Small Talk
Newcastle Herald
Thursday January 10, 2008
FOOTBALL superstar David Beckham has attended a private meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The LA Galaxy midfielder chatted for almost an hour with Mr Brown at the Prime Minister's Number 10 Downing Street residence. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star reportedly arrived at Downing Street in his trademark shiny black Bentley. The pair enjoyed informal discussions before Beckham, affectionately known as "Goldenballs", left on Tuesday. A Downing Street spokesman said the meeting was a "genuinely private matter" and that Beckham had been invited at the behest of Mr Brown. Beckham told the BBC: "He [Mr Brown] is interested in sports and his football. You know, he is very interested in doing a lot for my academy and also getting involved in schools around the country as well."
WITH film projects waiting in the wings, New Zealand is fast becoming a Hollywood offshoot, and Queenstown looks set to become the next big-budget movie site. Filming for the fourth movie in the X-Men series, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is expected to begin in Queenstown soon, but studio executives refuse to reveal the starting date. Gavin Hood, who directed 2005 Academy Award-winning foreign film Tsotsi, has been confirmed to direct the movie, while Hugh Jackman will return as the title character Wolverine. ACTOR Wesley Snipes's most recent request to have his tax evasion trial moved from the central Florida city of Ocala was denied by a federal judge, according to a media report. Attorneys for Snipes last week requested the move in an attempt to delay the trial, which is scheduled to begin on January 14. They argued the black actor cannot get a fair trial in Ocala, about 128 kilometres north of Orlando, because of racial prejudice.DESPERATE Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan holidayed with her boyfriend, singer Michael Bolton, on the Caribbean island of St Barts last week. But according to the New York Post, they didn't endear themselves to the Hotel Taiwana staff. A fellow guest overheard one employee complaining bitterly about the couple. "He said they were a 'bloody nightmare'. They kept trying to get deals on the room and boat rentals," the source said. "They wanted a bigger boat. And he's a vegetarian. They looked all over the island for food to accommodate him."
© 2008 Newcastle Herald