Hello Magazine reported that the footie ace has apparently caught the eye of presidential election candidates, including Senator Hillary Clinton.

Following the handsome footballer's appearance in a half-time ad at the Super Bowl a fortnight ago, both the former First Lady and former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani are reported to be keen to get Beckham to appear with them in promotional TV slots.

"To be seen with him could add thousands of votes," says one source.

Moreover, Beckham is to be featured on the packaging for the US cereal brand Wheaties, which dubs itself the "breakfast of champions". Becks follows in the footsteps of one of his greatest sporting idols, Michael Jordan.

Beckham is also appearing on the cover of American glossy Details next month. And the style magazine, which seems more than confident the midfielder will be a huge success countrywide, has even gone so far as to ask whether he might become "the greatest American hero".

Tammy out of shape?

Tamarine Tanasugarn, challenged physically by younger and fitter players, played down talk about her fitness, insisting the digits on the electronic weighing scale have been the same for a long time. The tennis star was a topic among fans and those in tennis circles during her appearance in the Pattaya Women's Open: they thought she looked completely out of shape.

She denied the criticism and instead put the blame on the new design of her outfit which gave an exaggerated look to her figure. "I've had a lot of complaints from the fans, but honestly my weight is the same. I think the new outfit makes me look bigger," said the former world top 20 player adamantly.

No matter what the scales say, Tamarine is more concerned about her health. She makes it clear that she has no plans to cut her weight but would instead try every possible way to get stronger.

"At this stage of my career, I really need to be physically healthy. I have to stay strong so that I can enjoy tennis longer," said Tamarine, who will turn 30 in May.

Long lost brothers

It was a dream come true for Thai national team midfielder Terdsak Jaiman when he got a chance to rub shoulders with his idol Zinedine Zidane in a charity match in Chiang Mai last week.

"Apart from serving the national team, this was one of the proudest moments of my life. Very few players ever get a chance to pass a ball to the former three-time Fifa player of the year. He was not a 'galactico' in the stricter sense but a genuine footballer," said Terdsak, who became one of Zidane's die-hard fans when the French star started playing for Juventus.

A commentator joked that Terdsak was Zidane's long-lost brother due to their similar shaven heads. The Thai chuckled when asked about it. "I am happy to hear that. It is definitely a compliment but I don't want to be compared to him. He is more handsome and more competent than me," he said.

Responsible drinking

Three elite golfers will leave their clubs behind to practise their catering skills for a charitable cause tomorrow.

"Big Easy" Ernie Els, the two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen and world No 4 Adam Scott will be serving drinks to VIP guests to raise funds for tsunami victims. The Tsunami Fund charity is a part of the activities to be featured in the Johnnie Walker Classic which will tee off tomorrow at the Blue Canyon Country Club in Phuket.

The event is also being used to promote responsible drinking. Let's hope the three stars will not down a few drinks and appear on the first tee with a hangover the next day.

Zizou, a perfect footballer

The Adidas Impossible Match in Chiang Mai last week made Thai fans feel that Zinedine Zidane was born to be the perfect footballer.

The former French international midfielder appeared at a press conference with a taciturn look and light smile. He was also modest and polite throughout the interview.

However, he turned out to be a different person on the pitch. The French star was a sensation throughout the time he was on the field, showing classy passing, dazzling tricks of possession and fluid movement in the scorching heat. 

 The match was worth every penny and the extra miles everyone had to go to see Zidane, though Thai fans had no chance to even get close to their idol.