Celebrity Poker Player: Rihanna

Most have probably heard the tones of the track “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga over the years. And now there's maybe chance, or risk if you like, to airwaves are filled with several poker songs. The music video for Rihanna's newest popfænomenet number called “Hard”, the poker fans for quite able to recognize a special logo.

What about the middle of the music video where sexy poker player Rihanna gets a slap poker with two unidentified gentlemen. Repeatedly zooms in on the chips, where the wording PokerStars not to be mistaken. And also the cards as the game's three participants are using, is adorned by the large poker sites logo.

What the agreement has cost PokerStars is not known but it has hardly been cheap. Is “Hard” a great success, the site at least could look forward to massive exposure. For example, the music video for another of celebrity poker player Rihanna's tracks, Do not stop the music, been viewed more than 106 million times on YouTube.

About Rihanna: Robin Rihanna Fenty a.k.a Ri-Ri or Rihanna sudden and meteoric rise made American Idol hopefuls look like seasoned crooners who had spent a decade on the road before hitting the big time. A native of the island of Barbados, Rihanna lived an average life and barely even dreamed of show business before she was discovered in late 2003.

Despite her total lack of professional singing experience, Rihanna was snapped up by Def Jam, and had a hit with her single "Pon de Replay" in 2005. She quickly followed this up with the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun.

Rihanna wasted no time in putting out a second album, A Girl Like Me, the following year, and her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, took listeners by storm in 2007 with a slew of hit singles including "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop The Music."

Rihanna's instant success wasn't all luck, though. Her talent is undeniable, and her personality is determined yet appreciative. She instantly caught the attention of the likes of Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z and Sean Paul, and in 2007, when she released her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, all signs indicated she would be a massive success. Her fourth studio album was released in November 2009, entitled Rated R, and it is Rihanna's highest.

The wave of popularity that stemmed from Rihanna's impressive debut carried her onto the small screen. She's been on Live with Regis and Kelly, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Today, and has performed at the 2005 Video Music Awards, World Music Awards and MTV Awards. 

 

She's also helped kick off sports events, from a performance alongside Kanye West at the start of the NFL season to a show for the start of the 2005 U.S. Lawn Tennis Open Championships.

In 2006, Rihanna released her second album, A Girl Like Me, which boasted the hit singles "SOS," "Unfaithful," "We Ride," and "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul. In 2007, it was another successful year for the budding talent. Rihanna released her third album, Good Girl Gone Bad.

A number of hits also resulted from this album including "Umbrella," which featured Jay-Z. This song was the longest running No. 1 single since Wet Wet Wet's' single "Love Is All Around" back in 1994, and the longest running No. 1 by a female artist since Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You."

Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad also included the hits "Shut Up And Drive" and "Don't Stop The Music." At the 2007 American Music Awards Rihanna won for Favorite Female Artist in the Soul/Rhythm &; Blues category.

Rihanna's skyrocketed career falls down when Rihanna was scheduled to perform at the 2009 Grammy Awards show, an incident of physical abuse from boyfriend Chris Brown kept the two from performing together on stage. 

 

Photos of battered Rihanna circulated the internet days after the incident, and Chris Brown released a statement to the public claiming he was finding the guidance he needed with friends and family, away from Rihanna.

After the courts agreed to a plea bargain with Chris Brown, Rihanna fans will be happy to know that part of the plea bargain requires Chris Brown to stay far away from Rihanna.

Celebrity Poker: Madonna

Australian cricketer Shane Warne and prominent environmentalist Zac Goldsmith recently organized a charity poker event in an effort to raise funds. The list of invited poker players included such popular names as celebrity poker player and pop giant Madonna and famous Hollywood actor Hugh Grant. Funds raised will be allocated to the Shane Warne Foundation, a charitable organization working with problem children and Goldsmith's Ecology Trust, an organization distributing funds to environmental charities.

About Madonna: If Michael Jackson is the King of Pop, then the Material Girl is the reigning queen. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2008, she has sold over 63,000,000 albums with 12 No. 1 hits. Madonna recorded 11 studio albums with two additional live albums and three soundtracks. Not only is Madonna one of the most accomplished female artists of all time, but she’s also a talented actress. She had parts in flicks like A League of Their Own and Evita.

From Material Girl to Kabbalah sexpot, Madonna is probably the most influential female musician of this generation. And she’s also one of the most diverse music stars, pulling off every possible look and being sexy each step of the way. Whether it's with classic blond hair, long, wild dark brown locks or boyishly short cuts dyed black, Madonna’s sexiness extends way beyond her looks. Plus, she’s also got a kinky wild side.

With her dominatrix-inspired music video for “Human Nature,” her book SEX and her array of cone-shaped bras that actually encourage us to stare at her breasts, Madonna’s got major sex appeal because of her willingness to push boundaries and explore her explosive sexuality.

Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie was born August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan. Her mother, Madonna Louise, is of French-Canadian descent and her father, Silvio "Tony" P. Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian-American who worked as a Chrysler/General Motors design engineer. She was the third of six children. Her mother died of breast cancer when Madonna was a little girl.

At a young age, she convinced her father to allow her to take dance lessons. When she moved on to high school, not only was she a straight-A student but she was also a cheerleader, and was offered a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. Her dance instructor convinced her to pursue a career in dance instead, though, and with just $35 in her pocket, she upped and moved to New York City.

Maddona To Fame

In 1985, she entered the world of acting and appeared in her first flick, Vision Quest. The soundtrack boasted her second No. 1 hit “Crazy For You,” which was nominated for a Grammy. Later that year, she appeared in the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, and Madonna started her first tour, the Like A Virgin Tour. In 1986, Madonna released the album True Blue, which included the ballad “Live To Tell,” written for the flick At Close Range, starring Sean Penn. Four wildly popular singles followed: “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Open Your Heart,” “La Isla Bonita,” and “True Blue.”

Madonna’s fourth album, Like A Prayer, was a hit, but it elicited outrage from the Catholic Church. Racy songs like “Express Yourself” and controversial music videos featuring burning crosses created enough of a stir for Pepsi to pull out of a major endorsement deal with the risque artist. Her personal life was struggling too, and in 1989, Sean Penn and Madonna officially divorce.

In November 1995, Madonna released Something to Remember, a compilation album of ballads. Then, a year later, Madonna’s most successful film hit the big screen: Evita. Her two songs on the soundtrack were “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” and “You Must Love Me,” the later garnering her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture. She also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

In 2000, she appeared in the movie The Next Best Thing, another flick with a Madge hit, “American Pie,” a dance-infused cover version of the Don McLean original. She then went on to release the electronica album Music, as well as record the theme song for the James Bond film Die Another Day.

In 2006, Madonna traveled to Malawi to help build an orphanage and filed for adoption of a Malawi boy despite much controversy over the conditions of the adoption (given Madonna’s celebrity status). That same year, she became the face of the clothing store chain H&M, which resulted in the creation of M by Madonna, her own clothing collection. Her Confessions Tour started shortly after.

On December 13, 2007, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Justin Timberlake. Fellow inductees included John Meelencamp and Leonardo Cohen. Without skipping a beat, Madonna came out with Hard Candy, her 11th studio album. It boasted collaborations with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and Danja. The first single was the No. 1 hit “4 Minutes.”

In October 2008, it was announced that Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, would be divorcing. In December, it was reported that Madonna would be paying out £60 million to her ex-husband in cash and property.

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Singer Celebrity Poker: Christina Milian

For those of you who thought all singers make popular hip hop beats and blow away all their cash at various luxury goods retailers, think again. Believe it or not, but they have a soft spot when it comes to poker tournaments.

Along with other celebrity buffs, Christin Milian were spotted earlier this week at a Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament held in luxurious Monte-Carlo. Online casino poker site, PokerStars launched their first Ante Up for Africa charity poker tournament was held last night in Monaco on the eve of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final. The live event raised €260,000 for the Darfur charities.

With a total of 40 runners put up €4,000 each to play in the massive fundraiser, creating a €160,000 prize pool that was donated to charity. PokerStars, which sponsored the Monaco tournament, donated another €100,000. In the end, Team PokerStars Pro member Isabelle Mercier emerged as its champion, defeating Teddy Sheringham. However, the grand prize package, a trip to the 2010 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, went to Sheringham, a British soccer player who was a member of the Manchester United in the late 1990s.

With the help of the poker icon Annie Duke, Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein founded Ante Up for Africa 3 years ago. To date, it has helped raise over $2,000,000 for the cause, including $245,000 generated from NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice”.

About Christina Milian: Before her introduction into the mainstream R&B/hip-hop music scene, Christina Milian put her acting skills to use by appearing in a variety of popular TV sitcoms including Clueless, Sister, Sister, Charmed and The Steve Harvey Show. She's also appeared on the big screen in The Wood as well as American Pie, and contributed her voice to a character in the animated film A Bug's Life.

Her career in the spotlight began at a very young age when she was cast as Annie Warbucks in the theatrical musical rendition of Annie. Shortly thereafter, Christina Milian made her next big move to the Disney Channel (no, she wasn't part of that cult-like Mickey Mouse Club that has somehow spawned today's generation of pop stars, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera and Justin Timberlake.

During her stint in California, she also made some prosperous connections in the music biz. Christina Milian appeared in Ja Rule's No. 1 single "Between Me and You." At this point she had fans worldwide sit up and take notice while wondering to themselves, "Who on earth is she and where did she come from?" From this point on, it was all uphill for Christina Milian. After completing her debut album, she wowed audiences far and wide as the opening act on *N Sync's stadium tour. Her album was finally released in October 2001, much to the excitement of her newfound fan base across North America. In 2004, her name skyrocketed to fame with her hit single, “Deep it low”.

In 2008, EA released it's 16th version of the hit first-person driver game, Need for Speed: Undercover. Taking video games to a whole new level, EA incorporated snipits of film throughout the game, with Christina Milian starring as the race crews tomboy hottie, Carmen Mendez. The game, which hit shelves November 18, 2008, is just in time for the Christmas rush. Along with her video game role, Christina Milian will also hit the silver screen in 2009 starring alongside Matthew McCaughhey and Jennifer Garner in The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.

Celebrity Poker Player: Justin Timberlake

Hollywood celebrities play poker to enjoy as well as experience something new to try. Despite their celebrity status, some of these players have even developed a deeper love and devotion to the game of poker.

The poker industry tries to include celebrities in some of their events to attract serious attention all over the world. As always, celebrities are experts in getting the attention of almost everybody. People find them entertaining no matter what they are doing. Watching them play poker is indeed a very entertaining experience. Try it and see how these people compete in a very fun and exciting way.

Justin Timberlake was into gambling, he played blackjack, poker and baccarat. Timberlake was spotted at the Hard Rock's Peacock Lounge at the casino's VIP tables playing with his friends.

Justin Timberlake was also joined in the Playboy Club. Other professional athletes spotted elsewhere on the Palms property included St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson and San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. Both were spotted having dinner, separately, at N9NE Steakhouse.

Timberlake plays against her fellow celebrities just like any professional poker player does in order to win.

About Justin Timberlake: Justin Timberlake was chosen the 4th Best Dressed Man of 2006 in a poll conducted by US news show Access Hollywood to find Hollywood's most elegant man. He also included in the list of the Top Entertainers of 2006 compiled by U.S. magazine Entertainment Weekly in December 2006.

In addition, Timberlake was featured on the first episode of the MTV series Punk'd starring Ashton Kutcher. He nabbed the Song Of The Year prize in US men's magazine Blender's 2006 Readers' Poll, thanks to his single "My Love" from album "FutureSex/LoveSounds".

Justin Timberlake received his first UK #1 with his song "SexyBack" from new album "FutureSex/LoveSounds" in September 2006. He was ranked 1st in US Weekly's list of Celebrities with the Biggest Ego in Hollywood due to his claim "that McDonald's shares climbed 25 percent when he walked into their offices and changed their image" .

Voted No. 10 in People Magazine's list of "Hottest Bachelors" in 2007 and was recruited as the new spokesmodel for Parfums Givenchy's new as-yet-unnamed men's fragrance in February 2008.

Photo Courtesy: http://media.photobucket.com

Neither of the stars showed up at Indiana Live! Casino

“Justin Timberlake was invited by The Cordish Company to attend the VIP party and grand opening of the Indiana Live! Casino on Friday, March 13. An RSVP was received for Mr. Timberlake that he and his guest would attend the festivities.” -Sherry Amos, Marketing Executive with The Cordish Company

Indiana Live Casino may have put on an excellent opening of their new Shelbyville casino, however, many audience are upset after the grand opening festivities.



The grand opening was supposed to feature 2 of the top stars in Hollywood: the actor-singer Justin Timberlake and actress-model Jessica Biel.

The Ads were run promoting their appearance at the opening ceremonies. Unfortunately, neither of the stars showed up!

So was it a dupe to pull large crowds to the opening? As the Mayor of Shebyville, Scott Furgeson stated, “I guarantee it was not a dupe, and I thought he was going to be there".

Also the Mayor said that the President of Baltimore-based Cordish Company who runs the casino is Justin Timberlake's friend had pledged to attend but had not signed a contract.

Guest Marian Flemming says, “It was ridiculous. They promised us that Justin and Jessica were going to be here, so we came down to check out the new casino and had hoped to see the two stars. When they did not show up, we simply felt cheated.”

On the contrary, Justin Timberlake's publicist told the Cordish Company that the Justin never planned to attend the event. The day after the actor-singer publicist said Timberlake never agreed to attend Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for Indiana Live! Casino, the only business that's talking was the casino's local public relations firm.

The stars then added to the speculation when they failed to deliver a scheduled promotional appearance at the launch of an Indiana Live Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana on March 13. The 2 Hollywood stars absence infuriated many members of the 8,000-strong audience.

The new $200 million Indiana Live Casino will feature over 200,000 square feet of gaming and dining. The casino and horsetrack are located only 15 miles southeast of Indianapolis on I-74.




As the promotion ads stated, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel will be on hand for the 6:00 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony. Following that, the doors open to the public at 6:30 p.m.

But unfortunately, on that night, no Justin Timberlake and Jessice Biel's appearance in the casino!

The Indiana Gaming Commission is investigating whether a casino broke rules with promotions claiming that pop star singer and actor Justin Timberlake and the actress model Jessica Biel would appear at its grand opening.

Ernie Yelton, a Gaming Commission Director told the Indianapolis Business Journal he's not accusing Indiana Live of any misconduct, but he wants to make sure the casino followed regulations, and if the Indiana Live Casino is found to have a violated commission rules, the casino could face reprimand, fines and even its license
revoked.

What do you think? Is this a marketing tactic of Indiana Live! Casino?


Your thoughts..