Sports Notes - BECKHAM Goes Hollyweird - January 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Friday January 12, 2007

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM??? Beckham is On the Move to hang out with the perceived Beautiful People in the City of Angels - The Harrahs, AEG Connection

BECKHAM GOES HOLLYWEIRD - we told you so

If you believe in the adage 'All that glitters is not gold' the David Beckham signing with the LA Galaxy of the MLS (Major League Soccer) may change your mind.

The Beck-Man is making the best of a situation where he is aging with diminishing skills due to age and inactivity complimented with his superstar status outside of the game of football or…… since he's moving to the USA perhaps the world will now call it soccer.

The reported five year $250 million dollar deal will add some life to his already stellar career. The 31-year-old superstar is to finish out his contract with Real Madrid through June and join the Galaxy in July or August. Their MLS season begins in April.

Yes we must get into this. Since his marriage to Posh Spice his popularity has grown outside the lines of football where he is now regarded as a brand name entertainment and advertising.

The move to LA is not about the money, "I'm going there to build a club and a team," Beckham said.

For the popularity of soccer/football in America Beckham's arrival will be the biggest boost to the sport in that country since Pele joined the New York Cosmos.

With his base to be in Hollyweird, the entertainment capitol of the world, how can he help but have a more successful career in the entertainment business when he will be living in its back yard. He reportedly made $20 million US last year from endorsements of Adidas, Gillette and Pepsi.

In Hollywierd there will be more coming. Plus he will be rubbing shoulders with the elite of the entertainment industry by living in the City of Angles.

Prior to the deal Posh has been looking for a house in LA though they purchased their house in Spain only a year ago. Of course that was before he fell out of favor and was dropped from the England national team and sparingly used this season with Real Madrid.

Posh is also a friend of actress Kate Holmes who lives in LA and is the wife of Tom Cruise. Uh Oh!!! Can you imagine the Beck-Man in a Tom Cruise movie? Hmmmmmm….. They could title it, Bend It Like Beckham 2 or Too, or As Well.

The writing was on the wall and in our eyes a move was to LA where he has had business relationships, built a soccer academy and he likes the Hollyweird scene would be the perfect fit.

The deal is reported to have been put together through the entertainments business' Simon Fuller who handled the Spice Girls.

AEG the owners of the Galaxy feel $250 million payout for the superstar is not that much. He's worth it according to AEG'S Tim Leiweke on a sports report on CNN. He attributes his position acknowledging Beckham's popularity around the world.

Yes its true Beckham has fans all over the world not only for his football skills but also his good looks. He's popular in Asia where a lot of Beckham merchandise is sold.

The result could bring the band name of MLS to Asia where the league and the LA Galaxy are relatively unknown. The sale of the name Beckham on LA Galaxy shirts can reap volumes in cash. The football crazy region will get to know more about the USA through the Galaxy/Beckham relationship.

AEG owns three MLS teams and as Leiweke admits Beckham's coming to the Galaxy will help the league overall.

Within 24 hours of the announcement the Galaxy sold 2000 season tickets and that was a day before a scheduled meeting with the media to talk about the deal.

With such a fan response the question is when will the Galaxy expand the seating capacity of their stadium to accommodate the demand for seats?

Leiweke and AEG have been involved in sports and entertainment over the years. AEG also owns the LA Kings of the NHL (National Hickey League). Leiweke is also the director of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA (National Basketball Association.

When you factor in AEG's relationship with entertainment and Leiweke's relationship with the Lakers and their entertainment star following how will that factor into the type of crowd that will attend Galaxy games?

Hmmmm…. I'm sure Posh, Kate and Tom will attend a few games.

Also how much of a price increase will there be on tickets during the five year Beckham deal?

We have question's do you have answers?

It's a good relationship with Beckham, the Galaxy and AEG. At this stage of his career there is no better place for Beckham. The question is who is AEG? For more on that read the following press release that we published last year.

Live-Entertainment Specialist Joins Premier Collection of Companies Attached to Singapore Project

Sunday January 8, 2006

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. and Keppel Land announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc.'s AEG Live Division (AEG). Subject to the completion of definitive documentation, AEG and Singapore Integrated Resorts, Inc. (SIR) will create a joint venture to manage and operate entertainment venues of the integrated resort at Singapore's Marina Bay.

Harrah's Entertainment is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment through operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada 68 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions.

AEG also will provide extensive expertise, including advice and direction on operating concepts for entertainment venues, the types of entertainment to be provided, and marketing strategies. The agreement builds on the relationship with AEG that brought Celine Dion and Elton John to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

"We are excited to have AEG joining our Marina Bay integrated resort project team," said Richard Mirman, senior vice president of business development for Harrah's.

"AEG's experience in the live-entertainment industry is unsurpassed. They bring a unique and global perspective to the entertainment experience we will offer at Marina Bay. Together, we created the most successful entertainment venue in the world at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and we plan to bring that extraordinary expertise to Singapore."

"We are looking forward to working together with SIR to develop world-class entertainment for the Marina Bay project," said John Meglen, founding partner and president of Concerts West, an AEG Live company.

"We're committed to presenting compelling entertainment and exceptional entertainers in Singapore. We believe these unique entertainment experiences will generate increased tourism to the Marina Bay integrated resort."

The announcement of the agreement with AEG adds to a commanding list of premier international and local partners that Harrah's and Keppel Land have assembled for their Marina Bay integrated resort proposal.

The two companies announced that their Singapore integrated resort would also have an exclusive marketing agreement with Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The convention expertise of Suntec will augment an unparalleled conventions and exhibitions partnership that already includes Singapore-based CEMS, and the world's leading convention management specialists, SMG.

In November, Harrah's announced new developments in the Caribbean (Baha Mar), Slovenia (Hit Group), and Spain (El Reino) that will firmly establish the company as both the world's largest and fastest growing provider of destination entertainment and gaming experiences.

Paired with leading international resort operators and distinguished local development firms, Harrah's is continuing its track record of developing premium global partnerships that offer unequaled operational expertise and financial stability.

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles based AEG, is a collection of companies dedicated to the presentation of live contemporary music performance and touring for a variety of programming and multi-media productions.

The second largest concert promotion and touring company in the United States, AEG Live is comprised of five regional offices and several stand-alone affiliate divisions including: AEG Live Events, AEG-TV, AEG Exhibitions, which recently launched "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs," an international tour of the artifacts of King Tut, and AEG Live Tours & Special Events, which has promoted concert tours for artists such as Prince, Usher, Kenny Chesney, Paul McCartney and Bon Jovi, and is currently producing Celine Dion's "A New Day... Presented by Chrysler" at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(Business Wire)

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