TVSquad

The other day I was working away when one of the guys rushed up to me, excited look on his face, and said "Beckham just announced he's leaving Real Madrid, and guess where he's going." Now, I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I follow it enough to at least make a reasonable guess. So I said, "Chelsea?" His eyes got big and he was almost giddy when he told me the answer, "Nope, the L.A. Galaxy."

That surprised me. Beckham leaving Madrid was something I had expected since he left Manchester, but I didn't think he would give up the bright lights and crazy popularity of European football to come to the U.S. where the MLS is basically an afterthought in the sporting world.

There were some other factors though. For one, cash. To get this done, the MLS rewrote the rules on salary caps, allowing Beckham to sign a deal that is rumored to be worth some $250 million when endorsements are included. And, to Beckham's credit, he has been working at trying to improve the image of soccer in this country for a long time. Actually joining a team here is about as committed a move as he can make.

This season's American Idol finalists hit the road yesterday for their summer concert tour, but runner-up Katharine McPhee was missing. She has been sidelined with severe bronchitis and laryngitis. Doctors say she's on "total voice rest", which means even talking is out of the question. The tour started in Manchester, New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday. There's no word yet on when McPhee will return to the tour.

For a list of tour dates, check here.

How's this for a fantastic premise: a driven and ambitious young British detective is determined to keep the streets of 21st Century Manchester safe. But after a near fatal car accident, he wakes up, dazed and confused, in 1973.

David Bowie's Life on Mars is playing on his iPod when he crashes, hence the title.

That's the background on a new series, Life on Mars, starting on BBC ONE in the U.K. on Monday 9 January, starring John Simm (24 Hour Party People) as Sam Tyler and Philip Glenister (Calendar Girls) as DCI Gene Hunt.

As you can imagine, poor Sam is like a fish out of water, with obscure moralities and strange views on the tough attitudes of tough-nut British detectives in the 1970s.

TV Squad will be watching the bizarre time-travelling cop drama, so expect some updates when the series kicks in.