Brazil Are Copa Kings!

Brazil produced a ruthlessly efficient performance to beat old rivals Argentina 3-0 on Sunday and win the Copa America for the second time in a row.

Brazil stung Argentina with a fourth-minute goal from Julio Baptista then Argentina captain Roberto Ayala, making his 115th appearance, put through his own goal before halftime.

Although Argentina had more possession, Daniel Alves added a third as Argentina coach Alfio Basile, who won the 1991 and 1993 tournaments in a previous stint, lost a Copa America match for the first time in a run spanning 19 games.
It was a bitter pill for Argentina, who lost on penalties to the same opponents in the 2004 final and were favourites to win this time against a Brazil team missing Kaka and Ronaldinho, who asked to be rested.

Argentina had scored 16 goals in five games before the final while Brazil lost to Mexico in the group stage and needed a penalty shootout to beat Uruguay in the semi-finals.

Argentina were also attempting to end a 14-year title drought stretching back to their 1993 Copa America title under Basile.

With the temperature at kickoff time around 32 Celsius and the tropical sun still burning, a cagey opening had been expected but instead Brazil snatched a quick lead.

A long crossfield ball by Elano found Julio Baptista on the left and, as Ayala held off, the player known as 'the Beast' advanced menacingly and unleashed a shot into the top right hand corner.
Argentina nearly produced a quick reply when Juan Roman Riquelme rifled a shot against the post five minutes later.

The number ten was close again in the 35th minute but his shot was brilliantly turned away by Brazil goalkeeper Doni.

But Argentina's usual flowing game was interrupted by systematic Brazilian fouling in midfield, while their defence always looked shaky against Brazil's counterattacks.

Maicon nearly added a second in the 17th minute when Roberto Abbondanzieri fumbled his low shot and the same player forced Javier Zanetti to clear off the line one minute later.

Five minutes before halftime, Daniel Alves, who replaced the injured Elano, produced a dangerous inswinging cross from the right and Ayala turned the ball into his own net.

Brazil continued to frustrate Argentina after halftime as goalkeeper Doni and Gilberto were both booked for time-wasting.

And as Argentina struggled to impose their style, Brazil produced the killer punch as Vagner Love broke down the left and fed Daniel Alves, who scored with a clinical shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

The Desert Islands Project In Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is catching up with Dubai in terms of ambitious projects. The latest is their own island project. The Desert Islands will be a tourism destination off the coast of Abu Dhabi's western coastline. It will be eight separate islands including the Sir Bani Yas eco-resort and an onshore gate. The islands will include a nature preserve, a cultural destination and a showcase for world-class environmental, conservation and ecological tourism. The Desert Islands comprise the former Royal nature reserve of Sir Bani Yas Island, Dalma Island and the Discovery Islands – six nearby offshore outcrops, all of which will be linked by a ferry and hydrofoil service, water taxis and sea planes.The 'Marsa Jabel Dhanna' gate, which will include a 150-room beachfront hotel in Jabel Dhanna and will be the destination's arrivals, departure and logistics hub. Sir Bani Yas Island will be at the heart of the destination and the Arabian National Park, which will be home to free roaming animals, will take up more than three quarters of the entire island with resorts, eco-lodges and campsites, and at its center, the Falcon Lodge Peak, where visitors can take lessons in falconry. Dalma Island, will provide a heritage experience with archaeological finds and a place where traditional fishing, farming and aquaculture livelihoods continue. Two of the Discovery Islands will be protected areas reserved for existing breeding grounds for birds and turtles, two will be devoted to exclusive resort and the remaining two islands will provide a 'wild camp' experience delivering the experience of staying on a deserted island.The first place will be completed in 2010 and the hope is that the resort will attract over a million tourists by the time the resort becomes fully operational in 2017. An exhibition devoted to the Desert Islands has opened at the Emirates Palace Hotel in the UAE capital city.

Bipasha Basu’s Boyfriend Upset Over Ronaldo Kiss

According to sources he’s not taking the news too well...

John Abraham is reportedly fuming over pictures showing his girlfriend Bipasha Basu locking lips with Man United Ace Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to sources Abraham, who recently declared his love for Basu amid rumours of a split, is said to have found the pictures on the internet.

“When John started surfing the net, he was shocked to see pictures of Bipasha splashed everywhere” a source told the Mumbai Mirror “Obviously, Bipasha had not informed him about this whole episode”
“John seemed very upset and what added to his misery was that everyone knew about the episode,”
Whilst the Bollywood starlet claims that the photo was taken out of context, Abraham is reportedly refusing to discuss the matter with anyone;
“Yesterday he only came out of his make-up room when he was called for the shot. He shot for the film, but it was very clear that he was very embarrassed” adds the source.
“It is still very unclear whether he had spoken to Bipasha after this news had come out."

Beckhams arrive in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES --Soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, arrived Thursday night to begin their new lives in the United States. The British power couple smiled and held hands as they walked out of a Los Angeles International Airport terminal shortly before 8:20 p.m. after arriving aboard a British Airways flight from London.

Dozens of reporters and photographers pushed and shoved behind barriers set up at the terminal before the duo, surrounded by security guards, left in a black sport utility vehicle without commenting.

Their three children accompanied them on the flight, but didn't exit the terminal with them. Victoria Beckham, also known as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, wore a sleeveless black dress and sunglasses and gave a quick wave to the paparazzi. David Beckham was dressed in a black jacket and jeans.

Several people at the airport to pick up passengers became paparazzi themselves, snapping images with their cell phones.

"It was so awesome, he looks better in person than in the magazines," said devoted Beckham fan Priscilla Flores, 15. "I'm really excited to see him play his first game here. He'll make soccer more popular here."

The media swarm also attracted curious onlookers, though not everyone knew what the big deal was.

"Who's David Beckham?" asked Austin Baker, an 11-year-old California boy waiting for a connecting flight, before the world's biggest soccer star arrived.

The English midfielder, who helped Real Madrid win the Spanish title last month, will play for the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He's set to be introduced by the Galaxy on Friday, and make his playing debut in an exhibition match against Chelsea on July 21 in Carson, Calif.

Beckham, who has returned to the England lineup after initially being dropped following the 2006 World Cup, is scheduled to make around $32.5 million over five years with the Galaxy and millions more in endorsement deals.

Despite playing thousands of miles away, Beckham hopes to stay in the England lineup and help the team qualify for next year's European Championship.

The Beckhams will make their new digs in a reported $22 million, 13,000-square foot villa in Beverly Hills, where neighbors include their friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

Avril Lavigne sued for stealing tune

Avril Lavigne is being sued by the members of a 1970s rock band who claim her hit song "Girlfriend" rips off one of their tunes.

Songwriters Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer alleged in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court that Lavigne and her co-writers lifted their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," which was originally performed by new wave band The Rubinoos.

"We are not so naive as to chalk it up to some sort of cosmic coincidence," Dunbar said Thursday. "The lyric, the meter, the rhythm -- they're identical."

The first court date has been set for Aug. 28 in Oakland.

A spokeswoman for Lavigne declined to comment.

Videos comparing Lavigne's song with the Rubinoos' tune were among the most popular on YouTube Friday. Nearly half a million people had watched various clips highlighting the similarities between the songs.

The lawsuit is not the first mention of the similarities between the songs. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in a review published on Billboard magazine's Web site, noted that the chorus of "Girlfriend" was a "total lift from the Rubinoos' 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.'"

The Rubinoos toured and recorded from 1975 to 1983 and had a hit with a cover version of Tommy James and the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now." They also wrote the theme song for the movie "Revenge of the Nerds."

"Girlfriend," from Lavigne's 2007 RCA Records release "The Best Damn Thing," topped the Billboard 200 singles chart in May. RCA is a unit of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture between Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG.

Snoop Dogg's life to be E! reality show

LOS ANGELES --Snoop Dogg's home and work lives will be on display in a new reality series, E! Entertainment Television said Friday.

The series, scheduled to debut in late 2007 and described by the cable channel as "hilarious and heartwarming," will show the hip-hop heavyweight trying to balance his different worlds.

"The juggling act that Snoop faces day-in, day-out between career and family is certain to resonate with our viewers," said Ted Harbert, president and CEO of Comcast Entertainment Group, which operates the E! channel.

The rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr., has three children, is active in community causes and is involved in a youth football league he founded, E! said.

He's also had court-ordered obligations on his plate. In April, he was sentenced to five years' probation and 800 hours of community service after he pleaded no contest to felony gun and drug charges. The charges followed his arrest last year at an airport in Burbank for investigation of transporting marijuana. Police later found a gun at his home.

Also recently, in 2006 he and five other men were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a brawl when some in his party were denied entry to British Airways' first-class lounge at Heathrow Airport.

His platinum-selling albums include his most recent, "Tha Blue Carpet Treatment." He's also a producer and actor.

Are You Ready For Mansinthe?

What does Marilyn Manson drink? Believe it or not the answer just might be Mansinthe his new absinthe which is set to debut in Europe in August. Liquor Snob reports that the distiller, Matter-Luginbuhl, is a famed maker of high-end absinthes in Switzerland. Manson is a noted lover of absinthe and the project has been in the works for several years. The absinthe is made from herbs such as grand wormwood, fennel and anise and is not sugared and the label artwork is by Manson. There are two pricey prereleases: a limited edition for 300 euros and a special signed edition with a different label available from Gallery Schenk in Cologne that sells for 500 euros. There are some more pictures on the Mansinthe website.