Posh and Becks in America: One Year On

It’s been a mixed year for Victoria and David since arriving in the United States. The high-powered Posh and Becks publicity machine has been working around the clock to make the pair a household name over there, but it hasn’t all gone to plan. Some of their shameless plays for publicity have backfired with our burger-loving friends, and Becks is still yet to shine on the pitch with LA Galaxy. Here are the highs and lows of their first year Stateside…

 

THE HIGHS

David is one of the biggest US-based stars
David Beckham is more famous now than he has ever been. His signing to LA Galaxy was massive news all across America – where the popularity of football is soaring – and he quickly amassed an army of loyal US fans. Proof of that popularity came at the recent Teen Choice Awards where millions of American teenagers voted David the best male athlete, ahead of Tiger Woods and basketball star Kobe Bryant. And for Americans who don’t like sport, it was hard to ignore his recent Armani underwear campaign, where Becks appeared nearly nude on traffic-stopping 50-foot high billboards all across the country.

 

Victoria’s profile has grown
Like David, Victoria is well known right across the US. Her modelling career has taken off – Posh has already featured on the cover of several US magazines this year, and was singled out to star in a recent Marc Jacobs ad campaign. Seeing as Jacobs is considered America’s hottest designer at the moment and has been credited with turning around the fortunes of Louis Vuitton, this was a real coup for Posh. Adding to that, Victoria has just been named one of the most influential magazine cover stars in the world by a panel of industry experts.

Look back in pictures: Posh and Becks leave the UK

The Beckham boys love LA
The Beckham boys, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, are said to be much happier in the US than they were in Spain, and they have quickly adapted to the American way of life – they’re regularly seen by their father’s side watching their new favourite team, the LA Lakers, play basketball and are already picking up American accents.

 

THE LOWS
 
David is yet to shine for LA Galaxy
After one of the most hyped and expensive signings in sporting history (worth up to £125 million) Becks’ debut for LA Galaxy has been disappointing. Injuries and poor form have meant David hasn’t lived up to the expectations of his team and their fans – most of whom assumed Galaxy would be top of the American league by now. Instead, reports claim that David’s teammates are becoming increasingly disgruntled that he is paid so much more than them without giving instant results on the scoreboard.

 

Public fall-out with Tom and Katie
Not long after moving to America, Victoria and David became bessie mates with one of LA’s most famous couples, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. The high-profile pair even threw a VIP bash to welcome the Brits to Hollywood and Tom was soon gushing about the Beckhams in interviews. But one year later, it’s no longer a four-way A-list love-in for TomKat and Posh and Becks. According to reports, the frosty relations are due at least in part to Tom’s insistence on always talking to the Beckhams about Scientology (when they just want him to act out scenes from Mission Impossible during games of charades).

Victoria’s DVB range has flopped
Victoria’s DVB range of jeans and sunglasses was tipped to be a huge seller, and Posh had apparently hoped it would make her a big name in the brand stakes like fellow A-list fashion designers J-Lo and Jay-Z. But DVB failed to set the stores alight, and sales of the denim range were much lower than expected. One store blamed Victoria personally for the flop, claiming she was unwilling or unable to do any promotion in an attempt to boost sales.

 

Spice Girls reunion fizzled out
The Spice Girls reunion was one of the most eagerly anticipated pop reformations ever, and countless American twenty-to-thirty-somethings dug out their old Girl Power crop-tops, ready for the return of the biggest girl band in history. Most of the tour was a sell-out success but, amid rumours of in-fighting, the tour was unceremoniously cut short and many fans missed out on seeing the girls back in action. On a high note, Posh has since vowed never to sing again.

 

So, after 12 months of hard graft, the Beckhams have had a mixed first year in the States, but they are vowing to stay put... for now. The question is: do we want them back?

Look back in pictures: Posh and Becks leave the UK

Have your say: Should the Beckhams move back to Blighty?

The views in this column are those of the author alone and not of MSN/Microsoft