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.
