Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was prohibited. They had the power to veto actions taken by magistrates, and specifically to intervene legally on behalf of plebeians. The tribune could also summon the Senate and lay proposals before it. The tribune's power, however, was only in effect while he was within Rome. His ability to veto did not affect regional governors. Because it was legally impossible for a patrician to be a tribune of the plebeians, the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, was offered instead all of the powers of the tribunate without actually holding the office (''tribunicia potestas''). This formed one of the two main constitutional bases of Augustus' authority (the other was ''imperium proconsulare maius''). It gave him the authority to convene the Senate. Also, he was sacrosanct, had the authority to veto (''ius intercessionis''), and could exercise capital punishment in the course of the performance of his duties. Most emperors' reigns were dated by their assumption of ''tribunicia potestas'', though some emperors, such as Tiberius, Titus, Trajan and Marcus Aurelius had already received it during their predecessor's reign. Marcus Agrippa and Drusus II, though never emperors, also received ''tribunicia potestas''. By extension from the technical Roman governmental usage, some modern politicians have been called "tribunes of the people."

Plebeian Tribune

In 494 BC, the city was at war, but the Plebeian soldiers refused to march against the enemy, and instead seceded to the Aventine hill. The Patricians quickly became desperate to end what was, in effect, a labor strike, and thus they quickly agreed to the demands of the Plebeians, that they be given the right to elect their own officials. The Plebeians named these new officials Plebeian Tribunes (''tribuni plebis''), and gave them two assistants, the Plebeian Aediles (''aediles plebi'').

Since the Plebeian Tribunes and Plebeian Aediles were elected by the Plebeians (non-aristocrats that owned land) in the Plebeian Council, rather than by all of the People of Rome (Plebeians, the Patrician nobility, and the ''capite censi'', landless commoners), they were technically not "magistrates". While the term "Plebeian Magistrate" (''magistratus plebeii'') has been used as an approximation, it is technically a contradiction. The Plebeian Aedile functioned as the Tribune's assistant, and often performed similar duties to those of the Curule Aediles. In time, however, the differences between the Plebeian Aediles and the Curule Aediles disappeared.

Since the Tribunes were considered to be the embodiment of the Plebeians, they were sacrosanct. Their sacrosanctity was enforced by a pledge, taken by the Plebeians, to kill any person who harmed or interfered with a Tribune during his term of office. All of the powers of the Tribune derived from their sacrosanctity. One obvious consequence of this sacrosanctity was the fact that it was considered a capital offense to harm a Tribune, to disregard his veto, or to interfere with a Tribune. The sacrosanctity of a Tribune (and thus all of his legal powers) were only in effect so long as that Tribune was within the city of Rome. If the Tribune was abroad, the Plebeians in Rome could not enforce their oath to kill any individual who harmed or interfered with the Tribune. Since Tribunes were technically not magistrates, they had no magisterial powers ("major powers" or ''maior potestas''), and thus could not rely on such powers to veto. Instead, they relied on the sacrosanctity of their person to obstruct. If a magistrate, an assembly or the senate did not comply with the orders of a Tribune, the Tribune could 'interpose the sacrosanctity of his person' (''intercessio'') to physically stop that particular action. Any resistance against the Tribune was tantamount to a violation of his sacrosanctity, and thus was considered a capital offense. Their lack of magisterial powers made them independent of all other magistrates, which also meant that no magistrate could veto a Tribune.

Tribunes could use their sacrosanctity to order the use of capital punishment against any person who interfered with their duties. Tribunes could also use their sacrosanctity as protection when physically manhandling an individual, such as when arresting someone. On a couple of rare occasions (such as during the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus), a Tribune might use a form of blanket obstruction, which could involve a broad veto over all governmental functions. While a Tribune could veto any act of the senate, the assemblies, or the magistrates, he could only veto the act, and not the actual measure. Therefore, he had to physically be present when the act was occurring. As soon as that Tribune was no longer present, the act could be completed as if there had never been a veto.

Tribunes, the only true representatives of the people, had the authority to enforce the right of ''provoco ad populum'', which was a theoretical guarantee of due process, and a precursor to the common law concept of habeas corpus. If a magistrate was threatening to take action against a citizen, that citizen could yell "''ego te provoco''!", which would appeal the magistrate's decision to a Tribune. A Tribune had to assess the situation, and give the magistrate his approval before the magistrate could carry out the action. Sometimes the Tribune brought the case before the College of Tribunes or the Plebeian Council for a trial. Any action taken in spite of a valid ''provocatio'' was on its face illegal. In this capacity, the Tribune was the principal, and often the only, guarantor of the civil liberties of Roman citizens against arbitrary state power. The degree of liberty afforded to Roman citizens by the Tribune through the power of Provocatio was unmatched in the ancient world.

Tribunes were required to be plebeians, and until 421 BC this was the only office open to them. In the late Republic the patrician politician Clodius arranged for his adoption by a plebeian branch of his family, and successfully ran for the tribunate. When Lucius Cornelius Sulla was dictator he severely curtailed the tribunes of the plebeians by invalidating their power of veto and making it illegal for them to bring laws before the ''Concilium Plebis'' without the Senate's consent. Afterwards, the tribune was restored to its former power during the consulship of Crassus and Pompey.

Throughout the Republic and its fall, powerful individuals used the tribunes for their personal glory and gain. Clodius and Milo were both tribunes who used violence in the courts and government in order to achieve the needs and requests of Pompey and Caesar. When the Senate refused to grant Caesar's veterans lands and a further governorship of Gaul, he turned to the tribunes with his demands and got them.

Roman military officers

===Tribune of the soldiers=== Each year the ''Tribal Assembly'' elected 24 young men in their late twenties with senatorial ambitions to serve as ''Tribunes of the Soldiers'' ''(tribunes militium)''. These 24 were distributed six to each of the consuls' four legions as the legions' commanding officers.

All middle-ranking officers of the legions were also titled tribunes, though they were unelected and junior to the ''tribunum militi.'' Messala, the villain in the 1880 novel Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace and its 1959 film, was a military tribune.

Tribune of the Celeres

The Tribune of the Celeres (''tribunus celerum'') was the commander of the personal bodyguard of the Roman King, the "Celeres", during the days of the Roman Kingdom. While the three original curia (Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres) were each headed by a Tribune, the Tribune of the Celeres did not lead any such curia. Rather, he was second in rank to the Roman King, could pass laws (''lex tribunicia''), and could theoretically preside over the Curiate Assembly in an attempt to deprive the king of his constitutional powers (his imperium), and thus his office. Occasionally, during a war, the Roman King might take command of the infantry, but delegate command of the cavalry to the Tribune of the Celeres. In this respect, the arrangement was revived after the fall of the monarchy, and during the years of the Roman Republic, between the Roman Dictator ("Master of the Infantry") and his Master of the Horse ("Master of the Cavalry").

Cohort commander

''Tribunus Cohortis:'' commander of military unit.

''Tribunus Cohortis Urbanae:'' urban cohort commander.

Tribune of the treasury

The duties of the tribunes of the treasury ''(tribuni aerarii)'' are somewhat shrouded in mystery. Originally they seem to have been tax collectors, but this power was slowly lost to other officials. By the end of the Republic it was a class of people slightly below the equites in wealth. In 70 BC the makeup of Roman juries was reformed, and 1/3 of all members were to be tribunes of the treasury.

Various offices

Tribunal: a raised platform in front of the HQ used for addressing the troops or administering justice.

: ''Tribunus'': senior officer. In the late Roman army, alternatively called a ''comes'', he was a commander of a cavalry regiment. The title survived in the East Roman army until the early 7th century, hellenized as ''tribounos''. : ''Tribunus angusticlavius'': "narrow-striped officer"; equestrian legionary officer, five to each legion. : ''Tribunus comitiatus'': officer elected as ''tribunus militum'' by the comitia. : ''Tribunus laticlavius'': "broad-striped officer"; senatorial legionary officer, second in command of a legion. : ''Tribunus militum'': senior legionary officer. : ''Tribunus militum a populo'': senior legionary officer appointed by popular assembly. : ''Tribunus rufulus'': officer picked by the commander. : ''Tribunus sexmestris'': tribune serving a tour of duty of only six months; note that there is absolutely no evidence at all to identify this officer as commander of the legionary cavalry as sometimes stated in modern literature. : ''Tribunus vacans'': Late Roman unassigned tribune; staff officer.

French revolutionary ''tribunat''

The "Tribunat", the French word for tribunate, derived from the Latin term ''tribunatus'', meaning the office or term of a Roman ''tribunus'' (see above), was a collective organ of the young revolutionary French Republic composed of members styled ''tribun'' (the French for tribune), which, despite the apparent reference to one of ancient Rome's prestigious magistratures, never held any real political power as an assembly, its individual members no role at all.

It was instituted by Napoleon I Bonaparte's Constitution of the Year VIII "in order to moderate the other powers" by discussing every legislative project, sending its ''orateurs'' ("orators", i.e. spokesmen) to defend or attack them in the Corps législatif, and asking the Senate to overturn "the lists of eligibles, the acts of the Legislative Body and those of the government" on account of unconstitutionality. Its 100 members were designated by the Senate from the list of citizens from 25 years up, and annually one fifth was renewed for a five-year term.

When it opposed the first parts of Bonaparte's proposed penal code, he made the Senate nominate 20 new members at once to replace the 20 first opponents to his politic; they accepted the historically important reform of penal law. As the Tribunate opposed new despotic projects, he got the Senate in year X to allow itself to dissolve the Tribunat. In XIII it was further downsized to 50 members. On August 16, 1807 it was abolished and never revived.

See also

Constitution of the Roman Republic

References

Notes

Sources

Bibliography

''Nouveau Larousse illustré'' (Encyclopaedia in French; undated, early 20th century)

''Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History'', Christopher S. Mackay, p. 135 for information on Tribunes of the Treasury

External links

The Use of the Tribunate for Reforms

Livius.org: Tribune

Category:Ancient Roman titles

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name	Tyreke Evans
width	200px
team	Sacramento Kings
number	13
position	Shooting guard/Point guard
career start	2009
height ft	6
height in	6
weight lb	220
league	NBA
nationality	American
birth date	September 19, 1989
birth place	Chester, Pennsylvania
high school	American Christian
college	Memphis (2008-2009)
draft round	1
draft pick	4
draft year	2009
draft team	Sacramento Kings
highlights	NBA Rookie of the Year (2010) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2010) T-Mobile Rookie Challenge MVP (2010) McDonald's All-American Game MVP(2008) }}

Tyreke Jamir Evans (born September 19, 1989 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Memphis, and was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the 4th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

High school

Evans grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, and was mainly raised by his three older brothers. He attended American Christian Academy in Aston, Pennsylvania, and by his sophomore year began drawing comparisons to NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady. As a senior, he averaged 32.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.3 steals. He was named the MVP of the McDonald's High School All-American Game and co-MVP (with Brandon Jennings) of the Jordan Brand Classic. At the age of 16, he was featured in the documentary ''Gunning for That #1 Spot'' directed by Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys. Evans was chosen to be the keeper of the SLAM Magazine High School Diary for the 2008 season.

College

In April 2008, Evans announced that he would attend the University of Memphis, after also considering Villanova University and the University of Texas.

Evans transitioned from playing small forward in high school to guard in college. He struggled at times at the beginning of his freshman season at the shooting guard position. This continued until coach John Calipari inserted him as the starting point guard in the 11th game of the season, a 60–45 win over the University of Cincinnati. In 33 minutes, Evans nearly put up a triple-double, with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. The Tigers would not lose another game until falling to the Missouri Tigers in the NCAA Tournament.

Evans was named the Conference USA Rookie of the Week eight times.

Evans was the only freshman finalist for the 2009 U.S. Basketball Writers of America National Player of the year award, named in honor of Oscar Robertson.

NBA

2009–2010 (rookie season)

On March 31, 2009, Evans declared himself eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft. Evans decided to forgo his remaining three seasons of collegiate eligibility. On June 25, 2009, Evans was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

On December 1, 2009, Evans was named NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played from the beginning of the season through November. During that time he averaged 18.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.33 steals in 36.1 minutes per game.

On December 21, 2009, he was instrumental in leading the Sacramento Kings back from a 35-point deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls, 102–98. Evans scored 9 of the Kings last 11 points, single-handedly outscoring the Bulls in the 4th quarter (11 points for Evans vs. 10 for the Bulls).

On January 4, 2010, Tyreke Evans was named Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for the second straight month.

On February 12, 2010 Tyreke Evans won the 2010 Rookie/Sophomore Game MVP award after recording 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 11/15 shooting. In an act of sportsmanship, he chose to share the award with DeJuan Blair, who had scored 22 points and pulled down 23 rebounds.

On March 11, 2010, Evans recorded his first career triple-double in a win against the Toronto Raptors on Rally for RekeROY night. Evans scored 19 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds.

He also became the fourth NBA player in history to ever average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie year, joining Oscar Robertson (1960), Michael Jordan (1984) and LeBron James (2003).

On April 27, 2010, Evans was recognized for his accomplishments by being awarded the 2009–2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

2010–2011 season

On December 29, 2010, in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, with the score tied with only seconds remaining, O. J. Mayo hit an off balance shot to put Memphis up by two. With no time outs remaining, Sacarmento inbounded to the ball to Evans, who then dribbled the ball to half court and nailed a 3 pointer with time expiring, giving Sacramento a 1 point win.

On January 6, 2011, Tyreke Evans scored 27 points and grabbed 12 boards leading his team to a 122–102 over the Nuggets.

On January 21, 2011, Evans scored career high 35 points, along with 5 boards and 3 assists and 3 steals.

Evans missed 19 games due to plantar fasciitis injury in his left foot, missing the 2011 NBA T-Mobile Rookie Challenge.

NBA statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Sacramento | 72 || 72 || 37.2 || .458 || .255 || .748 || 5.3 || 5.8 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 20.1 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Sacramento | 57 || 53 || 37.0 || .409 || .291 || .771 || 4.8 || 5.6 || 1.5 || 0.5 || 17.8 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 129 || 125 || 37.1 || .436 || .273 || .756 || 5.1 || 5.7 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 19.1

Awards and honors

NBA Rookie of the Year: 2010

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2010

NBA Rookie Challenge MVP: 2010

McDonald's All-American Game MVP: 2008

Notes

External links

Memphis Bio

Tyreke Evans News

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:People from Chester, Pennsylvania Category:American basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:Sacramento Kings draft picks Category:Sacramento Kings players Category:Basketball players from Pennsylvania

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{{infobox person |name

Victoria Beckham |birth_name Victoria Caroline Adams |image Victoria Beckham, May 2010.jpg |imagesize |caption Victoria Beckham at a May 2010 LG Mobile event |birth_date April 17, 1974 |birth_place Harlow, Essex, England |death_date |death_place |othername Posh, Posh Spice |occupation Singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer, businesswoman |yearsactive 1994–present |spouse David Beckham (1999–present) |children 4 |website Official website }}

Victoria Caroline Beckham (née Adams; born 17 April 1974) is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. During her rise to fame with the late 1990s girl pop group the Spice Girls, Beckham was dubbed Posh Spice, a nickname first coined by the British pop music magazine, ''Top of the Pops'' in the July 1996 issue. Since the Spice Girls pursued separate careers, she has had a solo pop music career, scoring four UK Top 10 singles. Her first single to be released, "Out of Your Mind", reached Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and is her highest chart entry to date. During her solo career, she has been signed to Virgin Records and Telstar Records.

Beckham has found more success as an internationally recognised and photographed style icon. Her career in fashion includes designing a line of jeans for Rock & Republic and later designing her own denim brand, dVb Style. Beckham has brought out her own range of sunglasses and fragrance, entitled Intimately Beckham, which has been released in the UK and the US. In association with the Japanese store Samantha Thavasa and Shiatzy Chen, she has produced a range of handbags and jewellery. In addition, Beckham has released two best-selling books; one her autobiography, the other a fashion guide.

In her television ventures, Beckham has participated in five official documentaries and reality shows about her, including ''Being Victoria Beckham'' and ''The Real Beckhams''. Her last documentary was ''Victoria Beckham: Coming to America'', which documented her move to the US with her family in 2007. She has since made a cameo appearance in an episode of American TV series ''Ugly Betty'', and been a guest judge on ''Project Runway'', ''Germany's Next Topmodel'', and ''American Idol''.

She is married to David Beckham and they have four children, Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven. As of 2009, the couple's joint wealth is estimated at £125 million.

Early life

Beckham was born at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex and raised in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire. She is the second child of three children born to Jacqueline and Anthony Adams. Her father worked as an electronics engineer, and the success of the family business allowed for a comfortable upbringing for Victoria and her siblings, sister Louise and brother Christian.

Beckham attended St. Mary's High School in Cheshunt. She was embarrassed by her family's wealth and often begged her father not to drop her off outside the school in their Rolls Royce. Beckham said that during her schooling days, she was a victim of bullying and often felt treated like an outsider. She commented: "Children were literally picking things up out of the puddles and throwing them at me. And I just stood there, on my own. No one was with me. I didn't have any friends."

She was inspired by watching the musical ''Fame'', and subsequently decided that she would become famous. It was then that her parents enrolled her at Jason Theatre School. At the age of 17, Beckham attended Laine Theatre Arts in Epsom, Surrey and studied dance and modelling. Eventually, she became a member of a band called Persuasion.

Career

Spice Girls

In 1994, Beckham joined the all-female group, the Spice Girls. In the recordings before her marriage, she is credited with her maiden name as Victoria Adams. The group's first single was called "Touch", and she worked with Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown and Melanie Chisholm. Beckham had previously answered an advertisement in ''The Stage'' in March 1993 which required girls who were "street smart, extrovert, ambitious and able to sing and dance". In 1996, the group's first single, "Wannabe", went to Number 1 in the UK and US, and another 29 countries. It was followed by nine further Number 1 singles from their albums ''Spice'', ''Spiceworld'' and ''Forever''. Each member of the group received a nickname from the media. Beckham was named "Posh Spice" due to her refined attitude, form-fitting designer outfits, such as little black dresses, and her love of high-heeled footwear. The group was one of the most successful pop acts of the 1990s, selling over fifty-five million records worldwide. After the release of their third album, ''Forever'' (UK number 2), which was far less successful than their previous two albums, the Spice Girls stopped recording, leading Beckham to try and build a solo career.

In 2007, the Spice Girls reformed and announced plans to embark upon a reunion tour, from which they were said to have earned £10 million each (approximately $20 million). Victoria had previously stated that she and her former Spice colleagues were enjoying their solo careers in various fields, saying "We're all still doing our own thing." Their "Greatest Hits" album was released in early November 2007 and the tour began on 2 December 2007. At its advent, Beckham said "I wanted my children to see that Mummy was a pop star. It was the last opportunity for them to stand in a crowd full of people screaming for the Spice Girls." When Beckham had her hair coloured brown for the tour, she stated that her sons immediately reacted by saying "Oh my goodness, it's Posh Spice. She's back." During one Spice Girls performance at London's The O2 Arena, her three sons accompanied her on stage during "Mama", along with the other Spice Girls' children. She was the only member of the group not to sing a solo song on the tour, instead posing in the style of a fashion show on a makeshift catwalk, whereas the others each performed a number from their solo careers. One critic wrote "This time around Posh gets the biggest cheer when she sings her solo lines. She knows it too – and it seems to give her more and more confidence as the show goes on."

Filmmaker Bob Smeaton directed an official film of the tour entitled ''Spice Girls: Giving You Everything'', which was first aired on Fox8 in Australia. It later aired in the UK on 31 December 2007 on BBC One. As well as their sell-out tour, the Spice Girls were contracted to appear in Tesco advertisements, for which they were paid £1 million each.

Solo career

On 14 August 2000, Beckham released her first solo single, "Out of Your Mind" in collaboration with Dane Bowers and Truesteppers. The week of release coincided with the release of "Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)" by Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor, resulting in a chart battle dubbed 'Posh vs. Posher' by the tabloids. Following a huge publicity campaign, "Out Of Your Mind" was outsold by Ellis-Bextor, and debuted at Number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. Before the single's release, on 8 July 2000, Beckham made her public solo debut at London's Hyde Park at a concert to raise money for the Prince's Trust charity. She sang "Out of Your Mind" to a 100,000-strong audience. Beckham then signed a recording contract with her group label Virgin Records. Her next single as a solo artist, "Not Such An Innocent Girl", was released on 17 September 2001. Again, she faced competition in another hugely hyped chart battle, this time with Kylie Minogue's single "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". Despite a huge promotional campaign, Beckham was outsold eight to one, and her single debuted at number 6. Beckham's ''eponymous debut album'', which was released on 1 October 2001, reached Number 10 in the UK album chart. The album cost a reputed £5 million to produce and it sold a modest 50,000 copies.

The second and final single to be released from the album was "A Mind of Its Own" on 11 February 2002. The single reached number 6 in the UK and sold 56,500 copies. Rumours soon spread that Beckham was to be dropped by her label for not charting in the Top Three. These were strongly refuted at the time. Beckham commented "You know what newspapers are like, they just like to put all the negative stuff in, but as far as I'm concerned and the record company is concerned it is all great." A third single, "I Wish", was promoted but never materialised. The single version was a remix featuring Robbie Craig, and was performed on TV on ''Friday Night's All Wright''. Following the announcement of Beckham's second pregnancy, the single was shelved. Beckham and Virgin Records went their separate ways; a statement from her publicist read: "No-one has been dropped. The Virgin deal has come to a natural end and both parties have decided not to continue."

In 2002, Telstar Records signed Beckham in a deal made with 19 Management worth £1.5 million. Beckham spent much of that year recording a pop-influenced album called ''Open Your Eyes'', which yielded the single "Let Your Head Go", but she allegedly chose not to release it after being disappointed with the results. Instead of pop, Beckham wanted a more urban sound, working with urban producer Damon Dash for a more RnB and hip hop influence. When he was first asked why he was working with Beckham he stated "Because I see how much she gets photographed over here." A Dash-produced track "It's That Simple" featuring M.O.P. premiered on radio stations in July 2003, generating mixed reviews. Beckham's first single with Telstar, "Let Your Head Go / This Groove", was released in the UK on 29 December 2003, following heavy promotion and many TV appearances across the Christmas period with the video being directed by Andy Hylton. The single charted at Number 3 in the UK. This double A-side lifted "Let Your Head Go" from Beckham's earlier pop-inspired work with "This Groove" one of her Hip-Hop/R'n'B songs and remains Beckham's last single release to date. She is currently the only Spice Girl never to have had a UK solo number one, though she is also the only Spice Girl to have all her single/album releases go Top 10. Outside of the UK, Damon Dash had plans for Beckham in the US, including a potential release of "Let Your Head Go / This Groove" under the name of "Posh Spice Victoria Beckham". The release was proposed for sometime between March to May 2004, but never eventuated.

With the UK media describing her solo music career a failure, combined with a rumoured fall-out between Dash and Fuller, her hip hop album, ''Come Together'', was not released. Amidst the collapse of Telstar, remaining plans for Beckham's music career were cancelled. Beckham is the only Spice Girl to have all of her singles and albums chart in the Top 10 of the UK charts, but she also has released fewer albums (1) and singles (4).

Books

Beckham's autobiography, entitled ''Learning to Fly'', was released on 13 September 2001. The title was taken from a line in a song from the musical ''Fame'', which Beckham had enjoyed as a child. The verse that inspired the title is: "I'm gonna live forever, I'm gonna learn how to fly". The book documents her childhood, time during the Spice Girls, her marriage and family life, as well as her career at the time. ''Learning to Fly'' became the third best-selling non-fiction title of 2001 and the total UK sales stand at more than 500,000 copies. When the book was first released, it went to Number 1 in the book charts after four weeks of release, relegating Robbie Williams' book to second place. A high-profile guest appearance on ''Parkinson'', watched by nine million people, helped to promote the book. Before the publishing of the book, ''Hello!'', ''The Daily Mail'' and ''The Mail on Sunday'' joined to buy the rights to preview and serialise the book before its release. The figure paid was thought to be near £1 million.

Beckham was quoted by a Spanish journalist in 2005 as saying "I've never read a book in my life". She later claimed this was a mistranslation from the original Spanish in which the interview was printed, saying she actually stated that she never had time to finish reading a book because she was always too busy looking after her children.

Beckham's second book, a fashion advice guide, entitled ''That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything In Between'', was published on 27 October 2006. ''That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything In Between'' includes tips from Beckham on fashion, style and beauty, and also contains photography by Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz and Steven Meisel. The book became another bestseller, and has sold 400,000 copies in Britain alone since it was published in hardcover. The rights have since been sold to the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, Lithuania, Russia, and most recently China.

Television

Beckham has shot five official documentaries. The first, dated 11 January 2000, was called ''Victoria's Secrets'', a programme only shown in the UK on Channel 4. It involved Beckham being followed by cameras while also discussing and interviewing other British celebrities, such as Elton John. The second, ''Being Victoria Beckham'', was broadcast in March 2002 and saw Beckham discussing her career as a solo artist with the release of her first album, and also showed her at various photo shoots and recording sessions. The documentary attracted a strong audience of 8.83 million, coming top in its timeslot. One critic described her as "so clearly level-headed, happy with her not inconsiderable lot and seemingly unfazed by the madly intrusive nature of her monumentally ridiculous fame". The third, ''The Real Beckhams'', aired on 24 December 2003 on ITV1 and focused on the Beckhams' move to Madrid from London after David Beckham was signed to Real Madrid. It also featured Victoria Beckham re-launching her solo career and showed her mocking the tabloid stories she reads in the paper every day. The special received an audience of 6.10 million viewers and was later released on DVD on 2 February 2004.

The fourth was entitled Full Length & Fabulous: The Beckhams' 2006 World Cup Party, and followed Victoria and David Beckham organising and making preparations to host a 2006 World Cup Party at a marquee in the grounds of their mansion in Hertfordshire, which aimed to raise money for their charity. Two tickets to attend the ball were auctioned on-line for charity, and sold for £103,000. The documentary aired on 28 May 2006 and showed the event itself, where the menu was designed especially by friend and chef Gordon Ramsay and the charity auction was hosted by Graham Norton. Ramsay catered for 600 guests, with the aid of 40 chefs and 100 waiting staff. The ITV documentary attracted an average of 7.56 million viewers.

To document Victoria Beckham's preparations for her family's move to the US, she signed a deal with NBC for six episodes of a half-hour unscripted reality TV series. Despite original plans for six episodes, the show was cut to a one hour special only as there "just wasn't enough (material) for a series." The show, called ''Victoria Beckham: Coming to America'', aired on 16 July 2007 in the US and Canada. It was heavily scrutinised by the American media and critics, with ''The New York Post'' describing it as "an orgy of self-indulgence" and also describing Beckham as "vapid and condescending". The programme was the third-most-watched programme in its time-slot and received viewing figures of 4.9 million in the US, beaten by a repeat of ''Wife Swap'' and two sitcoms. The programme aired in Britain on 17 July 2007 on ITV with 3.84 million viewers tuning in. The programme was produced by Simon Fuller who managed her and the Spice Girls on their come-back tour.

In July 2007, it was announced that Beckham would shortly begin filming a cameo appearance as herself in an episode of the second season of ABC's TV series ''Ugly Betty''. The episode, "A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding", aired on 9 November 2007 in the United States and on 23 November in the United Kingdom. Beckham's first line was "This is major", said when bursting through a curtain at a dress fitting for a wedding, in which she was the bridesmaid. Beckham has said she only agreed to the part because of her interest in fashion, and not for the acting opportunity. Despite her forays into television, Beckham has denied plans to embark upon a Hollywood movie career. In February 2008, it was revealed that Beckham would be the guest judge for the finale of fourth season of ''Project Runway'', which aired on 5 March 2008 in the US.

Fashion

Beckham has become better recognised as an international style icon, rather than a music artist. Beckham made a guest appearance on the catwalk for Maria Grachvogel in 2000, marking her debut as a model at London Fashion Week. Beckham also acted as a British ambassador for Dolce and Gabbana and was briefly the face of Rocawear in 2003. Beckham designed a limited-edition fashion line for Rock & Republic called VB Rocks in 2004, consisting mainly of jeans for the high end of the market, retailing at approximately $300 in the US. She had previously "hit it off instantly" with Rock & Republic designer, Michael Ball, in Los Angeles. He commented "She not only understands fashion and trends but has been a trend-setter and fashion icon for years."

On 16 January 2006, Beckham walked the runway for Roberto Cavalli at Milan Fashion Week, and was for a period exclusively dressed by him for red-carpet and social events. For the March 2006 issue of ''Harper's Bazaar'', Beckham acted as fashion editor when she styled her close friend, Katie Holmes, for a fashion shoot. In July 2006, Beckham released a line of sunglasses, called dvb Eyewear. She has admitted to a personal love of sunglasses, saying "I'm quite obsessed with sunglasses. I collect vintage Guccis and Carreras — they can make virtually any outfit look cool." After Beckham's departure from Rock & Republic, in September 2006, she furthered her fashion ventures by launching her own denim label, of which she acts as creative director. The new line of Beckham's jeans collection is called dvb Style. In the same month, Intimately Beckham, a his-and-her fragrance line, was launched at a lavish press conference in Venice. Beckham then launched her new official website, dvbstyle.com, which promotes her fashion work. She also produced a range of handbags and jewellery in association with the Japanese store, Samantha Thavasa.

On 5 June 2007, Beckham won two British ''Glamour Magazine'' Awards, one for "Woman of the Year" and another for "Entrepreneur of the Year," which celebrated her fashion achievements. On 14 June 2007 Beckham launched her dvb Denim collection in New York at the high-end Saks Fifth Avenue, along with unveiling her eye-wear range in the United States for the first time. In the same month, Beckham made her first appearance at London's annual Graduate Fashion Week as a judge alongside Glenda Bailey (editor-in-chief of ''Harper’s Bazaar'') and Lanvin's Alber Elbaz, to choose the winner of the River Island Gold Award, worth £20,000. In August 2007, Intimately Beckham perfume hit US stores for the first time. Victoria Beckham has stated "We are not just saying, 'We are celebrities, put our name on it.' I love to be involved with the whole process." The Intimately Beckham line has been predicted to sell over $100 million worth of sales internationally, doubling this estimate in 2008. In September 2007, Beckham released Intimately Beckham Night a new range of his-and-her fragrances, and her debut cosmetics line V-Sculpt was unveiled and launched in Tokyo. In a 2007 appearance at an LA Galaxy press conference, Beckham is credited with having popularised Roland Mouret's 'moon dress' and his brand, and Beckham was also the face of Marc Jacobs for his Spring 2008 collection. Beckham's own fashion collection debuted during the 2008 New York Fashion Week at the Waldorf Hotel, featuring dresses, of which only 400 will be made. Her first collection, that will retail between £650 and £1900, was met with positive reviews; "it was a very impressive, accomplished collection, with not a single dud. ... it was the fabrics (silk, wool and organza) and the attention to detail that impressed", wrote one critic, whilst others called it "Beautiful", "desirable" and "classy".

Beckham sealed her status as a fashion icon by appearing on the cover of different editions of Vogue Magazine three times in a the space of a year. Beckham's first appearance was on the April 2008 cover of British Vogue, then in November she appeared on Indian Vogue, and in February 2009 she made the cover of Russian Vogue. Beckham has voiced her anti-fur beliefs, and promotes an animal friendly wardrobe filled with faux/synthetic furs. Her stand against the fur industry has generated admiration from animal rights organizations, including PETA. Of PETA's numerous anti-fur campaigns, Beckham stated that she is "supportive of its high-profile anti-fur campaigns," and pledged "never to work with fur in any of her own fashion collections". Beckham is also well known for her love of designer high heeled shoes.

Personal life

In 1997, she started dating footballer David Beckham after they had met at a charity football match, prompting him to request a meeting with her. Of their initial meeting, she said, "I didn't really know who he was. I was never into football." The couple announced their engagement in 1998 and were dubbed "Posh and Becks" by the media. On 4 July 1999 they were married by the Bishop of Cork, Paul Colton, at Luttrellstown Castle, Ireland. The wedding attracted much media coverage. Beckham's team-mate, Gary Neville, was the best man, and the couple's four month old son Brooklyn was the ring bearer. Most of the media were kept away from the ceremony as an exclusive deal with ''OK!'' magazine had been arranged, but photographs were released showing the Beckhams sitting on golden thrones. Victoria wearing a diamond coronet created for her by jewellery designer Slim Barrett. A total of 437 staff were employed for the wedding reception, which was estimated to have cost £500,000 (US$823,650). The couple bought what would become their most famous home for £2.5 million in 1999; the property, which is set in of land, was duly given a £3 million renovation and was subsequently dubbed Beckingham Palace by the media.

Victoria and David Beckham have four children: sons Brooklyn Joseph (born 4 March 1999, Westminster, London), Romeo James (born 1 September 2002, Westminster, London), Cruz David (born 20 February 2005, Madrid, Spain); and daughter Harper Seven (born 10 July 2011, Los Angeles). Elton John and David Furnish are reportedly the godparents of Brooklyn and Romeo, and the godmother is Elizabeth Hurley. Prior to Harper's birth, Victoria and David Beckham stated that they had a strong desire for a daughter.

In January 2000, a tip-off to Scotland Yard detectives exposed a plot to kidnap Victoria and Brooklyn Beckham and hold them at a house in Hampstead, London. The family was then moved to a secret location, but no arrests were made. Later in March 2000, she received a death threat prior to performing at the Brit Awards with the Spice Girls, and in the show's rehearsal, a red laser light appeared on her chest and she was rushed off stage. After a fire door was found to be lodged open, it was thought that there had been an assassin there, and Beckham later revealed that she was terrified by the experience. In November 2002, five people were arrested after another plot for her kidnap was infiltrated by a tabloid newspaper. All charges were dropped after a witness was deemed unreliable. In 2004, allegations surfaced that David Beckham had had a brief affair with a former personal assistant, Rebecca Loos. The affair had apparently taken place when David had moved to Madrid, although he denied all the allegations.

The family moved to Los Angeles, California on 12 July 2007 as a result of David being signed to play for the LA Galaxy. On their arrival in America on 12 July 2007, Victoria and David were met by hundreds of paparazzi and media representatives, causing a media frenzy. They currently reside in a $22 million Beverly Hills mansion with ten security guards. To create publicity for their move to America, the couple were photographed in their underwear for the fashion magazine, ''W'', which also included an interview in which Victoria said that David's supposed affair with Loos had made their marriage stronger. On 29 May 2011, it was announced that the Beckhams would be settling back to England after the birth of their fourth child, which occurred in July 2011.

It was reported in October 2007 that Beckham had turned down the opportunity to appear in ''Sex and the City: The Movie''. She stated in an interview: "...asked to be in the ''Sex and the City'' film, which I would have loved to have done, but because I am in full-on Spice Girls rehearsal mode, unfortunately, I can't do it." Beckham's marriage and career as a singer have made her the 52nd richest woman in Britain. and the 19th richest person in Britain with husband David, with an estimated joint wealth of £112 million ($225 million USD). In 2010, Beckhams's charity work with Save the Children earned her a nomination for the Do Something With Style Award from the VH1 Do Something Awards. The awards show, produced by Vh1, is dedicated to honoring people who do good and is powered by Do Something, an organization that aims to empower, celebrate, and inspire young people.

Filmography

''American Idol (season 9)

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
1997	Spice World (film)>Spice World''	Herself
2000
2002	''Being Victoria Beckham''
2003	''The Real Beckhams''
2006	''Full Length & Fabulous''
rowspan=2	2007		''Victoria Beckham: Coming to America''
''Ugly Betty''	Episode "A Nice Day for a Posh Wedding"
2008	''Project Runway''
2009	''Germany's Next Topmodel''
2010	American Idol'' ||	Appeared as a guest judge	Boston & Denver Auditions
2010	''SpongeBob SquarePants''

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Charts
		! width="40"
2001		* Released: 1 October 2001	* Label: Virgin	Compact Cassette>cassette	10

Singles

Year	Single	Charts	Album
!align="center" width="30"	!align="center" width="30"	!align="center" width="30"	!align="center" width="30"	!align="center" width="30"
2000
2001							align="center" rowspan="2"
2002
	align="left"

See also

Girl Power

Power couple

Celebrity

Spice Girls

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:Businesspeople in fashion Category:English bloggers Category:English businesspeople Category:English dance musicians Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English female singers Category:English pop singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:Footballers' wives and girlfriends Category:People from Waltham Cross Category:Spice Girls members

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