Daniele De Rossi – somewhat pumped up after equalising

Italy 1-1 Paraguay: Daniele De Rossi Saves World Champions From Shock Defeat – Daniele De Rossi saved world champions Italy from defeat to Paraguay in their Group F opener in Cape Town after Antolin Alcaraz’s 38th minute header had put the South Americans ahead.The Azzurri dominated possession in the first half, but there had barely been any chances for either side until Alcaraz rose highest from a free kick to send Paraguay into a shock lead. [goal]

World Cup 2010: BBC May Offer Vuvuzela-Free Matches – South Africa defends plastic horns which have sparked global debate over loud drone and are selling out in Britain. The BBC was investigating the possibility of transmitting an alternative “vuvuzela free” version of its World Cup coverage tonight, as the fierce debate over the buzz of the horn looked set to be heading for football grounds all over Britain. [guardian]

Last Night’s Cape Town Game Unaffected By Worker Strike – A massive congrats to the South African Police for taking over duties at Cape Town stadium without anyone noticing. This, following an incredibly poor timed strike by stadium workers, just before the Italy vs Paraguay World Cup game. Apparently the 500 workers tried to leverage the queueing crowds with a pay demand. Very poor form, guys. This is not the forum.. [sport24]

The DNA Of The World Greatest Teams: Italy – Man for man, the Italians are the hunkiest-looking team the World Cup has ever seen, as they take the field tight of shirt, olive of skin, and flowing of hair. Their World Cup track record matches their looks. They are the most successful European team in tournament history (they’ve won the Cup four times to Germany’s three), but this record has been built on a negative, defensive style of soccer motivated chiefly by the fear of losing. [vanityfair]

Afghanistan Sits On $1 Trillion Mineral Motherlode – United States officials say a survey has uncovered at least $US1 trillion in mineral deposits in Afghanistan, but there are doubts as to how the war-torn and graft-prone country can manage the windfall. The value of the minerals – including lithium, iron, gold, niobium and cobalt – is estimated at nearly $US1 trillion, according to the study. Jesus, imagine if Bush was around! [abc]

Brad Pitt Has Shaved Off His Beard – Brad Pitt’s scraggly beard is no more! The actor, who had been letting his facial hair grow to an almost unruly state, has shaved most of it off. Photographers snapped the ‘Benjamin Button’ star driving around Hollywood over the weekend looking well-groomed. And, according to Usmagazine.com, although many speculated the beard was for a role, that wasn’t the case. “It’s boredom. No other reason than that,” Pitt said. [popeater]

Selfridges Names Best Department Store In The World – The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) and the International Association of Department Stores (IADS) have named London shopping temple Selfridges the Best Department Store in the world. Prestigious contestants including Bloomingdales in the US and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong were left behind when both groups announced the winner n New York on June 13. [luxuo]

Lunch With Warren Buffett Auction Fetches Record $2.6 Million – It was assured a new record for the auction would be established when a bid of $2.15 million came in with just under 8 minutes to go. A flurry of bids followed, including one of $2.5 million with just under 3 minutes left. The winning bid on eBay came with just about 1 minute and 15 seconds left. In all, 77 bids were cast, to win a lunch with Warren Buffett! [dailyfinance]

MTV Looking For Their First “Twitter Jockey” – The MTV Twitter Jockey will actively engage with you, our audience – answering your questions, advocating for your interests, doling out behind-the-scenes information, cool links and exclusive media across MTV.com, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and even in some televised segments. The TJ will be your voice, and the means of communication between you and all the MTV celebrities, producers and employees . [mtv]

Tiger Woods Love Child On The Way – With DNA Proof – Troubled Tiger Woods fathered a secret love child, a new TV documentary claims this week. A journalist who helped the golfer hide affairs says he knows someone who has full details of the girl – and DNA evidence. Neal Boulton added: “There is a lot more to come out. Tiger will eventually admit to fathering a child.” [thesun]

Marilyn Monroe Sex Parties, Death Threats, and Richard Nixon: Secret Ted Kennedy Documents Revealed – Yesterday, the F.B.I. released 2,352 pages of classified documents pertaining to the personal and political activities of Ted Kennedy. The file has been posted on the Bureau’s “Hot Topics” Web page. The Smoking Gun has uncovered the following: rumors of an orgy involving Ted Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Carlyle Hotel.. [vanityfair]

World Cup Winter Fashion – Well, ladies – according to PYC, you gotta get some “Surface-to-Air” booties and a “Parker” into your wardrobe this winter! God help you if you haven’t already!! Apart from that, SA’s top street fashion crit has unleashed a torrent of awesome World Cup pics in an article entitled “World Cup Fashion Extravaganza” – were you caught on camera? [popyacollar]

Michael Jackson’s Mother Fires Back At Joe Jackson – Yesterday we gave you a story about Michael’s dad, Joe Jackson, who has blamed his mother, Katherine Jackson for his death. Katherine’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, tells TMZ, “The world knows that Mrs. Jackson has always been a loving mother and grandmother, and that she and Michael had a very special relationship.” Streisand then drives it home: “The world also knows who Joe Jackson is and he seems bent on never letting us forget.” [tmz]

Tyra Banks Hot New Photoshoot – Okay, let’s concede the point that Tyra Banks is probably nuts, and she’s not what she used to be (we haven’t posted her in years), and she gets help from lighting and airbrushes. Fine, now let’s talk about how hot these Tyra Banks sexy negligee photos are. [egotastic]