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Beckhams Buy in Beverly Hills, Threaten Beckham Fakes

The Beckhams have finally found their Beverly Hills palace. The details, according to Hello:

"Set in a 13,000-square-foot plot, the Italian-style mansion will be Victoria and David's base when the Real Madrid player moves to LA Galaxy. The modern interior features a mixture of hardwood and slate floors with six fireplaces and full air-conditioning. And there should be no squabbles about who gets to use the shower first - the house has nine bathrooms. The lavish property also boasts views of the ocean, a swimming pool and fountain as well as a three-car garage. Nor should privacy be a problem as it's surrounded by tall hedges and accessed by huge iron gates. Although expensive by many people's standards - monthly mortgage payments will be $91,666 after a 20 per cent down-payment - the $22 million, palm-fringed villa is a relative bargain for football's richest player due to the dollar's current weakness."

It seems quite a few people want to capitalize on the Beckham's recent move to Los Angeles. Last week David and Victoria threatened to sue the makers of a new documentary entitled The Beckhams Go To Hollywood which follows professional Beckham lookalikes Andy Harmer and Camilla Shadbolt:

"To the dismay of the real Beckhams, the doppelgangers ran riot: they persuaded a Lamborghini garage to let them test-drive a $720,000 sports car, they left exclusive boutique H.Lorenzo with a $21,000 string of black pearls after assistants told them they could have "whatever they want" free (one assistant even revealed she had served Victoria Beckham two weeks before, and they were ushered into the VIP area of a nightclub favoured by Paris Hilton). But the couple's luck ran out when they tried to drop in on a restaurant popular with Hollywood stars. In the film, the couple arrive at The Ivy in a stretch Humvee, surrounded by paparazzi. Waiters clear a space for the "Beckham party", which incorporates a fake feng shui expert and an acting coach. Minutes later they are turfed out after the manager, who has greeted the real thing, spots they are fakes and threatens to call the police."

The documentary is scheduled to air in Britain this Thursday.

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McGreevey Buzz: Divorce Round One

Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey faced his estranged wife Dina for the first time since he resigned from office on Friday, in the first round of court hearings on their divorce.

The judge Karen Cassidy told the courtroom that McGreevey's sexuality was "not significant" in considerations for their child's welfare and denied Matos-McGreevey's request for sole custody, saying the couple had agreed to continue their current visitation arrangements:

"One of the most contentious issues in the divorce is what the child should be exposed to. Matos McGreevey made McGreevey and his partner, Mark O'Donnell, take down a nude photograph in their Plainfield home, and has contended that Jacqueline should not be allowed to sleep in her father's bed. The judge said the McGreeveys should 'use their common sense and shall not introduce her to any non-age appropriate activities,' a concept Cassidy said was 'admittedly vague.' 'The court can't be your child's parent,' Cassidy said. 'I don't want to micromanage your child's life.' However, the judge ruled that the child would not be permitted to sleep in the same bed with any adult except her mother or father. The court also appointed a parenting coordinator: a mediator used to help resolve child-related disputes, although the judge retains the final say."

The judge also urged the couple to use "common sense". Between hawking their tell-all memoirs and lobbing insults at one another, up till this point there hasn't been much of it.

Following the courtroom appearance, McGreevey told reporters he plans to seek a civil union with his partner Mark O'Donnell.

McGreevey, ex meet for first round of divorce proceeding [courier news]
Judge to McGreeveys: Use 'Common Sense' [washington post]

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #122

BILL MOYERS: Interviews Jon Stewart on the 4/27 broadcast of Bill Moyers Journal. Parts one and two.

JIMMY KIMMEL: Talks to Sanjaya Malakar about his "I'm not gay" statement.

SANDY BELLE: Has a message for the U.S. troops. Huh? (NSFW)

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here!

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Peter Tatchell on Activism and Outing

Peter Tatchell, the UK's most well-known activist for human and gay rights and the co-founder of UK group OutRage!, talks to the Guardian about what drives him:

On why he does it: "The motive of my campaigning is love. I love other people. I love justice. I don't like seeing other people suffer. I think to myself: that could be me, my sister or my neighbour. Since I wouldn't like my family or friends to suffer, it would not be right for me to ignore or tolerate other people's suffering."

On what inspires him: "To me, protest is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Much of my inspiration comes from Mahatma Gandhi, the Suffragettes, and Martin Luther King. Their model of direct action protest is a proven, highly effective way of challenging injustice. Sometimes you can get change by writing a letter or lobbying an MP; occasionally governments will listen to campaigns and petitions; but there are also often moments when those in power ignore public will and popular views, and in those circumstances direct action can be a very effective way of bringing about change."

On outing: "Contrary to the way it's often been portrayed, I've never endorsed the blanket outing of people just because they're gay. If someone is gay and they're not harming anybody else, leave them be, but if someone is a public figure and they're abusing their power and influence to hurt and harm other gay people, then that's hypocrisy and it deserves to be exposed."

Read the rest of the lengthy profile here.

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Highlights from the 2007 Coachella Music & Arts Festival

[by Arjan Writes, guest blogger] Over the last few years, the Coachella Music & Arts Festival has grown into one of the biggest outdoor music festivals in the country. When Madonna appeared last year, she added a mainstream flavor to the event and brought a whole new audience with her. This gave organizers the confidence to grow the event and turn it from a 2 to 3 day event. Set in the scorching desert three hours east of Los Angeles, this year's event was action-packed with some of the hottest talents of the moment perform.

There were many great moment, but here are a few of the highlights (click images to enlarge):

Bjork returned to Coachella playing on Friday night wowing the crowd with new tracks ("Earth Intruders") and old favorites ("Hunter," "Army Of Me," "Pagan Poetry"). She appeared in a costume that looked like The Last Emperor meets Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. 

The Red Hot Chili Peppers played an energetic set on Saturday. They mixed it up a little and covered Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" with a few bars of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love."

Perfectly coiffed and styled, The Feeling turned it up a few notches for their show on Sunday afternoon. Openly-gay frontman Dan Gillespie-Sells (above and right) stayed true to form. He introduced the last song "Love It When You Call" with "I will leave you with this little tune, my darlings."

Mika (left) appeared a little earlier on the mainstage. Dressed in a simple white tee and "cartoon motion" military pants, he went over very well with the crowd of boarder dudes and rock chicks who had settled early in front of the stage in anticipation of Rage Against the Machine later that day.

Break out act The Klaxons (below, right) presented a fresh, exhilarating sound on Sunday that had me dizzy on my feet from beginning to end. Set included the delicious "Golden Skans." This is a band to watch.

Members of British band Placebo have never made a secret of their sexuality. Singer Brian Molko (below, left) is bisexual and bassist Stefan Olsdal is openly gay. The group played a tight, soaring rock set that included a remake of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill."

Tiesto made the Dutch proud when he headlined the mainstage and closed the Saturday program. This was the first time a DJ was chosen in favor of a rock act to get this honor. Tiesto played a pre-programmed set that was timed in conjunction with compelling visual effects. He included older fan favorites and tracks from his new album "Elements of Life."

Peaches (left) rocked her set on Friday night. This chicks knows how to bring it. The brash performer kept a steady pace accompanied by the handsome JD Samson on keys and drummer Sam Maloney. After opening the show with her light saber routine, she jumped on the drum set while chanting "Impeach my bush, impeach my bush."

Rufus Wainwright played songs from his new album "Release The Stars" on Saturday in a packed Mojave tent. Appearing in a robed "gay messiah" costume, he played the piano and acoustic guitar. He was backed by a full band including a horn section. He was quoted saying, "It's great to be here in the desert, where all the rejects had to go and the Jews and the homosexuals."

Dance lovers were in for a treat well with kicky sets by French DJ David Guetta, Felix da Housecat and Paul van Dyk. Faithless delivered a powerful performance on Friday night, sending the crowd into frenzy with live renditions of "Mass Destruction" and the pumping " Insomnia."

Arjan is the author of the music blog Arjan Writes, where you can find new music, free downloads, album reviews, and artist interviews. More on each of these artists there.

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