British Beckham bent out of shape by new expose: Soccer superstar fails to stop release of 'Life of an Icon' in United States.

WHEN David Beckham came to Los Angeles last year to play for the Galaxy team, he was hailed as the savior of U.S. soccer. Times have changed, though, and an L.A. company is releasing a DVD expose that has the British athlete none too happy.

After delaying the hunch of "David Beckham: Life of an Icon" for nearly five months, Los Angeles-based Liberation Entertainment is moving forward with its May 6 release of the DVD as the Major League Soccer season kicks off.

Beckham's attorneys had fired off a number of threatening letters to Liberation when the company released the unauthorized Beckham DVD in the United Kingdom last August. The company promptly pulled its copies off all retail shelves and brought the project to the editing room.

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After snipping out a montage of product endorsements, Liberation executives decided it was safe for release in the United States.

"I believe that there were some genuine concerns but we have addressed those issues," said Mathew Kennedy, head of sales and marketing for Liberation.

Beckham's camp stridently disagrees, however, and doesn't want the video out on this side of the Atlantic, either.

Libel law is strict in Britain, where the burden of proof is placed on the publisher. In the United States, plaintiffs must prove the publisher acted recklessly and unprofessionally.

Besides featuring a slew of Beckham's greatest sporting moments, the hour-plus video delves into the athlete's personal life and his marriage to rock star Posh Spice. Bonus DVD chapters include his fallout with his feisty former team manager Alex Fergnson and his arrival upon the Hollywood scene.

Staff Reporter Brett Sporich can be reached at [e-mail], or at [phone] ext. 226.