LAS VEGAS _ The English have been gaga over David Beckham for years, for reasons not yet fully understood in America.

David Beckham arrive for the British F1 Grand Prix at the Silverstone race track in central England July 8, 2007. [Reuters]

The short version is Beckham, along with being the master of many hairstyles, has a special talent for kicking a stationary soccer ball just where he wants it.

That's big stuff in England. Ordinarily, though, it might not cause much of a buzz among the beautiful people of Tinseltown.

But the beautiful people are nothing if not adaptable, especially when it comes to their own. Who would have thought just a few months ago that they would have cared so much about what happened to poor Paris Hilton?

Beckham, you will soon find out, is nothing if not a beautiful person. He's got a beautiful head of hair, a beautiful wife, and a beautiful $22 million (euro16 million) home in Beverly Hills.

Among his neighbors are his beautiful best friends, Tom and Katie.

He's also got a beaut of a contract and endorsements that will pay him untold millions to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, a minor league soccer team of sorts that plays in a league that is major in name only.

Beckham begins earning that contract on Friday when he'll be introduced at the Galaxy's home field, and the perfect media storm begins to brew. A few days later, his wife's trip to America will get more prime-time U.S. television coverage than the Beatles did when they first came over.

An hourlong special called "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America," will chronicle a rich and famous wife who gives up her rich and famous life in London to live a rich and famous life in Beverly Hills.

The former _ and future _ Posh Spice will be shown doing things most soccer moms do, like developing her signature line of clothing, sunglasses and perfume.

But that's merely the beginning.

On July 21, ESPN will wave the pompoms for three hours cheering Beckham's arrival in a show that will include everything except a concert by the Spice Girls. Adidas will run constant commercials featuring Beckham and NFL star Reggie Bush, and Motorola will pay him millions to sell phones.

Americans, whose willingness to fall for hype has never been overestimated, will undoubtedly be entranced by it all.

And then Beckham will actually play a game.

1

2