

Soccer Babes With A Splash of Tonic Please

Luca-Toni-Peppe-Roni: Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what this is all about, but it’s Luca Toni and it’s Friday and I get to have fun on my blog…Bayern Munich’s sexy Italian striker Luca Toni (L) played ‘table football’ on the world’s largest table against comedian Matze Knop (R) at the “f.re.e” travel and leisure trade fair in Munich. Seems that Toni is representing Italy at the stand…that’s about all I can figure out about the ‘event’ but it did lead me to this ridiculous video where Knop performs his latest single ‘Numero Uno,’ a bizarre and embarrassing tribute to ‘Luca Toni, pepperoni’…

The Beautiful Game for All

While we have fun with our soccer babes, it’s important to remember the children around the world who don’t get the chance to play the beautiful game. Recently, there was a soccer tournament in Juba (Sudan), which was used to reach out to an entire generation of children who have been traumatized by the civil war. Although the war ended four-years ago, more than half the kids didn’t finish their primary education…as we know, they’ve all got a Right to Play, so let’s not forget to help.

The Right to Play World Cup is planned to take place at Stamford Bride May 22. If you’re like me, then the following info should warm your bones like a topless David Beckham or a knee-sliding post-goal Drogba…

The Right To Play World Cup is a unique opportunity to live that dream and play on the hallowed turf of one of the world’s biggest football clubs whilst supporting a global sport for development charity working in 23 countries across the globe. We believe that when children play, the world wins! It’ll be a chance for you and 9 of your colleagues to live out your playground fantasies while supporting the valuable work we do with young people around the world. When: Friday 22nd May. Where: Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FA full 5 a-side footy tournament on the pitch with full pitch finals. Form a team of 10 colleagues and compete for the title of Right To Play World Champs. Why: Enjoy a once-in-life time experience of playing at this famous stadium and support the Right To Play aims of providing sport and play programs to vulnerable children. Chelsea Quiz Evening - The World Cup will be followed by an evening’s entertainment at the stadium, with a sports quiz and exclusive sporting prizes.

Basically, you get to play at Stamford Bridge and party like a rock-star with the players while supporting a damn good cause. While I’m not really into running on the field, I’d make an amazing cheerleader or towel girl, so pa-lease, take me with you. RIGHT TO PLAY.

STOP IT

David Beckham can play anywhere he wants…AC Milan or the Galaxy-I don’t care…but good gawd Beck’s…for the love of soccer, stop taking your shirt off and causing me to revert to ‘huh’ instead of ‘charity’.

As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com

DYNAMIC DUO’S

Hope everyone was safe, happy and loved this holiday…Events have been added to the Celebrity Athlete Charity Events Calendar, with plenty more to come. Next week, I’m gonna break down some of the events for you and highlight the one which I recommend…if you know of an event you’d like listed, please email me, an if you are a PR firm or Athlete rep, please contact me to be included on the calendar…but in the meantime, I’ve got plenty of pent-up ‘are-you-kidding-me’s’ that need to come out….

The battle between my heart and my libido rages on- spurred by David Beckham “on loan” to AC Milan alongside Paolo Maldini-I must bow to the babes and give proper recognition to some of the men who’ve paired up in the past to make me question my sanity…Beckham is a no-brainer, but when paired with Maldini? Are you kidding me? Geez-Us. Both are exceptional ‘givers’ in the charity world but right now I am so blinded by ‘fineness’ that I can’t even spell humanitarian…and for the record, Beckham’s sex-appeal is no match for the Italian beast who’s dark hair, piercing eyes and delicious accent make Beck’s look a bit…ah…mousy?

As I refresh my desktop screen saver, I still cannot bring myself to delete this photo from 2007 when we enjoyed a soul shattering moment of ‘hello-ness’ as Camilo Villegas stood alongside Aaron Baddeley…not much else to say except here’s to a few more crawls, and victories, from Villegas this year.

Another one of my favorite: Chad Pennington, then still with the Jets, and the ‘are you kidding me’ look on his face as Tom Brady whispers sweet nothings in his ear…I’ve always had a secret thing for Chad-and I dare say you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s got a bad thing to say about him-as a person, as a player I’m sure there’s haters but who cares as Chad and his new team (Miami) watch Favre and the Jets say buh-bye to the Bowl.

One duo that always makes me lose my voice is Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. This photo from 2006 is timeless to me. The Swiss-Mister-in my opinion- seems to always rely on his reputation to pave the way to victory, whereas our Tapa is always busy training. The manner in which Rafa is holding his victory screams ‘oh my god I really did it’ while the Swiss-ter wears a look which says “yeah-enjoy-it- while-you-can”…last laugh on R-Fed as our baybee sits pretty at number one. Both are in Abu Dhabi for the start of the Capitala World Tennis Championships. Vamos you sweet thing, Va-mos.

Pavel Nedved and Allesandro Del Piero. April 2007. I don’t know if Del Piero slapped Nedved in the face or kissed him afterwards, but the photo qualifies-in my book- as a classic.

Here’s to an awesome 2009!
As always, thanks for reading.

delinda@athlebrities.com

MATCH AGAINST POVERTY
“We are thrilled that the ‘Match Against Poverty’ is attracting more and more spectators. This is a game we all need to win.” Ronaldo

Close to 30,000 soccer fans attended Monday’s fifth edition of the Match Against Poverty…the event, organized by football legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo, is just a small part of their role as Goodwill Ambassadors for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The objective of the match is to raise public awareness of the fight against poverty and to convince governments of the value of working towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which seek to cut world poverty in half by 2015.

The game was played between ‘Friends of Zidane’ and the ‘Friends of Ronaldo’ and ended in a 2-2 draw. “The aim of such a match is to make people aware of the problem of poverty in the world,” said AC Milan star Ronaldo, who is still battling an injury and was substituted in the first half by seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher. “We don’t forget where we have come from and we are uniting in a good cause,” former France international Zidane, who grew up in a poor neighborhood of Marseille. The match was played in the central Moroccan city of Fez. Proceeds will as in previous years benefit anti-poverty projects in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Need more? There’s pa-lenty of video footage available on Youtube!

GREAT GOLDEN BALLS OF FIRE

Inter Milan’s sexy Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been awarded ‘The Ball of Gold’ after the Swedish Soccer Award 2008 Gala dinner at the Globen Arena in Stockholm…the beast won gold for ‘best Swedish soccer player of 2008’…another one of our Golden Balls, David Beckham, has proven he’s got much more than the Midas Touch…an offer has been made on a home in London where Golden Balls lived for the first two years of his life. The Victorian terraced house-sans the Beckham connection-is valued around $365,000…but the Beck’s connection was sniffed out by an ‘unnamed’ Australian businessman who collects Beckham memorabilia and dude offered up $1.4M for the pad…

MARADONA MADNESS

I haven’t quite gotten used to our furry beast, Diego Maradona, being named Argentina’s coach, but I am certainly ready for the shenanigans…oh, and they’ve already started. Coach Diego lost his pendant during a training session…one of the ball boys later found it and was oh-so graciously mauled by the beast.

Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for daily email updates! (link on top right)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo

DAVID BECKHAM v FREDDIE LJUNGBERG

Praise to the soccer gods who have opened up their arms and dropped a piece of Swedish heaven into our laps! Damn…this girl has been wiping the Ljungberg drool off her chin post Arsenal games for years…and now, for those out of the hot-European-soccer-babes-loop, I now introduce you to Freddie Ljungberg.

Freddie has signed with the Seattle Sounders…his years of playing for Arsenal and WestHam are thankfully gone. He said: ‘I’m really happy to be here in Seattle, I feel so welcomed by everybody.” (Not nearly as welcomed as you would felt if I had been in the area my friend.)

No doubt mass confusion between David Beckham and Ljungberg will ensue, but I’ll never complain about the similarities, in fact, I’m going to relish this for a very long time. Ljungberg spent nine seasons with Arsenal- he’s played 75 games for Sweden, including appearances at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the 2000, 2004 and 2008 European Championships… Both Beckham and Ljungberg play right wing…both are male models…both captained their national team…both drive my libido insane…both have some insanely sexy tattoos and neither one of ‘em has ever won a World Cup or a European Championship. Welcome to Seattle Freddie…now take off your shirt.

Freddie has had his fair share of modeling and I can only assume that it won’t be long for his sex-appeal to be picked up by every mass-media outlet from here to Timbuktu…watch, within a few months I predict some sort of People Mag’s sexy men issue will notice the Swedish treat…but in the meantime, we’ve got Golden Balls gracing the cover of British GQ to celebrate the mags 20th anniversary. The sporn worthy issue (which goes on sale Thurs) features over 12 pages of Beckham discussing everything from Tom Cruise to his religious tattoos.

A snippet from the mag article:

Although he lives in Beverly Hills and watches movies at home with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the soccer-star-turned-model swears he has no plans to join them on the big screen. Asked if he hopes to develop a film career, the fashion fan recently issued an emphatic denial. “What film career? I haven’t got one,” Beckham told the December issue of British GQ. “Never say never, except about that! And that’s the way it’s going to stay.” Still, that doesn’t stop 33-year-old from mingling with famous friends like Cruise. “He came round for dinner a few weeks ago,” said Beckham. “But it’s the same with him. We just go round and watch a film. It’s not a big deal, it’s just popping round to watch a film or to mess around and play with the kids.” The Brit also dismissed claims that Cruise has tried to convert him or his wife Victoria. “I respect any person’s religion. Everybody’s got their own ideas,” said Beckham. “And, of course, Tom is a big believer in Scientology, but he’s never pushed anything on to us about it and he never will do. Friends don’t do that.” His L.A. Galaxy soccer team has failed to make the playoffs and will not take the field again until next March. During the lay-off, Beckham will reportedly play for Italy’s AC Milan. But, he insists, America is still his home. “We’re happy here at the moment, that’s the biggest thing,” he explained.

“All my tattoos have a religious theme,” says Beckham. “I’m not too religious. But I believe there is something out there that looks after you.” In case anyone needs a Golden Tattoo Guidebook, Beckham’s tattoos and the order he received them: Son Brooklyn’s name on his back; “Guardian Angel” on his back; Hindi “Victoria” design on his left arm; Roman numeral VII (7) on his right forearm; Latin phrase “Perfectio In Spiritu”, meaning “Spiritual Perfection”, on his right arm; More Latin, “Ut Amem Et Foveam” or “So That I Love And Cherish”, on his left arm; Son Romeo’s name on his back; Delinda on his back; Classical art design on his right shoulder; Winged cross on the back of his neck; Angel with motto “In The Face of Adversity” on right arm; Son Cruz’s name on his back; Second angel, Delinda and clouds added to right arm and shoulder; Portrait of Victoria on left forearm; “Forever by your side” on left forearm…and (gulp); The Chinese proverb “Death and life have determined appointments. Riches and honour depend on heaven.” down his left torso, running from his nipple to his groin. And with that, Wonder Twins pa-leeze activate…form…of…a…Chinese Proverb.

Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for daily email updates! (link on top right)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

BECKHAM’S GET BURNED BY HOUSEKEEPERS?

Oh, we could have never seen this one coming…what happens when you put three unscrupulous housekeepers in charge of your mansion? Well, we’ve seen what his signed jersey can do, and now, Sir David Beckham and Posh have been burned by their housekeepers after some of their personal possessions turned up on eBay.

Eric and June Emmett, worked at the Beckhams’ Hertfordshire mansion and were arrested on Friday on suspicion of theft from a private address. Also on the court docket is their charming 25 year-old son Gareth, who just loved to hang out with his parents at the worlds most beautiful couple house. If I were a betting gal, I’d say it’s the son who hatched this ‘eBay’ scheme…according to various reports, Posh’s mum and dad spotted some of her clothing, as well as a pair boots belonging to Golden Balls, on eBay. The stealthy couple didn’t want to alarm their daughter or Sir David…A source told the Daily Mirror: “Although Tony and Jackie (Posh’s parents) had their suspicions they wanted to gather as much evidence as they possible could.” (Mum and dad even had friends place fake bids) “They thought that David and Victoria might not want the embarrassment of the thefts being made public. They thought they might prefer to just deal with things quietly. But once they were told what had appeared to have been going on David and Victoria were adamant that the police should be called in. They are still trying to establish what else, if anything, has been taken and how long this was going on for. They are very upset. Victoria has said it is a horrible feeling that someone - possibly someone you really trusted - may have been through your stuff. She can’t help thinking what other personal items could they have taken - or just rummaged through.”

Now, if this were me, the first thing I would rummage through is the bedroom, then the laundry-the dirty laundry-yeah, there’s value to be found in just about anything the Beckhams touch…imagine of they had filmed a (a-hem) video? Not that we haven’t seen the beautiful Beckhams ala mode before…I’m just saying…

To be fair, housekeeper Eric Emmett today said this is all “fabricated nonsense” but their genius son has apparently been bragging about spending time at the couple’s holiday home in Nice…which has now sent the Golden Couple into a fact checking mission to ensure the sticky-fingered employee’s didn’t nab anything out of that home as well. The three idiots are scheduled to appear in court on November 22.

Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for daily email updates! (link on top right)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com

CHANGING OF THE GUARD: BECKHAM STYLE
Beijing has officially “handed-off” the games to a new host city, London, as David Beckham adorned the top of a red double-decker bus before tossing out the ‘welcome ball’ during the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

New host city London staged an eight-minute performance which included a kick from Sir Golden Balls as well as a performance and duet by Leona Lewis and guitarist Jimmy Page who impressed the crowd with a fresh version of the Led Zeppelin classic, “Whole Lotta Love.” The Beckham-topped bus had actually been transformed into a stage with the roof opening out into ‘petal-shaped sections.’ The interior reflects the greenness of the UK with “lush grass and a hedge” cut into the shape of the London skyline. Cycling behind the bus were three great ‘Team GB cyclists: Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Shanaze Reade, who had “unprecedented success” and an “outstanding medal haul” at the games…but apparently not good enough to actually get on the bus.

Like what you read? Subscribe to my RSS feed for daily email updates! (link on top right)
As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com