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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