Beckhams go to Hollywood, but does US stardom beckon?
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles welcomes the newest additions to its firmament of A-list stars as David Beckham and his pop-star wife Victoria arrive in the city this week.
But as the former England captain sets his sights on being a hit on the football pitch, curious media-watchers and puzzled gossip-columnists are wondering whether the Beckhams will be a hit off it.
"It's a very interesting question," said Robert Thompson, a pop-culture expert at the University of Syracuse. "In one sense, if we are capable of getting whipped into a frenzy about Paris Hilton, then we are certainly capable of getting obsessed by the Beckhams."
Yet despite a media blitz that has seen Victoria Beckham -- formerly known as Posh Spice in the Spice Girls pop music group -- tee-up a string of appearances on US talk shows and give interviews to selected media outlets, the coverage so far had been relatively restrained, Thompson said.
"It's significant that the penetration of interest has not been as all-pervasive or as quick as might have been expected," Thompson said, questioning whether the Beckhams would continue to be treated like celebrity royalty after the intial excitement caused by their arrival.
"The reason that 'Brangelina' (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) and 'TomKat' (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) stayed on the covers of the magazines for so long was because the interest remained extraordinarily high," he said.
"Will the Beckhams have the same kind of staying power? I honestly don't know. But I certainly wouldn't want to bet my retirement fund that they are going to be as big here as they have been in other parts of the world."
The Beckhams were expected to arrive with their three children -- Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz -- in Los Angeles later Wednesday.
Beckham will be formally unveiled by his new employers, the Los Angeles Galaxy at a news conference on Friday, while Victoria is to be the subject of a documentary aired on US television next Monday.
According to Joel Stratte-McClure, a gossip columnist with the Los Angeles Daily News, the Beckhams would be welcome additions to the Hollywood celebrity landscape, where near-neighbors at their 22 million dollar Bel Air mansion will include friends Cruise and Holmes.
"This is a very shrewd career move for Beckham, because what do you do when your soccer career is over? You get involved in entertainment and movies," Stratte-McClure said.
"And what do you do when your singing career is over? You get involved in entertainment and movies. So for both of them, it's very shrewd."
Jerry Del Colliano, an expert in the entertainment industry at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, echoed Stratte-McClure's sentiments, describing the photogenic couple as "custom-made" for America.
"If they are custom-made for the American landscape, they are absolutely just what the doctor ordered for Los Angeles," Del Colliano said, saying that Beckham's iconic status as a footballer transcended national boundaries.
Del Colliano said that Victoria Beckham, meanwhile, was following the text-book procedure for establishing herself as an iconic celebrity figure to rival her husband.
"If Victoria Beckham wants to become a star in her own right, let's give her the prescription," Del Colliano told AFP. "Number one -- move to LA. Number two -- court the paparazzi. Number three -- marry a stud.
"I haven't mentioned talent, because I have no idea if she's talented. But as we all know, talent is not a prerequisite for achieving celebrity." _________________ kyranŠ
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