The Beckhams seem about as popular Down Under as they are in Los Angeles, but even in LA David Beckham wouldn’t dare snub adorable children with cancer, would he?

Apparently he might have. A group of children were waiting outside of his hotel for autographs, a group of children with cancer, when he was whisked away into the foyer and never signed a single soccer ball.

“I would never have done that. Never have done, never will do. I’m more than willing to meet them wherever they want and at whatever time that they want,” said a surprised Beckham when journalists asked him why he had snubbed the children.

Fourteen-year-old leukemia survivor Emma Byers was left in tears after failing to give the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar a toy kangaroo as a welcome present.

“I’m quite happy to accept that he didn’t see the children. The kids were off to the side. The cameras were flashing. It was a bit dark,” her mother Anita told Australian Associated Press.

[New Zealand Herald]

Considering that the children didn’t have an organized meeting with Beckham it seems perfectly reasonable that he didn’t notice them.

Beckham later met with at least one of the children after his exhibition game in Sydney, little Emma mentioned in the article, but I think it was only so he could claim his toy kangaroo.

Becks, who hasn’t played much soccer this year after injuries kept him off the field, says his fitness ‘isn’t an issue’ and that he’ll play in all the exhibition games he’s scheduled to play in Sydney and Wellington. I guess fitness might not be an issue for him, but it might be for the accountants at Galaxy soccer club.

Becks is in Australia and New Zealand playing in exhibition games to raise the profile of soccer. Which is good, as there is no way that my son is playing football once he’s got his adult teeth.

Posh hasn’t joined her husband in Australia, but apparently decoy Victorias have been used to distract the paparazzi from David when entering hotels and press conferences. Where did they find someone that thin and haughty?

Picture note by Celebitchy: David Beckham is shown at the launch of the ‘Motorola Razr2 V8′ Luxury Edition mobile phone in Beijing, China on 11/24/07, and at a press conference in Sydney, Australia on 11/25. Thanks to WENN.

I once saw an episode of Gilmore Girls where Rory and Lorelei go to Ireland and hang out in a certain Dublin bar hoping to bump into Bono. Or at the very least one of the other members of U2. Turns out, all you have to do is hang around worthy charitable events and they’ll come to you.

U2’s Bono and The Edge played a surprise gig tonight (November 23) at London’s Union Chapel.

Playing as part of Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions, the duo surprised the audience with a four song set which included rare track ‘Wave Of Sorrow’.

The identity of the ’special guests’ was shrouded in mystery when introduced by host Jo Whiley as “a new band with a lot of potential…Dave the guitarist is very nervous…If he makes a mistake forgive him, he’s new. The singer is very shy.”

[NME]

The duo also played ‘Stay’, ‘Angel of Harlem’ and ‘Desire’.

How very cool that would be. And they did some of their best songs, not that electronic stuff of recent years. Would U2 please do an acoustic tour?

Unfortunately for Mencap, a charity that helps people with learning disabilities, it seems that Bono’s involvement in charitable causes might not be helping, according to the head of African Aid Action.

Jobs Selasie, head of charity African Aid Action, claimed that such campaigns increase corruption and dependency on the continent.

Selasie explained that he believed that the western media had an obsession with political correctness which diverted from what he believes are the real causes of poverty in Africa.

The charity says since the original Band Aid campaign, the number of Africans living on handouts has increased by 500 per cent and African governments who used to rely on only 20 per cent of their annual budget from overseas aid are now dependent on a 70 per cent contribution.

“Aid has failed because campaigners, charities and governments do not have the right plan and excluded African entrepreneurs and grassroots organisations from being part of the solution,” said Selasie.

“You can’t impose change from without,” he continued. “It has to come from within and we won’t end poverty with handouts. Africans need to fight corruption and work hard.”

[NME]

I’m not going to judge whether this is true or not. I’m not some kind of international relations economist, but I will say that these economic issues might have happened anyway, and at least celebrities like Geldof and Bono have their hearts in the right place. Don’t let it put you off supporting a worthy cause.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Bono, his wife Ali Hewson, and Alicia Keys are shown on 10/25/07 at the 4th Annual Black Ball Concert for “Keep A Child Alive.” Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.

Celebrities were out in LA yesterday to assist the Los Angeles homeless mission in serving an early Thanksgiving meal to the city’s homeless. Actors Kirk Douglas, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart and Nia Long were among the famous faces helping out and bringing attention to the cause.

Wearing red aprons and plastic gloves, they stood alongside volunteers at the annual feast at downtown’s Los Angeles Mission, doling out turkey drumsticks, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, vegetables and pumpkin pie.

Actresses Nia Long and Calista Flockhart and “The Hills” reality TV star Spencer Pratt were among others passing out almost 3,000 plates of food to lines of men, women and children.

“It’s very grounding,” said Long, who dished out vegetables and rolls with her 7-year-old son. “I feel grateful for all the things I have.”

A house band pounded out music as people sipped on bright green and orange punch at rows of tables outside.

[From The Huffington Post]

LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was there, and he actually washed homeless people’s feet as part of the event, getting down on his hands and knees to personally attend to the feet of the down-on-their-luck attendees. That’s an incredible gesture and I find it touching. One of the women whose feel Villaraigosa washed agrees. Yasmine Villalobos is quoted by Huffington Post as saying “He washed my feet, and it was so special. I will remember it forever.”

I love seeing 90 year-old screen legend Kirk Douglas out. He was most recently photographed looking incredibly surprised as John Travolta kissed him full on the mouth before presenting him with an award. Hopefully they’ll be plenty more photo ops for Mr. Douglas, and those pictures will soon fade from our collective memory.

Kirk Douglas has volunteered with the LA Mission for years, and helped establish their Anne Douglas Center for Women, named after his wife. Anne and Kirk Douglas oversaw the donation of ten computers to the center last summer. In a statement about the celebrities volunteering at the LA Mission on Thanksgiving, Douglas said “Their involvement will help their souls as much as it helps the guests being served.”

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone.

Shown below are Kirk Douglas, Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart, Alana Curry, Spencer Pratt, Antonio Villaraigosa, Kate Linder, Nicholle Tom, Nia Long, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Calista Flockhart’s son, Liam. Thanks to PRPhotos.

There was a story that Nicole Richie wasn’t going to invite Paris Hilton to her planned (and postponed) wedding to Joel Madden after Paris asked Nicole if Joel was really the father of her baby. Paris and Nicole haven’t been seen out together since their over-hyped supposed makeup for the sake of their never-ending reality series The Simple Life. It was also thought that Paris was making an obnoxious dig at Nicole when she publicly told Christina Aguilera “Congratulations to the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world.”

Maybe these two have buried the hatchet, or maybe they just realize that they generate more publicity together, because Paris is hosting Nicole Richie’s baby shower this weekend:

According to In Touch, invites just went out for the shower, scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. on Sun., Nov. 18, at a Beverly Hills estate.

The party’s being given by Nicole’s mom, Brenda, but sister Sophia and “loving friends” Paris Hilton and Masha Gordon are listed as the official hosts.

Don’t see Paris hitting Party City to pick up supplies? Well, she’s not. Wedding planner to the stars Mindy Weiss is actually handling all the nitty-gritty—such as ensuring Nicole’s favorite foods will be served, including sushi (sorry, Nic, the raw stuff’s just for your buddies), coconut shrimp, lobster, lemon-pepper chicken, fruit and cake.

[From E! Online]

And in case you assumed that Nicole would be collecting all sorts of high-end baby crap like most of the other celebrity moms, she’s not expecting her friends to buy it for her at least. Nicole and her fiance, Joel Madden, have started a nonprofit organization, The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation, and ask that baby shower attendees make donations of needed baby items instead of giving gifts to Nicole. They’re also asking fans to make donations to their foundation, with the items to go to families in need who visit the LA Free Clinic. They plan to start a website with a baby registry for people to purchase items:

Nicole would like to invite friends, family and fans across America to participate in the moms-in-need program and highly publicized baby shower. The Richie Madden Children’s Foundation will create and promote an online registry to inspire the purchases of items for moms and their families in need. Anyone in the country will be able buy from the registry on her behalf for the clinic. The registry link will live on the Richie Madden Children’s Foundation website for at least six months and will be updated regularly based on the needs of the LA Free Clinic and other participating clinics.

[From PDF press release linked from USWeekly]

That’s surprisingly awesome of Nicole and Joel. Add in that Nicole is asking Paris Hilton to co-host her baby shower and she seems to have actually matured a bit. Maybe once the baby arrives she’ll realize what a spoiled brat she’s been her whole life and will start to dedicate most of her time to her new charity.

Photo of Nicole Richie’s shower invite fromInTouch. Nicole Richie is shown out shopping on 10/31, thanks to Splash News. Paris Hilton is shown promoting her Can Can fragrance at Macy’s in Philadelphia on 11/14, thanks to PRPhotos.

Matthew McConaughey has given up his airstream trailer on the beach and has purchased a four-bedroom three-bathroom house in Malibu for $10 million. Super-fit Matthew didn’t opt for a new mansion without character, he fell in love with an older home from 1949 that wasn’t for sale. McConaughey knocked on the door, turned on the charm and talked the owner into selling it to him. The home is set on an acre of land and is moderately-sized by Malibu standards at 3,500 square feet.

McConaughey started looking at homes to buy and decided on one that wasn’t even on the market. After he personally knocked on the door, however, a deal was struck.

At 3,500 square feet, the house is not as large as many in Malibu. And it’s old — built in 1949. But its acre-plus lot has room to park a fleet of Airstreams. The home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

[From LATimes.com via TMZ]

And in case purchasing a home isn’t enough to signify that McConaughey, who turned 38 yesterday, is ready to give up the bachelor life, he is auctioning off one of his motorcycles for charity. He probably has a fleet of motorcycles, but he could be turning over a safer leaf for the sake of his maybe-fiance, Brazilian model Camila Alves.

[Matthew McConaughey] has ponied up his own motorcycle to promote children’s education, donating his Texas Longhorns National Championship tribute bike to benefit his j.k. livin foundation. The name stands for Just Keep Livin’, and the foundation is dedicated to providing enrichment programs for kids. Matt, 38, hopes fans around the world will see this auction as a special opportunity to raise money for underprivileged kids.

[From InTouch Weekly, print edition, November 12, 2007]

In July, 2006 McConaughey auctioned off his corvette stingray convertible on eBay to benefit Oprah’s Angel Network. This is the first I’ve heard about McConaughey’s jk livin’ foundation, it’s a great idea, although the title suggests he was smoking a lot of pot when he came up with the idea. Maybe he just talks like that though. He told In Touch, “Let the biddin’ begin, hook ‘em horns, and now and always, just keep livin’.”

The custom-built bike is now on eBay, with the starting bid set at $25,000. The auction ends in one week. McConaughey’s official site is matthewmcconaughey.us (site has automatic music) but it’s all flash-based and it’s hard to figure out exactly what jk livin is about. McConaughey’s production company, which also produces some recording artists, is called jk livin’ productions, and his charity sounds like an offshoot of that.

Update: Thanks to readers Hilcat and Tia C for mentioning that Just Keep Living was one of McConaughey’s lines from Dazed and Confused.

Matthew McConaughey is shown at the screening of Planet in Peril in Hollywood on 10/17/07, thanks to WENN.

Paris Hilton gave a red carpet interview before her Halloween party at LAX last night and said that her super-short army fatigue dress was in honor of our troops. She said “I’m wearing this for the troops because I know they’re having a hard time right now and don’t really get to celebrate Halloween.” It looks like she’s doing that charity work she mentioned on Larry King Live back when she got out of jail.

At least she gave a shout out to the troops serving in Iraq.

Maybe every time Paris wears a slutty outfit she can come up with a creative charitable reason. Like she’s wearing a bikini in honor of the poor refugees who don’t have clothing. That way, she can continue to wear skimpy outfits while promoting various vaguely related causes.

Speaking of Paris and charity in the same breath, her Rwanda trip hasn’t been canceled, just postponed. She told Extra that the trip will be next year. In the mean time all she has to do is continue dressing like a slut and she can feel content that she’s helping save the world.

Update: Paris dressed as a prisoner later that night and said it was in honor of the disproportionate number of minorities incarcerated in the US. Ok, I made that second part up.

Thanks to WENN for these pictures.

Hayden Panettiere went to Japan to try and physically save some bottle-nosed dolphins from slaughter. She was with a group of surfers from Australia and the US who paddled out on surfboards while dolphins were being corralled into a cove where they would be killed. Dolphins are a delicacy in Japan and their meat is highly valued. They are also sold off to the captivity industry for use in “swim with the dolphins” programs and dolphin shows.

Unfortunately Hayden did not successfully prevent the slaughter after fishing boats blocked her attempt.

Panettiere, 18, recently paddled out on a surfboard in an effort to prevent a group of dolphins from being steered into a nearby cove and massacred, Sky News reported Wednesday.

She and a handful of other surfers from Australia and the United States were blocked by a fishing boat before they could reach the dolphins.

Faced with the ship’s propellers and boathooks, the surfers returned to the beach.

It is believed the dolphins were later slaughtered.

“It was really frightening,” Panettiere told Sky News. “It was so incredibly sad. We were so close to them and they were sky hopping, jumping out of the water to see us. … One little baby dolphin stuck his head out and kind of looked at me and the thought that it’s no longer with us is really hard to take.”

[From UPI]

Hayden’s new boyfriend, her Heroes co-star Milo Ventimiglia, is a vegetarian and he may have influenced her decision to take on this cause.

Here’s a link to an incredibly sad video about how the dolphins are killed in Japan. Warning: I didn’t post it here because it’s very graphic and hard to watch.

I’m a meat and fish eater and usually support causes other than animal rights, but the brutal and cruel way these sentient, gentle animals are killed makes me so upset. Hayden may have failed in her attempt to save that group of dolphins, but she has brought awareness to a very barbaric practice that needs to be stopped. Before Hayden took on this cause I was not aware that dolphins were slaughtered in Japan. Although Hayden has pretty much annoyed me up until this point, I have to say I have a newfound respect for her now.

You can learn more about how you can help save Japan’s dolphins at SaveJapanDolphins.org.

Never let it be said that smarties can’t do dumb things too. Brooke Shields, generally considered one of the smarter, more level-headed actresses in Hollywood, managed to crash into her own house. Apparently wearing sex kitten shoes can be bad for your safety when they get wedged under your pedal while driving. That makes me feel better, the worst thing I’ve ever run over a tricycle. No children were harmed… maybe emotionally. But physically they were all fine.

Brooke Shields says she accidentally remodeled her house – by crashing into it.

“I really did drive into my house. I was wearing these fabulous sort of kick-ass platform patent leather [heels],” Shields said of her incident. “I was meeting the team at [her upcoming, midseason TV show] Lipstick Jungle [and] I was all sexed out.”

Letting out a laugh, she added, “I slowed down to what I thought was a proper speed. … I went to go put my foot on the brake, and I couldn’t get my foot off the gas because the wedge was completely wedged under.”

Then came the tricky moment: “I slammed on what I thought was the brake, and it actually was the gas!” A pillar ended up damaged. “I was fine,” says Shields. “The pillar, of course, was removed – at which point I was like, we didn’t really need that, that’s just in the way.”

[From People]

I am completely opposed to high heels for about 10 reasons. The first one being that I can’t walk in them, thus no one should. But I think running into houses is a really good second reason. Wearing heels can kill. Plus they’re bad for your spine. So I think it’s safe to surmise that high heels are deadly.

In other Brooke Shields news, it was announced today that she will continue to be the spokeswoman for Tupperware’s “Chain of Confidence” campaign. It focuses on honoring women around the world, and bringing attention to the positive affect they can have on each other. Sounds awesome, and totally vague. I’m also not sure what Tupperware has to do with it all, except some good publicity.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Brooke at the VIVA LA CURE, Benefit on October 17th. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Paris Hilton was supposed to take a trip to Rwanda after she was invited by the Playing for Good foundation, which made the cheesy decision to film her visit as part of a reality show called “The Philanthropist,” that would show different celebrities doing charity work. Eva Longoria hosted the first annual Playing for Good summit, which got publicity for its cause and probably some recruits for the show by honoring celebrities for their charity work. It doesn’t seem like great publicity to me when you have vapid twits like Paris Hilton and Eva Longoria representing your organization, and it sounds like someone at Playing for Good realized that.

Paris’ trip has been “postponed” and the charity organization released a statement that they put it off due to “restructuring.” You can bet some heads rolled over the choice of birdface as their unofficial spokesperson:

Paris Hilton’s first major post-jail philanthropic effort – her planned trip to Rwanda – has been postponed by the foundation that organized it.

“Due to the restructuring of the Playing for Good Foundation, the philanthropic trip to Rwanda that the foundation had previously planned with Paris Hilton has been postponed,” the organization said Thursday in a statement.

“Paris has been a loyal and gracious supporter of Playing For Good but the foundation has to regrettably reschedule this trip. Playing for Good would like to thank Ms. Hilton for her generosity and her continued support of this initiative and is looking forward to rescheduling the trip with her at a later time.”

[From People.com]

Meanwhile there’s a pretty amusing video of Paris getting booed while she’s presenting an award at the Spike Scream Awards. She just smiles through it, looking oblivious. This isn’t the first time Paris has been openly ridiculed by a crowd. She was booed by the crowd at a Lakers game last year, even though she was wearing a Lakers shirt. When you’re that disliked, even charity organizations won’t have you.

Paris is shown on 10/19/07 at the Spike Scream Awards, thanks to PRPhotos.

Colin Farrell really has been shaking my world’s very foundation. The former playboy/love ‘em and leave ‘em guy is now a do-gooder. He has a special needs son that he’s really involved with and seems to love unconditionally, he’s involved with Amnesty International, and he randomly took a homeless man shopping when he was in Toronto. Who knows what caused the dramatic change in his personality, but either way it seems like he’s changed for the better and is doing a lot of good with his fame. Recently he attended the Special Olympics and took time out to meet Lorraine Burke, a 13-year-old who won two fourth place medals for horse riding in the games.

ONE of Inishowen’s Special Olympics’ champs is still reeling from meeting some of the world’s biggest movie stars on a day the youngster will never forget. As she celebrated her 13th birthday on Sunday, Burt youngster Lorraine Burke, who bagged two fourth places for horse riding in the Shanghai games, has become a star in her own right. But her proud mother Colette said a special thank you to the stars who supported the momentous event.

Lucky Lorraine, not only did Buncrana and Ireland proud in the games, but was the envy of most young ladies across the world, when she met Hollywood actor, and Dubliner Colin Farrell backstage at the event. The star of Miami Vice, who is himself father to a four-year-old special needs child, James, took time out of his busy schedule to meet Scoil Iosagain pupil Lorraine. Heart throb Farrell’s son has a rare form of cerebral palsy known as Angelman Syndrome, which affects his speech and motor skills. Recently the youngster took his first steps and his dad has spoken about his joy at this important milestone.

Lorraine’s proud mum Colette said: “Colin was at the opening ceremony as patron of the games. He came to meet Lorraine backstage. It was amazing. “He must be a really caring guy, he’s got the Irish charm. I am delighted he took the time to meet Lorraine. All Lorraine could say afterwards, was that she had a ball.”

[From the Derry Journal]

Colin Farrell was reasonably sexy before, but I think he’s a lot sexier now with all of his do-goodery (yes I made that word up and no I won’t change it). I’m guessing Colin’s son had a lot to do with him changing his ways, and it seems like he’s really stepped up to the plate, not just for his son but in terms of being more socially active in general.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Colin Farrell is shown on 10/22 at a panel discussion at the Borders on Columbus Circle in NY for the collaborative novel Click, a mystery written by ten authors including Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle and Gregory Maguire, with the proceeds to benefit Amnesty International. Farrel was there as part of his work with Amnesty International.