Strip 122 Number No. 44(399) dated 11/12/2002

Journalists saved the Beckham family

Nine people have been arrested in London for trying to kidnap the family of England football team captain David Beckham. For Beckham's wife, former Spice Girls member Victoria, and their two sons - three-year-old Brooklyn and six-month-old Romeo - the attackers planned to receive a ransom of 5 million pounds sterling ($7.8 million).
The arrests were made thanks to information received from journalists from the British newspaper News of the World. Several of them gained the trust of the alleged kidnappers, one of them was even entrusted to drive the car that was supposed to take away one of the richest families in Britain. The journalists managed to make a video recording with a hidden camera, which leaves no doubt about the seriousness of the kidnappers’ intentions - the criminals planned to use psychotropic drugs and take the hostages to a “safe” place in the London area of Brixton.
This is not the first time that criminals are trying to make money from the super-popular Beckham family. In January 2000, an attempt to kidnap Victoria and her son Brooklyn during a football match at Wembley Stadium was foiled. Then the famous family was taken by police to a “safe” house for 48 hours. However, no one was arrested then, since the criminals were at the stage of planning the kidnapping and did not leave any evidence.
Beckham's family is deeply shocked by what happened. The father of the family, whose income last year alone amounted to 24.3 million euros, is urgently taking security measures: hiring new bodyguards and installing surveillance systems at home.

NOT IN CONTRIBUTION

Photo: AP

Tom Cruise bought an English home closer to Chinese soil

Tom Cruise celebrated a housewarming party
Show business stars continue to buy property in London. Tom Cruise became the neighbor of the star couple - Madonna and Guy Ritchie. He purchased an apartment in a prestigious area between Regents Park and Oxford Street with an area of more than 2 thousand square meters. m. The purchase cost $5.5 million. The film actor’s new home has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, three showers, living rooms are decorated in Victorian style, the floors are covered with huge oriental rugs. But Tom Cruise considers its convenient location to be the main advantage of his residence. The actor notes that he managed to save on expensive security systems. The fact is that the apartment is located opposite the Chinese Embassy, which is guarded by police patrols around the clock.

WHITE CROW

Jagger's daughter looks like her father
A Los Angeles court sentenced Mick Jagger's daughter Scarlett to a fine of $5 thousand "for violating public order." The father's scandalous character has been known for a long time, but the daughter showed her temper for the first time.

Scarlett Jagger sometimes shows not only her clothes, but also what's underneath them

Three years ago, Scarlett signed a contract with a London modeling agency and managed to become the favorite model of Vivienne Westwood and Thierry Mugler, a close friend of the Jagger family. After the next show, which took place in Los Angeles, Scarlett at the banquet was so amused by strong drinks that she climbed onto the table and staged an impromptu striptease. Attempts by the service staff to calm the model down were unsuccessful. A tall and strong girl, who was also familiar with martial arts, knocked out the head waiter and knocked down a couple of waiters. Only a reinforced police force dealt with the stripper, who adorned the star’s wrists with handcuffs.
When the father was informed about his daughter’s antics, he smiled contentedly: “My daughter is cheerful, she took after me!”

EXPENSIVE PLEASURE

Bra for 9.75 million
18-year-old model Karolina Kurkova, announced as "Model of the Year" at the 2002 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, became the face of the latest bra from the Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra series - Star of Victoria, worth 9.75 million euros. Bra

Photo: AP

Karolina Kurkova has to advertise a slow-selling product

made with the participation of the Mouawad jewelry company and decorated with 1,150 rubies, 1,600 emeralds and a 60-carat diamond. The bra is complemented by panties with 2420 rubies, emeralds and diamonds. All gemstones are made in the shape of rose flowers and leaves.
This is not the most expensive bra in the Fantasy Bra series - last year, as Fashion Guide reported, Heidi Klum presented a bra worth $13.5 million in the Victoria's Secret Christmas catalog.
Let us add that so far none of the six previous “precious” sets of linen have found their buyer.

ALIEN'S POCKET

Puff Daddy celebrated his birthday
Rapper Sean Combos, known to the whole world as Puff Daddy, celebrated his 33rd birthday on an unprecedented scale. The party, which lasted for five days, took place in the palace of King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The cultural program of the event included a dinner for 300 people, camel rides to a high-mountain lake, dancing in a nightclub, a performance by a local orchestra of 30 musicians, swimming in the pool in underwear, a fashion show, and even the birthday boy’s attempts to give champagne to a Bactrian animal. Guests from Paris and New York were transported on charter flights; among

Photo: AP

Puff Daddy proved himself to be a hospitable party host

the guests were Naomi Campbell, Gerard Depardieu, Tommy Lee, Yvonne Trump, fashion models, actors, directors, musicians and other heroes of gossip columns. The holiday cost $1 million.

WITH A CLAIMS FOR LIFE

Winona Ryder is on trial
Actress Winona Ryder faces up to three years in prison. Let us remind you that an unpleasant story with a Hollywood star occurred in December last year. Ryder was detained leaving the fashionable Saks Fifth Avenue store. Store security observed Ryder tearing tags off clothes, putting them in a bag and preparing to leave without paying. The amount stolen was $4,750. The actress was taken to the police station, but was soon released on bail of $20 thousand.
A hearing in this case took place last week. Ryder's lawyers put forward the most incredible versions in defense of their client. At first it was alleged that the actress mixed up the doors and, leaving the store, was sure that she was moving from one department to another. Then a version arose that Ryder was allegedly preparing for a new role and fulfilling the director’s assignment. However, the director’s testimony never followed. At the court hearing, Ryder's lawyer said that this was about some kind of misunderstanding, but in fact the actress had a receipt for all the things that she tried to take from the store. So far, the verdict has not been rendered, but the prosecution is insistently demanding that the jury put the actress in prison for three years.
Interestingly, the jury includes several people who work in Hollywood, including the former head of Sony Pictures, the studio that produced three films starring Winona Ryder. Judge Elden Fox, who presided over the trial, prohibited jurors from purchasing anything at the Saks Fifth Avenue store until the trial was over, just in case.

Information from Delfi, BBC, Theplace.com was used in preparing the materials.

Magazine "Kommersant Money" No. 44 dated November 12, 2002, p. 122