BECKHAM TRIES TO BEND HIS EYES AROUND LAKERS CHEERLEADERS

It looks as though Victoria Beckham has had enough of husband David’s court-side ogling of the cheerleaders at LA Lakers basketball games.

The LA Galaxy player has been spending a good amount of his free time at the Staples Centre in LA, and has been snapped a few times with his eyes on round bouncy things- and we’re not talking the basketballs.

The front row seats which are just a few feet from the court are hot tickets for celebrities and basket ball fans alike and now Victoria,34 knows why.

Victoria keeps her husband David Beckham in check as he admires the scantilly clad cheerleaders at an LA Lakers game

David sneaks a quick peak at the blonde beauty when wife Victoria is distracted

David keeps his attention on Victoria as the blond cheerleader shakes her behind in front of him

So this time around- despite her obvious disinterest in the game- the former Spice Girl wasn’t taking any chances and decided to join David at the match to keep her husbands gaze away from the scantily clad cheerleaders.

But the hot-pant wearing, mid rift showing cheerleaders strutted their stuff in front of the Beckhams as they entertained the crowd.

And as hard as David, 33 tried to keep his gaze firmly fixed on the match his eyes wandered a few times to the disapproval of Victoria who gave him a few menacing looks.

Even Victoria Beckham couldn’t help taking a glimpse of the well toned blonde

Victoria looks unimpressed and David keeps his eyes firmly shut as the line of cheerleaders walk past them

Posh -who is know for her glum looks- couldn’t hide her annoyance at the line women with their meagre attire who seemed set on standing in front of her husband to perform their dance routine.

And although she kept David in check on several occasions even she couldn’t help taking  glimpse at the well toned cheerleaders.

In one instance it almost looked like Posh wanted her Spice days back as she admired the tanned body of one of blonde dancers.

There there: David gives Victoria a gentle pat on the back

David even tried to shut his eyes a few times in an attempt to block out the sexy ladies dancing just a few feet from where he was sitting.

Luckily for Victoria, David only had eyes for her and even gave his wife a few reassuring pats on the back.

Income Tax department has sent a notice to BCCI

Foreign players participating in the IPL (Indian Premier League) may soon find a higher amount being deducted in the form of taxes if the Income Tax department has its way. The I-T department has sent a notice to BCCI asking for copies of all agreements signed between the players and the franchisees.

Twenty20 - cricket’s latest format is making waves in India throught the Indian Premier League. A huge noisy crowd, film stars rooting for their own teams and cheerleaders are reminders of the league’s resounding success. So with everyone sharing the spoils, how can the Income Tax department want to miss the party.

The income tax department has now asked BCCI to furnish details of the tax deductions made while making payments to these players. The income tax department and the BCCI  have had a long history of dispute on taxation issues. And even as BCCI is busy milking the IPL cashcow, the I-T department is determined to extract its pound of flesh with what it feels is a purely commercial business venture and not just cricket.

In its notice served to BCCI, the I-T separtment has asked the BCCI to clarify whether TDS at 11.33% has been deducted before releasing the payment
They have also said that since the contract is a long term contract of three years, why should the applicable tax slabs prevailing in the country not be applied, a demand that is supported by tax experts.

BD Gupta, Former Income Tax Commissioner said, “There is no exemption. Whatever money they make they have to pay 11% TDS and after that they also have to file their income tax returns.”

The BCCI is likely to contest this claim on the grounds that the IPL is a short term venture and does not amount to employment.

Meanwhile the service tax department is also investigating whether any of  the contracts signed between BCCI and the various franchisees come under the service tax net or not.

Report By: CNBC TV 18

2008 NBA Mock Draft

Here is my first edition of a mock draft for 2008!

1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose (Memphis)
Beasley seems to be a better fit, as the Bulls need a low-post scorer, but I simply think Derrick Rose is the better player. He’s unstoppable in the open court, and if he ever develops a consistent jumpshot, he looks like a stronger version of Chris Paul (without quite the passing ability). Plus, John Paxson always emphasizes defense, and Derrick Rose has a much higher ceiling as a defender than Michael Beasley.

2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley (Kansas St.)
Rose is the guy they really want, but Beasley sure is a nice consolation. He’s NBA ready both on the offensive end and rebounding the basketball, and should be able to step into a lineup right away. Beasley will have his struggles on the offensive end, but a trio of Wade-Marion-Beasley would be a real good start in Miami.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - Brook Lopez (Stanford)
With Lopez, the Timberwolves would be setting themselves up to have one of the best offensive frontlines in the NBA. They already have improving Al Jefferson, and Brook Lopez has great touch around the basket. Lopez does not have great athleticism, but he’s big and is refined in his post moves around the basket. That could warrant a top 3 pick.

4. Seattle Supersonics - Jerryd Bayless (Arizona)
Seattle already had a nice core from last year’s draft, and Bayless would be another great piece. He’s a PG in the mold of a guy like Gilbert Arenas, in that he is really quick off the dribble and is a deadeye shooter. He is 19 and Kevin Durant is 20, so that would be a potent 1-2 combo for years.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - OJ Mayo (USC)
The Grizzlies could go with a big man here, but I like them to go with an off guard in OJ Mayo to create an immensely talented young backcourt, teaming him up with Mike Conley (and then ideally dealing Javaris Crittenton or Kyle Lowry). Mayo has great range on his shot (which makes him a good complement to Conley), but can also score off the dribble, and showed surprising leadership ability in his one year with USC.

6. New York Knicks - Danilo Gallinari (Italy)
According to reports, Gallinari is a 6′10” forward with PG skills. He can handle the ball, create his own shot (either off the drive or with his back to the basket), hit from 3-point range, and he’s a good passer. Sounds like a perfect fit for D’Antoni’s system.

7. Los Angeles Clippers - Russell Westbrook (UCLA)
With the PG position unsettled in LA, Westbrook is a nice fit to stay in town and join the Clippers. While he hasn’t played full-time at PG very much, he showed he has the skills to do it last year. He’s solid handling the ball, he’s a very good passer, and he has the athleticism required. He’s very tough defensively both on the ball and in the passing lanes. He needs to develop a more consistent jump shot, but that was coming along as the year went. With his athleticism, he is great on the fast break.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - Eric Gordon (Indiana)
Gordon is a great scoring combo guard. With Gordon, the Bucks could look to unload Michael Redd and his large contract. Gordon can score in a variety of ways, as he showed by leading the Big 10 in scoring as a freshman.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - Anthony Randolph (LSU)
Looking for more athleticism, the Bobcats can look to young, but very talented and athletic Randolph. He’s in the mold of a Brandan Wright from last year in that he needs to bulk up and improve his midrange game, but he appears to have the talent to do that. He averaged over 15 and 8 in his rookie campaign, and with over 2 blocks per game, showed that his athleticism can allow him to do some things defensively.

10. New Jersey Nets - Kevin Love (UCLA)
With athleticism all around, the Nets can take Love, who provides an NBA ready, polished game. He’ll never be a star because of his athletic limitations, but he’s an extremely intelligent player, great passer, rebounder, and showed a nice jumpshot last season.

11. Indiana Pacers - DJ Augustin (Texas)
The Pacers are really pretty bad at PG, so Augustin is the natural pick here. He’s not the most athletic PG in the draft, but he’s quick enough. He is crafty enough to get his own shot, he’s a very good shooter, and he can get them into their offense and get playmakers the ball (as he showed when he played Kevin Durant). This seems like a logical pick for Indiana if Augustin is still on the board.

12. Sacramento Kings - DeAndre Jordan (Texas A&M)
Jordan is extremely raw, but his athletic ability is too much to pass up. He has a long way to go, as he showed by not having a huge impact in his year at College Station (8 PPG, 6 RPG), but with his great ability, he projects to be a solid scorer, excellent rebounder and shot blocker.

13. Portland Trailblazers - Joe Alexander (West Virginia)
With the Blazers looking to make a run at the playoffs next season, Alexander is a guy that could come in and give them quality minutes right away. He’s not very good defensively, but he has an advanced offensive game and can score in a variety of ways. He’s sneakily athletic, has a great jump shot with lots of range, and showed he can carry a team for stretches.

14. Golden State Warriors - Donte Greene (Syracuse)
Greene looks like a great fit for Nellie ball. He’s a 3/4 combo guy that can stretch the floor with his outside shot. He’s great in the midrange, and shot nearly 35% from downtown in his one season for the Orange. He looks like he could develop into a very solid rebounder with his athleticism and leaping ability, as he averaged over 7 per game. He might not be ready to play a lot of minutes right away, but he should be able to contribute some with his varied skills.

Harbhajan Singh “Bhajji” Banned For 11 IPL Matches For Slaping Sreesanth

The BCCI on Monday banned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for 11 matches of the Indian Premier League. The decision was taken at a hearing by DLF Indian Premier league match referee Farokh Engineer.

Harbhajan Singh was accompanied by Lalchand Rajput and Harsha Bhogle whereas Yuvraj Singh and Maxwell came to support Sreesanth. The hearing started at 1PM IST and lasted for 1:30 hours. It took 1 hour after the hearing for the decesion to be made.

Kings XI Punjab termed Harbhajan’s behaviour as unacceptable and against the spirit of the game.

The match referee Farokh Engineer found conclusive evidence about Harbhajan’s guilt and Sreesanth’s innocence. While he banned Harbhajan for 11 IPL matches, no penalty was announced on S Sreesanth. He was let off with a mild warning. The match referee got video footage from 7 angles that proved beyond doubt that Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth without any provocation.

Harbhajan Singh, had carried a letter, which he presented before the commission. He also expressed regretted for his actions which hurt Sreesanth’s feelings.

Harbhajan Singh, now, wont be able to play in any league matches for IPL Mumbai team. It has not been clarified whether the previous match when Bhajji was suspended is part of the 11 games. If it is , it means that technically Harbhajan is eligible to play the semi finals in the event of Mumbai Indians reaching the last 4.

BCCI President Sharad Pawar said that he had told the IPL Chairman if there was prima facie evidence of wrong-doing on the part of any player, the IPL should take immediate action against the player.
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Harbhajan Singh “Bhajji” Slaps Sreesanth

Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh and Kings XI paceman S Sreesanth were on Friday involved in a bitter row, following which the fast bowler was seen crying bitterly on the ground at the end of their IPL match here.

The slap left players of both the teams shell-shocked and brought an unsavoury end to the otherwise electrifying IPL match at the PCA Stadium here tonight.

The paceman was seen crying bitterly on the ground at the end of the IPL match, which his team won by 66 runs

It was not the media but policemen on duty who were witness to the shocking and bizarre incident that corroborated the Aussies impression of how misbehaved these two Indian players are.

However, within half an hour of slapping Sreesanth, Harbhajan Singh had to apologise for his ‘regretful’ action.

The incident took place immediately after Kings XI Punjab defeated Mumabi Indians and the players were moving back to the dressing room. An infuriated Bhajji not only allegedly picked an argument with temperamental Sreesanth but also delivered a slap on his face. Sreesanth was later seen weeping on the field at the time of the award ceremony.

Immediately after the fracas, Mohali captain Yuvraj Singh walked up to Harbhajan to have a chat with him. Yuvraj said he did not know what transpired between the two. “I do not know what exactly happened but one does not want to see such things happening. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and ICC’s principal advisor I.S. Bindra also had a word with the off spinner. In the post-match conference, asked if there was an incident involving Sreesanth and him, Harbhajan said: “Can we talk cricket?”

At the end of the day, players shake hands.

Cheerleaders giving boost to IPL

After promotion by bollywood stars its time of cheerleaders giving boost to Indian Premier League.  A new chapter is opening in Indian cricketing history with the IPL. It was first time when bidding was done on cricket players and now bringing cheerleaders like an item number in the Bollywood movies.

All teams particticipating in IPL is also on race of having best cheerleaders. With voting for best IPL team is going everywhere but also for Team having best cheerleaders. It seems assured that cricket’s old guard will not know what has hit it.
The Redskins cheerleaders have promised to deliver an entirely novel form of motivational dance — a blend of traditional all-American cheerleading moves and Indian “Bollywood hip-hop” steps, to add razzmatazz to the IPL.

Lisa Ince choreographing cheerleaders for the Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm and the St George Illawarra Dragons got a call from Indian Agencies for getting hired as cheerleaders and in an hour it was a done deal.”The 12 cheerleaders, dressed in white tops, red tartan miniskirts and black knee-high boots, hail from Sydney and Melbourne.

“It was just crazy,” Ince said.

She was immediately struck by the reception from the vast Eden Gardens crowd, which included typical wolf-whistling and wild “The girls are just really excited and the crowd is really behind them.”

Melbourne Storm cheerleader Emily Runting said the crowd was “way bigger than the rugby and more noisy”.

“I didn’t know what to expect. It’s huge. It’s exciting,” she said.

Not only cheerleaders from abroad are participating in this league but Indian cheerleaders are also in this race. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings also having there cheerleaders team. Lets see till how much height these cheerleaders gives boost to this game.

Some of pictures of cheerleaders in DLF IPL :

Cheerleaders of Deccan Chargers

Cheerleaders of Royal Challengers

Cheerleaders of Super Kings

Cheerleaders of Mumbai Indians