Beckhams make US debut at Tussauds

Americans got a closer look at the Los Angeles-bound celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham, whose wax statues were unveiled at the Madame Tussauds museum in New York.

The museum put on display Tuesday figures of the soccer idol and his wife, a former member of music group Spice Girls, dressed for the red carpet. They were draped in an American flag and greeted by US President George W. Bush holding a sign saying "Welcome to America".

The couple will move to the US in August when Beckham begins a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team in a deal worth $250 million.

Figures of the couple, dubbed by the museum as the "Brad and Angelina of England", were loaned by the museum's London counterpart for two weeks and will be displayed in an "Opening Night" party scene featuring celebrities in evening wear.

But some visitors at the museum had trouble identifying the pair. The museum's general manager Janine DiGioacchino said the American public was ready to learn more about the couple.