A man and woman who were part of the housekeeping staff working at David and Victoria Beckham’s English home, better known as Beckingham Palace, were arrested Friday on suspicion of theft. Victoria’s parents saw items up for auction online that looked familiar to them, so they went to the Sawbridgeworth home currently unoccupied by their daughter and family and found the same items missing.

The Beckhams currently reside in Los Angeles, where David plays for the LA Galaxy team, and employ a retinue of staff to tend the Sawbridgeworth property while they are away. The seven-bedroom house, known as ‘Beckingham Palace’, cost the couple £2.5 million in 1999 and they have spent millions more turning it into their dream home.

A source said that Mrs Beckham’s parents, Tony and Jackie Adams, recognised the allegedly stolen items immediately because many of them were unique.

“They were most personal and sentimental items collected by Victoria and David during their time abroad. Some of the things were given to them as presents and are unique because they were specially made for them. They include mostly small but expensive trinkets and some pieces which were on decorative display. Together they add up to quite a high value,” the source said.

“It seems that the property was being offered on the website to the highest bidder – and obviously it may have had the Beckham pedigree attached.”

[From The Telegraph]

The thieving couple, in their 50′s, are out on bail until November 22. It’s pretty fortunate the baubles and knick knacks were caught on the auction site before they disappeared. They could have found themselves scattered all over the world bought up by rabid Beckham fans. Of course, the rabid Beckham fans probably would have cherished the items alot more than the actual Beckhams. How sentimental is something that you leave in a house you no longer spend any time in?

Good help is hard to find, but I’m guessing it gets infinitely more difficult when you’re actually living over 5000 miles away. It’s probably been months since any of the Beckhams have set foot in the house. It’s got to be disconcerting for a aging couple to be serving the house of young, globetrotting, millionaire family and it would be easy to get bitter and think you deserve a part of it. It’s not an excuse, but it could be a motivation.

David and Victoria Beckham are shown in the header launching their fragrance, Signature, on 9/29/08. Credit: Bauergriffinonline. David Beckham is shown at an England training session at London Colney on 10/7/08. Credit: Big Pictures/Bauergriffinonline. Victoria Beckham is shown at LAX leaving for a flight to London on 10/12/08. Credit: WENN

Mischa Barton has got to be one of the trashiest celebrities out there. She’s like the rich man’s Tara Reid. Actually… that’s probably a bit kind. But Barton is not considered a person with style; she’s considered a person with nipples. And drunkenness. And someone who’s generally incapable of controlling her behavior. So she’s really not in a position to criticize anyone else’s style – and certainly not to hold her own up in such high esteem. But that never stopped a celeb did it?

IN what has to be one of the most baffling celebrity feuds, MISCHA BARTON has slammed VICTORIA BECKHAM’S dress sense.

Yes, that’s the same Mischa Barton who is usually pictured in disgusting get-ups falling out of clubs and her tops.

And the same Victoria Beckham who is lauded as a global fashion icon.

But Mischa told The Sun: “Posh doesn’t strike me as particularly stylish.

“I don’t think she’s a good example of British style at all.”

The former OC star added: “I don’t dress for anybody else, and I think the reason people like my style is that I do my own thing.”

You can say that again, love.

[From The Sun]

Blech. Obviously Posh can go a little overboard sometimes, but I think she just uses clothing to express her creativity. That means you’re going to have some hits and misses. She’s certainly not a virtual photo book of “Don’ts” like Mischa Barton. How deluded can one person be? It’d be one thing if Mischa just said she didn’t care for Posh’s style. But to then hold herself up as someone who’s got something good looking and unique going on is utterly ridiculous.

And if there ever were a dividing line, it’s this: I know exactly what Mischa Barton’s nipples look like. I only have a vague idea about Posh’s.

Here’s are a few of Mischa’s legendary style choices over the last six months. Images thanks to WENN, Bauer-Griffin, Fame, and PR Photos.

Victoria and David Beckham still have the magic, at least if her interview with Kelly Ripa is to be believed. Which it probably is – the most intimate thing Posh revealed is that she still thinks David is hot. Which means her eyesight is fine, so that’s good to know.

But Victoria admitted that after “all this time” her stomach still flips when she sees him. Which – even though he’s unbearably attractive – is still really cute. You’d think it’d be hard for any woman’s stomach not to turn into a ball of butterflies seeing that man, but marriage can kill a lot of good feelings, so I’m told. So I think it’s pretty sweet that Victoria seems to still be smitten with David.

VICTORIA BECKHAM says she warns husband DAVID that his good looks will fade. POSH said on a US talk show: “We really complement each other. Everyone says, ‘God, David is so good looking’ and I’m funny. It’s cool to be funny. I tell David that looks will fade.”

Host Kelly Ripa asked Victoria, 34, if she still gets “that feeling” in the pit of her stomach when she sees David, 33. She replied: “Yeah, I do. We spend a lot of time together, we go on date nights, we go away together, we love our kids and everything we do revolves around the children.”

She added: “I love him more now than I did when I first met him all those years ago.”

[From the Sun]

The Beckhams have dealt with several rumors involving David’s supposed infidelity. No one exactly came out looking like roses in that situation, but it seems like their marriage is okay now. Of course it’s always hard to even guess what’s going on in a couples’ relationship. But they seem pretty content and happy, and their lives really do seem to be focused on their kids. Posh noted that all three of her sons are getting American accents, which she thinks is cute. It looks like they’ve all adjusted to their move to the U.S. pretty well. Overall they’re darn lucky: hot husband, hot wife, and cute kids with parents that still seem to be into each other.

Here’s David and Victoria launching their “Beckham Signature” fragrance collection at Macy’s in New York yesterday. Images thanks to PR Photos.

It seems that Hollywood is agreeing with Victoria Beckham. According to The Sun, Posh is improving in nearly every aspect of her life. She’s eating better (eating at all was an improvement), exercising, shopping less and smiling more. I’m not going to agree with the “eating more” part, but the others seem to be true, to an extent.

Victoria says: “You know, I could just go shopping every day and sit on my bum. I could do what half these people do in here — sit and have lunch and go shopping — but I’d be so bored. I don’t even go shopping any more.”

Victoria’s life has changed dramatically in the past year. Before moving to LA, she infamously never set foot in a gym and went hungry pretty much every day in a bid to stay slim. But now the former SPICE GIRL is pounding the treadmill, running four miles every day, and has built up such a healthy appetite she even allows herself carbohydrate-loaded toast for breakfast.

“I run four miles, seven days a week,” she explains. “I feel energised and healthy — there are really nice gyms here and I just enjoy it. I need that self-discipline to get up in the morning, drop the kids off at school then go to the gym. I can think properly then go home and do some work. But I do feel so much better. David puts music on my iPod and Gordon Ramsay bought me trainers where you have a little chip so you can clock how far you’re running.”

And does she have a bigger appetite?

“Yes, I am eating more. I think you do eat more when you’re working out. And you want to eat healthily, so it’s good all round.” For the record, lunch when we met was grilled fish, salad with balsamic dressing (on the side) and water, followed by peppermint tea.

vi
[From the Sun]

Aside from being kind enough to justify her eating and exercising habits to The Sun, Victoria also said she’s cut back her spending – and that David spends more than she does. I’m imagining it’s all relative; hypothetically he spends $20,000 a month on a new watch while she spends $16,000. I doubt it’s what any of us would call a sizeable difference.

She explains: “I was on the dole once and I remember what it’s like to watch how you spend your money.

“I know everything that goes in and out of our accounts. I’d like to think I’m a good businesswoman, I’m learning a lot along the way. David definitely spends much more money than I do.

“I don’t really go shopping any more — apart from the flea market I go to every Sunday. You can get some amazing vintage stuff there.

“That’s often where I get inspiration for my designs.”

[From the Sun]

So the theme of the whole article is pretty much, “Everything’s totally fine since we moved to America.” It’s kind of hard to imagine Posh Spice at a flea market. But then again that’s probably the one place she can find interesting stuff. When you can afford to buy everything, I’d think the fancier stuff could lose some of its appeal. Not that I’d complain, mind you.

It sounds like, all in all, things are better for the Beckhams this last year. But Posh is still very much Posh – it’s not like she’s ebullient or bursting with enthusiasm. Obviously I’m reading the words, not hearing them, but it still feels like there’s a lack of excitement. Her words say one thing, but they don’t necessarily convey the intended sentiment.

Victoria Beckham is shown at fashion week on 9/8/08 with Jennifer Lopez. Credit: MLM/Fame Pictures

Victoria Beckham is sporting a new short pixie-style haircut that will surely gain popularity as women around the world emulate her style. As The Daily Mail points out, it’s similar to Halle Berry’s look as Bond girl Jinx in 2002′s Die Another Day. Victoria was previous known for her trademark bob haircut, which was pin straight and angled slightly down along her jawline. Whenever Posh changes her hair, it’s news:

Victoria Beckham is the talk of New York Fashion Week after unveiling a surprise new cut at the Marc Jacobs catwalk show yesterday.

Posh has abandoned her famous Pob in favour of a daring pixie crop, reminiscent of Hollywood star Halle Berry’s 2002 Bond Girl look.

She managed to upstage even Jennifer Lopez, who sat beside her in front row seats at the show.

It was an eventful day for the mother of three – earlier she launched her first fashion collection based entirely upon her own personal style to a handful of fashion’s elite editors.

[From The Daily Mail]

Beckham needed publicity for her new fashion line, and it worked. Her clothing is going to have to stand on its own merits to be successful, and she’ll only be able to distract us with her changed appearance for a day or two. Posh’s DVB denim line was a bust earlier this year, with her overpriced jeans dropped from several stores due to poor sales. Her dress line may be a success though, as the high price point – $1,140 and up for a dress – is not an issue due to the small number of dresses being made, just 400. The designs are also garnering praise. The Guardian reports that the dresses are being called “beautiful,” and “dressy” by the buyers and critics at fashion week who saw the range. The dresses are described as “figure hugging” and will run in whichever high end department stores win the bidding war. They will carry the Victoria Beckham label.

Since she and husband David moved to L.A., Victoria Beckham claims that their family has been treated like characters in Disneyland – and she means that as an absolute compliment. Whereas other celebs might preface such a statement with original thoughts like “We feel like monkeys caged at the zoo,” “the paparazzi makes us feel like prisoners in our own neighborhood!” etcetera, when Posh says it she means it more along the lines of, “We’re treated like foreign diplomats!” or “Strangers lay down in the street so my Manolos don’t get sloshed in a puddle.” And that is why they all love Los Angeles.

Victoria Beckham loves the way her Californian neighbours always wave to her.

She and husband David, who moved to the States wit [sic] their three boys last year, says everyone in her neighbourhood is incredible friendly.

‘They are very positive, the Americans,’ she reveals. ‘Everytime I come out of the drive in my car they wave like we’re characters from Disney.’

And Posh loves being round the corner from pals Tom Cruise, 45, and his wife Katie Holmes, 29. ‘We really like it here and have been made to feel very welcome,’ she tells Hello! ‘The kids are very happy at school, the weather is great and we have nice friends here – Tom Cruise is a really nice guy. All our kids hang out together and we live quite close.’

[From Now Magazine]

Fark pointed out that Posh might feel like she’s a character at Disneyland due to her remarkable resemblance to several animated creatures. They mentioned Minnie Mouse, but I’ll keep that to myself since pointing out the freakish resemblance would be rude. And certainly un-American, by Victoria’s definition.

Nonetheless, what a strange comparison. I can’t imagine a celebrity would ever think to make that analogy and phrase it like a positive.

Here’s Posh and David at the Espy Awards on July 17th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

David Beckham has admitted in the past that he’s obsessive compulsive about keeping things organized and ensuring his house is clean. Now that the 33 year-old international soccer sensation is getting older, he’s becoming obsessed about his body. He’s been given the title “best abs in Hollywood,” but he still fears getting a paunch and losing his hair.

“He’s constantly telling Vic he fears he’s going bald, or if he spots a hint of a paunch on his midsection, he hits the gym for an hour,” chuckled an insider. Soccer’s always kept Beckham in fighting shape, but he now fears the worst as he senses the sun setting on his athletic career. “David is so vain – he can’t stand the thought of growing into a fat, bald old man,” said a friend. Posh, highly amused by hubby’s angst, loves giving him the needle. “She’ll tell him she found some hair in the shower and ask – was that his? She loves teasing him about his future as a schlumpy old man because it gives her the upper hand, a button to push!”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, September 9, 2008]

Men are irrationally afraid of losing their hair, in my opinion. I find bald men pretty hot as long as they keep it short and don’t attempt to hang on to their hair. David Beckham has clipped his hair pretty short, maybe because he’s losing it, and he looks as smoking hot as ever. He doesn’t have an egg-shaped head or anything and has nothing to worry about.

It looks like Victoria is the person who has stopped obsessing with her body in the Beckham household. She gained a small amount of weight and still looks very thin, but she’s not scary skinny anymore. She looks great and much better than before. She’s shown out in Manchester, England last night with a bodyguard or driver who happens to be bald and rocking it. She wore a black dress pantsuit out to a restaurant. The Daily Mail had to point out that she had something on her ear – possibly a little scrape or injury. Big whoop.

David Beckham is shown during training with England on 8/18/08.

Victoria Beckham pictures credit: Steve Searle/ WENN. David Beckham pictures credit: Credit : Danny Clifford/Hottwire.net/WENN

Victoria Beckham is spitting mad. Stiletto-kicking mad. Or any of the other ways abnormally small people can be mad. Posh is enraged that a magazine would have the audacity to say she’s on diet pills. Clearly she places quite the priority on health, good wholesome eating, and lots of exercise. There is absolutely no way the 83 pound former singer could possibly be on diet pills. Utterly ludicrous.

Victoria Beckham is dragging a British magazine into court for saying she’s on diet pills.

The skinny star is furious because tabloid rag Now said that she had her sister sneak the tablets from the UK to Los Angeles to help her keep her weight down.

According to reports, the mom of three is said to be “horrified”, and even says the false claims are “dangerous” because she is a role model to so many people.

The former Spice Girl’s agent Jo Milloy said today, “The accusation is dangerous, defamatory and blatantly untrue.

“Victoria takes her position as a role model to young women very seriously and is horrified by this hurtful, fabricated story.

“It is now with her lawyers.”

[From OK! Magazine]

How dare they say she’s on diet pills! Clearly Posh is just not eating at all. Diet pills imply that she probably puts a morsel or two of food in her mouth. Okay I’m done with the sarcasm. I actually highly doubt this story is true. I’m sure if she uses any kind of help (besides that traditional not putting anything in her mouth route), she’s got a team of doctors that can get her top of the line stuff. Pills and shots and creams the rest of us have never even heard of. Probably stuff that hasn’t even been invented yet. It’s that good. I really doubt Posh has to get her family members to try to smuggle pills through customs.

Here’s Posh and David at the Espy Awards on July 17th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Frantic – absolutely frantic – rumors have been floating around the interweb for the last couple weeks that Posh and Becks aren’t happy in America – specifically Los Angeles – and planned on relocating asap. Absolute panic ensued. At least for the paparazzi and Us Weekly. Okay, and maybe a few bloggers. Thank God OK! Magazine is here to help. They had an important heart-to-heart with David Beckham (and by that I mean they checked out his webpage) who assured them the family loves L.A. and would never consider moving. You feel that? Yeah, that’s your pulse slowing down as you stop panicking. Happened to me too.

Rumors having been floating around lately that David and Victoria Beckham are miserable living in L.A.. Just this morning a story in the British press said that Posh and Becks’s dream of making it in the US is “in tatters” and that they have been bickering about how to escape.

Well, the gossips must know something that David doesn’t, because today he said that, far from being homesick, the Beckhams feel “settled” in the States and “can’t imagine” being anywhere else! …It seems like only a few weeks ago I arrived in Los Angeles with my family ready for the next chapter in our lives,” he wrote on his website this morning…. A year later and we feel so settled here, everyone loves California and everyone has made us feel so welcome.

“I can’t imagine being anywhere else in the world right now.”

[From OK! Magazine]

That was easily the closest I’ve ever come to getting sick to my stomach from celebrity-induced relocation panic. What in the world would happen if the Beckhams moved back to London? It’s practically the same thing as dropping off the face of the earth! So now that we’re all calm and cool, here are some pictures of David looking pretty.

Here’s David with son Brooklyn leaving Madeo restaurant in L.A. on Tuesday. Header of David and Victoria Beckham leaving Il Sole on Monday night. Images thanks to WENN.

“Ordinary” is one of those words that annoys people and is totally subjective. Along with “normal” and “regular” and “average.” You know what I think of when I imagine a woman who is “ordinary”? 5’5, 150 lbs, brunette, C boobs. What I do NOT think of is 5’8 (5’4 without the heels), 94 lbs, streaky brunette, DD bolt-on boobs, with occasional trout pout. But apparently that’s what strikes Victoria Beckham as ordinary, because that’s exactly how she’s described herself.

She’s married to one of the hottest men in the world, but when Victoria Beckham thinks about her own looks, she refers to them as simply “ordinary.”

“As you can see, I’m a normal-looking girl, and I just make the best of what I have,” Posh told Allure magazine’s August issue. “I’m not out-of-the-ordinary-looking at all – I’m incredibly ordinary.”

In fact, the former Spice Girl, who claims she has hung up her microphone, said it takes her just an hour-and-a-half – dressing, hair and make up included, to get ready for an event. And as for her fabulous looks – she pieces them together on her own.

“I don’t have a stylist,” Posh revealed. “I deal with that side of things myself. If I need accessories, I’ll go get them myself.”

[From Access Hollywood]

Well it’s great that you’re so down-to-earth and everything, but what the hell? I can’t tell if Posh is trying to be humble or if she really thinks she’s ordinary. And it’s hard to tell if by ordinary she means “I look like most people,” or if she means to say that she looks plain. Neither of which would be accurate. That comment, in addition to her body issues, makes me wonder if Posh has body dysmorphic disorder. It doesn’t seem like she has a very accurate idea of her appearance. Hopefully she was just trying to come off as modest, and she’s aware that the wardrobe/thinness/boobs aren’t exactly average.

Here’s Victoria shopping with son Cruz at Marc Jacobs and heading for lunch at Pink Taco in Century City mall on May 27th. I wonder if she thinks it’s also “ordinary” to have a Birkin ostrich bag, which runs in the tens of thousands of dollars. I’m so jealous. Images thanks to WENN.