Taking Names

Snoring like Beckham

English soccer captain David Beckham stirs in his sleep, turning occasionally to reveal a hint of tattoo or a glimpse of nipple.

And the crowd goes wild.

These are the highlights of a 67-minute video of Mr. Beckham doing nothing more energetic than taking a nap, Reuters News Agency reports.

The 28-year-old style icon was captured on film by BritArt sensation Sam Taylor-Wood as he rested in a hotel after a training session.

She named the work “David” in a nod to Michelangelo’s sculptural depiction of male perfection. It was unveiled yesterday at London’s National Portrait Gallery.

High on life

Bette Midler, who stars in the upcoming remake of “The Stepford Wives,” is content with the simple things in life — so content that she may be quitting show business soon.

“I love things people take for granted: food, flowers, being in a room with fun people — that’s the stuff I love,” the actress-singer told Scripps Howard News Service. “The rest of it’s kind of a grind, I gotta say.

“I’m supposed to retire shortly. I don’t want to fall off the stage and have people say, ’She waited too long.’”

Pay up

Maria Dono, 93, had never heard of Billy Joel until he slammed his car into her Long Island home.

Now she expects payment.

Miss Dono, of Bayville, N.Y., returned from a shopping trip Sunday afternoon to find Mr. Joel speaking with police outside her house.

“He hit my bushes and the wall. He’d better come fix it,” she told the New York Post. “I’m sure he has money.”

Claire Mercuri, a spokeswoman for Mr. Joel, said the singer’s “main concern” was to repair the damage.

“He’s taken immediate steps to make sure it’s repaired as quickly as possible,” she said.

Hip again

The New Wave pioneers of Blondie are back on the pop-culture radar screen. The band has a new album, and its old hit “Rapture” was the inspiration for the Rapture, a New York indie-rock band.

The band is flattered but thinks young music lovers should dig deeper.

“We were referencing a lot of stuff when we first came out, like Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones,” guitarist Chris Stein told Associated Press.

“But young kids aren’t going back far enough; they aren’t getting to the real meat of things by only using us, or someone else from that time, as a reference.”

Blondie is set to embark on a concert tour to promote its new album. A May 10 date is scheduled at the 9:30 Club.

Compiled by Scott Galupo from Web and wire reports.